Model-Based Development, SCADE, Esterel Technologies

Esterel Technologies Expands Certification Coverage with SCADE

News Release from: Esterel Technologies S.A.
26/02/2008

Esterel Technologies, the leading world-wide provider of model-based solutions for the development of mission and safety-critical systems has expanded its support for certification and qualification standards in the military, aerospace, railway, industrial, nuclear, and automotive domains.

Esterel SCADE Suite is the only Model-Based Development (MBD) solution to provide multiple qualifications for multiple standards with its automatic code generator, KCG. The SCADE Suite KCG 6.0 Qualified Code Generator is undergoing qualification as a development tool under the military and aerospace standard, DO-178B, up to Level A. Previously fielded versions of KCG have been qualified as a development tool according to DO-178B Level A for more than 25 aircraft programs by EASA, Transport Canada, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The SCADE Suite KCG 6.0 first qualification will be performed during the spring of 2008 on multiple aircraft programs, including the Airbus A400M Military Transport Aircraft.

In addition to DO-178B qualification in the aerospace domain, SCADE Suite KCG 6.0 is also undergoing certification by TÜV SÜD, a German certification organization accredited by the government to certify safety related products according to safety standards such as IEC 61508, to show compliance with requirements of risk level SIL3 of IEC 61508-3 as well as risk level SIL3/4 of EN 50128. These certification efforts are proceeding concurrently. In 2007, TÜV SÜD assessed SCADE Suite KCG 5.1 to state compliance with requirements of risk level SIL 3 of IEC 61508-3 and risk level SIL 3/4 of EN 50128.

These multiple qualifications/certifications are achieved by demonstrating a one-to-one relationship between the Esterel SCADE Suite graphical model and the generated code, ensuring a completely traceable path from model to code, including adherence to the applicable development and safety standards. SCADE Suite KCG generates ANSI C Code that addresses the constraints imposed by mission and safety-critical embedded software development. Characteristics of this code include being:
• Fully portable (compiler, target, and operating system independent)
• MISRA™ Compliant
• Readable and Traceable with respect to the design
• Optimized for size and/or speed
• Well-structured (by functions and/or blocks)
At the lowest levels of abstraction, this code only performs static memory allocation, no pointer arithmetic, no recursion (bounded loops only) and has bounded execution time.