Automatic generation of data coupling and control coupling test conditions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10120785-B2
Application number	US-201615331259-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2016
Priority date	Oct 21, 2016
Publication date	Nov 6, 2018
Grant date	Nov 6, 2018

Abstract

An automatic test generator (ATG) parses a computer-executable design model of operational software of an aircraft electronic device to identify design model data coupling and design model control coupling between functional modules of the design model. The ATG generates a plurality of test conditions configured to test whether the operational software of the aircraft electronic device satisfies the design model data coupling and the design model control coupling. A test procedure that implements the plurality of test conditions is generated. The test procedure is executed on the operational software of the aircraft electronic device. An indication of whether the operational software of the aircraft electronic device satisfies each respective one of the plurality of test conditions is output.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
parsing, by an automatic test generator (ATG), a model file including syntactical notations describing a computer-executable design model of operational software of an aircraft electronic device;
wherein parsing comprises:
identifying one or more design model control coupling data, corresponding to calls between functional modules of the design model using the syntactical representation of interdependence of the function modules of the design model;
identifying one or more design model data coupling, comprising data exchanged between each of the functional modules of the design model;

automatically generating, by the ATG, a plurality of test conditions, wherein for each of the identified one or more design model control coupling data and identified one or more design model data coupling, a respective test condition is generated to test whether the operational software of the aircraft electronic device satisfies the design model data coupling or the design model control coupling identified;
generating a test procedure that implements the plurality of test conditions;
executing the test procedure on the operational software of the aircraft electronic device;
wherein executing the test procedure on the operational software of the aircraft electronic device comprises:
halting, for each of the plurality of test conditions, execution of the operational software;
determining, while the execution of the operational software is halted, whether the operational software satisfies the respective test condition; and
resuming execution of the operational software after determining whether the operational software satisfies the respective test condition; and

outputting, for each of the plurality of test conditions, an indication of whether the operational software of the aircraft electronic device satisfies the respective test condition.

2. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein identifying the interdependence of the functional modules of the design model comprises identifying interdependence of calling and called functions of the design model.

3. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein executing the test procedure on the operational software of the aircraft electronic device comprises executing the operational software on one of an in-circuit emulator device or in-circuit debugger device in communication with the aircraft electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein executing the test procedure on the operational software of the aircraft electronic device comprises executing the operational software on a processor of the aircraft electronic device.

5. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein generating the test procedure that implements the plurality of test conditions comprises modifying the operational software of the aircraft electronic device to implement the plurality of test conditions.

6. A system comprising:
an aircraft electronic device;
a computing device comprising at least one processor and computer-readable memory encoded with instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to execute an automatic test generator (ATG) configured to:
parsing a model file including syntactical notations describing a computer-executable design model of operational software of the aircraft electronic device to identify one or more design model control coupling data, corresponding to calls between functional modules of the design model using the syntactical representation of interdependence of the functional modules of the design model and to identify one or more design model data coupling, comprising data exchanged between each of the functional models of the design model;
automatically generating a plurality of test conditions, wherein for each of the identified one or more design model control coupling data and identified one or more design model data coupling, a respective test condition is generated to test whether the operational software of the aircraft electronic device satisfies the design model data coupling or the design model control coupling identified;
generating a test procedure that implements the plurality of test conditions; and
a test device in communication with the aircraft electronic device and the computing device, the test device configured to:
execute the test procedure on the operational software of the aircraft electronic device;
wherein executing the test procedure on the operational software of the aircraft electronic device comprises:
halting, for each of the plurality of test conditions, execution of the operational software;
determining, while the execution of the operational software is halted, whether the operational software satisfies the respective test condition;
resuming execution of the operational software after determining whether the operational software satisfies the respective test condition; and

outputting, for each of the plurality of test conditions, an indication of whether the operational software of the electronic device satisfies the respective test condition.

7. The system of claim 6 ,
wherein the ATG is configured to identify interdependence of the functional modules of the design model by at least being configured to identify interdependence of calling and called functions of the design model.

8. The system of claim 6 , further comprising:
an in-circuit emulator device in communication with the test device and the aircraft electronic device, the in-circuit emulator device configured to execute the operational software of the aircraft electronic device;
wherein the test device is configured to execute the test procedure on the operational software of the aircraft electronic device executing on the in-circuit emulator device.

9. The system of claim 6 ,
wherein the test device is configured to execute the test procedure on the operational software of the aircraft electronic device executing on a processor of the aircraft electronic device.

10. The system of claim 6 ,
wherein the ATG is configured to generate the test procedure that implements the plurality of test conditions by at least being configured to modify the operational software of the aircraft electronic device to implement the plurality of test conditions.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable memory encoded with instructions that cause the system to execute an automatic test generator (ATG) configured to perform the steps of:
parsing a model file including syntactical notations describing a computer-executable design model of operational software of the aircraft electronic device to identify one or more design model control coupling data, corresponding to calls between functional modules of the design model using the syntactical representation of interdependence of the functional modules of the design model and to identify one or more design model data coupling, comprising data exchanged between each of the functional models of the design model;
automatically generating a plurality of test conditions, wherein for each of the identified one or more design model control coupling data and identified one or more design model data coupling, a respective test condition is generated to test whether the operational software of the aircraft electronic device satisfies the design model data coupling or the design model control coupling identified;
generating a test procedure that implements the plurality of test conditions; and
execute the test procedure on the operational software of the aircraft electronic device;
wherein executing the test procedure on the operational software of the aircraft electronic device comprises:
halting, for each of the plurality of test conditions, executio

Assignees

• Rosemount Aerospace Inc

Inventors

• Meyers Scott C

Classifications

• G06F11/3672

  Test management · CPC title

• G06F11/3608

  using formal methods, e.g. model checking, abstract interpretation (theorem proving G06N5/013) · CPC title

• G06F11/3688

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

• G06F11/36

  Prevention of errors by analysis, debugging or testing of software · CPC title

• G06F8/35

  model driven · CPC title