Patent · US Active

Method and system for optimal counterexample-guided proof-based abstraction

US8527922B1 · kind B1 · utility

3Cited by
5References
23Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateApr 25, 2012
Grant dateSep 3, 2013
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 25, 2032

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F30/3323
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes receiving an input containing a candidate netlist, a target, and a number, K, of cycles of interest, where K represents a number of cycles required to be analyzed for the proof-based abstraction. In response to receiving the inputs, a computing device builds an inductively unrolled netlist, utilizing random, symbolic initial values, for K cycles and provides the unrolled netlist with a first initial value constraint to a satisfiability (SAT) solver, with the first initial value constraint empty. The method includes determining whether a result of the SAT solver is satisfiable, and in response to the result not being satisfiable, performing an abstraction on the netlist and outputting the abstraction. However, in response to the result being satisfiable, the method includes performing one of: (a) outputting a valid counterexample of the original netlist; and (b) lazily adding initial value constraints to avoid spurious counterexamples.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.