Abstract:
The demand for flexibility and reconfigurability in the automation industry has inspired the distributed concept in control system design. The Function Blocks architecture of IEC61499 standard introduces a programming language for distributed systems design. However, this design approach faces two major challenges: the complexity in design distributed system and the lower industrial recognition of the standard. There is still lack of proper environments for design and validation based on Function Blocks. Various researches have been investigating solutions to ensure the correctness and robustness of complex distributed systems, such as validation and formal verification techniques for discrete manufacturing systems or hybrid continuous discrete process systems. However, the process of modelling everything from scratch for validation and verification purpose is time-consuming and costly. In this thesis, a new model-based engineering approach is introduced by bridging MATLAB Simulink with IEC61499 Function Block models. This is achieved by two methods: one is by a complete model transformation between the two block-diagram languages. The transformation supported by the developed tools sets the cornerstone of the verification and validation framework for IEC 61499 function blocks in closed-loop with the models of the plant. The framework paves the way to running distributed simulations of complex hybrid (i.e. continuous-discrete) closed-loop plant-controller systems and building complex models on account of object instantiation techniques of IEC 61499. The second method, called "co-modelling approach", uses communication protocols to establish direct closed-loop simulation between the two models. These approaches form a design and validation environment, which gives an interesting alternative for designing distributed systems based on Function Blocks. Bridging between popular modelling tools such as MATLAB Simulink does not just provide an easier set-up for validation and verification, but may also potentially improve the industrial acceptance to the IEC61499 Function Blocks.