research-article

Bounded satisfiability checking of metric temporal logic specifications

Authors:

Matteo Pradella,

Angelo Morzenti,

Pierluigi San PietroAuthors Info & Claims

ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology (TOSEM), Volume 22, Issue 3

Article No.: 20, Pages 1 - 54

https://doi.org/10.1145/2491509.2491514

Published: 30 July 2013 Publication History

Abstract

We introduce bounded satisfiability checking, a verification technique that extends bounded model checking by allowing also the analysis of a descriptive model, consisting of temporal logic formulae, instead of the more customary operational model, consisting of a state transition system. We define techniques for encoding temporal logic formulae into Boolean logic that support the use of bi-infinite time domain and of metric time operators. In the framework of bounded satisfiability checking, we show how a descriptive model can be refined into an operational one, and how the correctness of such a refinement can be verified for the bounded case, setting the stage for a stepwise system development method based on a bounded model refinement. Finally, we show how the adoption of a modular approach can make the bounded refinement process more manageable and efficient. All introduced concepts are extensively applied to a set of case studies, and thoroughly experimented through Zot, our SAT solver-based verification toolset.

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cover image ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology

ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology Volume 22, Issue 3

In memoriam, fault detection and localization, formal methods, modeling and design

July 2013

414 pages

ISSN:1049-331X

EISSN:1557-7392

DOI:10.1145/2491509

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Copyright © 2013 ACM.

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Publication History

Published: 30 July 2013

Accepted: 01 March 2012

Revised: 01 February 2012

Received: 01 July 2010

Published in TOSEM Volume 22, Issue 3

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