Design of a microprocessor-based process controller using multilevel hierarchical

The problems of replacing existing process controllers with microprocessor-based systems are discussed. A design methodology for implementing a microprocessor-based process control system from an existing design is given, such that strict functional equivalence between the original design and the microprocessor is maintained. The design methodology combines multilevel hierarchical systems and graph theory to deduce a low complexity model of the process control system, which is then analysed and verified interactively on a host computer. The resulting data is formatted and then downloaded into the microprocessor memory of the process controller.     

Coding of chemical structures based on a line notation

An algorithm for coding of chemical structures is proposed based on a chemistry oriented line notation language. The latter is based on simple rules providing an almost convention free specification of molecular connectivity. A very useful feature of the proposed molecular code is that it has a line notation form, i.e. it can be interpreted according to the line notation language rules. Both the line notation language and molecular code are based on the principle of decomposition of the molecular graph into biconnected components (cyclic fragments or single atoms). The decomposition graph is a tree, each vertex of which stands for a biconnected component. Within the coding algorithm first the codes for each biconnected component are formed and then they are used as vertex labels of the decomposition tree. Since large chemical graphs usually consist of several biconnected components this method improves, to a great extent, the average time complexity of the algorithm. Terminal cyclic radicals and chain fragments of the molecular graph appear as unique substrings in the line notation code which enhances their computer perception.     

Structured logical design of information systems: A methodology,documentation and experience

A methodology for the logical design of Information Systems is presented. This methodology emphasizes structure design. It is based on a precise and extended concept of system logical design, which leads to consider management and organizational factors that have been ignored by most methods. A well-defined procedure for generating the “best” design and attaining a sound and complete system logical specification is the main practical contribution. The methodology has several years of successful testing by many people in practice. The use of computerized techniques in supporting the systems logical design process is also reported.     

Introduction to the Wellmade Design Methodology

An overview of a design methodology called WELLMADE is presented. WELLMADE is a synthesis of results obtained from recent research on software engineering and the experience gained at HIS/Phoenix. The principles, procedures, and notation of WELLMADE are briefly outlined and an example is presented, illustrating the approach for deriving correct programs and the notation for its design specification.     

CIG-EM:一种面向通信综合的通信信息图提取方法

提出通信信息图提取方法CIG-EM,实现了从系统行为级模型到通信信息图（CIG）模型提取的自动设计流程,以帮助系统设计人员在系统设计的早期设计高效的片上通信体系结构. CIG-EM采用层次化控制/数据流图（HCDFG）模型作为系统的内部表示模型,并建立了从系统描述到CIG模型提取的整个设计流程;引入HCDFG模型的扩展M-HCDFG模型表示函数-功能单元和变量-存储器的映射信息,简化了CIG模型提取的过程;提出了3种模型HCDFG,M-HCDFG和CIG之间的转换算法,实现了其自动转换. CIG-EM能够平滑系统设计流程,减少设计周期.利用JPEG解码程序表明CIG-EM方法的正确性和有效性.     

Fast prototyping of parallel-vision applications using functional skeletons

We present a design methodology for real-time vision applications aiming at significantly reducing the design-implement-validate cycle time on dedicated parallel platforms. This methodology is based upon the concept of algorithmic skeletons, i.e., higher order program constructs encapsulating recurring forms of parallel computations and hiding their low-level implementation details. Parallel programs are built by simply selecting and composing instances of skeletons chosen in a predefined basis. A complete parallel programming environment was built to support the presented methodology. It comprises a library of vision-specific skeletons and a chain of tools capable of turning an architecture-independent skeletal specification of an application into an optimized, deadlock-free distributive executive for a wide range of parallel platforms. This skeleton basis was defined after a careful analysis of a large corpus of existing parallel vision applications. The source program is a purely functional specification of the algorithm in which the structure of a parallel application is expressed only as combination of a limited number of skeletons. This specification is compiled down to a parametric process graph, which is subsequently mapped onto the actual physical topology using a third-party CAD software. It can also be executed on any sequential platform to check the correctness of the parallel algorithm. The applicability of the proposed methodology and associated tools has been demonstrated by parallelizing several realistic real-time vision applications both on a multi-processor platform and a network of workstations. It is here illustrated with a complete road-tracking algorithm based upon white-line detection. This experiment showed a dramatic reduction in development times (hence the term fast prototyping), while keeping performances on par with those obtained with the handcrafted parallel version. Received: 22 July 1999 / Accepted: 9 November 2000     

