Fault Effect Modeling in a Heterogeneous SystemC Based Virtual Platform Framework for Cyber Physical Systems

This paper presents an advanced eight levels spanning SystemC based virtual platform methodology and framework - referred to as HeroeS 3 - providing smooth application to platform mapping and continuous co-refinement of a virtual prototype with its physical environment model. For heterogeneity support, various SystemC extensions are combined covering continuous/discrete models of computation and different communication abstractions, such as analog mixed-signal models, abstract RTOS/HAL/middleware models, TLM bus models, and QEMU wrappers. We enable dependability assessment by Fault Effect Modeling (FEM) at the virtual prototype in order to avoid risking physical injury or damage. Also, simulation results are deterministic and can be evaluated interactively or offline. We apply FEM to both the physical environment model and the different abstractions of the virtual prototype. Currently, we focus on sensor failures and application control flow errors.