Automating software specification, design and synthesis for computer aided control system design tools

Graphical modeling and programming specifications are becoming increasingly popular due to the need for executable specifications that are easy to understand. In order to fully leverage the advantages of graphical models, it is necessary to provide extensive automation support. Automation can potentially be applied to software design analysis, verification, validation, and automatic code generation. The automation requires a clear and concise definition of the graphical design and implementation specification. A unique approach has been established that permits Computer Aided Control System Design (CACSD) models to be prepared with software design information that is compatible with various commercial software support tools and internally developed tools. The neutral design approach permits implementation decisions to be deferred until late in the development cycle. This permits the optimal target processor, real time operating systems (RTOS), test tools, and automatic code generation tools to be selected once all of the system requirements are known and modeled in the CACSD tool. In order to realize a software implementation, it is critical to establish a mapping between specification and implementation. This paper describes the neutral software design specification approach and how the specification is used in design, testing, and automatic code generation. The paper further discusses tool technology, information representation, synthesis approaches, and automation.