Modeling and Verification using Different Notations for CPSs: The One-Water-Tank Case Study.

The choice of an adequate notation and subsequent system formalization are the crucial points for the design of cyber-physical systems (CPSs). Here, an appropriate notation allows an explicit specification of the deterministic system behavior for specified initial states and inputs. We base our study on an industrial example (water tank) that comprises nominal as well as safety-critical states, and focus on the notation’s support to validate/verify crucial safety properties. Several industrial notations (e.g. Matlab/Simulink©) to design and simulate such a hybrid system have been tried based on our physical model. In addition, we remodel our example using the well-founded mathematical formalism of hybrid automata. It enables us to formally express and verify important safety properties using the theorem prover KeYmaera.