Integration of the Code Generation Approach in the Model-Based Development Process by Means of Tool Certification

The software and hardware quality of safety-critical embedded systems in avionics and the automotive sector is currently ensured by means of extensive assurance procedures (e.g. certification). The way embedded software is developed has changed, such that executable models are used from the early development stages up to implementation in order to design and verify the software behaviour desired (model-based development). New approaches allow the automatic generation of compact controller code directly from the software model via so-called code generators. For an application area, as can be found in the automotive industry for example, it would be desirable to integrate code generators into the model-based development process seamlessly. However, most code generators are not yet certified and therefore the code generated cannot provide the level of confidence needed for safety-related software. This paper proposes a testing approach for code generation tools and contributes to answering the question of how tools such as code generators can be integrated into the model-based development process by means of tool certification.