A constraint-based approach for specification and verification of real-time systems

We develop a general constraint logic programming (CLP) based framework for specification and verification of real time systems. Our framework is based on the notion of timed automata that have traditionally been used for specifying real time systems. In our framework, a user models the ordering of real time events as the grammar of a language accepted by a timed automata, the real time constraints on these events are then captured as denotations of the grammar productions specified by the user. The grammar can be specified as a Definite Clause Grammar (DCG), while the denotations can be specified in constraint logic. The resulting specification can hence be regarded as a constraint logic program (CLP), and is executable. Many interesting properties of the real time system can be verified by posing appropriate queries to this CLP program. A major advantage of our approach is that it is constructive in nature, i.e., it can be used for computing the conditions under which a property will hold for a given real time system. Our framework also suggests new types of formalisms that we call constraint automata and timed push down automata.