Integrated automated test case generation for safety-critical software

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10108536-B2
Application number	US-201414565907-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2014
Priority date	Dec 10, 2014
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

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 a type of computation in a computation path extracted from 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,

wherein the intermediate model is reduced to include only a portion of the intermediate model associated with a sub-graph that identifies only elements affecting a test objective;
wherein the intermediate model preserves one or more behaviors per an associated sampling time from the model;
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;
wherein the system further comprises 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;
wherein the one or more test objectives are attached to the intermediate model; and
wherein the computation paths describe model behaviors and the test objectives paths describe test objectives.

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 identified from a plurality of model types, wherein the plurality of model types includes 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 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.

7. The system of claim 1 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.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the sub-graph is a multiple entry sub-graph.

9. 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 a type of computation in a computation path extracted from 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;
generating at least one test case for use in software validation and verification,
wherein the intermediate model is reduced to include only a portion of the intermediate model associated with a sub-graph that identifies only elements affecting a test objective;
wherein the intermediate model preserves one or more behaviors per an associated sampling time from the model;
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;
wherein the method further comprising converting one or more test criteria to one or more test objectives, wherein each test objective is associated with a test objective path;
wherein the one or more test objectives are attached to the intermediate model; and
wherein the computation paths describe model behaviors and the test objectives paths describe test objectives.

10. The method of claim 9 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.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the model is one of a specification model and a design model.

12. The method of claim 9 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.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein selecting the test generation method comprises:
determining whether there is an unsupported arithmetic in the computation path that none of a model-checking module, a constraint-solving module, or a reachability resolution module can support;
if there is no unsupported arithmetic in the computation path then determining whether there is a non-linear arithmetic or real numbers in the computation path;
selecting model-checking method for the test generation method if there is no non-linear arithmetic or real numbers in the computation path;
if there is non-linear arithmetic or real numbers in the computation path then determining whether there are unsupported difference equations in the computation path; and
selecting constant-solving method for the test generation method if there are unsupported difference equations in the computation path else selecting reachability resolution method for the test generation method.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Li Meng

Classifications

• G06F11/3684 Primary

  for test design, e.g. generating new test cases · CPC title

• G06F11/3676

  for coverage analysis · CPC title

• G06F11/3688

  for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites · CPC title

• G06F8/77

  Software metrics · CPC title