A systems theory perspective of discrete event dynamic systems : The Petri net paradigm

The intention of this invited paper is to offer a view of Petri net (PN) based formalisms as a conceptual framework for the modeling of discrete event dynamic systems (DEDS), rather than to survey the topic. The introduction of autonomous and interpreted PNs is presented in a way that is close to systems/control engineers. The diversity of interpreted PN formalisms, suited to deal with diverse purposes but sharing basic common principles, turns PNs Into a conceptual framework or paradigm for the modeling of DEDS. The paper is concluded by reflecting on a few characteristics of formalisms in general and PN ones in particular.