Using Automatic Code Generation for Safety-Critical System Development

To minimize the dangers of such systems, special development standards and processes have been designed for use in safety-critical applications. The established standard in automotive electronics is IEC61508. This is a generic safety standard that requires the defi nition of more detailed standards for specifi c industries and projects. Software engineering studies have shown that the RTCA DO-178B software development standard, originally defi ned for the aviation industry, is also a suitable detailed standard that corresponds to the IEC61508 safety standard .The software development process according to RTCA DO-178B is organized according to the well-known V-cycle (see fi g. 1).