Most specification languages express only qualitative constraints. However, among two implementations that satisfy a given specification, one may be preferred to another. For example, if a specification asks that every request is followed by a response, one may prefer an implementation that generates responses quickly but does not generate unnecessary responses. We use quantitative properties to measure the "goodness" of an implementation. Using games with corresponding quantitative objectives, we can synthesize "optimal" implementations, which are preferred among the set of possible implementations that satisfy a given specification. In particular, we show how automata with lexicographic mean-payoff conditions can be used to express many interesting quantitative properties for reactive systems. In this framework, the synthesis of optimal implementations requires the solution of lexicographic mean-payoff games (for safety requirements), and the solution of games with both lexicographic mean-payoff and parity objectives (for liveness requirements). We present algorithms for solving both kinds of novel graph games.
We present an algorithm to generate small Büchi automata for LTL formulae. We describe a heuristic approach consisting of three phases: rewriting of the formula, an optimized translation procedure, and simplification of the resulting automaton. We present a translation procedure that is optimal within a certain class of translation procedures. The simplification algorithm can be used for Büchi automata in general. It reduces the number of states and transitions, as well as the number and size of the accepting sets-possibly reducing the strength of the resulting automaton. This leads to more efficient model checking of linear-time logic formulae. We compare our method to previous work, and show that it is significantly more efficient for both random formulae, and formulae in common use and from the literature.
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