Assistance tool

A design assistance tool device assisting a design of at least two processes, the design assistance tool device comprising:

• a database;
• a display;
• a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium;
• and
• a microcomputer that, by executing a program stored in the computer-readable non-transitory storage medium, is configured to:
• define a metamodel using one or more metaclass in each of the at least two processes;
• and
• perform a design of each of the at least two processes using the corresponding metamodel;
• wherein:
• the metamodel in one of the at least two processes has a derivation relationship and a different relationship with the metamodel in another one of the at least two processes,
• the different relationship is one of a possession relationship defining a vertical relationship, a reference relationship indicating presence of a reference between exchanged data, or a succession relationship indicating a same level,
• the database stores the metamodel in one of the at least two processes and the metamodel in another one of the at least two processes in associated manner according to the derivation relationship and the different relationship,
• the derivation relationship is a relationship in which the one or more metaclass in one of the at least two processes is defined based on content of the one or more metaclass in another one of the at least two processes and used as trace information,
• a design result of one of the at least two processes or a design result of another one of the at least two processes is displayed in a view on the display,
• the derivation relationship between the one or more metaclass of the metamodel in one of the at least two processes and the one or more metaclass of the metamodel in another one of the at least two processes is displayed in the view on the display;
• and
• the design assistance tool device is used to design a vehicle system, and design of the vehicle system includes a system development and a software development,
• the system development includes, as the at least two processes:
• a requirement definition that sets a development goal;
• a logical design that defines a function, an input, and an output;
• a control design that defines a calculation formula to be used for each control as a circuit design;
• and
• a physical design that physically assigns a control to a vehicle electronic control unit (ECU);
• the software development includes, as the at least two process:
• a specification definition that defines specification of a software that concretely includes an outline defined in the system development;
• a basic design that divides functions defined in the system development into multiple layers and defines, for each function, an input to be obtained and an output to be output;
• and
• a detail design that defines a specific calculation method in a flowchart and describes the calculation method with a programming language;
• in the system development, each of the requirement definition process, the logical design process, the control design process, and the physical design process is performed using the corresponding metamodel,
• in the software development, each of the specification definition process, the basic design process, and the detail design process is performed using the corresponding metamodel;
• when a designer operates the design result of one of the at least two processes, which are displayed together in the view on the display and correspond to the at least two processes of the system development or the software development, and the design result of another one of the at least two processes, which are displayed together in the view on the display and correspond to the at least two processes of the system development or the software development, to set the derivation relationship therebetween, the database automatically stores an operation of the designer, which sets the derivation relationship, as the trace information;
• in both of the system development and the software development, when the design content is expressed from another viewpoint, a definition of logical formula, an arrangement design for physically arranging the content and an implementation process for concretely implementing the process using the ECU are executed.