Formally specifying temporal constraints and error recovery

Recent research has advocated the use of deontic logics in requirements specification. A form of deontic action logic is described, and it is shown how it can be used to specify both temporal constraints and error recovery. The logic includes a deontic predicate of bounded obligation, and normative predicates. Bounded obligation allows bounds to be placed on the performance of actions, and can be used to specify temporal constraints. The formalism also allows the removal and extension of obligations before they must be met. The normative predicates indicate when a system has performed an action normally or abnormally, and allow the specification of corrective actions that recover from error situations