Formal Verification of Control System Software - (Princeton Applied Mathematics) by Pierre-Loïc Garoche (Hardcover)

About the Book

An essential introduction to the analysis and verification of control systems software, the verification of control systems software is critical to a host of technologies and industries, from aeronautics and medical technology to the cars we drive--the failure of controller software can cost people their lives. In this authoritative and accessible book, Pierre-Loèic Garoche provides control engineers and computer scientists with an indispensable introduction to the formal techniques for analyzing and verifying this important class of software.Too often, control engineers are unaware of the issues surrounding the verification of software, while computer scientists tend to be unfamiliar with the specificities of controller software. Garoche provides a unified approach especially geared to graduate students in both fields, covering formal verification methods as well as the design and verification of controllers. He presents a wealth of new verification techniques for performing exhaustive analysis of controller software. These include new means to compute nonlinear invariants, the use of convex optimization tools, and methods for dealing with numerical imprecisions such as floating point computations occurring in the analyzed software.As the autonomy of these systems continues to increase--such as in autonomous cars, drones, and satellites and landers--the numerical functions in critical systems are growing ever more advanced. The techniques presented here are essential to support the formal analysis of the controller software being used in these new and emerging technologies.

Book Synopsis

An essential introduction to the analysis and verification of control system software

The verification of control system software is critical to a host of technologies and industries, from aeronautics and medical technology to the cars we drive. The failure of controller software can cost people their lives. In this authoritative and accessible book, Pierre-Loïc Garoche provides control engineers and computer scientists with an indispensable introduction to the formal techniques for analyzing and verifying this important class of software.

Too often, control engineers are unaware of the issues surrounding the verification of software, while computer scientists tend to be unfamiliar with the specificities of controller software. Garoche provides a unified approach that is geared to graduate students in both fields, covering formal verification methods as well as the design and verification of controllers. He presents a wealth of new verification techniques for performing exhaustive analysis of controller software. These include new means to compute nonlinear invariants, the use of convex optimization tools, and methods for dealing with numerical imprecisions such as floating point computations occurring in the analyzed software.

As the autonomy of critical systems continues to increase--as evidenced by autonomous cars, drones, and satellites and landers--the numerical functions in these systems are growing ever more advanced. The techniques presented here are essential to support the formal analysis of the controller software being used in these new and emerging technologies.

Review Quotes

"Innovative, mathematically exact, and very well written. Garoche is a rare resource, and his book will enrich the knowledge of both the computer-science and control-systems communities."--Eric Feron, Georgia Institute of Technology

"A pleasure to read. Garoche's excellent and timely book presents state-of-the-art methods building on convex optimization to perform static analysis for control systems and software."--Taylor Johnson, Vanderbilt University

"This book makes a timely contribution at the crossroads of formal computer science, optimization, and control. It should be of interest to computer scientists and control engineers."--Didier Henrion, LAAS-CNRS Toulouse and Czech Technical University in Prague

About the Author

Pierre-Loïc Garoche is senior research scientist at ONERA, France's national aerospace research center.