Alan K. Mackworth's Publications

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Constraint Nets: A Semantic Model for Dynamic Systems

Y. Zhang and Alan K. Mackworth. Constraint Nets: A Semantic Model for Dynamic Systems. Theoretical Computer Science, 138:211–239, 1995.

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Abstract

Hybrid dynamic systems are systems consisting of a nontrivial mixture of discrete and continuous components, such as a controller realized by a combination of digital and analog circuits, a robot composed of a digital controller and a physical plant, or a robotic system consisting of a computer-controlled robot coupled to a continuous environment. Hybrid dynamic systems are more general then traditional real-time systems. The former can be composed of continuous subsystems in addition to discrete and event-controlled components. In this paper, we develop a semantic model, constraint nets (CN), for hybrid systems. CN captures the most general structure of dynamic systems so that systems with discrete and continuous time, discrete and continuous variables, and asynchronous as well as synchronous event structures, can be modeled in a unitary framework. Using aggregation operators, a system can be modeled hierarchically in CN; therefore, the dynamics of the environment as well as the dynamics of the plant and the dynamics of the controller can be modeled individually and then integrated. Based on abstract algebra and topology, CN supports multiple levels of abstraction, so that a system can be analyzed at different levels of detail. CN also provides a rigorous formal programming semantics for the design of hybrid real-time embedded systems.

BibTeX

@Article{TCS95,
  author =	 {Y. Zhang and Alan K. Mackworth},
  title =	 {Constraint Nets: A Semantic Model for Dynamic Systems},
  year =	 {1995},
  journal =	 {Theoretical Computer Science},
  volume =       {138},
  pages =         {211--239},
  abstract =	 {Hybrid dynamic systems are systems consisting of a nontrivial mixture of discrete and continuous components, such as a controller realized by a combination of digital and analog circuits, a robot composed of a digital controller and a physical plant, or a robotic system consisting of a computer-controlled robot coupled to a continuous environment. Hybrid dynamic systems are more general then traditional real-time systems. The former can be composed of continuous subsystems in addition to discrete and event-controlled components.
In this paper, we develop a semantic model, constraint nets (CN), for hybrid systems. CN captures the most general structure of dynamic systems so that systems with discrete and continuous time, discrete and continuous variables, and asynchronous as well as synchronous event structures, can be modeled in a unitary framework. Using aggregation operators, a system can be modeled hierarchically in CN; therefore, the dynamics of the environment as well as the dynamics of the plant and the dynamics of the controller can be modeled individually and then integrated. Based on abstract algebra and topology, CN supports multiple levels of abstraction, so that a system can be analyzed at different levels of detail. CN also provides a rigorous formal programming semantics for the design of hybrid real-time embedded systems.},
  bib2html_pubtype ={Refereed Journal},
  bib2html_rescat ={},
}

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