Model Federation in toolchains

In this paper we introduce the toolchain topic as a federation of models based on an abstraction of dif ferents tool definitions. We consider the toolchain in the context of embedded systems, in particular the co-design which implies a co-engineering approach with many tools. Our main goal is to define a tool integration model to carry out an abstraction of several data formats and for a do main model as a reference vocabulary. This model gathers the concepts for managing the development process artif acts and the roles attributed to these artifacts over th e process. We have experimented this approach during the europ een ARTEMIS iFEST project over the OSLC layer (Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration)

Designing power aware wireless sensor networks leveraging software modeling techniques

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are typically used to monitor specific phenomena and gather the data to a gateway node, where the data is further processed. WSNs nodes have limited power resources, which require developing power efficient systems. Additionally, reaching the nodes after a deployment to correct any design flaws is very challenging due the distributed nature of the nodes. The current development of WSNs occurs at the coding layer, which prevent the design from going through a typical software design process. Designing and analyzing the software modules of a WSN system at a higher abstraction layer than at the coding level will enable the designer of a WSN to fix any design errors and improve the system for power consumption at an early design stage, before the actual deployment of the network. This thesis presents multiple Unified Modeling Language (UML) design patterns that enable the designer to capture the structure and the behavior of the design of a WSN at higher abstraction layers. The UML models are developed based on these design patterns that are capable of early validation of the functional requirements and the power consumption of the system hardware resources by leveraging animation and instrumentation of the UML diagrams. To support the analysis of power consumption of the communication components of a WSN node, the Avrora network simulator was integrated with the UML design environment such that designer is able to analyze the power consumption analysis of the communication process at the UML layer. The UML and the Avrora simulation integration is achieved through developing a code generator that produces the necessary configuration for Avrora simulator and through parsing the simulator results. The methodology presented in this thesis is evaluated by demonstrating the power analysis of a typical collector system

Manufacturing compliance analysis for architectural design: a knowledge-aided feature-based modeling framework

Given that achieving nominal (all dimensions are theoretically perfect) geometry is challenging during building construction, understanding and anticipating sources of geometric variation through tolerances modeling and allocation is critical. However, existing building modeling environments lack the ability to support coordinated, incremental and systematic specification of manufacturing and construction requirements. This issue becomes evident when adding multi-material systems produced off site by different vendors during building erection. Current practices to improve this situation include costly and time-consuming operations that challenge the relationship among the stakeholders of a project. As one means to overcome this issue, this research proposes the development of a knowledge-aided modeling framework that integrates a parametric CAD tool with a system modeling application to assess variability in building construction. The CAD tool provides robust geometric modeling capabilities, while System Modeling allows for the specification of feature-based manufacturing requirements aligned with construction standards and construction processes know-how. The system facilitates the identification of conflicting interactions between tolerances and manufacturing specifications of building material systems. The expected contributions of this project are the representation of manufacturing knowledge and tolerances interaction across off-site building subsystems to identify conflicting manufacturing requirements and minimize costly construction errors. The proposed approach will store and allocate manufacturing knowledge as Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) design specifications for both single and multiple material systems. Also, as new techniques in building design and construction are beginning to overlap with engineering methods and standards (e.g. in-factory prefabrication), this project seeks to create collaborative scenarios between MBSE and Building Information Modeling (BIM) based on parametric, simultaneous, software integration to reduce human-to-data translation errors, improving model consistency among domains. Important sub-stages of this project include the comprehensive review of modeling and allocation of tolerances and geometric deviations in design, construction and engineering; an approach for model integration among System Engineering models, mathematical engines and BIM (CAD) models; and finally, a demonstration computational implementation of a System-level tolerances modeling and allocation approach.Ph.D

Nova combinação de hardware e de software para veículos de desporto automóvel baseada no processamento directo de funções gráficas