Rigorous development of composite grid services

Cress (Communication Representation Employing Systematic Specification) is introduced as notation, a methodology and a toolset for service development. The article focuses on rigorous development of composite grid services, with particular emphasis on the principles behind the methodology. A straightforward graphical notation is used to describe grid services. These are then automatically specified, analysed and implemented. Analysis includes formal verification of desirable service properties, formal validation of test scenarios, testing of implementation functionality, and evaluation of implementation performance. The case study that illustrates the approach is document content analysis to compare two pieces of text. This involves two composite services supported by two partner services. The usability of the service design notation is assessed, and a comparison is made of the approach with similar ones. These show that the Cress approach to developing services is usable and more complete than other comparable approaches.     

Specifying a safety-critical control system in Z

The paper presents a formal specification in the Z notation for a safety-critical control system. It describes a particular medical device but is quite generic and should be widely applicable. The specification emphasizes safety interlocking and other discontinuous features that are not considered in classical control theory. A method for calculating interlock conditions for particular operations from system safety assertions is proposed; it is similar to ordinary Z precondition calculation, but usually results in stronger preconditions. The specification is presented as a partially complete framework that can be edited and filled in with the specific features of a particular control system. Our system is large but the specification is concise. It is built up from components, subsystems, conditions and modes that are developed separately, but also accounts for behaviors that emerge at the system level. The specification illustrates several useful idioms of the Z notation, and demonstrates that an object-oriented specification style can be expressed in ordinary Z     

Modeling spiking neural networks

A notation for the functional specification of a wide range of neural networks consisting of temporal or non-temporal neurons, is proposed. The notation is primarily a mathematical framework, but it can also be illustrated graphically and can be extended into a language in order to be automated. Its basic building blocks are processing entities, finer grained than neurons, connected by instant links, and as such they form sets of interacting entities resulting in bigger and more sophisticated structures. The hierarchical nature of the notation supports both top-down and bottom-up specification approaches. The use of the notation is evaluated by a detailed example of an integrated tangible agent consisting of sensors, a computational part, and actuators. A process from specification to both software and hardware implementation is proposed.     

A Test Design Methodology for Protocol Testing

Communication protocol testing can be done with a test architecture consisting of remote Lower Tester and local Upper Tester processes. For real protocols, tests can be designed based on the formal specification of the protocol which uses an extended finite state machine model. The specification is transformed into a simpler form consisting of normal form transitions. It can then be modeled by a control and a data flow graph. The graphs are decomposed into subtours and data flow functions, respectively. Tests are designed by considering parameter variations of the input primitives of each data flow function and determining the expected outputs. The methodology gives complete test coverage of all data flow functions and control paths in the specification. Functional fault models are proposed for functions that are not formally specified.     

Dimension and tolerance modeling and transformations in feature based design and manufacturing

This paper describes the development and application of a geometric dimension and tolerance (GD&T) model for use in both design and process planning. The model meets criteria for computability and compatibility with the Y14.5M standard. The model is first used to capture the designers GD&T scheme on a feature based design model, validate its completeness, and then transfer the GD&T to machining features extracted automatically by feature recognition. The model is based on relative degrees of freedom of geometric entities: feature axes, edges, faces and features-of-size. Dimension graphs are created based on the degrees of freedom for each control direction. Datum reference frames and standard tolerance classes are incorporated into the graph. The model allows dimension specification, dimension scheme modification, and dimension scheme validation. A methodology to automatically determine the GD&T of machining volumes obtained by feature recognition is also described.     

