Reachability analysis of real-time systems using time Petri nets

Time Petri nets (TPNs) are a popular Petri net model for specification and verification of real-time systems. A fundamental and most widely applied method for analyzing Petri nets is reachability analysis. The existing technique for reachability analysis of TPNs, however, is not suitable for timing property verification because one cannot derive end-to-end delay in task execution, an important issue for time-critical systems, from the reachability tree constructed using the technique. In this paper, we present a new reachability based analysis technique for TPNs for timing property analysis and verification that effectively addresses the problem. Our technique is based on a concept called clock-stamped state class (CS-class). With the reachability tree generated based on CS-classes, we can directly compute the end-to-end time delay in task execution. Moreover, a CS-class can be uniquely mapped to a traditional state class based on which the conventional reachability tree is constructed. Therefore, our CS-class-based analysis technique is more general than the existing technique. We show how to apply this technique to timing property verification of the TPN model of a command and control (C2) system.     

Petri网展开图法的分析和应用

Petri网的展开图是一种特殊的并发系统状态空间搜索方法，它不需要重复考虑并发事件的所有可能的交集，从而大大缩减状态空间爆炸给验证分析带来的空间复杂度和时间复杂度。使用展开图分析Petri网的行为属性与传统的Petri网分析方法相比，具有自己的特点。该文首先介绍了Petri网展开图的构造算法，在此基础上使用展开图分析方法对一个典型Petri网的活性，有界性和可逆性等行为属性进行了分析，并与传统的Petri网分析方法作比较。     

Reverse Unfolding of Petri Nets and its Application in Program Data Race Detection

The unfolding technique can partially alleviate the state explosion in Petri nets through branching processes. However, all states of a system are still contained in its unfolding net. To deal with some practical problems, only the coverability determination of a specific state is needed. In view of this, reducing the scale of the unfolding net is feasible. This study proposes a target-oriented reverse unfolding algorithm for the coverability determination of 1-safe Petri nets, which combines a heuristic technique to reduce the scale of unfolding nets, thereby improving the efficiency of coverability determination. Furthermore, the reverse unfolding is applied to the formal verification of concurrent programs, and their data race detection is converted into the coverability determination of a specific state in 1-safe Petri nets. The experiment compares the efficiency between forward nfolding and reverse unfolding in the coverability determination of a Petri net. The results show that when the Petri net has more forward branches than backward branches, reverse unfolding is more efficient than forward unfolding. Finally, the key factors influencing the efficiency of reverse unfolding are analyzed.     

‘True Concurrency’ Semantics for Time Petri Nets with Weak Time and Persistent Atomic Policies

Programming and Computer Software - Dense-Time Petri nets (TPNs), where time intervals for transition firings are assigned, are now a well-established model, which is used to describe and study...     

基于Time Petri Nets的UML时序图分析

引入一种称为Clock的变迁,用来改进TPNs,讨论了如何将时序图转换为基于Clock变迁的TPNs,使这种TPNs能正确反映时序图的流程和时间约束。最后,利用普通Petri网的可达性分析技术对时序图模型进行了分析和验证。     

Petri网的反向展开及其在程序数据竞争检测的应用

展开技术借助分支进程可在一定程度上缓解Petri网性质分析中的状态爆炸问题.但展开网中仍然包含了系统的所有状态信息.某些应用问题仅需对系统特定状态的可覆盖性进行判定,以此为目标,有望缩减网系统展开的规模.为此,针对安全Petri网的可覆盖性判定问题提出了一种目标导向的反向展开算法,结合启发式技术缩减展开的规模,以此提高...     

基于时间Petri网的实时系统低能耗高层综合

以时间Petri网为模型,验证系统功能性和实时性,在此基础上,提出了一种由子任务的能耗变化率驱动的启发式能耗优化算法,并针对一类特殊形式的网模型——可组合时间Petri网,设计了相应的简化算法．实验说明,上述算法时间复杂度低,且优化效果接近最优值,能够为实时系统低能耗高层综合提供有力支持．     

Reachability Problems and Abstract State Spaces for Time Petri Nets with Stopwatches

Several extensions of Time Petri nets (TPNs) have been proposed for modeling suspension and resumption of actions in timed systems. We first introduce a simple class of TPNs extended with stopwatches (SwTPNs), and present a semi-algorithm for building exact representations of the behavior of SwTPNs, based on the known state class method for Time Petri nets. Then, we prove that state reachability in SwTPNs and all similar models is undecidable, even when bounded, which solves an open problem. Finally, we discuss overapproximation methods yielding finite abstractions of their behavior for a subclass of bounded SwTPNs, and propose a new one based on a quantization of the polyhedra representing temporal information. By adjusting a parameter, the exact behavior can be approximated as closely as desired. The methods have been implemented, experiments are reported.     

