Formal Framework for Ensuring Consistent System and Component Theories in the Design of Small Satellite Systems.
Jules Chenou, William Edmonson, Albert Esterline, Natasha A. Neogi · 2014
Abstract. We present a design framework for small-satellite systems that ensures that (1) each satellite has a consistent theory to infer new information from information it perceives and (2) the theory for the en-tire system is consistent so that a satellite can infer new information from information communicated to it. This research contributes to our Reliable and Formal Design (RFD) process, which strives for designs that are ”correct by construction ” by introducing formal methods early. Our framework uses Barwise’s channel theory, founded on category the-ory, and allied work in situation semantics and situation theory. Each satellite has a ”classification”, which consists of tokens (e.g., observed situations) and types (e.g., situation features) and a binary relation clas-sifying tokens with types. The core of a system of classifications is a category-theoretic construct that amalgamates the several classifications. We show how to derive the theory associated with a classification and the theory of the system core, and we show how to check whether a given requirement is derivable from or consistent with a theory. 1