Skip to main content
Log in

A timeband framework for modelling real-time systems

  • Published:
Real-Time Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Complex real-time systems must integrate physical processes with digital control, human operation and organisational structures. New scientific foundations are required for specifying, designing and implementing these systems. One key challenge is to cope with the wide range of time scales and dynamics inherent in such systems. To exploit the unique properties of time, with the aim of producing more dependable computer-based systems, it is desirable to explicitly identify distinct time bands in which the system is situated. Such a framework enables the temporal properties and associated dynamic behaviour of existing systems to be described and the requirements for new or modified systems to be specified. A system model based on a finite set of distinct time bands is motivated and developed in this paper.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen J (1984) Towards a general theory of actions and time. Artif Intell 23:123–154

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Baxter G, Burns A, Tan K (2007) Evaluating timebands as a tool for structuring the design of socio-technical systems. In: Bust P (ed) Contemporary ergonomics 2007. Taylor & Francis, London, pp 55–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergadaà M (2007) Temporal frameworks and individual cultural activities: four typical profiles. Time Soc 16(2/3):387–408

    Google Scholar 

  • Bettini C, Dyreson CE, Evans WS, Snodgrass RT, Wang XS (1997) A glossary of time granularity concepts. In: Temporal databases, Dagstuhl, pp 406–413

  • Blount S, Walker MJ, Leroy S (2007) Coping with temporal uncertainty: when rigid ambitious deadlines don’t make sense. In: Organization at the limit. Springer, Berlin, pp 122–134

    Google Scholar 

  • Broy M (2008) Relating time and causality in interactive distributed systems. IOS Press, Amsterdam, pp 75–130

    Google Scholar 

  • Burns A, Baxter GD (2006) Time bands in systems structure. In: Structure for dependability. Springer, Berlin, pp 74–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Burns A, Lister AM (1991) A framework for building dependable systems. Comput J 34(2):173–181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burns A, Hayes IJ, Baxter G, Fidge CJ (2005) Modelling temporal behaviour in complex socio-technical systems. Computer Science Technical Report YCS 390, University of York

  • Cavalcanti A, Sampaio A, Woodcock J (2003) A refinement strategy for circus. Form Asp Comput 15(2–3):146–181

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Chaochen Z, Hansen MR (1996) Chopping a point. In: BCS-FACS 7th refinement workshop. Electronic workshops in computing. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaochen Z, Hoare CAR, Ravn AP (1991) A calculus of duration. Inf Process Lett 40:269–276

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Ciapessoni E, Corsetti E, Montanari A, San Pietro P (1993a) Embedding time granularity in a logical specification language for synchronous real-time systems. Sci Comput Program 20:141–171

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Ciapessoni E, Corsetti E, Montanari A, San Pietro P (1993b) Embedding time granularity in a logical specification language for synchronous real-time systems. In: 6IWSSD: selected papers of the sixth international workshop on software specification and design. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 141–171

    Google Scholar 

  • Clifford J, Rao A (1987) A simple, general structure for temporal domains. In: Temporal aspects in information systems. AFCET, pp 23–30

  • Combi C, Franceschet M, Peron A (2004) Representing and reasoning about temporal granularities. J Log Comput 14(1):51–77

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Corsetti E, Montanari A, Ratto E (1991a) Dealing with different time granularities in formal specifications of real-time systems. J Real-Time Syst 3(2):191–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corsetti E, Montanari A, Ratto E (1991b) Time granularity in logical specifications. In: Proceedings of the 6th Italian conference on logic programming, Pisa, Italy

  • Fraisse P (1963) The psychology of time. Harper and Row, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Franceschet M, Montanari A (2004) Temporalized logics and automata for time granularity. Theory Pract Log Program 4(5–6):621–658

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Freitas A, Cavalcanti A (2006) Automatic translation from circus to java. In: Misra J, Nipkow T, Sekerinski E (eds) FM. Lecture notes in computer science, vol 4085. Springer, Berlin, pp 115–130

