Systematic top-down design of cyber-physical models with integrated validation and formal verification

Abstract

The complexity of designing and verifying large-scale systems requires abstract models. Consistently and systematically deriving a more concrete model from an abstract model with regard to verification of its behavior against certain properties is an open problem. We propose a new workflow for systematic top-down design of models for a Cyber-physical System (CPS). It builds on a theory of systematic abstraction and refinement techniques in the context of verification through model checking. In addition, this workflow includes validation in the sense that a refined model is checked for its fit with reality. Our proposed workflow is new with respect to its systematic determination of model changes on different levels of abstraction based on the V&V results and the formal property over-approximation of an abstract model (as compared to the corresponding concrete model).