Model-Based Test and Validation Support for Autonomous Mechatronic Systems

Test and validation of autonomous mechatronic systems is a major challenge. Due to more complex tasks as well as dynamic environments, existing test and validation methods are reaching their limits. The complexity and diversity of their elements and interrelations of these as well as interrelations with environmental elements have to be handled because established methods do not consider the characteristics of autonomous mechatronic systems. Therefore Systems Engineering seems to be a proper solution. Based on system thinking an approach for analyzing autonomous mechatronic systems will be developed. For this purpose a procedure for model development will be aligned with the robot's system model. This system model combines hardware and software elements, analyzes their interrelations and prepares a later test and validation. With the help of this new system model, which decomposes to the hardware and software level, new test and validation methods can be developed.