Predicting the response time of real-time rule-based programs with variable-expression assignments

Real-time expert systems are embedded decision systems which must respond to changes in the environments within stringent timing constraints. Given a program p, the response time analysis problem is to determine the maximal response time of p. In this paper, we tackle this problem with a response time upper bound algorithm for a class of EQL rule-based programs whose variables range over finite domains, This algorithm computes a response tame upper bound of the given program by determining the maximal number of rule firings which result from the firings of individual rules enabled at the invocation.<>