Victor Dubinin

Bridging Service-Oriented Architecture and IEC 61499 for Flexibility and Interoperability

In recent years, requirements for interoperability, flexibility, and reconfigurability of complex automation industry applications have increased dramatically. The adoption of service-oriented architectures (SOAs) could be a feasible solution to meet these challenges. The IEC 61499 standard defines a set of management commands, which provides the capability of dynamic reconfiguration without affecting normal operation. In this paper, a formal model is proposed for the application of SOAs in the distributed automation domain in order to achieve flexible automation systems. Practical scenarios of applying SOA in industrial automation are discussed. In order to support the SOA IEC 61499 model, a service-based execution environment architecture is proposed. One main characteristic of flexibility-dynamic reconfiguration-is also demonstrated using a case study example.

On definition of a formal model for IEC 61499 function blocks

Formal model of IEC 61499 syntax and its unambiguous execution semantics are important for adoption of this international standard in industry. This paper proposes some elements of such a model. Elements of IEC 61499 architecture are defined in a formal way following set theory notation. Based on this description, formal semantics of IEC 61499 can be defined. An example is shown in this paper for execution of basic function blocks. The paper also provides a solution for flattening hierarchical function block networks.

Toward Industrially Usable Agent Technology for Smart Grid Automation

This work is aimed at facilitating the industrial adoption of agent technology. This paper proposes the hybrid agent architecture specific to the power system automation domain. The architecture builds on the logical-node concept of IEC 61850 and comprises a deliberative and a reactive layer, combining the advantages of both. By relying on the underlined industrial standards IEC 61850 and IEC 61499, the architecture ensures practical applicability and captures domain-specific concepts in the agent-based system design. The developed agent-based system was validated in the cosimulation framework. The architecture provides for rapid system development, reducing the software development life cycle. The benefits are in the traceability of the software requirements, reuse of software components, ease of redesign, and direct deployment of the system model.

Alternatives for Execution Semantics of IEC61499

This paper contributes to the ongoing development of comprehensive execution semantics of IEC61499 by discussion and comparison of the semantics that could be achieved by alteration of postulates introduced in the Sequential Hypothesis, and by variation of different priority assignments during implementation.

Engineering of Validatable Automation Systems Based on an Extension of UML Combined With Function Blocks of IEC 61499

This paper suggests a comprehensive engineering framework for software design for component-based distributed industrial automation based on the combination of UML with the function block concept of the newly emerging international standard IEC61499. Four UML diagram types have been used, namely: class, sequence, cooperation and state-chart diagrams. The UML design is transformed then to the executable function block specification following the IEC61499.

Semantics-Robust Design Patterns for IEC 61499

The international standard IEC 61499 for the design of distributed industrial control systems defines an abstract model of function blocks (FB) which allows many different semantic interpretations. As a consequence, in addition, so-called execution models were proposed to specify the execution order of FBs. The variety of models leads to the incompatibility of tools and hinders the portability of automation software. To achieve a degree of execution model independence, in this paper, design patterns are suggested that make FB systems-robust to changes of execution semantics. A semantic-robust pattern is defined for a particular source execution model. The patterns themselves are implemented by means of the FB apparatus and therefore are fairly universal. The patterns can be defined and implemented using the FB transformations expressed in terms of Attributed Graph Grammars.

Neutralizing Semantic Ambiguities of Function Block Architecture by Modeling with ASM

The Function Blocks Architecture of the IEC 61499 standard is an executable component model for distributed embedded control systems combining block-diagrams and state machines. The standard aims at the portability of control applications that is however hampered by ambiguities in its execution semantics descriptions. In recent years several execution models have been implemented in different software tools that generate mutually incompatible code.

Automatically Generated Layered Ontological Models for Semantic Analysis of Component-Based Control Systems

The IEC 61499 standard is designed for distributed control and proposes new visual form of programming using block diagrams with embedded state machines and unlimited hierarchical nesting and distribution across networking devices. Such visual programs require new methods of automatic syntactic and semantic analysis. This paper proposes a new approach to semantic analysis using multiple-layered ontological knowledge representation and rule-based inference engine. Its working is demonstrated on example.

Function block implementation of service oriented architecture: Case study

The Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), initially developed for general purpose computing, is becoming increasingly popular in industrial automation, especially due to the growing importance of distributed measurement and control systems, Internet of Things and wireless sensor network infrastructures. There are two serious gaps in the current implementations of SOA for automation: the lack of a proper standard form for representing the logical relation between services at the system level, and, in particular, lack for a proper visual representation format enabling intuitive understanding and reconfiguration of services during the system lifecycle. In this paper, it is shown how these gaps can be filled using the IEC 61499 function block architecture in the most intuitive and natural way. The ideas are illustrated on example of systems, composed form intelligent mechatronic devices. Such features, as software reuse, flexibility, reconfigurability and scalability are demonstrated. The paper shows complementarity of the SOA and IEC 61499.

Formal Modelling and Verification of IEC61499 Function Blocks with Abstract State Machines and SMV - Execution Semantics

IEC 61499 Standard for Function Blocks Architecture is an executable component model for distributed embedded control system design that combines block-diagrams and state machines. This paper proposes approach to formal modelling of IEC61499 function block execution semantics for popular model checking environment of SMV using Abstract State Machines. An operational semantics of IEC 61499 application with two-stage synchronous execution model is presented using this framework. This paper first introduces the importance of model checking function block applications in different execution semantics. It highlights the uses of formal verification, such as, verifying portability behavior of component based control applications across different implementation platforms compliant with the IEC 61499 standard. The formal model is applied on an example IEC 61499 application. The paper compares the verification results of this IEC 61499 application with two-stage synchronous execution model and the same application with cyclic execution model presented in the earlier work. With this comparison, we verify the portability of the IEC61499 applications across different platforms.