Layering assume-guarantee contracts for hierarchical system design

Title	Layering assume-guarantee contracts for hierarchical system design
Authors	Ioannis Filippidis and Richard M. Murray
Source	Submitted, Proceedings of the IEEE, Jul 2017
Abstract	Specifications for complex engineering systems are typically decomposed into specifications for individual subsystems in a manner that ensures they are implementable and simpler to develop further. We describe a method to algorithmically construct component specifications that implement a given spec- ification when assembled. By eliminating variables that are irrelevant to realizability of each component, we simplify the specifications and reduce the amount of information necessary for operation. To identify which variables can be hidden while preserving realizability, we parametrize the information flow between components, and eliminate the selected variables from component specifications. The resulting specifications describe component viewpoints with full information with respect to the remaining variables, which is essential for tractable algorithmic synthesis of implementations. The specifications are written in TLA+, with liveness properties restricted to an implication of conjoined recurrence properties, known as GR(1). We define an operator for forming open-systems from closed-systems, based on a variant of the “while-plus” operator. The resulting open-system properties are realizable when expected to be, without need for separate side conditions. To convert the generated specifications from binary decision diagrams to readable formulas over integer variables, we symbolically solve a minimal covering problem. We show with examples how the method can be applied to obtain contracts that formalize the hierarchical structure of system design.
Type	Journal submission
URL	http://www.cds.caltech.edu/~murray/preprints/fm17-pieee s.pdf
DOI
Tag	fm17-pieee
ID	2017h
Funding	SRC TerraSwarm
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