Incremental Development of a Distributed Real-Time Model of a Cardiac Pacing System using VDM

Abstract

The construction of formal models of real-time distributed systems is a considerable practical challenge. We propose and illustrate a pragmatic incremental approach in which detail is progressively added to abstract system-level specifications of functional and timing properties via intermediate models that express system architecture, concurrency and timing behaviour. The approach is illustrated by developing a new formal model of the cardiac pacemaker system proposed as a “grand challenge” problem in 2007. The models are expressed using the Vienna Development Method (VDM) and are validated primarily by scenario-based tests, including the analysis of timed traces. We argue that the insight gained using this staged modelling approach will be valuable in the subsequent development of implementations, and in detecting potential bottlenecks within suggested implementation architectures.