ISO 26262 – Exemplary Tool Classification of Model-Based Design Tools

Abstract

Tool classification is an important part of the tool qualification process required by ISO 26262 since it determines the required confidence level for each tool in use. To cover the variety of tools used by practitioners, the standard only provides a framework for tool classification and leaves it up to the applicant to instantiate this framework. To illustrate the ISO 26262 tool classification procedure, this paper provides an exemplary tool classification for the Model Advisor, a static analysis tool used in Model-Based Design, By putting this example into the context of a practical tool qualification approach for COTS tools, the author’s report their experiences in instantiating the ISO 26262-8 tool qualification framework.