Systems and methods for creating harness models for model verification

• US 10,318,653 B1
• Filed: 02/26/2015
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Khoo, Yit Phang, Dirner, John P., Nejhum, S. M. Shahed, Smith, Gregg P., Raghavan, Vijaya, Bemalkhedkar, Kalyan, Balasubramanian, Krishna
• Primary Examiner(s): Chad, Aniss
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gan, Chuen-Meei
• Application Number:
  US14/632,722
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3668 Software testing software testing in telephone exchanges H04M3/242, testing of hardware G06F11/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3684 for test design, e.g. generating new test cases

Abstract

Systems and methods automatically construct a harness model having a selected component from source model. The systems and methods determine an execution context of the component in the source model, and construct and configure the harness model to provide the same or an equivalent execution context in the harness model. Model elements may be added to the harness model, and the model elements may be configured to replicate the execution context. The harness model may be executed, and the operation of the component evaluated. Changes to the component are synchronized between the source model and the harness model, as are changes to the component'"'"'s execution context. Assessment operations may be included in the harness model, and these assessment operations may be evaluated when the harness model is executed. A verification report that includes the results of the assessments may be generated.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a selection of a component included within an executable source model, the selected component having an execution context as defined within the executable source model, wherein the execution context is associated with a behavior of the selected component in the executable source model;

analyzing the executable source model to determine the execution context of the selected component;

constructing automatically, by a processor, an executable harness model that includes the selected component or a copy of the selected component, the executable harness model separate from the executable source model and constructed according to one or more syntax rules of a modeling environment;

including in the executable harness model a plurality of model elements;

configuring the plurality of model elements to provide the selected component or the copy of the selected component, within the executable harness model, with a harness model execution context that replicates the execution context of the selected component as defined within the executable source model and associated with the behavior of the selected component in the executable source model, wherein the configuring the plurality of model elements includes connecting the selected component or the copy of the selected component to at least one model element of the plurality of model elements according to the one or more syntax rules; and

executing the executable harness model including the selected component or the copy of the selected component.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein

the execution context of the selected component as defined within the executable source model includes a plurality of attributes,

at least some of the plurality of model elements have properties, and

the configuring includes setting the properties of the at least some of the plurality of model elements based on the plurality of attributes of the selected component.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the plurality of attributes include one or more of

an input or output data type of the selected component,

an input or output data dimension of the selected component,

an input or output data complexity of the selected component,

a control signal of a conditionally executed component,

a workspace variable,

a parameter,

a type of sample time of the selected component,

a sample time of the selected component,

a solver type,

a shared memory, or

a component-level parameter.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of model elements included in the executable harness model is a data specification block, the method further comprising:

configuring the data specification block to specify at least one of

a data type for a first input of the selected component or the copy of the selected component,

a data dimension for the first or a second input of the selected component or the copy of the selected component,

a data complexity for the first, second, or a third input of the selected component or the copy of the selected component,

a type of sample time,

a sample time, or

a sampling mode.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of model elements included in the executable harness model is a bus element that defines a composite signal for the selected component or the copy of the selected component where the composite signal has a plurality of hierarchically arranged individual signals.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected component or the copy of the selected component included in the executable harness model is the same component as included in the executable source model.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, within the executable source model, a change to the selected component; and

synchronizing the change to the selected component or the copy of the selected component included in the executable harness model.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

detecting, by the processor, the change to the selected component, wherein the synchronizing the change to the selected component or the copy of the selected component is performed automatically by the processor.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, within the executable source model, a change to the execution context of the selected component; and

modifying the executable harness model to conform to the change to the execution context of the selected component.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

detecting, by the processor, the change to the execution context of the selected component, wherein the modifying the executable harness model is performed automatically by the processor.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the executable source model includes model workspace data, the method further comprising:

adding harness workspace data to the executable harness model where the harness workspace data conforms to the model workspace data; and

automatically modifying the harness workspace data in response to a change to the model workspace data.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected component or the copy of the selected component included in the executable harness model references the executable source model.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

including a plurality of verification elements in the executable harness model; and

configuring the plurality of verification elements to make assessments of the selected component or the copy of the selected component included in the executable harness model.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein at least some of the assessments are specified in the executable source model.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the executing the executable harness model generates verification results based on the assessments, the method further comprising:

presenting, on an output device, the generated verification results.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the output device is a display.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the generated verification results include an overall pass/fail indication for the selected component or the copy of the selected component.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media including program instructions executable by a processor, the program instructions comprising program instructions to:

receive a selection of a component included within an executable source model, the selected component having an execution context as defined within the executable source model, wherein the execution context is associated with a behavior of the selected component in the executable source model;

determine the execution context of the selected component;

construct automatically, by the processor, an executable harness model according to one or more syntax rules of a modeling environment and that

