EN 
DE Test First for Embedded Systems
Author: Thomas Schütz, PROTOS Software GmbH, Toolchains for Embedded Software
Contribution – Embedded Software Engineering Congress 2017
Most embedded systems are tested too late or inadequately. The fact is: the later errors are discovered, the more expensive the correction – costs increase exponentially as the project progresses. In the extreme case of a recall of already delivered products, this can lead to costs in the millions. Therefore, the goal must be to test much earlier – ideally during implementation.
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Why is it difficult to test embedded systems?
There are many reasons why embedded systems are so difficult to test: Unlike "normal" desktop software, embedded systems have interfaces to physical systems and not just to other software systems. The software that controls these systems is highly concurrent and stateful. Such systems are often difficult to test using standard test methods such as sequential unit tests.
Simulation-based software-in-the-loop (SIL) or hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) tests are generally well-suited for such tests. However, the common hardware platforms and software tools are often too expensive to be used at every workstation during development. Furthermore, developing the tests requires different methodological and tool expertise than developing the application itself. Therefore, in most cases, these methods are only applied much later in the testing department.
This makes it difficult for the developer to conduct structured testing, so the resulting embedded systems are often not tested during development, but rather "tried out".
How can testing be done alongside development?
In order to still be able to conduct testing alongside development, the following prerequisites should be met:
- The developer should already be familiar with the methods and tools or be able to quickly familiarize themselves with them.
- Hardware platforms and software tools must be inexpensive if they are to be used in every workplace.
- Methods and tools should support the development of tests for embedded systems at different levels (at least component and integration tests).
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The open-source modeling tool Eclipse eTrice This enables the development of a cost-effective yet powerful test platform: Components for stimulation, monitoring, and simulation can be developed and generated within the model. eTrice Add-on CaGe Components can be described and test cases for the system can be generated. Combinatorial test case generation enables very rapid development of test cases with high coverage.
All components together form a portable, real-time capable "test harness" for the application. This can be executed as a SIL test (e.g., on the development computer) or as a HIL test on cost-effective hardware (e.g., standard evaluation boards from Infineon or ST-Microelectronics).
The fully automated execution of the tests is handled by a Jenkins Continuous Integration Server (also open source).
Test First for embedded systems!
The chosen combination of standard hardware and largely freely available open-source tools enables the development of a model-driven SIL or HIL test solution. This allows for automated testing of embedded systems with high coverage, even during application development.
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