Software Development Process for Real/Time Embedded Software System (DESS, ITEA 99012)

Goal

To develop a sound methodology that will enable the European software industry to give better support to the development of embedded real-time software.

Overview

From refrigerators to electric shavers, ever-greater numbers of consumer goods are being computerised to provide additional benefits to the user. In products, such as cars, mobile phones and TV-sets, this increased functionality increases the complexity of the product. The software that powers these features is embedded and has to react in real-time to events from outside (e.g. braking a car window). This type of software is especially difficult to develop. The methodology that is being developed in the ITEA DESS project will help to engineer high quality software at reasonable costs within the time targets set.

Details

The methodology will adapt modern object-oriented and component-based processes to the specific needs of the application. Based on the methodology, existing software tools and libraries will be provided that are tailored to the needs of DESS. Several demonstrators will show the applicability of the method within several application zones.

Preceding the definition of the DESS methodology, application-specific requirements are captured.

Once the methodology is defined, supporting methods and tools are characterised in detail, resulting in a complete process support environment for the DESS methodology. This includes:

• UML with real-time extensions
• extended development tools
• templates and guidelines

Partners

• Barco (B)
• Bull (I)
• Daimler Chrysler (D)
• France Télécom (F)

• Philips (NL)

• Siemens (D)
• Thomson (F)

• Simulog (F)

• TXT (I)
• UNIS (CZ)

• CEFRIEL (I)
• GMD FIRST (D)
• INRIA (F)
• Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (B)

• TU Eindhoven (NL)

• University of Paderborn (D)
• University of Magdeburg (D)

Contact

Contact Person: Mr. Andy De Mets

: : andy.demets@barco.com

Status

The application domains have been characterised and a market overview on existing tools and technologies is performed.

The detailed characteristics of a software component have been defined and the associated notation is under development.

The development processes (requirement analysis to verification and validation) around the DESS methodology are currently being defined.

Project start: 10/1999

Project end: 09/2001

Results

The work will be disseminated through the specification of the methodology, on-site presentations and papers on international conferences