可重构片上系统设计流程中的动态重构问题研究

近年来,可重构片上系统已成为科学研究及嵌入式应用领域中应对复杂计算需求的有效技术解决方案.针对目前缺少一个从系统级设计到应用实现,统一、综合规划动态重构问题的系统设计流程,以及动态重构过程对系统设计人员不透明等问题,在系统设计层给出了一种过程级软硬件统一编程模型.在此框架内,设计人员通过调用已根据应用特性进行优化的软硬件协同函数,即可利用高级语言完成系统功能描述;在细节设计层提出了基于单位面积加速比的软硬件任务调度算法,实时管理动态可重构资源;在应用实现层,以可重构专用图形加速卡为原型系统,论述动态可重构系统实现中的关键技术.实验及测试结果验证了通过将动态重构问题置于整个系统设计流程中予以考虑,能够达到提升系统开发效率之目的.     

The influence of formal representation on solution specification

The effectiveness and value of a notation is determined by how well its users are able to work with it. This paper reports upon an empirical study aiming at investigating the influence of employing the Z specification notation upon how users approach system development. The study illustrates how the desire to employ formality can have a significant influence upon preferred choice between different solution approaches. Despite the formal representation increasing the awareness of the characteristics of a given design problem, the notation is apparently detrimental in the subjects' consideration of good-quality generic solutions. The human factor issues of the notation need to be carefully considered and the notation should be embedded into a proper method if effective use is to be achieved.     

Adding debugging support to the Prometheus methodology

This paper describes a debugger which uses the design artifacts of the Prometheus agent-oriented software engineering methodology to alert the developer testing the system, that a specification has been violated. Detailed information is provided regarding the error which can help the developer in locating its source. Interaction protocols specified during design, are converted to executable Petri net representations. The system can then be monitored at run time to identify situations which do not conform to specified protocols. A process for monitoring aspects of plan selection is also described. The paper then describes the Prometheus Design Tool, developed to support the Prometheus methodology, and presents a vision of an integrated development environment providing full life cycle support for the development of agent systems. The initial part of the paper provides a detailed summary of the Prometheus methodology and the artifacts on which the debugger is based.     

Global transaction support for workflow management systems: from formal specification to practical implementation

In this paper, we present an approach to global transaction management in workflow environments. The transaction mechanism is based on the well-known notion of compensation, but extended to deal with both arbitrary process structures to allow cycles in processes and safepoints to allow partial compensation of processes. We present a formal specification of the transaction model and transaction management algorithms in set and graph theory, providing clear, unambiguous transaction semantics. The specification is straightforwardly mapped to a modular architecture, the implementation of which is first applied in a testing environment, then in the prototype of a commercial workflow management system. The modular nature of the resulting system allows easy distribution using middleware technology. The path from abstract semantics specification to concrete, real-world implementation of a workflow transaction mechanism is thus covered in a complete and coherent fashion. As such, this paper provides a complete framework for the application of well-founded transactional workflows. Received: 16 November 1999 / Accepted 29 August 2001 Published online: 6 November 2001     

组合优化问题简约与算法推演

针对组合优化类问题定义了代数结构模型,从问题的形式规约出发,通过一阶谓词和量词演算将问题逐步简约为搜索空间更小、复杂度更低的子问题,根据问题的简约关系推导出求解算法,并在构造算法的同时也证明了算法的正确性.开发了原型系统以支持上述形式化的开发过程.这种算法推演技术能够显著提高算法程序设计的自动化水平,而问题简约的思想也...     

Functional programming on a dataflow architecture: Applications in real-time image processing

This paper presents a dataflow functional computer (DFFC) developed at the Etablissement Technique Central de l'Armement (ETCA) and dedicated to real-time image processing. Two types of data-driven processing elements, dedicated respectively to low-level and mid-level processings are integrated in a regular 3D array. The design of the DFFC relies on a close integration of the dataflow-architecture principles and the functional programming concept. An image processing algorithm, expressed with a syntax similar to that of functional programming (FP) is first converted into a dataflow graph. The nodes of this graph are real-time operators that can be implemented on the physical processors of the dataflow machine. This dataflow graph is then mapped directly onto the processor array. The programming environment includes a complete compilation stream from the FP specification to hardware implementation, along with a global operator database. Apart from being a research tool for real-time image processing, the DFFC may also be used to perform the automatic synthesis of autonomous vision automata from a high-level functional specification. An experimental system, including 1024 lowlevel custom dataflow processors and 12 T800 transputers, was built and can perform up to 50 billion operations/s. Several image processing algorithms were implemented on this system and run in real-time at digital video speed.