1 research outputs found
Designing Neural Networks for Real-Time Systems
Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are increasingly being used within
safety-critical Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs). They are often co-located with
traditional embedded software, and may perform advisory or control-based roles.
It is important to validate both the timing and functional correctness of these
systems. However, most approaches in the literature consider guaranteeing only
the functionality of ANN based controllers. This issue stems largely from the
implementation strategies used within common neural network frameworks -- their
underlying source code is often simply unsuitable for formal techniques such as
static timing analysis. As a result, developers of safety-critical CPS must
rely on informal techniques such as measurement based approaches to prove
correctness, techniques that provide weak guarantees at best. In this work we
address this challenge. We propose a design pipeline whereby neural networks
trained using the popular deep learning framework Keras are compiled to
functionally equivalent C code. This C code is restricted to simple constructs
that may be analysed by existing static timing analysis tools. As a result, if
compiled to a suitable time-predictable platform all execution bounds may be
statically derived. To demonstrate the benefits of our approach we execute an
ANN trained to drive an autonomous vehicle around a race track. We compile the
ANN to the Patmos time-predictable controller, and show that we can derive
worst case execution timings.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. IEEE Embedded Systems Letters, 202