Integrated Formal Methods for Safety Analysis of Train Systems
Wolfgang Reif, Frank Ortmeier, Andreas Thums, Gerhard Schellhorn · 2008
In many technical applications the notion of system safety covers different aspects. The first is correct functioning. This means that the system does what it is supposed to do. The second is an analysis of failures and their effects. This answers the question what happens, if components break or fail. And finally a quantitative analysis, which quantifies the risk of the system and its subsystems. In all three dimension formal methods may help. Temporal logics and formal verification assure functional correctness. Formal safety analysis techniques give rigorous proof of cause-consequence relationships, finally statistical models and mathematical optimization help to minimize risk and give advice for design decisions. In this paper we sketch an example and illustrate how such an integrated approach can be done and what benefits it provides.