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman W (1990) About time: inventing the fourth dimension. MIT Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Furia CA, Mandrioli D, Morzenti A, Rossi M (2010) Modeling time in computing: a taxonomy and a comparative survey. ACM Comput Surv 42(6):1–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halpern JY, Manna Z, Moszkowski BC (1983) A hardware semantics based on temporal intervals. In: Díaz J (ed) ICALP. Lecture notes in computer science, vol 154. Springer, Berlin, pp 278–291

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes IJ (ed) (1987) Specification case studies. Prentice-Hall, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobbs J (1985) Granularity. In: Proceedings of the ninth international joint conference on artificial intelligence, Los Angeles, California, pp 432–435

  • Hollnagel E (1993) Human reliability analysis: context and control. Academic Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes GE, Cresswell MJ (1968) An introduction to modal logic. University Paperbacks, Routledge

  • Hutchesson SG, Hayes N (1998) Technology transfer and certification issues in safety critical real-time systems. In: Digest of the IEE colloquium on real-time systems, vol 98/306, April 1998

  • Jahanian F, Mok AK (1986) Safety analysis of timing properties in real-time systems. Trans Softw Eng SE-12(9)

  • Jones CB, Hayes IJ, Jackson MA (2007) Deriving specifications for systems that are connected to the physical world. In: Cliff JB, Liu Z, Woodcock J (eds) Formal methods and hybrid real-time systems. Lecture notes in computer science, vol 4700. Springer, Berlin, pp 364–390

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph M (ed) (1996) Real-time systems: specification, verification and analysis. Prentice-Hall, New York

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Lamport L (1978) Time, clocks, and the ordering of events in a distributed system. Commun ACM 21(7):558–565

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Levine R (1997) A geography of time. Guilford Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahony B, Hayes IJ (1992) A case_study in timed refinement: a mine pump. IEEE Trans Softw Eng SE-18(9):817–826

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montanari A, Ratto E, Corsetti E, Morzenti A (1991) Embedding time granularity in logical specifications of real-time systems. In: Proceedings of the third euromicro workshop on real-time systems, Paris, France

  • Moszkowski B (1983) Reasoning about digital circuits. PhD thesis, Department of Computer Science, Stanford University (Available as technical report STAN-CS-83-970)

  • Moszkowski B (1986) Executing temporal logic programs. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Newell A (1990) Unified theories of cognition. Harvard University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson NJ (1994) Teleo-reactive programs for agent control. J Artif Intell Res 1:139–158

    Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson NJ (2001) Teleo-reactive programs and the triple-tower architecture. Electron Trans Artif Intell 5:99–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliveira M, Cavalcanti A, Woodcock J (2009) A UTP semantics for ircus. Form Asp Comput 21(1–2):3–32

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Oliveira MVM, Cavalcanti A, Woodcock J (2007) Unifying theories in ProofPowerZ. Form Asp Comput. doi:10.1007/s00165-007-0044-5

    Google Scholar 

  • Roeckelein JE (2000) The concept of time in psychology: a resource book and annotated bibliography. Greenwood Press, Westport

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider W (1985) Training high-performance skills: fallacies and guidelines. Hum Factors 27(3):285–300

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherif A, He J (2002) Towards a time model for circus. In: George C, Miao H (eds) ICFEM. Lecture notes in computer science, vol 2495. Springer, Berlin, pp 613–624

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon HA (1996) The science of the artificial, 3rd edn. MIT Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Spivey JM (1992) The Z notation: a reference manual, 2nd edn. Prentice Hall International, Englewood Cliffs

    Google Scholar 

  • Welch PH (2000) Process oriented design for Java: concurrency for all. In: Arabnia HR (ed) PDPTA. CSREA Press, Las Vegas

    Google Scholar 

  • White R (2010) Capturing the temporal properties of complex systems: an evaluation of the timebands approach. PhD thesis, University of York, Computer Science, York, UK

  • Woodcock J, Cavalcanti A (2002) The semantics of circus. In: Bert D, Bowen JP, Henson MC, Robinson K (eds) ZB. Lecture notes in computer science, vol 2272. Springer, Berlin, pp 184–203

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alan Burns.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Burns, A., Hayes, I.J. A timeband framework for modelling real-time systems. Real-Time Syst 45, 106–142 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11241-010-9094-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11241-010-9094-5

Keywords

Navigation