Extensions of Elementary Cause-Effect Structures

Abstract

Cause-effect structures are objects of a formal system devised for modeling, testing and verifying properties of tasks, where parallel execution of actions is the most characteristic feature. This is an algebraic system called a quasi-semiring. In this paper elementary cause-effect structures, a system behaviourally equivalent to 1-safe Petri nets, are extended by the following features: weighted edges, multi-valued nodes having capacities (counterpart of place/transition Petri nets), inhibitors and a model of time. The extensions are accomplished by modifying the notion of state and semantics, but leaving unchanged structure of the quasi-semiring expressions.