Towards Design and Verification of Evolving Cyber Physical Systems Using Contract-Based Methodology

The number of involved embedded systems and their interconnection in different Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) fields, such as automated and autonomous driving or industry 4.0, is continuously increasing. At the same time, the continuous integration of new or updated software parts into CPS throughout their life-cycles is accentuating the need for more efficient verification and validation methods, especially for safety-critical domains. This work investigates the application of contracts into a model-based development approach, focusing on updates development and validation. For this purpose, an overview of existing approaches and a strategy for the integration of contracts into the V-model, incorporating static and dynamic analysis techniques, are presented. Furthermore, experiences in applying these techniques for the design and verification of an exemplary system in the automotive domain are described. Finally, a methodology to apply contracts for an efficient modular verification of software updates is explained using the introduced proof-of-concept system.