Interactive configuration of embedded systems product lines

This paper addresses product configuration and product derivation in product lines of embedded systems. We show how domain-specific languages (DSLs), which are used to describe the implementation of the product, can be translated into configurable models with formal semantics. This facilitates, tool support during configuration including (1) side-byside visualization of features and corresponding implementation components, (2) automated reasoning to calculate consequences of the user’s configuration decisions and (3) visual explanations for automatically calculated consequences. In addition, we discuss (4) how a completed configuration can be turned into a productspecific model in the domain-specific language, using negative variability and subsequent pruning of the implementation model. The approach is demonstrated for product lines of embedded systems using Simulink as an domain-specific language for the model-based engineering of embedded systems. We report on first evaluation results with a product line of parking assistant applications, including experimentation on a rapid prototyping platform with a 1:5 model car.