V3CMM: a 3-view component meta-model for model-driven robotic software development

There are many voices in the robotics community demanding a qualitative improvement in the robotics software development process and tools, in order to increase product flexibility, adaptability, and overall quality, while reducing its cost and time-to-market. This article describes a first step towards a model-driven approach to robotics software development, based on the definition of highly reusable and platform-independent component-based design models. The proposed approach revolves around the V3CMM modeling language and the definition of different model transformations for deriving both special purpose models (e.g., models suited for analysis or simulation purposes) and lower-level design models, in which platform-specific and application-dependent details can be progressively included. The article describes the tool-chain implemented to support the different stages of the proposed MDE process, including (1) the definition of component-based architectural models, defined using the V3CMM platform-independent modeling language, (2) the automatic transformation of the V3CMM component-based models into equivalent object-oriented designs, described in terms of the UML standard, and (3) the transformation of the UML models into an the Ada 2005 object-oriented programming language. In order to show the feasibility and the benefits of the proposal, a simple (yet complete) case study regarding the design of a Cartesian robot is presented.This research has been funded by the Spanish CICYT Project EXPLORE (ref. TIN2009-08572), the Fundación Séneca Regional Project COMPAS-R (ref. 11994/PI/09), and the Spanish Research Network on Model-Driven Software Development (ref. TIN2008-00889-E)

AADLib, A Library of Reusable AADL Models

The SAE Architecture Analysis and Design Language is now a well-established language for the description of critical embedded systems, but also cyber-physical ones. A wide range of analysis tools is already available, either as part of the OSATE tool chain, or separate ones. A key missing elements of AADL is a set of reusable building blocks to help learning AADL concepts, but also experiment already existing tool chains on validated real-life examples. In this paper, we present AADLib, a library of reusable model elements. AADLib is build on two pillars: 1/ a set of ready-to- use examples so that practitioners can learn more about the AADL language itself, but also experiment with existing tools. Each example comes with a full description of available analysis and expected results. This helps reducing the learning curve of the language. 2/ a set of reusable model elements that cover typical building blocks of critical systems: processors, networks, devices with a high level of fidelity so that the cost to start a new project is reduced. AADLib is distributed under a Free/Open Source License to further disseminate the AADL language. As such, AADLib provides a convenient way to discover AADL concepts and tool chains, and learn about its features

Supporting the automated generation of modular product line safety cases

Abstract The effective reuse of design assets in safety-critical Software Product Lines (SPL) would require the reuse of safety analyses of those assets in the variant contexts of certification of products derived from the SPL. This in turn requires the traceability of SPL variation across design, including variation in safety analysis and safety cases. In this paper, we propose a method and tool to support the automatic generation of modular SPL safety case architectures from the information provided by SPL feature modeling and model-based safety analysis. The Goal Structuring Notation (GSN) safety case modeling notation and its modular extensions supported by the D-Case Editor were used to implement the method in an automated tool support. The tool was used to generate a modular safety case for an automotive Hybrid Braking System SPL

PuLSE-I: Deriving instances from a product line infrastructure

Reusing assets during application engineering promises to improve the efficiency of systems development. However, in order to benefit from reusable assets, application engineering processes must incorporate when and how to use the reusable assets during single system development. However, when and how to use a reusable asset depends on what types of reusable assets have been created.Product line engineering approaches produce a reusable infrastructure for a set of products. In this paper, we present the application engineering process associated with the PuLSE product line software engineering method - PuLSE-I. PuLSE-I details how single systems can be built efficiently from the reusable product line infrastructure built during the other PuLSE activities

Reusability in software engineering

This paper surveys recent work concerning reusability in software engineering. The current directions in software reusability are discussed, and the two major approaches of reusable building blocks and reusable patterns studied. An extensive bibliography, parts of which are annotated, is included