Frame representation for specification of timing constraints in real-time systems

Abstract

When specifying timing constraints in real-time systems, three essential factors must be considered: the path of events, the types of constraints, and the quantities of time. The paper uses frame representation to specify timing constraints in real-time systems. The structured and formal properties of frames improve some of the desired properties of a good specification. The former property allows the methods of top-down decomposition and refinement to be followed in specifying timing constraints. The latter provides a basis for rigorous analysis of the completeness and consistency between frames. The implementation of the proposed approach by rule-based programming and an illustrated example are described. Thus the implementation together with the proposed specification technique are in a uniform representation, which makes the approach more acceptable to software practitioners.