The use of automated theorem proving for error analysis and removal in safety critical embedded system specifications

Abstract

As embedded systems increase in complexity, more and more functionality is being migrated to software. Much of the migrated software is critical to the well-being of the system and users. Thus, methods to produce high quality software are needed. Software development today focuses on taking requirements and producing software as fast as possible. Traditional methods have been augmented or replaced with new, agile methods (like SCRUM) designed to produce bits of code as quickly and cheaply as possible. Unfortunately many of these methods ignore standard testing procedures and rely on reported errors to drive corrections in future releases. Traditional methods require exhaustive testing to eliminate a majority of errors. Both processes are time intensive and in the long run cost the project more to correct errors. This paper demonstrates that errors in requirements and design can be discovered and eliminated prior to implementation with the use of automated theorem provers for formal methods. This illustration is key to saving time and costs in the software development life cycle.