Automatic Code Generation from Design/CPN
Partners:
CPN Group at DAIMI
Dalcotech A/S
Delta Software Engineering
Danish National Centre for IT-Research
Duration of project: April 97 - April 99
The purpose of this CIT-project was to develop techniques and tools for automatic generation of code from Coloured Petri Net models. In this way it was made be possible to obtain an automatic implementation of systems that are designed/specified by means of CP-nets and the Design/CPN tools. This substitutes a time-consuming and error-prone manual implementation. It also implies that the final system is behaviourally equivalent to the system design and specification that was validated and verified by means of simulation and state space analysis.
In an earlier project we made an experiment with automatic code generation for a complex alarm system. Standard ML code was extracted from a CPN model and burned into two PROMs that were mounted in a prototype of the final hardware. The experiment showed that automatic code generation from CPN models can be used in practice, but the experiment also showed a need to produce more efficient code and to develop additional tool support, e.g., for debugging and test. This is done in the AC/DC project developing a new system for control of buildings (access control, alarm system, energy control, energy measurement, etc.). The system is designed and specified by one or more CPN models, and it will be implemented by means of automatic code generation from these models.
Dalcotech A/S is a small company located in Nørresundby (in the northern part of Jutland, close to Aalborg). The company develops high-quality alarm systems and systems for energy measurements. Both kinds of systems communicate via a special part of the Danish public telephone system, known as the alarm net. In 1994-96 Dalcotech made a new version of their alarm system. The design and specification of the new system was done by means Coloured Petri Nets, while the implementation was done in C++. The system is now being certified for the German market, and the first test installations are made.
DELTA is a research and technology institute that has been in business for more than 50 years and performs accredited testing and consultancy for customers throughout Europe. DELTA has a staff of 200 and is a totally independent self-governing foundation. The Software Engineering division works with assessment of software products and software life-cycle processes and conducts research in these fields. Specific competence areas are software quality systems, software best practice and software product certification.
