Formulation of consumables management models. Development approach for the mission planning processor working model

The mission planning processor is a user oriented tool for consumables management and is part of the total consumables subsystem management concept. The approach to be used in developing a working model of the mission planning processor is documented. The approach includes top-down design, structured programming techniques, and application of NASA approved software development standards. This development approach: (1) promotes cost effective software development, (2) enhances the quality and reliability of the working model, (3) encourages the sharing of the working model through a standard approach, and (4) promotes portability of the working model to other computer systems

Virtual Machine and Code Generator for PLC-Systems

In the programming of PLC-Systems (PLC = Programmable Logic Controller) in building automation there were no vital changes over the past few years. Most users of PLC-Systems in building automation do the programming in FBD (functional block diagram). The users always start their projects with the programming of the PLC software. After that the HMI (Human Machine Interface) or the SCADA-System (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) are added as subsequent Tasks. Programming tools like CoDeSys build on this bottom up approach. Most of the time the user has to cope with different tools for the different tasks and the programming tools are built for a specific hardware. Almost every PLC manufacturer has its own implementation of the IEC 61131 standard with various interpretations. So a change of hardware means that the programming tool, the way how to program the PLC-System, the HMI tool and the SCADA tool changes. The interfaces between the tools are sometimes pretty clumsy and software, generated with these tools, is often not easily transferred to the PLC-System of another PLC-System manufacturer. This investigation proposes a top down approach to a project. For the first time the starting point of a project will be the plant diagram. The programming will be intuitively done in the plant diagram. Template objects (e.g. for pumps) created with the object orientated paradigm will be used to accomplish this task. The created PLC software will run in a virtual machine on the PLC-System and thus will be reusable on PLC-Systems of different manufacturers, which will eliminate the dependency on certain hardware. The merging together of SCADA, HMI development and PLC programming will lead to a more natural way in programming PLC-Systems. In a first step the user draws his plant diagram with template objects (TO) and afterwards binds the template objects on the plant diagram together. With this approach the user only has to cope with a single software tool. The independency from the PLC hardware will be an additional alleviation for the user. The aim of the investigation is to determine the realisability of a generic SCADA-System FBD programming language, a virtual machine and a code generator for PLC-Systems

A bottom-up design framework for CAD tools to support design for additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) technology is enabling a platform to produce parts with enhanced shape complexity. Design engineers are exploiting this capability to produce high performance functional parts. The current top-down approach to design for AM requires the designer to develop a design model in CAD software and then use optimization tools to adapt the design for the AM technology, however this approach neglects a number of desired criteria. This paper proposes an alternative bottom-up design framework for a new type of CAD tool which combines the knowledge required to design a part with evolutionary programming in order to design parts specifically for the AM platform.</p

Deuce: A Lightweight User Interface for Structured Editing

We present a structure-aware code editor, called Deuce, that is equipped with direct manipulation capabilities for invoking automated program transformations. Compared to traditional refactoring environments, Deuce employs a direct manipulation interface that is tightly integrated within a text-based editing workflow. In particular, Deuce draws (i) clickable widgets atop the source code that allow the user to structurally select the unstructured text for subexpressions and other relevant features, and (ii) a lightweight, interactive menu of potential transformations based on the current selections. We implement and evaluate our design with mostly standard transformations in the context of a small functional programming language. A controlled user study with 21 participants demonstrates that structural selection is preferred to a more traditional text-selection interface and may be faster overall once users gain experience with the tool. These results accord with Deuce's aim to provide human-friendly structural interactions on top of familiar text-based editing.Comment: ICSE 2018 Paper + Supplementary Appendice

The TASTE Toolset: turning human designed heterogeneous systems into computer built homogeneous software.

The TASTE tool-set results from spin-off studies of the ASSERT project, which started in 2004 with the objective to propose innovative and pragmatic solutions to develop real-time software. One of the primary targets was satellite flight software, but it appeared quickly that their characteristics were shared among various embedded systems. The solutions that we developed now comprise a process and several tools ; the development process is based on the idea that real-time, embedded systems are heterogeneous by nature and that a unique UML-like language was not helping neither their construction, nor their validation. Rather than inventing yet another "ultimate" language, TASTE makes the link between existing and mature technologies such as Simulink, SDL, ASN.1, C, Ada, and generates complete, homogeneous software-based systems that one can straightforwardly download and execute on a physical target. Our current prototype is moving toward a marketed product, and sequel studies are already in place to support, among others, FPGA systems

Top down, bottom up structured programming and program structuring

New design and programming techniques for shuttle software. Based on previous Apollo experience, recommendations are made to apply top-down structured programming techniques to shuttle software. New software verification techniques for large software systems are recommended. HAL, the higher order language selected for the shuttle flight code, is discussed and found to be adequate for implementing these techniques. Recommendations are made to apply the workable combination of top-down, bottom-up methods in the management of shuttle software. Program structuring is discussed relevant to both programming and management techniques