is separate from the executable source model,

includes the selected component or a clone of the selected component, and

includes a plurality of model elements;

configure the plurality of model elements to define a harness execution context, of the selected component or the clone of the selected component within the executable harness model, that is equivalent to the execution context as defined within the executable source model and associated with the behavior of the selected component in the executable source model, wherein the configure the plurality of model elements includes connecting the selected component or the clone of the selected component to at least one model element of the plurality of model elements according to the one or more syntax rules; and

execute the executable harness model including the selected component or the clone of the selected component.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18 wherein the plurality of model elements includes a source element and an input conversion subsystem, the program instructions to configure the plurality of model elements includes instructions to:

configure the executable source element to produce an input signal for the selected component; and

configure the input conversion subsystem to translate one or more attributes of the input signal based on the execution context of the selected component as defined within the executable source model.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18 wherein the plurality of model elements includes a sink element and an output conversion subsystem, the program instructions to configure the plurality of model elements includes instructions to:

configure the sink element to receive an output signal from the selected component; and

configure the output conversion subsystem to translate one or more attributes of the output signal based on one or more properties of the sink element.

21. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18 further comprising program instructions to:

synchronize changes to the selected component among the executable source model and the executable harness model.

22. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18 wherein at least one of the plurality of model elements included in the executable harness model is a data specification block, the program instructions further comprising program instructions to:

configure the data specification block to specify at least one of

a data type for a first input of the selected component or the clone of the selected component,

a data dimension for the first or a second input of the selected component or the clone of the selected component,

a data complexity for the first, second, or a third input of the selected component or the clone of the selected component,

a type of sample time,

a sample time, or

a sampling mode.

23. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18 wherein the executable source model includes model workspace data, the program instructions further comprising program instructions to:

add harness workspace data to the executable harness model where the harness workspace data conforms to the model workspace data; and

automatically modify the harness workspace data in response to a change to the model workspace data.

27. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18 wherein

the execution context of the selected component as defined within the executable source model includes a plurality of attributes,

at least some of the plurality of model elements have properties, and

the program instructions to configure include program instructions to set the properties of the at least some of the plurality of model elements based on the plurality of attributes of the selected component.

28. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 27 wherein the plurality of attributes include one or more of

an input or output data type of the selected component,

an input or output data dimension of the selected component,

an input or output data complexity of the selected component,

a control signal of a conditionally executed component,

a workspace variable,

a parameter,

a type of sample time of the selected component,

a sample time of the selected component,

a solver type,

a shared memory, or

a component-level parameter.

24. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

analyze an executable source model to determine an execution context of a component as defined within the executable source model, wherein the execution context is associated with a behavior of the component in the executable source model;

construct automatically an executable harness model, the executable harness model

according to one or more syntax rules of a modeling environment,

including the component or a copy of the component,

being separate from the executable source model, and

having a plurality of model elements;

configure one or more of the plurality of model elements to create, within the executable harness model, a harness model execution context for the component or the copy of the component that is equivalent to the execution context of the component as defined within the executable source model and associated with the behavior of the component in the executable source model, wherein the configure the one or more of the plurality of model elements includes connecting the component or the copy of the component to at least one model element of the plurality of model elements according to the one or more syntax rules; and

execute the executable harness model including the component or the copy of the component.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 where the executable source model has executable semantics.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 where the component is a subsystem, a chart, a subchart, or a sub-model.

29. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein

the execution context of the component as defined within the executable source model includes a plurality of attributes,

at least some of the plurality of model elements have properties, and

the configure further includes setting the properties of the at least some of the plurality of model elements based on the plurality of attributes of the component.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the plurality of attributes include one or more of

an input or output data type of the component,

an input or output data dimension of the component,

an input or output data complexity of the component,

a control signal of a conditionally executed component,

a workspace variable,

a parameter,

a type of sample time of the component,

a sample time of the component,

a solver type,

a shared memory, or

a component-level parameter.

31. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein at least one of the plurality of model elements included in the executable harness model is a data specification block, the processor further configured to:

configure the data specification block to specify at least one of

a data type for a first input of the component or the copy of the component,

a data dimension for the first or a second input of the component or the copy of the component,

a data complexity for the first, second, or a third input of the component or the copy of the component,

a type of sample time,

a sample time, or

a sampling mode.

32. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive, within the executable source model, a change to the component; and

synchronize the change to the component or the copy of the component included in the executable harness model.

33. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the is processor further configured to:

receive, within the executable source model, a change to the execution context of the component; and

modify the executable harness model to conform to the change to the execution context of the component.

34. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the executable source model includes model workspace data, the processor further configured to:

add harness workspace data to the executable harness model where the harness workspace data conforms to the model workspace data; and

automatically modify the harness workspace data in response to a change to the model workspace data.