NuTech Engineering is proposing to apply the new concept of "Design by Contract" to help in the system test and integration problems. "Design by Contract" allows test engineers to specify system requirements in the form of software which is downloaded to a special test monitor. This test monitor resides on the system processor chip but runs separately from the system processor. The test module runs in a non-interference mode that allows the system processor to run at full speed. System contacts are extremely versatile and can be used to effectively support many different types of requirements. For example, "Design by Contract" provides a powerful interface that allows the engineer to control and test the system. Since the "Design by Contract" contracts are requirements, they are less subject to design and implementation errors. These contracts are enforced by the on-board test module. When a contract is violated, the test module takes appropriate action. During test, this action may consist of outputting trace or other information to the test operation. During flight operations, the results of a failure could be remedial actions providing a well defined approach to obtaining fault-tolerance. Anticipated Benefits and
Potential Commercial Applications: The "Design by Contract" concept can be used to support system robustness, fault-tolerance, testing, integration, reliability, and security.
