Automated formal verification of routing in material handling systems

The design of correctly implemented controls in material handling systems (MHS) is time consuming and cumbersome. The developer has to deal with an ever increasing complexity and heterogeneity of MHS on the one hand, but also with short development cycles and high demands to MHS on the other hand. For baggage handling systems (BHS) at airports, the error-free implementation of routing strategies is especially of importance, as these strategies are critical to safety. This paper proposes a compositional approach to the formal verification of routing in MHS. The approach is based on the theory of assume-guarantee reasoning, where proofs of the overall system are derived from proofs of subsystems. Moreover, the approach has been implemented in a tool that automatically carries out the verification. A real-world example is discussed in this paper, showing the benefits and scalability of the presented approach.