L'objectif principal de cette thèse est d'apporter des solutions à certaines problèmes du test combinatoire. Le test combinatoire consiste à générer des tests qui couvrent toutes les combinaisons de valeurs d'entrée définies. La première problème abordé, c'est que le test combinatoire peut générer un grand nombre de tests qui sont invalides par rapport à la spécification du système à tester (SUT). Ces tests invalides sont typiquement ceux qui échouent lors de la vérification de la pré-condition d'une opération de système. Ces tests invalides doivent être éliminés de l'ensemble des tests utilisé pour évaluer le SUT, car ils conduisent à des verdicts non concluants. Comme solution, nous proposons de coupler la technique de test combinatoire à une technique d'animation qui repose sur une spécification pour filtrer les tests invalides. Dans notre travail, les tests combinatoires sont générés à partir d'un patron de test. Ce patron est essentiellement défini comme une séquence d'appels d'opérations, en utilisant un ensemble de valeurs pour les paramètres. Le dépliage d'un patron de test complexe, où plusieurs valeurs d'entrée sont utilisées, peut être soumis à une explosion combinatoire, et il est impossible d'avoir des tests valides à partir du patron de test. Il s'agit d'une deuxième problématique de cette thèse. Comme solution, nous proposons un processus de dépliage et d'animation incrémental qui permet de filtrer à un stade précoce (dans la séquence d'appels d'opération) les tests invalides, et donc de maîtriser l'explosion combinatoire. D'autres mécanismes de filtrage sont proposés, pour filtrer les tests qui ne couvrent pas certains comportements d'opération ou ne remplissent pas une propriété donnée. Le nombre de tests générés à partir d'un patron de test peut être considérablement grand pour être exécuté sur un SUT avec ressources mémoires et processeurs limitées. Ce problème est connu sous le nom de problème de réduction de suites de tests, et il représente le troisième problème de cette thèse. Comme solution, nous proposons une nouvelle technique de réduction de suites de tests basée sur les annotations (appelés tags) insérées dans le code source ou la spécification du SUT. L'exécution / animation de tests génère une trace des annotations couverts. Basé sur cette trace d'exécution, une famille de relations d'équivalence est proposée, pour réduire une suite de tests, en utilisant les critères d'ordre et de nombre de répétition des tags couverts. / The main objective of this thesis is to provide solutions to some combinatorial testing issues. The combinatorial testing consists in generating tests that cover all combinations of defined input values. The first issue of this thesis is that combinatorial testing can generate a large number of tests that are invalid according to the specification of the System Under Test (SUT). These invalid tests are typically those which fail the verification of the precondition of system operation. These invalid tests must be discarded from the set of tests used to evaluate the SUT, because they lead to inconclusive verdicts. As a solution, we propose to couple the combinatorial testing technique to an animation technique that relies on a specification to filter out invalid tests. In our work, combinatorial tests are generated from a test pattern. This pattern is mainly defined as a sequence of operation calls, using a set of values for their parameters. The unfolding of a complex test pattern, where many operation calls and/or input values are used, may be subject to combinatorial explosion, and it is impossible to provide valid tests from the test pattern. This is a second issue of this thesis. As a solution, we propose an incremental unfolding and animation process that allows to filter out at early stage (in the operation sequence) invalid tests, and therefore to master the combinatorial explosion. Other mechanisms of filtering are proposed to filter out tests which do not cover some operation behaviors or do not fulfill a given property. The test suites generated from a test pattern can be very large to execute on the SUT due the limited memory or CPU resources. This problem is defined as the test suite reduction problem, and it is the third issue of this thesis. As a solution, we propose a new test suite reduction technique based on annotations (called tags) inserted in the source code or the specification of the SUT. The execution/animation of tests generates a trace of the covered annotations. Based on the trace, a family of equivalence relations is proposed, to reduce a test suite, using the criteria of order and number of repetition of covered tags.

