Timing diagrams requirements modeling using Event-B formal methods

Timing diagrams provide an intuitive graphical specification for time constraints and causal dependencies between a system’s objects. Such a view can provide useful insight during Requirements Engineering (RE). Formal Modeling techniques allow abstract system level models to be explored in revealing detail and provide feedback via verification and validation methods such as proofs of consistency, model checking and animation. Here, we bring these two modelling approaches together. In particular we present techniques to extend a graphical modeling capability for formal modeling into the real-time domain by developing a Timing diagram view for the Event-B formal method and its graphical front-end, UML-B. Translation schemes to Event-B and UML-B are proposed and presented. A case study of a lift system is used to demonstrate the translation in practice