Communication service and protocol specification using object oriented analysis

In order to obtain a highly reliable communications system, the development approach in terms of both services and protocols, must be suitably supported by appropriate specification tools that are able to provide complete, unambiguous and flexible description techniques. In most of communication applications the LOTOS language, among the standard formal description techniques, is widely used. An object oriented analysis is introduced to describe a specification method that can increase the specification accuracy while at the same time providing an efficient means for rapid prototyping. The article also shows the results of the proposed approach and describes a specific communication protocol, the controller area network (CAN), which is now being used in a broader class of applications within the factory automation process.