Ständig steigende Anforderungen an industrielle Anlagen, wie zum Beispiel ein höherer Durchsatz oder mehr Flexibilität, führen zu einer gesteigerten Komplexität dieser Systeme. Zusätzlich verlagert sich immer mehr Funktionalität aus dem Hardware- in den Softwarebereich, so dass dessen Bedeutung stetig zunimmt. Diesem Wandel mit wettbewerbsfähiger Entwicklungszeit zu begegnen, ist eine der wichtigsten Herausforderungen im Automatisierungssektor. Einen Ansatz hierzu stellt die Verwendung modellbasierter Entwicklungsmethoden dar. Während in den frühen Phasen des Entwicklungsprozesses modellbasierte Methoden zunehmend häufiger eingesetzt werden, besteht vor allem in den späteren Entwicklungsphasen sowie in der Phase des Betriebs erheblicher Nachholbedarf. In diesem Beitrag werden zunächst die bereits heute in der Praxis verwendeten Methoden am Beispiel einer komplexen Roboterkinematik vorgestellt. Anschließend wird im Wesentlichen die Phase des Betriebs betrachtet und dargestellt, welche Mehrwerte sich durch die Verwendung so genannter Smart Services auf Basis der bereits vorhandenen physikalischen Simulationsmodelle ergeben.

A geração automatizada de Interfaces de Usuário (IU) é objeto de estudo há muitos anos. Desde a década de 80, dezenas de projetos foram desenvolvidos e várias soluções apresentadas ao mercado. Entretanto, mesmo com os avanços obtidos neste cenário, inúmeras dificuldades ainda continuam presentes no dia-a-dia dos desenvolvedores de sistemas. A necessidade de processos, sintaxes e linguagens proprietárias associado ao elevado esforço de configuração e à baixa reutilização de tecnologias são os principais problemas nessa área. Objetivando sanar essas dificuldades, este trabalho propõe uma solução diferenciada para o problema, a qual reutiliza e integra-se à maioria das tecnologias comumente presentes nos ambientes de desenvolvimento e que conta com um exclusivo sistema de configuração, capaz de minimizar o trabalho de geração das IU. Sendo um típico gerador baseado em modelos, o software proposto é chamado MERLIN, e objetiva automatizar completamente a geracão de interfaces CRUD, as quais estão presentes em até 30% dos sistemas que operam sobre banco de dados. Para alcançar este objetivo, o software aposta no uso intensivo de heurísticas e na formação de uma estrutura auto-contida e realimentada de configurações, a qual reside unicamente nas classes compiladas da aplicação. Completando a sua arquitetura, um processo de geração em tempo de execução inibe a produção de qualquer linha de código-fonte, o que evita a necessidade de refatoração ao longo da evolução dos sistemas. Com esses elementos em evidência e focando inicialmente a plataforma Java, sinaliza-se uma solução diferenciada, apta para ser utilizada em ambientes profissionais de desenvolvimento. / The automated generation of User Interfaces (UI) has been the object of study for many years. Since the 1980s, dozens of projects have been developed and various solutions presented to the market. However, even with the advances obtained under this scenario, innumerable difficulties still continue to present themselves in the daily routine of system developers. The demands of proprietary methodologies, syntaxes and languages, the high level of effort needed for configuration and low reuse of technologies are the main problems in the area. With the object of rectifying these difficulties, this work proposes a solution specific to the problem, which reuses and combines the majority of the technologies already existing in development environments and relies on an exclusive configuration system, capable to minimize the work of generating the UI. Being a typical model based generator, the software under consideration is called MERLIN, and has as its objective to completely automate the generation of CRUD interfaces, which are present in up to 30% of the systems that interact with data bases. To achieve this objective, the software relies on the intensive use of heuristics and the creation of a self contained configuration feedback structure, which exists solely in the compiled classes of the application. Completing this architecture, a process of execution time generation eliminates the need for any source code, which significantly reduces the costs of refactoring the code throughout the evolution of the systems. With these elements in evidence and focusing initially on the Java platform, indicates that this distinguished solution is ready for use in professional development environments.

