How do internal self transitions function with respect to time counters?

Internal self transitions are used in state machines to denote situations where a system remains in the same state for processing while certain internal actions or computations take place. In regard to time counters, when an internal self transition occurs, the system does not exit its current state. Consequently, any time counter associated with this state continues to tick without resetting.

This is crucial in modeling scenarios where an action is required without changing the state, such as processing or waiting for an event while still being considered operationally in the same state. Since the transition does not change the state, the time counter remains active and continues to track the duration of the state as if the system had never left it.

In this context, the understanding is that time counters are not meant to restart during internal self transitions. They reflect the ongoing nature of the state, acknowledging that the system is engaged in some activity but does not logically move out of its state. Thus, the correct interpretation of internal self transitions regarding time counters is that they never exit their state, leading to the conclusion that the time counter never resets.