Automated synthesis and composition of taskblocks for control of manufacturing systems

Automated control synthesis methods for discrete-event systems promise to reduce the time required to develop, debug, and modify control software. Such methods must be able to translate high-level control goals into detailed sequences of actuation and sensing signals. In this paper, we present such a technique. It relies on analysis of a system model, defined as a set of interacting components, each represented as a form of condition system Petri net. Control logic modules, called taskblocks, are synthesized from these individual models. These then interact hierarchically and sequentially to drive the system through specified control goals. The resulting controller is automatically converted to executable control code. The paper concludes with a discussion of a set of software tools developed to demonstrate the techniques on a small manufacturing system.