Implementing a layered approach to automated safety analysis

Abstract

Design safety analysis tools based on qualitative simulation are an effective way of obtaining early feedback on potential problems with designs, and can typically be employed as soon as the functionality and structure of the system are known. However, they become less effective later in the design process. This chapter describes how the capability and utility of design safety analysis tools can be improved through separating the types of knowledge used into layers so that the maximum amount of information can be reused as the design changes. The representation of information for simulation of automotive electrical systems can be split into three layers: functional information, component-based representation, and simulation. In addition, the chapter shows how tools that track the consequences of changes to the design can enable the repercussions of any design change to be understood. Automotive electrics is given as an example domain, and the lessons for other domains are also explored.