A Hybrid Timing Analysis Method Based on the Isolation of Software Code Block

Abstract Estimating the timing behaviour of a system at the early design stage plays a crucial role in reducing the design cost of real-time embedded systems. Various hybrid timing analysis methodologies have been developed aiming to deliver good quality timing analysis results within limited amount of cost. In this paper, we introduce a hybrid approach based on the isolation of software code blocks. This approach provides the possibility for the user to adjust between the quality of the timing analysis results and the cost of the timing analysis according to the user requirements. To improve the results, this approach focuses on three aspects: (i) the consistency between the measured code and the original code under operation; (ii) the test-input data used for measurement; (iii) the state of the hardware prior to the measurement.