arXiv subjects

Albert Benveniste

Publications and source records attributed to Albert Benveniste.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Structural Methods for handling mode changes in multimode DAE systems

Hybrid systems are an important concept in Cyber-Physical Systems modeling, for which multiphysics modeling from first principles and the reuse of models from libraries are key. To achieve this, DAEs must be used to specify the dynamics in each discrete state (or mode in our context). This led to the development of DAE-based equational languages supporting multiple modes, of which Modelica is a popular standard. Mode switching can be time- or state-based. Impulsive behaviors can occur at mode changes. While mode changes are well understood in particular physics (e.g., contact mechanics), this is not the case in physics-agnostic paradigms such as Modelica. This situation causes difficulties for the compilation of programs, often requiring users to manually smooth out mode changes. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for the hot restart at mode changes in such paradigms. We propose a mathematical meaning for hot restarts (such a mathematical meaning does not exist in general), as well as a combined structural and impulse analysis for mode changes, generating the hot restart even in the presence of impulses. Our algorithm detects at compile time if the mode change is insufficiently specified, in which case it returns diagnostics information to the user.

eess.SY↗

arXiv2023

Some Algebraic Aspects of Assume-Guarantee Reasoning

We present the algebra of assume-guarantee (AG) contracts. We define contracts, provide new as well as known operations, and show how these operations are related. Contracts are functorial: any Boolean algebra has an associated contract algebra. We study monoid and semiring structures in contract algebra -- and the mappings between such structures. We discuss the actions of a Boolean algebra on its contract algebra.

cs.LO↗

arXiv2023

Pacti: Scaling Assume-Guarantee Reasoning for System Analysis and Design

Contract-based design is a method to facilitate modular system design. While there has been substantial progress on the theory of contracts, there has been less progress on scalable algorithms for the algebraic operations in this theory. In this paper, we present: 1) principles to implement a contract-based design tool at scale and 2) Pacti, a tool that can efficiently compute these operations. We then illustrate the use of Pacti in a variety of case studies.

cs.LO↗

arXiv2022

Mixed Nondeterministic-Probabilistic Automata: Blending graphical probabilistic models with nondeterminism

Graphical models in probability and statistics are a core concept in the area of probabilistic reasoning and probabilistic programming-graphical models include Bayesian networks and factor graphs. In this paper we develop a new model of mixed (nondeterministic/probabilistic) automata that subsumes both nondeterministic automata and graphical probabilistic models. Mixed Automata are equipped with parallel composition, simulation relation, and support message passing algorithms inherited from graphical probabilistic models. Segala's Probabilistic Automatacan be mapped to Mixed Automata.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2021

Hypercontracts

Contract theories have been proposed to formally support distributed and decentralized system design while ensuring safe system integration. In this paper we propose hypercontracts, a generic model with a richer structure for its underlying model of components, subsuming simulation preorders. While this new model remains generic, it provides a much more elegant and richer algebra for its key notions of refinement, parallel composition, and quotient, and it allows inclusion of new operations. On top of these foundations, we propose conic hypercontracts, which are still generic but come with a finite description.

cs.LO↗

arXiv2021

The Mathematical Foundations of Physical Systems Modeling Languages

Modern modeling languages for general physical systems, such as Modelica, Amesim, or Simscape, rely on Differential Algebraic Equations (DAE), i.e., constraints of the form f(dot{x},x,u)=0. This drastically facilitates modeling from first principles of the physics and the reuse of models. In this paper we develop the mathematical theory needed to establish the development of compilers and tools for DAE based physical modeling languages on solid mathematical bases. Unlike Ordinary Differential Equations, DAE exhibit subtle issues because of the notion of differentiation index and related latent equations -- ODE are DAE of index zero for which no latent equation needs to be considered. Prior to generating execution code and calling solvers, the compilation of such languages requires a nontrivial \emph{structural analysis} step that reduces the differentiation index to a level acceptable by DAE solvers. The models supported by tools of the Modelica class involve multiple modes with mode-dependent DAE based dynamics and state-dependent mode switching. Multimode DAE are much more difficult than DAE. The main difficulty is the handling of the events of mode change. Unfortunately, the large literature devoted to the mathematical analysis of DAEs does not cover the multimode case, typically saying nothing about mode changes. This lack of foundations causes numerous difficulties to the existing modeling tools. Some models are well handled, others are not, with no clear boundary between the two classes. In this paper, we develop a comprehensive mathematical approach supporting compilation and code generation for this class of languages. Its core is the structural analysis of multimode DAE systems. As a byproduct of this structural analysis, we propose well sound criteria for accepting or rejecting models. For our mathematical development, we rely on nonstandard analysis, which allows us to cast hybrid systems dynamics to discrete time dynamics with infinitesimal step size, thus providing a uniform framework for handling both continuous dynamics and mode change events.

