Archive : 13 December 2014 год

A systems engineering framework developed by the EU funded ADVANCE programme is said to have the potential to 'revolutionise' the design, verification and validation of complex cyber physical systems. 

The ADVANCE toolset upgrades the existing Rodin platform by adding more powerful and innovative verification and simulation capabilities. José Reis, principal consultant engineer at partner company Critical Software Technologies, said: "Rodin's new visualisations and simulations will be clear even to non specialists, allowing engineers to understand the technical details and consequences of the system they are working on, fixing errors more effectively well in advance of any commitments to a final design." 

The partners say the toolset, which has been in development for three years, will help to reduce the costs of system development by providing accurate models of system behaviour. Issues can be identified early in the design cycle and errors eliminated as soon as possible. Formal verification features will also help to test critical systems more efficiently. 

Professor Michael Butler, scientific coordinator of the ADVANCE consortium, said: "It is widely recognised that development costs will become prohibitive for future systems unless significant improvements are made in the methods and tools used for systems engineering. The Rodin toolset is unique in addressing both simulation and formal verification within a single framework in a cost effective way." 

The upgraded platform is claimed to have already demonstrated its ability to improve the design of 'event driven' systems, such as those controlling railway interlocking functions and low voltage smart grids. 

Author
Graham Pitcher

Source:  www.newelectronics.co.uk