Safety Model Linking for Automated Test Case Generation

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Solution Overview

Problem

The disconnect between safety analyses and system design/test environments in complex technical systems leads to inefficiencies and increased effort in testing safety-critical functionalities, as manual approaches are labor-intensive and limited in scope, failing to adequately cover relevant safety functionalities.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method that integrates safety models with test models using a system model to generate and automate test parameters and cases, ensuring that safety-relevant functionalities are adequately tested by linking elements of the safety model with the test model, thereby focusing test efforts and reducing manual work.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual approaches are used for safety testing in complex technical systems, then testing can be performed with simple tools and processes, but the effort and time required increases drastically and coverage is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety assessment qualityVSAvoidtesting effort
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces safety models as intermediary artifacts that connect safety requirements with test cases. These models serve as a bridge between the safety analysis domain and the testing domain, enabling automated generation of test cases from safety models without requiring manual mapping, thus reducing testing effort while maintaining comprehensive safety coverage

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs safety analysis and creates safety models in advance before the actual testing phase. By preparing safety models that capture hazard scenarios and safety requirements beforehand, the system enables automated test case generation during execution, significantly reducing the time and effort required during the testing phase itself

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If safety analyses are performed separately from system design and test environments, then safety analysis can be conducted using specialized methods, but information is lost and additional effort is required to connect the analyses to testing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety analysis accuracyVSAvoidsafety information
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges safety analysis with system design and test environments by integrating safety models with system models and test models. This integration ensures that safety information is preserved and directly connected to testing, eliminating the disconnect between safety analysis and system testing while maintaining the specialized nature of safety analysis methods

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If multiple separate models are created for different purposes (system architecture, testing, safety analysis), then each model can be optimized for its specific purpose, but the complexity of managing and integrating these models increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemodel specializationVSAvoidmodel integration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses safety models as intermediaries that reference and connect to system models and test models without requiring full integration of all models. The safety models contain references to system components and test cases, enabling optimized specialized models for each purpose while reducing integration complexity through the mediating safety model layer

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3961406A1Computer-implemented method and computerized device for testing a technical system
Publication Date: 2022.03.02 SIEMENS AG
  • EP3961406A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3961406A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3961406A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The computer-implemented method for testing a technical system having a plurality of technical components comprises: providing a safety model modeling a safety relevant functionality of the technical system, providing a test model including test cases for testing the technical system, linking elements of the safety model with elements of the test model for enabling a tracing between the test cases of the test model and the safety-relevant functionality of the safety model, generating test parameters for at least one certain test case of the test cases and/or a new test case for the test model using the safety model linked to the test model, and testing the technical system using the certain test case and/or the new test case. Further, a computer program product, a computerized device and and an arrangement having a technical system and a computerized device are suggested.