A continuous-time approach to modelling and validating Simulink Models

Our research focuses on applying formal methods to elevate the design quality of Simulink. As a modelling and simulation tool, Simulink is deficient when coping with the increasing requirements of high-level assurance and timing analysis. We propose a systematic approach to translate Simulink models to Timed Interval Calculus (TIC), a continuous-time based formal language for specifying and reasoning about real-time systems. The translation preserves the functional and timing aspects of Simulink models. Our approach can increase the design space by specifying timing related requirements, in particular safety and liveness, exactly on the model after the translation. Using TIC reasoning rules, we can formally validate that the design satisfies the requirements.