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System-on-chip design by proof-based refinement

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Abstract

Systems-on-chip (SoCs) and SoC architectures provide a collection of challenging problems related to specification, modelling techniques, security issues and structuring questions. We describe a design methodology integrating the event B method and characterized by the incremental and proof-controlled construction of SoC models. The essence of the methodology is the refinement of models, starting from system requirements and producing event B models for characterizing the system under development. The refinement is a unifying concept that ensures the consistency of the different models produced and our contribution is an illustration through a case study, namely a system for measuring the parameters of audio/video quality in the digital video broadcasting (DVB) set of digital TV standards. The first part is the derivation of an architecture of parameters from the document ETSI TR 101 290 and the validation of the architecture using invariants of B models. The second part is the proposal of B models of the SystemC scheduler and an instantiation of these abstract models of the simulation semantics by parameters of the SystemC codes automatically translated from the B models of the DVB system. Finally, the third part relies upon a proof-based methodology for deriving an operational semantics of a given system that is expressed by an event B model including invariant properties.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université de Metz, LORIA CNRS UMR 7503, Ile du Saulcy, 57045, Metz Cédex, France

    Dominique Cansell

  2. Université Henri Poincaré Nancy 1, LORIA CNRS UMR 7503, BP 239, 54506, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France

    Dominique Méry & Cyril Proch

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  1. Dominique Cansell
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  2. Dominique Méry
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  3. Cyril Proch
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Correspondence to Dominique Méry.

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Cansell, D., Méry, D. & Proch, C. System-on-chip design by proof-based refinement. Int J Softw Tools Technol Transfer 11, 217–238 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10009-009-0104-7

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