Development of a Test Automation Framework based on a Comparison of different Approaches for Test Automation in the Embedded Systems Area

Embedded systems have become an integral part of our everyday lives. Devices are increasingly connected, especially in the Internet of Things (IoT) environment. The interfaces between the devices require high-quality software and hardware to ensure reliable communication between them. This vital interconnection also leads to systems becoming increasingly complex, and therefore, the complexity of the tests increases. Therefore, such tests can usually only be done by means of automation, as manual testing is very time-consuming and cost-intensive. A System Under Test (SUT) has different requirements depending on the application area and the functionality, which is why different test automation approaches exist. This work reviews possible approaches for test automation of embedded devices and compares them with each other based on different criteria. Based on this comparison and in cooperation with Siemens Smart Infrastructure EA, a test automation system called Kubrotest was designed. To verify the test automation in a real usecase, Kubrotest is used to test a Siemens SICAM 8 series device.