Component-Based Hazard Analysis for Mechatronic Systems

Abstract

One cannot image today's life without mechatronic systems, which have to be developed in a joint effort by teams of mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, control engineers and software engineers. Often these systems are applied in safety critical environments like in cars or aircrafts. This requires systems that function correctly and do not cause hazardous situations. However, random errors due to wear or external influences cannot be completely excluded. Consequently, we have to perform a hazard analysis for the system. Further, the union of four disciplines in one system requires the development and analysis of the system as a whole. We present a component-based hazard analysis that considers the entire mechatronic system including hardware, i.e. mechanical and electrical components, and software components. Our approach considers the physical properties of different types of flow in mechatronic systems. We have identified reusable patterns for the failure behavior which can be generated automatically. This reduces the effort for the developer. As cycles, e.g. control cycles, are an internal part of every mechatronic system our approach is able to handle cycles. The presented approach has been applied to a real-life case study.