Doutoramento em Engenharia EletrónicaThe main motivation for the work presented here began with previously conducted experiments with a programming concept at the time named "Macro". These experiments led to the conviction that it would be possible to build a system of engine control from scratch, which could eliminate many of the current problems of engine management systems in a direct and intrinsic way. It was also hoped that it would minimize the full range of software and hardware needed to make a final and fully functional system. Initially, this paper proposes to make a comprehensive survey of the state of the art in the specific area of software and corresponding hardware of automotive tools and automotive ECUs. Problems arising from such software will be identified, and it will be clear that practically all of these problems stem directly or indirectly from the fact that we continue to make comprehensive use of extremely long and complex "tool chains". Similarly, in the hardware, it will be argued that the problems stem from the extreme complexity and inter-dependency inside processor architectures. The conclusions are presented through an extensive list of "pitfalls" which will be thoroughly enumerated, identified and characterized. Solutions will also be proposed for the various current issues and for the implementation of these same solutions. All this final work will be part of a "proof-of-concept" system called "ECU2010". The central element of this system is the before mentioned "Macro" concept, which is an graphical block representing one of many operations required in a automotive system having arithmetic, logic, filtering, integration, multiplexing functions among others. The end result of the proposed work is a single tool, fully integrated, enabling the development and management of the entire system in one simple visual interface. Part of the presented result relies on a hardware platform fully adapted to the software, as well as enabling high flexibility and scalability in addition to using exactly the same technology for ECU, data logger and peripherals alike. Current systems rely on a mostly evolutionary path, only allowing online calibration of parameters, but never the online alteration of their own automotive functionality algorithms. By contrast, the system developed and described in this thesis had the advantage of following a "clean-slate" approach, whereby everything could be rethought globally. In the end, out of all the system characteristics, "LIVE-Prototyping" is the most relevant feature, allowing the adjustment of automotive algorithms (eg. Injection, ignition, lambda control, etc.) 100% online, keeping the engine constantly working, without ever having to stop or reboot to make such changes. This consequently eliminates any "turnaround delay" typically present in current automotive systems, thereby enhancing the efficiency and handling of such systems.A principal motivação para o trabalho que conduziu a esta tese residiu na constatação de que os actuais métodos de modelação de centralinas automóveis conduzem a significativos problemas de desenvolvimento e manutenção. Como resultado dessa constatação, o objectivo deste trabalho centrou-se no desenvolvimento de um conceito de arquitectura que rompe radicalmente com os modelos state-of-the-art e que assenta num conjunto de conceitos que vieram a ser designados de "Macro" e "Celular ECU". Com este modelo pretendeu-se simultaneamente minimizar a panóplia de software e de hardware necessários à obtenção de uma sistema funcional final. Inicialmente, esta tese propõem-se fazer um levantamento exaustivo do estado da arte na área específica do software e correspondente hardware das ferramentas e centralinas automóveis. Os problemas decorrentes de tal software serão identificados e, dessa identificação deverá ficar claro, que praticamente todos esses problemas têm origem directa ou indirecta no facto de se continuar a fazer um uso exaustivo de "tool chains" extremamente compridas e complexas. De forma semelhante, no hardware, os problemas têm origem na extrema complexidade e inter-dependência das arquitecturas dos processadores. As consequências distribuem-se por uma extensa lista de "pitfalls" que também serão exaustivamente enumeradas, identificadas e caracterizadas. São ainda propostas soluções para os diversos problemas actuais e correspondentes implementações dessas mesmas soluções. Todo este trabalho final faz parte de um sistema "proof-of-concept" designado "ECU2010". O elemento central deste sistema é o já referido conceito de “Macro”, que consiste num bloco gráfico que representa uma de muitas operações necessárias num sistema automóvel, como sejam funções aritméticas, lógicas, de filtragem, de integração, de multiplexagem, entre outras. O resultado final do trabalho proposto assenta numa única ferramenta, totalmente integrada que permite o desenvolvimento e gestão de todo o sistema de forma simples numa única interface visual. Parte do resultado apresentado assenta numa plataforma hardware totalmente adaptada ao software, bem como na elevada flexibilidade e escalabilidade, para além de permitir a utilização de exactamente a mesma tecnologia quer para a centralina, como para o datalogger e para os periféricos. Os sistemas actuais assentam num percurso maioritariamente evolutivo, apenas permitindo a calibração online de parâmetros, mas nunca a alteração online dos próprios algoritmos das funcionalidades automóveis. Pelo contrário, o sistema desenvolvido e descrito nesta tese apresenta a vantagem de seguir um "clean-slate approach", pelo que tudo pode ser globalmente repensado. No final e para além de todas as restantes características, o “LIVE-PROTOTYPING” é a funcionalidade mais relevante, ao permitir alterar algoritmos automóveis (ex: injecção, ignição, controlo lambda, etc.) de forma 100% online, mantendo o motor constantemente a trabalhar e sem nunca ter de o parar ou re-arrancar para efectuar tais alterações. Isto elimina consequentemente qualquer "turnaround delay" tipicamente presente em qualquer sistema automóvel actual, aumentando de forma significativa a eficiência global do sistema e da sua utilização

Entwurf eingebetteter Systeme: Ausführbare Modelle und Fehlersuche

Graphische Modelle können mit Hilfe modellgetriebener Ansätze als Programmiersprachen für eingebettete Systeme genutzt werden. Die Arbeit schließt vorhandene Lücken und liefert einen Beitrag zur Zustandsvisualisierung während der Laufzeit zum Zweck der Fehlersuche in solchen Modellen. Dieser resultiert in der flexiblen Debugging-Architektur ModelScope. Die Leistungsfähigkeit von ModelScope wird durch Anbindung unterschiedlicher Modellierungsparadigmen und Ausführungsplattformen validiert

Modellbasierte Entwicklung funktional sicherer Hardware nach ISO 26262

Die Absicherung von funktionaler Sicherheit nach dem Standard ISO 26262 ist im Kontext der zunehmenden Elektrifizierung von Fahrzeugen ein herausforderndes Unterfangen. Diese Arbeit liefert ein Konzept und eine Vorgehensweise zur modellbasierten Entwicklung funktional sicherer Hardware. Diese zeichnet sich durch die Beschreibung von Hardwaredesigns, Anreicherung um Fehlerinformationen sowie Ausführung der geforderten Sicherheitsevaluationen aus

Modellbasierte Entwicklung funktional sicherer Hardware nach ISO 26262

The compliance with functional safety according to the standard ISO 26262 in context of the increasing electrification of road vehicles is a significant challenge. This work provides a concept and methodology for the model-based development of functional safe hardware. This is characterized by the description of hardware designs, annotation of failure data and performing the demanded safety evaluations