Formal Verification Coverage Prioritization Using Event Hierarchies

The patent segments the set of coverage events into priority groups based on their importance and verification status. High-priority events that have not been verified are processed first, while low-priority events are deferred or skipped when resources are constrained. This segmentation allows the verification process to focus computational resources on the most critical events, maintaining reliability for essential functions while improving overall productivity.

The patent performs preliminary analysis to determine the verification status and priority of each coverage event before executing formal verification. By pre-classifying events into priority levels and identifying which events have already been verified, the system可以避免 redundant verification work and prepares an optimized verification sequence in advance, thereby improving efficiency without compromising coverage of critical events.

The patent applies local quality by treating different coverage events with different verification depths and resource allocations based on their priority and importance. Critical events receive exhaustive verification with full state exploration, while less critical events receive simplified verification or are skipped when resources are limited. This differentiated approach maintains verification completeness for essential functions while controlling overall computational complexity.

The patent implements partial verification by selectively verifying only the most important coverage events when computational resources are constrained, rather than attempting to verify all events exhaustively. The system performs verification on a subset of high-priority events that provides sufficient confidence for critical functions, accepting that not all events will be verified in every execution context. This partial action approach prevents computational explosion while maintaining adequate verification completeness for essential system properties.

The patent implements dynamic priority adjustment where the verification priorities of coverage events are not fixed but adapt based on the current model version and verification context. When comparing previous and current models, the system dynamically identifies which events are new, which are unchanged, and which have modified priorities. This dynamic re-evaluation ensures that resource allocation remains efficient by focusing on unverified events while simultaneously maintaining reliability by detecting new coverage issues that arise in updated models.

The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where verification results from previous model versions inform the verification strategy for current versions. The system uses feedback about which events were verified, their verification status, and any coverage gaps identified to adjust verification priorities and allocate resources for the current model. This feedback loop ensures that efficient resource allocation based on historical data does not cause the system to miss new coverage issues, as the feedback continuously updates the verification strategy to account for model changes.