Hierarchical and Concurrent ECCs for IEC 61499 Function Blocks

IEC 61499 enables component-oriented descriptions of complex industrial processes facilitating model-driven engineering. One aspect that is lacking, however, is the ability to directly express Statecharts-like hierarchy and concurrency within basic function blocks (BFBs). Such features can significantly enhance function blocks and help create more succinct and readable specifications. We propose a new syntactic extension to the standard called hierarchical and concurrent execution control chart (HCECC). A major roadblock for any suggested changes to the standard is the need for compliance. Our approach extends the synchronous execution semantics of IEC 61499, where HCECCs are purely syntactic sugar. Using a revised synchronous semantics, our compiler generates standard compliant C code from HCECCs. Benchmarking and usability studies reveal the relative superiority of the proposed approach over existing approaches.