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Virginia Tech

A Development Platform to Evaluate UAV Runtime Verification Through Hardware-in-the-loop Simulation

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The popularity and demand for safe autonomous vehicles are on the rise. Advances in semiconductor technology have led to the integration of a wide range of sensors with high-performance computers, all onboard the autonomous vehicles. The complexity of the software controlling the vehicles has also seen steady growth in recent years. Verifying the control software using traditional verification techniques is difficult and thus increases their safety concerns. Runtime verification is an efficient technique to ensure the autonomous vehicle's actions are limited to a set of acceptable behaviors that are deemed safe. The acceptable behaviors are formally described in linear temporal logic (LTL) specifications. The sensor data is actively monitored to verify its adherence to the LTL specifications using monitors. Corrective action is taken if a violation of a specification is found. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) development platform is proposed for the validation of monitors on configurable hardware. A high-fidelity simulator is used to emulate the UAV and the virtual environment, thereby eliminating the need for a real UAV. The platform interfaces the emulated UAV with monitors implemented on configurable hardware and autopilot software running on a flight controller. The proposed platform allows the implementation of monitors in an isolated and scalable manner. Scenarios violating the LTL specifications can be generated in the simulator to validate the functioning of the monitors.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Computer Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2020

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Rafeeq, Akhil Ahmed
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Patterson, Cameron D.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Min, Chang Woo
  • Hicks, Matthew

Subjects

dc:subject × 6

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:26289
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/99041

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Rafeeq, Akhil Ahmed. A Development Platform to Evaluate UAV Runtime Verification Through Hardware-in-the-loop Simulation. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/99041