Model Coverage Analysis & Reporting - SIL/MIL Testing

Model Coverage Collection Workflow

Coverage Collection Pipeline

  1. Run test suite with coverage enabled
     cvrun / sim with CoverageSettings
          |
  2. Accumulate coverage across all test cases
     cv.cvdo objects accumulated with + operator
          |
  3. Analyse coverage data
     cvreport / coverage tool metrics
          |
  4. Identify gaps
     uncovered branches, uncovered states, MC/DC gaps
          |
  5. Add targeted tests or justify exclusions
     SLDV test gen for MC/DC gaps
          |
  6. Generate ASPICE report
     HTML + PDF with block coverage heat map

Model Coverage API

MATLABcoverage_analysis.m

% Collect and analyse MiL coverage
model = "SpeedController";

% Configure coverage settings
covSettings = cvsettings(model);
set(covSettings, "RecordCoverage", true);
% Collect: decision, condition, MC/DC, Stateflow state/transition
set(covSettings, "CovMetricSettings", "dcmt");

% Run all test cases and accumulate coverage
cumCov = [];
tests = sltest.testmanager.loadTests("SpeedController_Tests.mldatx");
for i = 1:tests.numTestCases
    tc = tests.TestCaseResults(i);
    covData = tc.SimulationOutput.getCoverageData;
    if isempty(cumCov)
        cumCov = covData;
    else
        cumCov = cumCov + covData;
    end
end

% Extract metrics
metrics = cumCov.coverageData;
fprintf("Decision:   %5.1f%%\n", metrics.decision.percentage);
fprintf("Condition:  %5.1f%%\n", metrics.condition.percentage);
fprintf("MC/DC:      %5.1f%%\n", metrics.mcdc.percentage);
fprintf("SF States:  %5.1f%%\n", metrics.stateflow.stateExecution.percentage);
fprintf("SF Trans:   %5.1f%%\n", metrics.stateflow.transitionExecution.percentage);

% Generate HTML report
cvreport(cumCov, "Format","html", "File","Coverage_Report.html");

% Save for CI comparison
save("coverage_baseline.mat", "cumCov");

Summary

The model coverage report is one of the three key ASPICE SWE.4 evidence documents (alongside test specifications and test results). The coverage heat map in the HTML report is particularly useful for reviewers: red blocks (uncovered) are immediately visible without reading numbers. Every red block needs one of two responses: add a test case that covers it, or document a justified exclusion (defensive code that cannot be exercised in normal operation). The "dcmt" coverage setting is the correct choice for ASIL-D components: it collects decision, condition, MC/DC, and all Stateflow metrics simultaneously, avoiding the need to re-run tests with different settings.

🔬 Deep Dive — Core Concepts Expanded

This section builds on the foundational concepts covered above with additional technical depth, edge cases, and configuration nuances that separate competent engineers from experts. When working on production ECU projects, the details covered here are the ones most commonly responsible for integration delays and late-phase defects.

Key principles to reinforce:

Configuration over coding: In AUTOSAR and automotive middleware environments, correctness is largely determined by ARXML configuration, not application code. A correctly implemented algorithm can produce wrong results due to a single misconfigured parameter.
Traceability as a first-class concern: Every configuration decision should be traceable to a requirement, safety goal, or architecture decision. Undocumented configuration choices are a common source of regression defects when ECUs are updated.
Cross-module dependencies: In tightly integrated automotive software stacks, changing one module's configuration often requires corresponding updates in dependent modules. Always perform a dependency impact analysis before submitting configuration changes.

🏭 How This Topic Appears in Production Projects

Project integration phase: The concepts covered in this lesson are most commonly encountered during ECU integration testing — when multiple software components from different teams are combined for the first time. Issues that were invisible in unit tests frequently surface at this stage.
Supplier/OEM interface: This is a topic that frequently appears in technical discussions between Tier-1 ECU suppliers and OEM system integrators. Engineers who can speak fluently about these details earn credibility and are often brought into critical design review meetings.
Automotive tool ecosystem: Vector CANoe/CANalyzer, dSPACE tools, and ETAS INCA are the standard tools used to validate and measure the correct behaviour of the systems described in this lesson. Familiarity with these tools alongside the conceptual knowledge dramatically accelerates debugging in real projects.

⚠️ Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Assuming default configuration is correct: Automotive software tools ship with default configurations that are designed to compile and link, not to meet project-specific requirements. Every configuration parameter needs to be consciously set. 'It compiled' is not the same as 'it is correctly configured'.
Skipping documentation of configuration rationale: In a 3-year ECU project with team turnover, undocumented configuration choices become tribal knowledge that disappears when engineers leave. Document why a parameter is set to a specific value, not just what it is set to.
Testing only the happy path: Automotive ECUs must behave correctly under fault conditions, voltage variations, and communication errors. Always test the error handling paths as rigorously as the nominal operation. Many production escapes originate in untested error branches.
Version mismatches between teams: In a multi-team project, the BSW team, SWC team, and system integration team may use different versions of the same ARXML file. Version management of all ARXML files in a shared repository is mandatory, not optional.

📊 Industry Note

Engineers who master both the theoretical concepts and the practical toolchain skills covered in this course are among the most sought-after professionals in the automotive software industry. The combination of AUTOSAR standards knowledge, safety engineering understanding, and hands-on configuration experience commands premium salaries at OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers globally.