abstract: This thesis introduces the Model-Based Development of Multi-iRobot Toolbox (MBDMIRT), a Simulink-based toolbox designed to provide the means to acquire and practice the Model-Based Development (MBD) skills necessary to design real-time embedded system. The toolbox was developed in the Cyber-Physical System Laboratory at Arizona State University. The MBDMIRT toolbox runs under MATLAB/Simulink to simulate the movements of multiple iRobots and to control, after verification by simulation, multiple physical iRobots accordingly. It adopts the Simulink/Stateflow, which exemplifies an approach to MBD, to program the behaviors of the iRobots. The MBDMIRT toolbox reuses and augments the open-source MATLAB-Based Simulator for the iRobot Create from Cornell University to run the simulation. Regarding the mechanism of iRobot control, the MBDMIRT toolbox applies the MATLAB Toolbox for the iRobot Create (MTIC) from United States Naval Academy to command the physical iRobots. The MBDMIRT toolbox supports a timer in both the simulation and the control, which is based on the local clock of the PC running the toolbox. In addition to the build-in sensors of an iRobot, the toolbox can simulate four user-added sensors, which are overhead localization system (OLS), sonar sensors, a camera, and Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR). While controlling a physical iRobot, the toolbox supports the StarGazer OLS manufactured by HAGISONIC, Inc. / Dissertation/Thesis / Model-Based Development of Multi-iRobot Toolbox (version 1.0) / M.S. Computer Science 2012

abstract: As the complexity of robotic systems and applications grows rapidly, development of high-performance, easy to use, and fully integrated development environments for those systems is inevitable. Model-Based Design (MBD) of dynamic systems using engineering software such as Simulink® from MathWorks®, SciCos from Metalau team and SystemModeler® from Wolfram® is quite popular nowadays. They provide tools for modeling, simulation, verification and in some cases automatic code generation for desktop applications, embedded systems and robots. For real-world implementation of models on the actual hardware, those models should be converted into compilable machine code either manually or automatically. Due to the complexity of robotic systems, manual code translation from model to code is not a feasible optimal solution so we need to move towards automated code generation for such systems. MathWorks® offers code generation facilities called Coder® products for this purpose. However in order to fully exploit the power of model-based design and code generation tools for robotic applications, we need to enhance those software systems by adding and modifying toolboxes, files and other artifacts as well as developing guidelines and procedures. In this thesis, an effort has been made to propose a guideline as well as a Simulink® library, StateFlow® interface API and a C/C++ interface API to complete this toolchain for NAO humanoid robots. Thus the model of the hierarchical control architecture can be easily and properly converted to code and built for implementation. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Computer Science 2013

Les systèmes industriels (automobile, aérospatial, etc.) sont de plus en plus complexes à cause des contraintes économiques et écologiques. Cette complexité croissante impose des nouvelles contraintes au niveau du développement. La question de la maitrise de la capacité d’analyse de leurs architectures est alors posée. Pour résoudre cette question, les outils de modélisation et de simulation sont devenus une pratique courante dans les milieux industriels afin de comparer les multiples architectures candidates. Ces outils de simulations sont devenus incontournables pour conforter les décisions. Pourtant, la mise en œuvre des modèles physiques est de plus en plus complexe et nécessite une compréhension spécifique de chaque phénomène simulé ainsi qu’une description approfondie de l’architecture du système, de ses composants et des liaisons entre composants. L’objectif de cette thèse est double. Le premier concerne le développement d’une méthodologie et des outils nécessaires pour construire avec précision les modèles de simulation des architectures de systèmes qu’on désire étudier. Le deuxième s’intéresse à l’introduction d’une approche innovante pour la conception, la production et l’intégration des modèles de simulations en mode « plug and play » afin de garantir la conformité des résultats aux attentes, notamment aux niveaux de la qualité et de la maturité. Pour accomplir ces objectifs, des méthodologies et des processus d’ingénierie des systèmes basés sur les modèles (MBSE) ainsi que les systèmes d’information ont été utilisés. Ce travail de thèse propose pour la première fois un processus détaillé et un outil pour la conception des modèles de simulation. Un référentiel commun nommé « Modèle de carte d'identité (MIC) » a été développé pour standardiser et renforcer les interfaces entre les métiers et les fournisseurs sur les plans organisationnels et techniques. MIC garantit l’évolution et la gestion de la cohérence de l’ensemble des règles et les spécifications des connaissances des domaines métiers dont la sémantique est multiple. MIC renforce également la cohérence du modèle et réduit les anomalies qui peuvent interférer pendant la phase dite IVVQ pour Intégration, Vérification, Validation, Qualification. Finalement, afin de structurer les processus