An Object-Oriented Framework for Designing Hard Real-Time Systems

The increasing use of computer based control systems in complex applications requires models and methods for specification and verification of both the temporal and functional behaviour. One promising approach is to use the object-oriented paradigm. This paradigm makes it easier to handle the structural complexity of functions and data [IT4]. However, so far little work has been done in the temporal domain of object-oriented computing, i.e. how to guarantee that the temporal requirements on an application are fulfilled. This article presents an object-oriented framework and a language RealTimeTalk (RTT) for specifying applications with hard real-time constraints. The framework includes basic design objects with which both the functional structure and the temporal behaviour of the application is designed. Furthermore, the framework includes an execution strategy. The article gives an example how an application can be developed by the RTT framework. 1: Introduction This article descri..