System and method for using model analysis to generate directed test vectors

• US 8,090,565 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Gaudette, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Kamini S
• Assistant Examiner(s): GEBRESILASSIE, KIBROM K
• Application Number:
  US11/970,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20080109194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 703/13, 703/14, 703/20, 703/6, 703/15, 703/16, 703/17, 703/21, 714/44, 714/715, 714/735, 714/736, 714/742, 714/100, 714/2, 714/3, 714/32, 714/46, 714/737, 714/738, 716/5, 716/106, 716/100, 716/105, 716/107, 716/111, 716/136
• US Class Current: 703/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/261 by simulating additional hardware, e.g. fault simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/33 Design verification, e.g. functional simulation or model checking

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system model models characteristics of a real-world system. The system model includes a plurality of sub-portions that each correspond to a component of the real-world system. A plurality of test vectors are applied to the system model and coverage achieved by the test vectors on the sub-portions of the system model is measured. In response to a failure of the real world system, a suspected failed component of the real-world system is matched to a particular sub-portion of the system model. A test vector to be applied to the real-world system to test the suspected failed component is selected in response to coverage achieved on the particular sub-portion of the system model.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

creating a system model within a technical computing environment operating on an electronic device having a processor, the system model models characteristics of a real-world system, the system model including a plurality of sub-portions that each correspond to a component of the real-world system;

applying a plurality of test vectors to the system model;

measuring coverage achieved by the test vectors on the sub-portions of the system model;

matching a suspected failed component of the real-world system to a particular sub-portion of the system model;

selecting a test vector of the plurality of test vectors to be applied to the real-world system to test the suspected failed component in response to the measured coverage achieved on the particular sub-portion of the system model; and

applying the selected test vector to the real-world system,

wherein the real-world system is a deployed system that is deployed outside of the technical computing environment within which the system model was created.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the selected test vector is a test vector for which the measured coverage achieved on the particular sub-portion of the system model is the highest.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein coverage indicates a percentage of time a sub-portion of the system model is activated.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a coverage analysis report that includes the measured coverage achieved by the plurality of test vectors on sub-portions of the system model; and

storing the coverage analysis report.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein selecting further comprises automatically choosing the selected test vector based upon the coverage analysis report.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the system model is a block diagram model that includes a plurality of blocks interconnected by lines that represent signals.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein each sub-portion of the system model comprises one or more blocks of the block diagram model.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining one or more design requirements for the real-world system; and

generating at least some of the plurality of test vectors in response to the design requirements.

9. An electronic-device-readable storage media comprising instructions executable by an electronic device to:

simulate a system model within a technical computing environment, the system model models characteristics of a real-world system, the system model including a plurality of sub-portions that each correspond to a component of the real-world system;

measure coverage achieved by a plurality of test parameters on the sub-portions of the system model;

receive a notification of a suspected failed component of the real-world system, the suspected failed component corresponding to a particular sub-portion of the system model; and

select one or more of the plurality of test parameters to be applied to the real-world system to test the suspected failed component in response to measured coverage achieved on the particular sub-portion of the system model,

wherein the real-world system is a deployed system that is deployed outside of the technical computing environment within which the system model was simulated.

10. The electronic-device-readable storage media of claim 9 wherein the instructions are further executable by the electronic device to:

apply the selected one or more test parameters to the real-world system.

11. The electronic-device-readable storage media of claim 9 wherein the selected one or more test parameters are test parameters for which the measured coverage achieved on the particular sub-portion of the system model is the highest.

12. The electronic-device-readable storage media of claim 9 wherein coverage indicates a percentage of time a sub-portion of the system model is activated.

13. The electronic-device-readable storage media of claim 9 wherein the instructions are further executable by the electronic device to:

generate a report that includes coverage achieved by the plurality of test parameters on the sub-portions of the system model; and

store the report.

14. The electronic-device-readable storage media of claim 13 wherein the instructions are further executable by the electronic device to:

automatically choose the selected one or more test parameters based upon the coverage analysis report.

15. The electronic-device-readable storage media of claim 9 wherein the system model is a block diagram model that includes a plurality of blocks interconnected by lines that represent signals.

16. The electronic-device-readable storage media of claim 15 wherein each sub-portion of the system model comprises one or more blocks of the block diagram model.

