The MathWorks and Mentor Graphics Joint DO-254 Workflow for Model Based Design

SOFTWARE/HARWARE: The MathWorks and Mentor Graphics announced a joint collaboration to provide guidance on an integrated workflow for DO-254 compliance using Model-Based Design. The approach combines tools from The MathWorks and Mentor Graphics to support Model-Based Design throughout all stages of the development process, including requirements definition and management, conceptual and detailed design, implementation, and testing. Using this integrated workflow, aerospace engineers can verify designs earlier, implement in HDL faster, gain greater reuse of design and verification effort, and more easily manage requirements and test cases throughout the entire development process.

In the new DO-254 workflow, engineers begin with Mentor Graphics ReqTracer to collect and manage requirements. From the requirements, an executable Simulink model is used to develop and explore a conceptual design including implementation details such as fixed-point effects.  Model blocks can be linked directly to requirements in ReqTracer to ensure traceability. Using verification and validation tools from The MathWorks, engineers can then perform functional testing and formal analysis at the conceptual model level. These design and verification capabilities allow engineers to ensure that the conceptual design is fully tested, traceable to requirements, and meets all necessary requirements. From this fully tested model, a detailed design in HDL can be automatically generated with Simulink HDL Coder.

From this stage onward, Mentor Graphics HDL Designer provides the primary environment for additional HDL development, code checking, code visualizations, and reviews. Further verification of the detailed HDL design can be performed in the Mentor Graphics verification environment, leveraging the test vectors created at the model level, using tools such as ModelSim and Questa. Formal analysis is supported by 0-In Formal Verification, for HDL model checking, and FormalPro, for logical equivalency checking. FPGA synthesis and integration with FPGA vendor place and route tools is accomplished by Precision RTL Plus. All verification results and synthesis constraint settings generated throughout the entire flow can be traced back to design and verification requirements using ReqTracer.

-Edited by Kelsey Anderson