Model-Based Systems in the Automotive Industry

The automotive industry was the first to promote the development of applications of model-based systems technology on a broad scale and, as a result, has produced some of the most advanced prototypes and products. In this article, we illustrate the features and benefits of model-based systems and qualitative modeling by prototypes and application systems that were developed in the automotive industry to support on-board diagnosis, design for diagnosability, and failure modes and effects analysis. Car manufacturers and their suppliers face increasingly serious challenges particularly related to fault analysis and diagnosis during the life cycle of their products. On the one hand, the complexity and sophistication of vehicles is growing, so it is becoming harder to predict interactions between vehicle systems, especially when failures occur. On the other hand, legal regulations and the demand for safety impose strong requirements on the detection and identification of faults and the prevention of their effects on the environment or dangerous situations for passengers and other people.