Discrete-Event Modeling and Simulation-based Development of Embedded Systems

Embedded real-time software construction has usually posed challenges due to the complexity of the tasks these systems have to execute. Most methods for developing embedded real-time systems require complex verification and validation efforts with no guarantee for bug-free software products. Although formal methods have showed shown promising results, they are difficult to apply when the complexity of the system under development scales up. Instead, systems engineers have often relied on the use of modeling and simulation (M&S) techniques to make system development tasks manageable. Construction of system models and their analysis through simulation reduces both end costs and risks, while enhancing system capabilities and improving the quality of the final products. M&S let users experiment with “virtual” systems, allowing them to explore changes, and test dynamic conditions in a risk-free environment. This is a useful approach, moreover, considering that testing under actual operating conditions may be impractical and, in some cases, impossible. In this tutorial, we will present a Modeling and Simulation-based framework to develop embedded systems based on the DEVS (Discrete EVent systems Specification) formalism. DEVS provides a formal foundation to M&S that combines the advantages of a simulation-based approach with the rigor of a formal methodology. We will discuss how to use this framework to incrementally develop embedded applications, and to integrate simulation models with hardware components seamlessly. The use of DEVS improves reliability (in terms of logical correctness and timing), enables model reuse, and permits reducing development and testing times for the overall process. Consequently, the development cycle could be shortened, its cost reduced, and quality and reliability of the final product improved. One of the main aspects of the methodology is that it can be integrated with models of the environment in which the embedded controller will act. Our approach does not impose any order in the deployment of the actual hardware components, providing flexibility to the overall process.

Speaker/s Biography: Gabriel Wainer, FSCS, is Full Professor in the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering at Carleton University (Ottawa, ON, Canada). He has held visiting positions at the University of Arizona; LSIS (CNRS), Université Paul Cézanne, University of Nice, INRIA Sophia-Antipolis, Université de Bordeaux (France); UCM, UPM, UPC (Spain), and others. He is one of the founders of SIMUTools, ANNSIM (SCS/IEEE/ACM), the Symposium on Theory of Modeling and Simulation (SCS/ACM/IEEE), and Symposium on Simulation in Architecture and Urban Design - SimAUD (SCS/ACM/IEEE). Prof. Wainer was Vice-President Conferences and Vice-President Publications and is a member of the Board of Directors of the SCS, Society for Modeling and Simulation International. He has published over 450 research articles and five books in the field of Modeling and Simulation, and edited 13 Conference Proceedings. Prof. Wainer is Editor in Chief of SIMULATION, member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Simulation (Taylor and Francis), IEEE Computing in Science and Engineering, Wireless Networks (Elsevier). He is the head of the Advanced Real-time Simulation lab, located at Carleton University’s Centre for advanced Simulation and Visualization (V- Sim). He helped organizing over 150 conferences, being the Program Chair of the first ACM SIGSIM PADS and the 50th Winter Simulation Conference. He has been the recipient of various awards, including the IBM Eclipse Innovation, SCS Leadership, and various Best Papers. He has received numerous awards, including most notably recent awards such as Nepean’s Canada 150th Anniversary Medal (2017), ACM Recognition of Service Award (2018), IEEE Outstanding Engineering Award (Ottawa Section - 2019) and the McLeod Outstanding Service Award (SCS, 2022). He is an ACM Distinguished Speaker and a Fellow of SCS.

Cristina Ruiz Martin is an Instructor at the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering at Carleton University (Ottawa, ON, Canada). She received the DEVS Modeling and Simulation Ph.D. Dissertation Award from SCS (2019) and the Young Simulation Scientist Award from SCS (2020). She is a member of the Board of Directors of SCS since July 2021