From Analysis to Design

Abstract

Research in formal methods has emphasized analysis techniques for system verification and testing. Despite the successful and growing integration of tools using formal methods into production design flows, there is very limited use of formal methods for design per se. This is understandable, given the considerable complexity of synthesis relative to analysis. Direct synthesis may not be the only way formal methods could contribute more significantly to design, however. Most tools used for design are actually analysis tools that have been extended in various ways to provide information useful for design, such as sensitivities from numerical optimization and simulation. Using embedded control systems as an application context, this plenary talk will review how analysis tools, including formal methods, are currently used in the design flow. We will then suggest research directions for strengthening the use of formal methods for design. One approach will be illustrated using extensions to a recently developed abstraction-based method for verifying linear hybrid automata with a large number of continuous state variables.