Function block temporal behavior modeling

Nowadays, distributed industrial-process control systems are composed of hardware and software components from different suppliers. For developing an efficient and dependable control system, it is necessary to construct a model, which can fully describe its control structure, function and behavior. The function block technique provides a framework for the specification of components. Such specification ensures a good abstraction with regard to the static aspects. Nevertheless, the behavior is not precise enough to validate temporal interoperability. The authors propose to add to function blocks a behavior model based on the structural architecture. Such model provides a runtime machine allowing simulation. They illustrate their approach by simulating function blocks networks using the Opnet tool, an integrated environment for modelling, simulation and analysis of systems.