Model Driven Design Using IEC 61499: Unlocking the Power of Automation

The world of automation has witnessed incredible advancements over the years, allowing businesses to optimize their operations and streamline processes. One of the key technologies driving this evolution is Model-Driven Design (MDD),a powerful approach that enables engineers to create complex systems using high-level models instead of low-level programming. Within the realm of industrial automation, IEC 61499 stands tall as a standard that empowers developers with the tools needed to build efficient, flexible, and scalable automation solutions.

Understanding IEC 61499

IEC 61499, short for "Function Blocks for Industrial Process Measurement and Control Systems," is an international standard that provides a framework for developing distributed control systems. It promotes a modular approach to automation engineering, emphasizing the use of reusable function blocks to design complex industrial systems.

At its core, IEC 61499 enables the creation of cyber-physical systems (CPS) by seamlessly integrating software and hardware components. By adhering to the standard, engineers can leverage the power of MDD to abstract away the low-level details of programming, allowing them to focus on the higher-level design and architecture of the system.

Model-Driven Design Using IEC 61499: A Synchronous Approach for Embedded and Automation Systems

by Jafar Savoj(2015th Edition, Kindle Edition)

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	10150 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Print length	:	213 pages
Screen Reader	:	Supported

FREE

The Benefits of Model Driven Design Using IEC 61499

1. Enhanced Productivity

Model-Driven Design significantly enhances productivity by enabling engineers to work at a higher abstraction level. Instead of laboriously writing lines of code, developers can create models that represent the desired behavior of the system. These models can then be automatically translated into executable code, saving time and effort. This approach also simplifies debugging and maintenance, as the high-level models offer a clear understanding of the system's behavior.

2. Improved Reusability

IEC 61499 emphasizes the use of function blocks, which are modular and reusable components that encapsulate specific functionality. This promotes code reuse, reduces development time, and enhances maintainability. Function blocks can be combined to create complex systems, allowing engineers to build upon existing libraries of tested and reliable components.

3. Flexible and Scalable Systems

By adopting MDD with IEC 61499, engineers can develop highly flexible and scalable systems. The modular nature of function blocks allows for easy system modification and expansion. New functionality can be added by integrating additional function blocks without needing to rewrite the entire system. This flexibility enables businesses to adapt rapidly to changing requirements and scale their automation solutions as needed.

4. Simplified Integration

IEC 61499 simplifies the integration of different hardware and software components within an automation system. Function blocks provide a standardized interface that promotes interoperability between different vendors and platforms. This ensures seamless communication between various components, reduces integration efforts, and facilitates system integration, even in complex and heterogeneous environments.

The Process of Model Driven Design Using IEC 61499

The process of Model-Driven Design using IEC 61499 typically involves the following steps:

1. Requirements Specification

The first step is to gather and document the requirements of the automation system. This includes identifying the desired behavior, operational constraints, and performance expectations.

2. Functional Modeling

Using specialized modeling tools, engineers create high-level models that represent the desired behavior of the automation system based on the requirements specification. These models capture the various functions, their interdependencies, and the required data flows.

3. Function Block Development

Next, engineers develop the function blocks that implement the desired functions of the automation system. These function blocks encapsulate the necessary logic and behavior and can be reused across different projects.

4. System Configuration

Engineers configure and integrate the function blocks to create the complete automation system. This involves connecting the function blocks, specifying data exchanges, and defining the system behavior.

5. Code Generation and Deployment

The high-level models are automatically translated into executable code, which can then be deployed on the targeted hardware platform. This greatly simplifies the development process and ensures consistency between the model and the implemented system.

6. Testing and Validation

The system undergoes rigorous testing and validation to ensure that it meets the specified requirements and behaves as expected. Any issues or discrepancies are identified and addressed to achieve a reliable automation system.

Model-Driven Design using IEC 61499 is revolutionizing the way automation systems are designed, offering immense benefits in terms of productivity, reusability, flexibility, and integration. By abstracting away low-level programming details, engineers can focus on the higher-level system design, resulting in faster development cycles and more robust solutions. As the world progresses towards highly complex cyber-physical systems, embracing Model-Driven Design approaches such as IEC 61499 becomes increasingly crucial to unlock the full potential of automation.

Model-Driven Design Using IEC 61499: A Synchronous Approach for Embedded and Automation Systems

by Jafar Savoj(2015th Edition, Kindle Edition)

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	10150 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Print length	:	213 pages
Screen Reader	:	Supported

FREE

This book describes a novel approach for the design of embedded systems and industrial automation systems, using a unified model-driven approach that is applicable in both domains.  The authors illustrate their methodology, using the IEC 61499 standard as the main vehicle for specification, verification, static timing analysis and automated code synthesis.  The well-known synchronous approach is used as the main vehicle for defining an unambiguous semantics that ensures determinism and deadlock freedom. The proposed approach also ensures very efficient implementations either on small-scale embedded devices or on industry-scale programmable automation controllers (PACs). It can be used for both centralized and distributed implementations. Significantly, the proposed approach can be used without the need for any run-time support. This approach, for the first time, blurs the gap between embedded systems and automation systems and can be applied in wide-ranging applications in automotive, robotics, and industrial control systems. Several realistic examples are used to demonstrate for readers how the methodology can enable them to reduce the time-to-market, while improving the design quality and productivity.