CPS: Medium: GOALI: An Architecture Approach to Heterogeneous Verfication of Cyber-Physical Systems

Abstract: The objective of this research is to develop new methods for verifying the safety of complex cyber-physical systems based on information derived from the wide variety of models and methods used throughout the design process. The approach is based on a new formalism to represent the architecture of systems with cyber components, physical components, and interconnections between these domains. Diverse engineering models of different aspects of the system will be associated through the cyber-physical architecture for the complete system. Formal logic will be developed to express and reason about inter-model consistency and to infer system-level properties from information derived from the domain-specific models. The project's intellectual merit lies in the creation of a comprehensive, unified framework for verifying properties of systems rich in both cyber and physical components. The new formal logic will make it possible to integrate information from the wide range of engineering domains and technical expertise required to design complex systems. This will lead to a principled, rigorous approach to system-level verification engineering for real-world cyber-physical systems. The application of the new methodology to verify the safety of cooperative intersection collision avoidance systems will have immediate impact on emerging technologies for safer automobile systems. A new interdisciplinary course in engineering and computer science on system-level design of cyber-physical systems will prepare a new cadre of graduates with the cross-cutting skills needed to develop safety-critical systems. Innovative educational modules will also be developed to inspire pre-college students to pursue education and careers in engineering and computer science.