Posted by Courtney E. Howard

NATICK, Mass., 10 Sept. 2011. MathWorks has introduced Simulink Code Inspector, which facilitates the review of source code generated from Simulink models, for aerospace engineers to use create detailed model-to-code and code-to-model inspection reports that help satisfy source code verification and traceability objectives specified in DO-178B Table A-5.

 
Verifying code against requirements can be a time-consuming and error-prone process that requires manually reviewing code line-by-line against a project checklist. Simulink Code Inspector uses an automated process to verify the generated code’s structure against its model. This process checks for structural equivalency by systematically comparing the blocks, parameters, and settings used in a model against the operations, operators, and data in the generated code.
 
Simulink Code Inspector produces verification and traceability reports that can be reviewed, archived, and shared with certification authorities, reducing verification time and cost. Engineers prepare models for code inspection by using a specific subset of Simulink blocks and model parameters commonly used for high-integrity systems. They can then generate and inspect code from the models, and review the inspection and traceability reports.
 
The combination of Simulink for system design and simulation, Embedded Coder for flight code generation, and Simulink Code Inspector for source code review provides aerospace engineers with an automated, flexible environment for Model-Based Design and DO-178 development and verification, says a company spokesperson. 
 
“Aerospace engineers who work on high-integrity systems are under constant pressure to not just meet the stringent requirements of the systems they design, but also keep pace with industry demands for increased development speed and quality,” says  Jon Friedman, aerospace and defense industry manager, MathWorks. “With Model-Based Design already established as a design workflow, these engineers have been extending their use of MathWorks tools for projects and large programs requiring certification. Simulink Code Inspector enables engineers to take another step toward reducing certification bottlenecks and streamlining the certification process.” 
 
Simulink Code Inspector is available immediately. U.S. list prices start at $11,000.