de conception des modèles de simulation, le travail s’est inspiré des cadres de l’Architecture d’Entreprise en reflétant les exigences d’intégration et de standardisation du modèle opératoire de l’entreprise. Pour valider les concepts introduits dans le cadre de cette thèse, des études de cas tirés des domaines automobile et aérospatiale ont été réalisées. L'objectif de cette validation est d'observer l'amélioration significative du processus actuel en termes d'efficacité, de réduction de l'ambiguïté et des malentendus dans la modélisation et la simulation du système à concevoir. / Simulation models are widely used by industries as an aid for decision making to explore and optimize a broad range of complex industrial systems’ architectures. The increased complexity of industrial systems (cars, airplanes, etc.), ecological and economic concerns implies a need for exploring and analysing innovative system architectures efficiently and effectively by using simulation models. However, simulations designers currently suffer from limitations which make simulation models difficult to design and develop in a collaborative, multidisciplinary design environment. The multidisciplinary nature of simulation models requires a specific understanding of each phenomenon to simulate and a thorough description of the system architecture, its components and connections between components. To accomplish these objectives, the Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and Information Systems’ (IS) methodologies were used to support the simulation designer’s analysing capabilities in terms of methods, processes and design tool solutions. The objective of this thesis is twofold. The first concerns the development of a methodology and tools to build accurate simulation models. The second focuses on the introduction of an innovative approach to design, product and integrate the simulation models in a “plug and play" manner by ensuring the expected model fidelity. However, today, one of the major challenges in full-vehicle simulation model creation is to get domain level simulation models from different domain experts while detecting any potential inconsistency problem before the IVVQ (Integration, Verification, Validation, and Qualification) phase. In the current simulation model development process, most of the defects such as interface mismatch and interoperability problems are discovered late, during the IVVQ phase. This may create multiple wastes, including rework and, may-be the most harmful, incorrect simulation models, which are subsequently used as basis for design decisions. In order to address this problem, this work aims to reduce late inconsistency detection by ensuring early stage collaborations between the different suppliers and OEM. Thus, this work integrates first a Detailed Model Design Phase to the current model development process and, second, the roles have been re-organized and delegated between design actors. Finally an alternative architecture design tool is supported by an ontology-based DSL (Domain Specific Language) called Model Identity Card (MIC). The design tools and mentioned activities perspectives (e.g. decisions, views and viewpoints) are structured by inspiration from Enterprise Architecture Frameworks. To demonstrate the applicability of our proposed solution, engine-after treatment, hybrid parallel propulsion and electric transmission models are tested across automotive and aeronautic industries.

As técnicas de teste podem ser divididas, num primeiro nível, naquelas baseadas no código (caixa branca) e naquelas baseadas na especificação (caixa preta ou funcionais). Nenhuma delas é completa pois visam a identificar tipos diferentes de defeitos e a sua utilização em conjunto pode elevar o nível de confiabilidade das aplicações. Assim, tornam-se importantes estudos que contribuam para um melhor entendimento da relação existente entre técnicas funcionais e estruturais, como elas se complementam e como podem ser utilizadas em conjunto. Este trabalho está inserido no contexto do projeto PLAVIS (Plataforma para Validação e Integração de Software em Aplicações Espaciais), e tem como objetivo realizar um estudo comparativo entre as técnicas de geração de casos de teste funcionais (baseadas nas especificações formais) e os critérios estruturais baseados em fluxo de controle e fluxo de dados, aplicados nas implementações. Num contexto específico, esse estudo deve fornecer dados de como se relacionam essas duas técnicas (funcional e estrutural) gerando subsídios para sua utilização em conjunto. Num contexto mais amplo - o do projeto PLAVIS - visa a estabelecer uma estratégia de teste baseada em critérios funcionais e estruturais e que possam, juntamente com as ferramentas que dão suporte a eles, compor um ambiente de teste disponível à utilização em aplicações espaciais dentro do INPE / Testing techniques can be divided, in high level, in code-based ones (white box) and specification based ones (black box). None of them are complete as they intend to identify different kinds of faults. The use of them together can increase the application confidence level. Thus, it is important to investigate the relationship between structural testing techniques and functional testing techniques, how they complete themselves and how they can be used together. This paper was developed in the context of the Plavis (PLAtform of software Validation & Integration on Space systems) project. This project provides comparative studies between functional generation testing techniques (based on formal specifications) and structural generation testing techniques, such as control-flow and data-flow criteria, applied in the implementation. In a specific context, this study provides data about the relationship between these techniques and how they can be used together. In the context of the Plavis project, the goal is to provide a testing strategy, based on functional and structural criteria, and a set of tools, composing a testing environment to be used in Space Applications projects, at INPE

