Embedded System Software Reliability Estimation During New Product Development

Software reliability estimation for systems operating in the field has been extensively discussed in the literature and several models have been developed. However, this approach of reliability estimation is a reactive approach, where the product has been deployed in the field and field returns are monitored for software issues. An area where there has been limited focus is on the evaluation of software reliability during the development phases of the software. The objective of this paper is to develop and present a methodology for embedded software reliability estimation before it has been deployed in the field. This approach involves assessing reliability risk at the requirements phase, and a method for mitigating and quantifying mitigation amount for reliability estimation through model-in-loop, processor-in-loop, and hardware-in-loop tests. This is a software reliability estimation through proactive risk mitigation strategies and enable guidelines for organizations on the software reliability at product launch.