Construction of consistent SysML models applied to the CPS

Abstract

With the increasing complexity of cyber-physical systems (CPS), it is interesting to decompose a CPS into sub-systems. This provides greater modularity and flexibility so that each system can be developed independently, making it easier to maintain. Also, it can improve its fault tolerance. However, this decomposition of the system can lead to inconsistency. This paper proposes an approach for early verification of cyber-physical systems decomposition using SysML. We address the limitations of SysML as a semi-formal language by introducing syntax and static semantics for its structural diagrams. The aim is to verify structural consistency before defining behavioral aspects. For that, the proposed approach verifies a set of structural consistency rules within a refinement relation to ensure that sub-components offer at least the same services as the abstract block and require the same services. Furthermore, the sub-blocks must satisfy all the requirements that the abstract block is supposed to verify. We used the CyCab as a case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.