Orientador: Rubens Maciel Filho / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Quimica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-09T11:12:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lima_NadsonMuriloNascimento_M.pdf: 1887705 bytes, checksum: e0761ce0e30dd05a47c9cfbe9b0968ef (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: A síntese de controladores representa uma importante vertente dos desenvolvimentos atuais no campo da pesquisa acadêmica e industrial. Um controlador bem projetado pode significar sucesso no que se refere aos objetivos de produção, sendo gerados materiais com as especificações desejadas e proporcionando que o sistema opere sob certas restrições, levando em consideração aspectos relativos à operabilidade, segurança e minimização de resíduos. Para tanto, sabe-se que as etapas de modelagem são fundamentais para a delineação de estratégias de controle. No entanto, a obtenção de representações matemáticas precisas e, ao mesmo tempo, aplicáveis para controle da maioria dos processos de interesse da engenharia química é uma tarefa árdua, devido à presença de comportamentos dinâmicos não lineares e variantes ao longo do espaço e do tempo. Deste modo, busca-se a obtenção de modelos mais simples, porém dotados da imprescindível representatividade inerente aos sistemas de produção, a fim de serem projetadas estruturas de controle adequadas para cada necessidade específica. Este trabalho enfoca o desenvolvimento de um controlador híbrido preditivo baseado em modelos nebulosos (fuzzy) tipo Takagi-Sugeno para processos de polimerização, os quais apresentam dinâmicas altamente complexas e de difícil modelagem matemática, dificultando assim a aplicação de metodologias convencionais de controle. Foram considerados dois casos de estudo para análise de desempenho do controlador proposto: o processo de copolimerização em solução do metacrilato de metila e acetato de vinila, e a copolimerização industrial do eteno/1-buteno com catalisador Ziegler-Natta solúvel. Os modelos fenomenológicos de ambos os processos já se encontram descritos na literatura, sendo considerados como plantas virtuais para geração de dados dinâmicos e implementação do controlador. A partir de simulações computacionais, os modelos dinâmicos nebulosos funcionais foram construídos ¿ os quais demonstraram excelentes capacidades para predição das saídas dos processos como uma função dos dados dinâmicos de entrada ¿ sendo, posteriormente, inseridos na estrutura interna do controle preditivo DMC (Dynamic Matrix Control). A escolha do controlador DMC como base para o desenvolvimento da estrutura proposta deve-se ao fato de sua notória aplicabilidade industrial, aliada à simplicidade de projeto e execução, além de possibilitar a incorporação de restrições nas variáveis controladas e manipuladas. Por fim, foram comparados os desempenhos entre os controladores híbrido e DMC convencional para os problemas regulatório e servo, fornecendo resultados satisfatórios em ambas as situações. Isto demonstra o alto potencial do algoritmo proposto para o controle de sistemas não lineares / Abstract: Controller synthesis represents an important slope of recent development in the field of academic and industry research. A well-projected controller may express the success in reference to the aim of production, and it also creates materials with desirable specification and it allows that the system operates under certain restrictions, considering aspects related to operability, safety and minimization of residue. Then, it¿s known that modeling stage is fundamental to delineation of controller strategies. However, the obtaining of precise and applicable mathematical representation to control most of relevant process in chemist engineering is an arduous task, because of the presence of nonlinear dynamic behavior and space-time variation. Therefore, it searches obtaining of simplier models, but gifted of essential representativity inherent to production system, because of this suitable control structure to each specific necessity projected. This work focus on the development of predictive hybrid controller based on fuzzy models, type Takagi-Sugeno, to process of copolymerization, that present high complex dynamic and hard mathematical modeling, what is also difficult to apply conventional methodologies of control. Two study cases that present analyze of purpose controller were considered: the process of copolymerization in solution of methyl methacrylate and vinyl acetate, and industry copolymerization of ethene/1-butene with Ziegler-Natta catalyzation. The phenomenologic models of the two processes have already described in relevant literature, and they are considered as virtual plants to create dynamic data and controller implementation. Based on computer simulation, functional dynamic fuzzy models were made ¿ they demonstrate excellent capacity to output prediction in process as a function of input dynamic data ¿ and they are, subsequently, inserted in an internal structure of DMC (Dynamic Matrix Control) predictive control. The choice of DMC controller as the base to development of proposal structure is responsible to the fact of its well-known industry applicability, allied to simplicity of the project and execution, beyond it makes possible the incorporation of restrictions in controlled and manipulated variables. Finally, the performance between hybrid controller and conventional DMC to regulatory and servo problems were compared, and it supplies satisfactory results in both situation. It demonstrates high potential of propose algorithm to control nonlinear system / Mestrado / Desenvolvimento de Processos Químicos / Mestre em Engenharia Química

