INTEGRATED AUTOMATED TEST CASE GENERATION FOR SAFETY-CRITICAL SOFTWARE

• US 20160170864A1
• Filed: 12/10/2014
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Li, Meng
• Granted Patent: US 10,108,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3676 for coverage analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3684 for test design, e.g. generating new test cases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites

Abstract

According to some embodiments, system comprises a communication device operative to communicate with a user to obtain one or more requirements associated with a model for a test case generation module; a translation computer module to receive the model, store the model and generate an intermediate model; a generator computer module to receive the intermediate model, store the intermediate model, generate at least one test case; a memory for storing program instructions; at least one test case generation platform processor, coupled to the memory, and in communication with the translation computer module and the generator computer module, operative to execute program instructions to: transform the model into an intermediate model by executing the translation computer module; identify a model type associated with the intermediate model based on an analysis of the intermediate model by executing the generator computer module; select a test generation method based on analysis of the identified model type by executing the generator computer module; generate at least one test case for use in software validation and verification. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a communication device operative to communicate with a user to obtain one or more requirements associated with a model for a test case generation module;

a translation computer module to receive the model, store the model and generate an intermediate model;

a generator computer module to receive the intermediate model, store the intermediate model, generate at least one test case;

a memory for storing program instructions;

at least one test case generation platform processor, coupled to the memory, and in communication with the translation computer module and the generator computer module, operative to execute program instructions to;

transform the model into an intermediate model by executing the translation computer module;

identify a model type associated with the intermediate model based on an analysis of the intermediate model by executing the generator computer module;

select a test generation method based on analysis of the identified model type by executing the generator computer module; and

generate at least one test case for use in software validation and verification.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the model is one of a specification model and a design model.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein each requirement includes one or more input variables and one or more output variables.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the at least one generated test case includes a description of the requirement, a set of input variables, and a set of expected output, wherein the set of expected output is based on the one or more output variables.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the model type is at least one of a symbolic variable model type, a real number model type, a nonlinear arithmetic model type and a feedback loop model type.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the intermediate model preserves one or more behaviors per an associated sampling time from the at least one model.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the translation computer module maps one or more computation sequences of the at least one model to one or more computation paths in the intermediate model.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising a converter module operative to convert one or more test criteria to one or more test objectives, wherein each test objective is associated with a test objective path.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more test objectives are attached to the intermediate model.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the computation paths describe model behaviors and the test objectives paths describe test objectives.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the generator computer module is operative to generate a table including one or more path constraints and one or more data based on the computation paths and the test objective paths.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the generator computer module is operative to identify the types of computations in the intermediate model.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the generator computer module is operative to select one of a model-checking module, a constraint-solving module and a reachability resolution module to apply to the intermediate model to generate test cases based on the computation type.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the intermediate model is reduced to include only a portion of the intermediate model associated with a given objective.

15. A method comprising:

receiving one or more requirements associated with a model for test case generation;

transforming the model into an intermediate model by execution of a translation computer module;

identifying a model type associated with the intermediate model based on an analysis of the intermediate model by execution of a generator computer module;

selecting a test generation method based on the identified model type by execution of the generator computer module; and

generating at least one test case for use in software validation and verification.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the model type is at least one of a symbolic variable model type, a real number model type, a nonlinear arithmetic model type and a feedback loop model type.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the model is one of a specification model and a design model.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

converting one or more test criteria to one or more test objectives.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

determining a type of computation in the intermediate model.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

selecting one of a model-checking module, a constraint-solving module and a reachability resolution module to apply to the intermediate model to generate test cases based on the computation type.