Property-Model Methodology: A Model-Based Systems Engineering Approach Using VHDL-AMS

• Published in: Systems engineering 2014-09, Vol.17 (3), p.249-263
• Main Author: Micouin, Patrice
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Computer simulation; Design engineering; design error; design model; design model verification; dissimilarity; Error detection; failure condition; MBSE; Model-based systems; Product development; property-based requirement; redundancy; requirement derivation; Safety; simulation; specification error; specification model; specification model validation; Specifications; system configuration; system model; Systems design; Systems engineering
• ISSN: 1098-1241; 1520-6858
• DOI: 10.1002/sys.21267

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the definition of a Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach which would meet the objective laid out by INCOSE in its Systems Engineering Vision 2020. After briefly presenting the tools used and summarizing a state‐of‐the‐art system design process, we show how it is possible to define property‐based requirements (PBRs) as features of specification models and to apply the design process to this specification model in order to develop design models. Then, we show how it is possible to perform a simulation‐based verification process of design models in order to detect and remove design errors, to substitute the initial requirements of the system with derived requirements gradually assigned to the subentities of the system, to perform a simulation‐based validation process of specification models in order to detect and remove specification errors. Additionally, we show how we define safety PBRs to prevent the consequences of failure conditions and verify mitigation means, such as redundancy or dissimilarity, introduced in design models to meet these safety PBRs. Thus, we consider that our proposals improve MBSE current practices making them safer for the development of present and future systems.