Orientador: Edson Bim / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Eletrica e de Computação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-09T18:47:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Santana_EudemarioSouzade_D.pdf: 2512813 bytes, checksum: 189069455159efa5f8327460e869f749 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Esta tese trata do emprego do controle preditivo baseado no modelo (MBPC-Model Based Predictive Control) no acionamento do motor de indução do trifásico, para controle de fluxo de rotor e velocidade. A estratégia MBPC baseia-se na minimização do erro entre as referências futuras e a predição do modelo, para gerar os sinais de controle. Nesta tese, o motor de indução é descrito por espaço de estados e, diferentemente, do MBPC não linear, que emprega algoritmos de busca para determinar os sinais de controle, a estratégia escolhida faz inearizações sucessivas. Assim sendo, a cada ciclo gera-se a lei de controle, sendo que esta é dada por uma equação algébrica. São necessários ao controlador preditivo o conhecimento das tensões de terminal do estator e das seguintes variáveis de estado: corrente de estator, fluxo de rotor e velocidade de eixo. Para a estimação dos estados é empregado o filtro de Kalman estendido. O torque de carga é tratato como uma perturbação e sua magnitude é obtida por duas abordagens: pela equação eletromecânica e pelo filtro de Kalman estendido. Resultados de simulação computacional e experimentais validam a proposta / Abstract: This thesis presents the results concerning the control of rotor flux and speed of the induction motor using MBPC strategy, which is based on the error minimization between the future set point and model prediction, resulting in control signals. In the case studied in this thesis the motor model is described in space-state. The non linear MBPC emploies search algorithms to find the control signals, whereas the technique used in this thesis made sucessives linearizations on model; therefore in every control cicle a new algebraic control lay is found. The predictive control needs to know the stator voltage and the following state variables: stator current, rotor flux and speed. In the order to estimate the states an extended Kalman filter is employed. The load torque is considered as a disturbance and its amplitude is obtained in two ways: by calculation via eletromechanical equation and by estimation via Kalman filter. The proposal has been validated by imulations and experiments / Doutorado / Energia Eletrica / Doutor em Engenharia Elétrica

Diagnóstico baseado em modelos (Model Based Diagnosis - MBD) é uma técnica de Inteligência Artificial usada para encontrar componentes falhos em dispositivos físicos. MBD também tem sido utilizado para auxiliar programadores experientes a encontrarem falhas em seus programas, sendo essa técnica chamada de Depuração de Programas baseada em Modelos (Model Based Software Debugging - MBSD). Embora o MBSD possa auxiliar programadores experientes a entenderem e corrigirem suas falhas, essa abordagem precisa ser aprimorada para ser usada por aprendizes de programação. Esse trabalho propõe o uso da técnica de depuração hierárquica de programas, uma extensão da técnica MBSD, para que aprendizes de programação sejam capazes de depurar seus programas raciocinando sobre componentes abstratos, tais como: padrões elementares, funções e procedimentos. O depurador hierárquico de programas proposto foi integrado ao Dr. Java e avaliado com um grupo de alunos de uma disciplina de Introdução à Programação. Os resultados mostram que a maioria dos alunos foi capaz de compreender as hipóteses de falha geradas pelo depurador automático e usar essas informações para corrigirem seus programas. / Model Based Diagnosis (MBD) in Artificial Intelligence is a technique that has been used to detect faulty components in physical devices. MBD has also been used to help senior programmers to locate faults in software with a technique known as Model Based Software Debugging (MBSD). Although this approach can help experienced programmers to detect and correct faults in their programs, this approach must be improved to be used with novice programmers. This work proposes a hierarchical program diagnosis, a MBSD extension, to help novice programmers to debug programs by exploring the idea of abstract components, such as: elementary patterns, functions and procedures. The hierarchical program debugger proposed was integrated to the Dr. Java tool and evaluated with students of an introductory programming course. The results showed that most of the students were able to understand the hypotheses of failure presented by the automated debugger and use this information to provide a correction for their programs