Automated test artifact generation for a distributed avionics platform utilizing abstract state machines

The development of complex and highly safety-critical avionics systems, such as fly-by-wire, is typically linked with high efforts, risks and thus costs. Especially with regard to certification the testing activities during verification are playing a major role. This paper introduces the automatization complex of the testing artifact generation by use of Abstract State Machines (ASM), which allows a unified approach for system and software testing. The baseline is the Flexible Platform technology (a platform based development approach) currently under development by the Institute of Aircraft Systems (ILS) of the University of Stuttgart. The remaining automatization complex is the automated generation of certification relevant documentation, i.e. the requirements. These three complexes establish the AAA-Process which lays the foundation for an effective total system capability for complex avionics systems while simultaneously mitigating risks and costs. The actual test artifact generation is strictly aligned to development standards used in the aviation industry. Requirements exist as classes in a textual representation as well as in a specification model, represented by ASMs. The functional behavior, as described by the models, serves as a test oracle for test case generation. For this the model is translated into a graph system, instrumented by selectable testing methods and executed. The resulting trace data is used to automatically derive test procedures under consideration of the corresponding test environment as scripts, which are directly executable within our testing infrastructure consisting of a HiL simulation. Furthermore this includes the automatic generation of the associated traceability data and test specification documentation. An initial framework has been defined to support exchangeability of individual tasks in the generation tool-chain. The feasibility of the approach has been demonstrated by testing the complete heterogeneous signal communication of an exemplary avionics system, resp. platform instance, at system level as well as at software high-level.