Adding Form to Real-Time System Specification and Simulation

Speciication and validation of a real-time system are often based on making simplistic predictions and assumptions about relevant behavior of the external environment and the controlled device interacting with it. However, in many cases, real-time systems physically interact with other external objects in a complex manner in a dynamically changing world and thus, their form (e.g. physical properties such as shape, mass, material, and connguration) can play a critical role in producing a correct speciication and obtaining realistic simulation output. We present ASADAL/PROTO, a speciication and simulation tool for real-time systems, that takes form into account in addition to the function and behavior handled by ASADAL/SIM, its predecessor. Simulation of the control system speciication runs in conjunction with the environmental simulation, and the resulting interactive behavior of the controlled system is observed visually for analysis. Our vision is to incrementally model, simulate and analyze all three views (behavior, function , and form) of real-time system speciication for its increased level of conndence at early prototyping stage.