True-concurrency probabilistic models: Markov nets and a law of large numbers

We introduce the model of Markov nets, a probabilistic extension of safe Petri nets under the true-concurrency semantics—this means that traces, not firing sequences, are given a probability. This model builds upon our previous work on probabilistic event structures. We use the notion of a branching cell for event structures, and show that the latter provides an adequate conception of local state for nets. We prove a Law of Large Numbers (LLN) for Markov nets, which constitutes the main contribution of the paper. This LLN allows for the characterization, in a quantitative way, of the asymptotic behavior of Markov nets.     

“Truly concurrent” and nondeterministic semantics of discrete-time Petri nets

In the paper, a “truly concurrent” and nondeterministic semantics is defined in terms of branching processes of discrete-time Petri nets (DTPNs). These nets may involve infinite numbers of transitions and places, infinite number of tokens in places, and (maximal) steps of concurrent transitions, which allows us to consider this class of DTPNs to be the most powerful class of Petri nets. It is proved that the unfolding (maximal branching process) of the DTPN is the greatest element of a complete lattice constructed on branching processes of DTPNs with step semantics. Moreover, it is shown that this result is true also in the case of maximal transition steps if additional restrictions are imposed on the structure and behavior of the DTPN.     

SAT-Solving the Coverability Problem for Petri Nets

Net unfoldings have attracted great attention as a powerful technique for combating state space explosion in model checking, and have been applied to verification of finite state systems including 1-safe (finite) Petri nets and synchronous products of finite transition systems. Given that net unfoldings represent the state space in a distributed, implicit manner the verification algorithm is necessarily a two step process: generation of the unfolding and reasoning about it. In his seminal work McMillan (K.L. McMillan, Symbolic Model Checking. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1993) showed that deadlock detection on unfoldings of 1-safe Petri nets is NP-complete. Since the deadlock problem on Petri nets is PSPACE-hard it is generally accepted that the two step process will yield savings (in time and space) provided the unfoldings are small.In this paper we show how unfoldings can be extended to the context of infinite-state systems. More precisely, we show how unfoldings can be constructed to represent sets of backward reachable states of unbounded Petri nets in a symbolic fashion. Furthermore, based on unfoldings, we show how to solve the coverability problem for unbounded Petri nets using a SAT-solver. Our experiments show that the use of unfoldings, in spite of the two-step process for solving coverability, has better time and space characteristics compared to a traditional reachability based implementation that considers all interleavings for solving the coverability problem.     

基于DTPN的时间Petri网的组件级化简规则

时间Petrl网(TPNs)是实时系统时间特性常用的描述和验证的Petri网模型.组件级化简方法是TPN模型常用的分析方法,在保持外部可观察时间特性的前提下,将组件TPN模型化简成一个很简单的TPN模型.然而它却失去了组件内部的性质,如冲突和并发等性质.文中引人延迟时间Petri网(DTPN),通过组件TPN模型向DTPN模型转化,使化简后模型既保持外部可观察时间特性,又保持组件内部的冲突和并发等性质.为了分析化简后的DTPN模型,文中还提出了一种新的DT-PN调度分析方法.最后通过对一个C2系统的组件TPN模型的分析实例,验证该方法的有效性.     

Modeling and Inference of Extended Interval Temporal Logic for Nondeterministic Intervals

Extended interval temporal logic (EITL), an extension of the traditional point-interval temporal logic (PITL), is proposed. In contrast to PITL that represents the dynamic aspects of deterministic intervals, EITL can model and reason about the temporal relations among nondeterministic intervals in discrete-event systems, in which the duration of an event is indeterminate and only the lower bound and upper bound of the ending time can be predicted in advance. Time Petri nets (TPNs) are used for modeling EITL, for they give a straightforward view of temporal relations between the extended intervals and also provide a number of theoretical and practical analysis methods. An inference engine based on the TPN modeling complemented with algebraic inequalities is proposed to construct an analytical representation of the EITL relations and solve qualitative temporal reasoning problems. Linear inference mechanism based on TPN reduction rules is used to infer new temporal relations and handle quantitative temporal reasoning problems with linear time complexity, as our example shows.     

Deciding a class of path formulas for conflict-free petri nets

The aim of this paper is to develop a unified approach for deriving complexity results for problems concerning conflict-free Petri nets. To do so, we first define a class of formulas for paths in Petri nets. We then show that answering the satisfiability problem for conflict-free Petri nets is tantamount to solving a system of linear inequalities (which is known to be in P). Since a wide spectrum of Petri net problems (including various fairness-related problems) can be reduced to the satisfiability problem in a straightforward manner, our approach offers an umbrella under which many Petri net problems for conflict-free Petri nets can be shown to be solvable in polynomial time. As a side-product, our analysis provides evidence as to why detecting unboundedness for conflict-free Petri nets is easier (provided P ≠ NP) than for normal and sinkless Petri nets (which are two classes that properly contain conflict-free Petri nets). A preliminary version was presented at the 14th International Conference on Application and Theory of Petri Nets, Chicago, IL, USA, June 1993.     