17. The electronic-device-readable storage media of claim 9 wherein the instructions are further executable by the electronic device to:

generate at least some of the plurality of test parameters in response one or more design requirements for the real-world system.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a block diagram model of a real-world system, the block diagram model created within a technical computing environment and including a plurality of sub-portions that correspond to components of the real-world system; and

a test system configured to be executed by the processor to;

apply a plurality test vectors to the block diagram model,

measure coverage achieved by each of the test vectors on the sub-portions of the block diagram model, and

select a particular test vector of the plurality of test vectors to be applied to the real-world system to test a suspected failed component of the real world system, the selection in response to the measured coverage achieved by the particular test vector on one or more sub-portions of the block diagram model that correspond to the suspected failed component,

wherein the real-world system is a deployed system that is deployed outside of the technical computing environment within which the block diagram model was created.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the particular test vector achieved highest coverage on the one or more sub-portions that correspond to the suspected failed component.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein coverage indicates a percentage of time activated.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the test system is a portion of a technical computing environment.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the test system is further configured to generate a coverage analysis report and to store the coverage analysis report.

23. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

creating a system model within a technical computing environment operating on an electronic device having a processor, the system model models characteristics of a real-world system, the system model including a plurality of sub-portions that each correspond to a component of the real-world system;

measuring coverage achieved by a plurality of test vectors on the sub-portions of the system model; and

selecting a test vector of the plurality of test vectors to be applied to the real-world system to test a suspected failed component of the real world system, the selected test vector chosen in response to the measured coverage achieved by the test vectors on a particular sub-portion of the system model that corresponds to the suspected failed component,

wherein the real-world system is a deployed system that is deployed outside of the technical computing environment within which the system model was created.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the selected test vector achieved highest coverage on the particular sub-portion of the system model.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein coverage indicates a percentage of time a sub-portion of the system model is activated.

26. A computing-device-readable media comprising instructions executable by a computing device to:

test, in a technical computing environment, a system model using sets of test vectors, the system model having one or more components;

identify, based on the test, a degree of model capture associated with each set of test vectors used to test the system model, the degree of model capture indicating how many components of the system model are excited by each set of test vectors when used to test the system model;

save in a memory the sets of test vectors following the testing of the system model;

receive a report of a fault in a deployed system;

based upon the reported fault in the deployed system, select from the sets of test vectors a set of test vectors for application to the deployed system, the set of test vectors that is selected being the set of test vectors that provided a greatest degree of model capture during the testing of the system model based on which set of test vectors excited the highest percentage of components of the system model with respect to other sets of test vectors; and

apply the selected set of test vectors to the deployed system to identify the error in the deployed system,

wherein the deployed system is based on the system model and is a real-life system deployed outside of the technical computing environment.

27. A computing-device-readable media comprising instructions executable by a computing device to:

test, in a technical computing environment, a system model using sets of test vectors, the system model has a plurality of model portions, and each set of test vectors used to test the system model provides a degree of activation of each model portion;

for each set of test vectors, identify the degree of activation of each model portion, the degree of activation indicating how often each corresponding model portion is activated;

save in a memory the sets of test vectors following the testing of the system model;

receive a report of a fault in a deployed system;

identify a component of the deployed system suspected of causing the reported fault in the deployed system;

based upon the reported fault in the deployed system, select from the sets of test vectors a set of test vectors for application to the deployed system, the set of test vectors that is selected being the set of test vectors that provides a greatest degree of activation of the model portion that corresponds to the component of the deployed system suspected of causing the reported fault, the greatest degree of activation based on which set of test vectors most activated the component suspected of causing the reported fault with respect to other sets of test vectors; and

apply the selected set of test vectors to the deployed system to identify the error in the deployed system,

wherein the deployed system is based on the system model and is a real-life system deployed outside of the technical computing environment.

28. A computing-device-readable media comprising instructions executable by a computing device to:

test, in a technical computing environment, a system model using a plurality of sets of test vectors, the system model having one or more components;

identify a degree of model capture associated with each set of test vectors used to test the system model, the degree of model capture indicating how many components of the system model are excited by each set of test vectors when used to test the system model;

save in a memory the sets of test vectors following the testing of the system model;

select, based upon a reported fault in a deployed system, a set of test vectors, from the plurality of sets of test vectors, for application to the deployed system, the set of test vectors that is selected being the set of test vectors that provided a greatest degree of model capture during the test of the system model based on which set of test vectors excited the highest percentage of components of the system model with respect to other sets of test vectors; and

apply the selected set of test vectors to the deployed system to identify the error in the deployed system,

wherein the deployed system is based on the system model and is a real-life system deployed outside of the technical computing environment.