Hard Real-Time Microcontroller Code Generation from Timed Automaton Specifications

Abstract

A method is developed for automatically synthesizing hard real-time assembly code for simple microcontrollers directly from timed automaton software specifications. The method uses the microcontrollers' individual instruction execution times to approximate as closely as possible the timing requirements indicated in the specification. In order to accommodate this approximation, certain transitions in the specification automaton require tolerances on timing constraints to be provided as part of the specification. A second automaton is produced that is a model of the behaviour of the implementation. The method is applied to the synthesis of a software metronome device for the Microchip PIC 18F452 microcontroller.