Meeting the Needs of Modern Embedded Systems With Ansys Scade One Software

Today, thousands of embedded software systems power a range of applications for hand-held devices, smart appliances, vehicles, medical diagnostic equipment, and even missile guidance systems. Undoubtedly, as these systems continue to evolve and grow in sophistication, so too must the advanced tools needed to manage their increasing complexity.

The Ansys Scade One model-based embedded software development platform sits at the apex of these efforts as more modern, more homogeneous, and more in tune with the criteria needed for success, inspired by current programming and modeling environments. The software combines the capabilities of the following tools to deliver a unified user experience for all stages of embedded software development:

• Ansys SCADE Suite model-based development environment for critical embedded software
• Ansys SCADE Display model-based human-machine interface (HMI) design tool
• Ansys SCADE Test embedded software testing environment
• Ansys SCADE LifeCycle embedded software solution
• Ansys SCADE Architect systems and software architecture modeling application
• PyAnsys pythonic access tool for Ansys software

“Ansys Scade One software is the synthesis of what we have learned in years past,” says Aubanel Monnier, senior principal application engineer at Ansys, part of Synopsys. “It’s a complete reboot, leapfrogging over many legacy blocking points as an advanced model-based systems engineering tool for embedded software development.”

One Software Solution Keeps It Simple

Simplification was the main inspiration for Scade One software. Its development was guided by a few basic principles that make it an obvious choice for developers, namely:

• Its users are free from limitations. Unlike traditional model-based editors, the Scade One editor tool enables users to operate its diagramming function freely. The user is guided but never constrained.
• It enables the joint use of graphical forms (diagrams) or textual forms (classic source code) to build embedded applications.
• It relies on a single language that can be used to design many aspects of embedded software (HMI, controller, or other mission-oriented applications), carry out tests, describe an architecture, or formally specify behavior.
• Its user interface is immersive. The imperative here was to give designs as much space as possible, overlaying information only when it's needed or wanted.
• It offers the services expected from a development environment for conventional programming languages (source code editors) and adapts them to template model-based designs.

Previously, SCADE Suite software and SCADE Display software were often used together. Now, Scade One software combines the features of both solutions in a single semantic framework. This unification is perceptible not just in the design environment that Ansys provides but in the way customers benefit from the capabilities of both.

Inherent in this goal was a move from drawing to programming and a move away from a physical prototype to a state-of-the-art integrated development environment (IDE). “Merging display-oriented concepts with a dataflow-based language in a way that improves over the sum of each party presented an interesting challenge,” says Dr. Bruno Pagano, director of R&D, embedded and safety-critical software.

“In general, an embedded graphical interface contains important parts of logic to manage the user-system interaction,” says Distinguished Engineer Jean-Louis Colaço. “Unifying these two aspects in a single computer language (Swan) and its programming environment gives more flexibility to designers.”

“Ansys Scade One software enables projects and development teams to scale up,” says Pagano. “From a collaborative point of view, it enables heterogeneous teams to work on the same project within the confines of one shared tool. It also enables faster development and validation to deliver instant, precise feedback while eliminating mundane tasks like graphical layout or test writing.”

Demystifying MBSE for Embedded Systems Development

Historically, SCADE Suite software has had a crucial role in the model-based systems development (MBSE) of reliable embedded software. It is built specifically on products conceived by different teams at different times using different technologies for this purpose.

Now, thanks to Ansys’ open application programming interfaces (APIs), Scade One software can be integrated into Ansys ModelCenter model-based systems engineering software and connected to other MBSE tools as a streamlined alternative. One of the first connections available is a SysML v2 import from the Ansys Systems Architecture Modeler (SAM) capability, Ansys’ web-based SysML v2 editor.

“With the introduction of Ansys Scade One software, our priorities were to stick to fundamentals, beginning with a simple language meant to match the strictest safety constraints, with a power of expression and a representation that is close to what is used to specify embedded systems,” says Monnier. “Dataflow, hierarchical state-machines, and activation domains were also considered.”

Scade One language is designed in a way that lets users combine and blend these high-level constructs at will, leading to simple, understandable models — even for complex algorithms.

The realization of a language server dedicated to Scade One software and its integration into the model editor was the first major technical milestone the product team achieved. It solidified the initial vision of mixing a software development environment with a model-based design tool.

“Ansys Scade One software’s underlying language has been enhanced with new primitives that allow for more sophisticated, safe ways to compute with arrays fundamental to building more complex data structures,” says Colaço. “This improves the design of its classical control functions and opens the way to new applications.”

A Leader in Embedded Software Development

For the foreseeable future, Scade One software will remain at the forefront of embedded software development. Its continued focus on achieving industry certifications, incorporating enhanced display capabilities, and building a vibrant ecosystem of third-party contributions ensures access to a robust, user-friendly development platform.

Interested in learning more? Make sure to see this on-demand webinar: Design, Debug, and Test Your Ansys Scade One Model. And take a moment to visit our Embedded Software Ansys Knowledge page for additional technical blogs featuring Scade One software.