Research Projects

Semantic Interpretation of Timed Discrete-Event Systems

Eleftherios Matsikoudis and Edward A. Lee

In the context of timed discrete-event systems, processes are allowed to realize functions that are not order-preserving with respect to the prefix ordering relation on the communicated sequences of values. This property renders naive applications of traditional domain-theoretic models inadequate for the semantic interpretation of such systems. Yet, interesting results have been obtained by imposing a fixed lower bound on the reaction time of the involved processes, effectively precluding Zeno behavior [1,2].

This work focuses on relaxing this requirement to obtain semantic interpretations even in the presence of Zeno conditions. The underlying aim is to establish a canonical denotational definition of timed discrete-event programming languages, thereby providing the means for reasoning about the correctness of the individual implementations, as well as allowing hidden commonalities of seemingly different timed systems to emerge.

[1]

R. K. Yates, "Networks of Real-Time Processes," CONCUR 93: Proc. Int. Conf. Concurrency Theory, Springer-Verlag, 1993, pp. 384-397.

[2]

E. A. Lee, "Modeling Concurrent Real-Time Processes Using Discrete Events," Annal of Software Engineering, Vol. 7, No. 3, 1999, pp. 25-45 (invited paper).