An ontology-based graphical tool for intelligent instruments

This paper proposes a structured graphical method which relates both functional and behavioral requirements and software specifications to a detailed software design and implementation of intelligent instruments. The logic-based architecture is especially appropriate during the stage of conceptual design when modeling functional and behavioral specifications of digital instrumentation and control system are under consideration. The graphical representation of physical, functional and behavioral requirements is described through a multilayer hierarchical decomposition resulting from ontological analysis. As a consequence, the clear description of both goals and behavior for intelligent instruments within a single system that are based on first order logic axioms included in the ontology, allows one (with focussing on the teleological aspect of intelligent instruments) to enhance the model quality and to improve behavior reliability for intelligent instruments at run-time. The hierarchical decomposition (i) expresses semantic interrelations between the physical system and the behavioral items (ii) addresses incomplete or inconsistent requirements (iii) provides a structured framework that can serve as a basis for further extent. The system conceptualization is implemented in a new graphical tool resulting from the aggregation of object oriented software modules written in JAVA. The graphical tool is also referenced as Graphical CAPTool (GCAPTool).