Runtime Monitor Synthesis for Automotive Software Architectures

Background: The automotive industry’s shift towards automated driving, electrification, and digitalisation introduces new safety, reliability, and real-time performance challenges. While Service-oriented Architectures (SoA) offer modular and scalable solutions, they struggle to meet stringent safety requirements. 

Aim: This work enhances the reliability and safety of automated driving systems by introducing a taxonomy of monitoring aspects and a runtime monitoring synthesis approach, both tailored to SoA to ensure real-time compliance with operational expectations. 

Method: A monitoring taxonomy is developed using Contract-based Design (CbD), extending SoA by explicitly formalising service behaviours as contracts. This enables runtime verification against well-defined expectations and facilitates the automated synthesis of runtime monitors, addressing critical concerns and architectural implications. 

Results: The approach is evaluated in the CARLA simulator using a Construction Zone Assist (CZA) use case, demonstrating its effectiveness in realistic driving scenarios. Additionally, the scalability and performance of runtime monitors are assessed through resource consumption analysis.

Conclusion: Integrating a CbD-based monitoring taxonomy with runtime monitor synthesis in SoAs provides a robust framework for ensuring that safety-critical automotive systems meet operational standards, fostering innovation without compromising safety.