Model-Based Testing Approach for MATLAB/Simulink using System Entity Structure and Experimental Frames

Abstract

In modeling and simulation, Validation and Verification (V&V) have always attracted significant interest. With Model Based Development (MBD) testing models became a part of product V&V. Model-Based Testing (MBT) is an advanced approach for automating the testing process for flexibility and adaptability. MBT advocates utilization of models for the specification of test cases and proposes workflows for automatic test case generation. The paper presents a pragmatic MBT approach for MATLAB/Simulink based on the concept of Experimental Frame (EF) and the System Entity Structure (SES). Each test case is represented following the formal structure of EF. For generating an executable EF, configurable basic models are provided by a Model Base (MB). The SES ontology is then used for the specification of test case designs on an abstract level. It describes a set of various test case structures, parameter settings and objectives. Based on the SES and MB, a specific executable test case, or a test suite, can be automatically generated for a Model Under Test (MUT). Finally, an application, using MATLAB/Simulink, is presented to exemplify the proposed approach.