cs.PL↗

arXiv2021

Structural Analysis of Multimode DAE Systems: summary of results

Modern modeling languages for general physical systems, such as Modelica, Amesim, or Simscape, rely on Differential Algebraic Equations (DAEs), i.e., constraints of the form f(\dot{x},x,u)=0. This drastically facilitates modeling from first principles of the physics, as well as model reuse. In recent works [RR-9334], we presented the mathematical theory needed to establish the development of compilers and tools for DAE-based physical modeling languages on solid mathematical grounds.At the core of this analysis sits the so-called *structural analysis*, whose purpose, at compile time, is to either identify under- and over-specified subsystems (if any), or to rewrite the model in a form amenable of existing DAE solvers, including the handling of mode change events. The notion of "structure" collects, for each mode and mode change event, the variables and equations involved, as well as the *latent equations* (additional equations redundant with the system), needed to prepare the code submitted to the solver. The notion of DAE *index* (the minimal number of times any equation has to be possibly differentiated) is part of this structural analysis. This report complements [RR-9334] by collecting all the needed background on structural analysis. The body of knowledge on structural analysis is large and scattered, which also motivated us to collect it in a single report.We first explain the primary meaning of structural analysis of systems of equations, namely the study of their regularity or singularity in some generic sense. We then briefly review the body of graph theory used in this context. We develop some extensions, for which we are not aware of any reference, namely the structural analysis of systems of equations with existential quantifiers. For the structural analysis of DAE systems, we focus on John Pryce's Sigma-method, that we both summarize and extend to non-square systems. The uses of these tools and methods in [RR9334] are highlighted in this report.

cs.PL↗

arXiv2020

Mixed Nondeterministic-Probabilistic Interfaces

Interface theories are powerful frameworks supporting incremental and compositional design of systems through refinements and constructs for conjunction, and parallel composition. In this report we present a first Interface Theor -- |Modal Mixed Interfaces -- for systems exhibiting both non-determinism and randomness in their behaviour. The associated component model -- Mixed Markov Decision Processes -- is also novel and subsumes both ordinary Markov Decision Processes and Probabilistic Automata.

cs.LO↗

arXiv2008

Monotony in Service Orchestrations

Web Service orchestrations are compositions of different Web Services to form a new service. The services called during the orchestration guarantee a given performance to the orchestrater, usually in the form of contracts. These contracts can be used by the orchestrater to deduce the contract it can offer to its own clients, by performing contract composition. An implicit assumption in contract based QoS management is: "the better the component services perform, the better the orchestration's performance will be". Thus, contract based QoS management for Web services orchestrations implicitly assumes monotony. In some orchestrations, however, monotony can be violated, i.e., the performance of the orchestration improves when the performance of a component service degrades. This is highly undesirable since it can render the process of contract composition inconsistent. In this paper we define monotony for orchestrations modelled by Colored Occurrence Nets (CO-nets) and we characterize the classes of monotonic orchestrations. We show that few orchestrations are indeed monotonic, mostly since latency can be traded for quality of data. We also propose a sound refinement of monotony, called conditional monotony, which forbids this kind of cheating and show that conditional monotony is widely satisfied by orchestrations. This finding leads to reconsidering the way SLAs should be formulated.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2007

A Generic Model of Contracts for Embedded Systems

We present the mathematical foundations of the contract-based model developed in the framework of the SPEEDS project. SPEEDS aims at developing methods and tools to support "speculative design", a design methodology in which distributed designers develop different aspects of the overall system, in a concurrent but controlled way. Our generic mathematical model of contract supports this style of development. This is achieved by focusing on behaviors, by supporting the notion of "rich component" where diverse (functional and non-functional) aspects of the system can be considered and combined, by representing rich components via their set of associated contracts, and by formalizing the whole process of component composition.

cs.SE↗