New NP-Complete Problems in Performance Evaluation of Concurrent Systems Using Petri Nets

Timed Petri nets are useful in performance evaluation of concurrent systems. The maximum computation rate is achieved for minimal cycle time of timed Petri net. It is known that minimal cycle time problem for P-invariant Petri nets is NP-complete. In this paper we prove that the minimal cycle time problem, for non-P-invariant Petri nets and for a small subclass of P-invariant Petri nets called free-choice nets having live and safe marking, is NP-complete.     

Petri网的符号ZBDD可达树分析技术

Petri网是一种适合于并发系统建模、分析和控制的图形工具.可达树是Petri网分析的典型技术之一,它通过标识向量集合表征系统的状态空间,组合复杂性严重制约了该分析技术可处理系统问题的规模.零压缩决策图(Zero-Suppressed Binary Decision Diagrams,ZBDD)是一种新型的数据结构,是表示和处理稀疏向量集合的一种有效技术.文章基于Petri网町达标识向量的稀疏特征,给出了Petri网分析的符号ZBDD技术,该技术通过对标识向量(状态)的布尔向量表示、可达标识向最(状态)的符号ZBDD生成,实现Petri网可达状态空间的高效符号操作和紧凑符号表示.实验表明,基于ZBDD的符号可达性分析算法能够有效处理较大规模Petri网问题.     

Shrinking of Time Petri nets

The problem of the synthesis of time bounds enforcing good properties for reactive systems has been much studied in the literature. These works mainly rely on dioid algebra theory and require important restrictions on the structure of the model (notably by restricting to timed event graphs). In this paper, we address the problems of existence and synthesis of shrinkings of the bounds of the time intervals of a time Petri net, such that a given property is verified. We show that this problem is decidable for CTL properties on bounded time Petri nets. We then propose a symbolic algorithm based on the state class graph for a fragment of CTL. If the desired property “includes” k-boundedness, the proposed algorithm terminates even if the net is unbounded. A prototype has been implemented in our tool Romeo and the method is illustrated on a small case study from the literature.     

Modeling and scheduling of ratio-driven FMS using unfolding time Petri nets

In this paper, we focus on the analysis of a cyclic schedule for the determination of the optimal cycle time and minimization of the Work in Process (WIP for short). Especially, this paper deals with product ratio-driven FMS cyclic scheduling problem with each other products and ratios using Timed Petri nets unfolding (TPN for short). TPN slicing and unfolding are applied to analyze this FMS model. We can divide original system into subsystem using TPN slices and change iterated cycle module into acyclic module without any loss of other behavior properties.     

Reduction rules for time Petri nets

The goal of net reduction is to increase the effectiveness of Petri-netbased real-time program analysis. Petri-net-based analysis, like all reachabilitybased methods, suffers from the state explosion problem. Petri net reduction is one key method for combating this problem. In this paper, we extend several rules for the reduction of ordinary Petri nets to work with time Petri nets. We introduce a notion of equivalence among time Petri nets, and prove that our reduction rules yield equivalent nets. This notion of equivalence guarantees that crucial timing and concurrency properties are preserved.     

Two theoretical and practical aspects of knitting technique:invariants and a new class of Petri net

We present two aspects of knitting technique, the structural properties (especially the P- and T-invariants), and the synchronized choice net (a new class of Petri net), that are of both theoretical importance and practical uses to the verification of structural correctness of a Petri net or to detect the structural problem of a Petri net. This work first proves that the ordinary Petri nets synthesized with knitting technique are structurally bounded, consistent, conservative and safe (when each home place holds one token) using the well-known linear algebra approach. It also provides a procedure for finding P- and T-invariants for Petri net synthesized using the knitting technique. We present examples for P-invariants and show that we can synthesize Petri nets more general than the "asymmetric-choice nets". The algorithm for finding P-invariants of ordinary Petri nets is extended to find the P-invariants for a general Petri net synthesized with knitting technique and the arc-ratio rules. We present a new class of Petri nets, called synchronized choice nets, which are the largest set of Petri nets that can be covered by both T-components and P-components. An algorithm is proposed to find its T-components and the P-components, respectively. The complexity of this algorithm is also presented. The theory of synchronized choice nets has the potential to simplify that for free choice nets.