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Reasoning about goal-directed real-time teleo-reactive programs

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Formal Aspects of Computing

Abstract

The teleo-reactive programming model is a high-level approach to developing real-time systems that supports hierarchical composition and durative actions. The model is different from frameworks such as action systems, timed automata and TLA+, and allows programs to be more compact and descriptive of their intended behaviour. Teleo-reactive programs are particularly useful for implementing controllers for autonomous agents that must react robustly to their dynamically changing environments. In this paper, we develop a real-time logic that is based on Duration Calculus and use this logic to formalise the semantics of teleo-reactive programs. We develop rely/guarantee rules that facilitate reasoning about a program and its environment in a compositional manner. We present several theorems for simplifying proofs of teleo-reactive programs and present a partially mechanised method for proving progress properties of goal-directed agents.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S1 4DP, UK

    Brijesh Dongol

  2. School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

    Brijesh Dongol, Ian J. Hayes & Peter J. Robinson

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  1. Brijesh Dongol
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  2. Ian J. Hayes
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  3. Peter J. Robinson
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Correspondence to Brijesh Dongol.

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by Jin Song Dong

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Dongol, B., Hayes, I.J. & Robinson, P.J. Reasoning about goal-directed real-time teleo-reactive programs. Form Asp Comp 26, 563–589 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00165-012-0272-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00165-012-0272-1

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