Comparing detailed and abstract timed models of automated discrete manufacturing systems

This paper proposes an equivalence relation that permits to compare the external behaviors of two models of the same component of an automated discrete system: a detailed model suitable to design the control of this component and a more abstract model where only the order and the durations of the operations performed by this component are considered. A first definition of the relation is given assuming that both models are deterministic; then a second definition that integrates tolerances on values and time is proposed when this assumption is no more true. These definitions are exemplified on a simple case study.