TPDL: Extended Temporal Profile Description Language

This paper presents TPDL* (extended temporal profile description language), a general-purpose language to observe and condition dynamic systems by means of temporal and logical expressions. It describes how time is modelled in TPDL*, gives an overview of the language through its basic types, primitives and conditional constructs, and its use in computer-aided design of digital systems. The paper discusses TPDL*’s facilities to support the description of hardware behaviour, to define the environment in which devices operate, and to observe and control both circuits and environments. The characteristics of the language are demonstrated through some representative examples.