EAST-ADL

Overview

EAST-ADL is a modeling language defined as a domain-specific language for the development of automotive electronic systems. The modeling element consists of different entities to represent the embedded system (requirements, features, desired behaviors, software, and hardware components) and their dependencies (refinement, allocation, composition, communication, etc.).

EAST-ADL Spotlight EAST-ADL is a domain-specific language using meta-modeling constructs such as classes, attributes, and relationships. It is based on concepts from UML, SysML and AADL, but adapted for automotive needs and compliance with AUTOSAR. There is an EAST-ADL UML2 profile which is used in UML2 tools for user modeling. The EAST-ADL definition also serves as the specification for implementation in domain-specific tools.

EAST-ADL is defined with the development of safety-related embedded control systems as a benchmark. The EAST-ADL scope includes early analysis via functional design to the implementation perspective and back to integration and acceptance testing on vehicle level.

The main role of EAST-ADL is that of providing an integrated system model. On this basis, several concerns are addressed:

• Documentation, in terms of an integrated system model.
• Communication between engineers, by providing predefined views as well as the information sufficient for generating a number of other views.
• Analysis, through the description of system structure and properties.

Connection between EAST-ADL and AUTOSAR

EAST-ADL and AUTOSAR in concert provide means for efficient development and management of the complexity of automotive embedded systems from early analysis right down to implementation. Concepts from model-based development and component-based development reinforce one another.
An early, high-level representation of the system can evolve seamlessly into the detailed specifications of the AUTOSAR language. In addition, the EAST-ADL incorporates the following system development concerns:

• Modeling of requirements and verification/validation information,
• Feature modeling and support for software system product lines,
• Modeling of variability of the system design,
• Structural and behavioral modeling of functions and hardware entities in the context of distributed systems,
• Environment, i.e., plant model and adjacent systems, and
• Non-functional operational properties such as a definition of function timing and failure modes, supporting system level analysis.

Organisation of EAST-ADL Model

The EAST-ADL model is organized according to 4 abstraction levels:

• Vehicle level contains modeling elements to represent intended functionality in a solution-independent way
• Analysis level represents the abstract functional decomposition of the vehicle with the the principal internal and external interfaces.
• Design level has the detailed functional definition, a hardware architecture and allocations of functions to hardware.
• Implementation level relies on AUTOSAR elements and does not have EAST-ADL-specific constructs for the core structure.

For all abstraction levels, relevant extension elements for requirements, behavior, variability and dependability are associated to the core structure.

Links

www.atesst.org

The EAST-ADL language has been defined in several steps

1. ITEA EAST-EEA ITEA project ([1]), that defined basics of the language
2. IST FP6 ATESST project ([2]), that extend and aligned the language to standardization initiative (AUTOSAR, SySML, UML..)
3. IST FP7 ATESST2 project ([3]), that refined the language with cooperative active safety systems as benchmark

Overview of research projects for EAST-ADL:

Project name	Time	Budget	EAST-ADL Version	Specification Download	Support by research departments of following vehicle manufacturers(OEMs)
EAST-EEA	1.7.2001 - 30.6.2004	40 M€	EAST-ADL Version 1.0	No download available after project had finished	BMW, Daimler, Fiat, PSA (Peugeot/Citroen), Renault, Volvo
ATESST	1.1.2006 - 31.3. 2008	3.9 M€	EAST-ADL Version 2.0	http://www.atesst.org/home/liblocal/docs/EAST-ADL-2.0-Specification_2008-02-29.pdf	Daimler, Volvo (Trucks), VW/Carmeq
ATESST2	1.7.2008 - 30.6. 2010	3.8 M€	EAST-ADL Version 2.1	Not published yet	Volvo (Trucks), Fiat, VW/Carmeq

EAST-ADL is not governed by a formal standardization body. However, the EAST-ADL UML2 profile is represented in the EAST-ADL annex to the OMG MARTE profile.