Subscribe
Issue No.04 - April (2011 vol.60)
pp: 538-551
Mohamed Khalgui , Martin Luther University, Germany
Olfa Mosbahi , University of Tunis El-Manar, Tunisia
ZhiWu Li , Martin Luther University, Germany
Hans-Michael Hanisch , Martin Luther University, Germany
ABSTRACT
The paper deals with reconfigurable embedded control systems following different component-based technologies and/or Architecture Description Languages used today in industry. We define a Control Component as a software unit to support control tasks of the system, which is assumed to be a network of components with precedence constraints. We define an agent-based architecture to handle automatic reconfigurations under well-defined conditions by creating, deleting, or updating components to bring the whole system into safe and optimal behaviors. To cover all possible reconfiguration forms, we model the agent by nested state machines according to the formalism Net Condition/Event Systems (NCESs), which is an extension of Petri nets. In addition, we apply a model checking to verify functional and extra-functional properties according to the temporal logic "Computation Tree Logic” (CTL). The goal is to check the agent reactivity after any evolution of the environment. Several complex networks can implement the system, where each one is executed at a given time when a corresponding reconfiguration scenario is automatically applied by the agent. To check the correctness of each one of them, we apply in several steps a refinement-based approach that automatically specifies feasible Control Components according to NCES. The model checker SESA is automatically applied in each step to verify deadlock properties of new generated components, and it is manually used to verify CTL-based properties according to user requirements. We implement the reconfiguration agent by three modules that allow interpretations of environment evolutions, decisions of useful reconfiguration scenarios, and finally, their applications. Two Industrial Benchmark Production Systems FESTO and EnAS available in our research laboratory are applied to explain the contributions of the paper.
INDEX TERMS
Embedded control systems, reconfiguration, agent-based architecture, model checking, Petri nets, CTL, implementation.
CITATION
Mohamed Khalgui, Olfa Mosbahi, ZhiWu Li, Hans-Michael Hanisch, "Reconfigurable Multiagent Embedded Control Systems: From Modeling to Implementation", IEEE Transactions on Computers, vol.60, no. 4, pp. 538-551, April 2011, doi:10.1109/TC.2010.96
REFERENCES
 [1] D.-U. Lee and J.-D. Villasenor, "Optimized Custom Precision Function Evaluation for Embedded Processors," IEEE Trans. Computers, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 46-59, Jan. 2009. [2] S. Acharya and R.-N. Mahapatra, "A Dynamic Slack Management Technique for Real-Time Distributed Embedded Systems," IEEE Trans. Computers, vol. 57, no. 2, pp. 215-230, Feb. 2008. [3] I. Crnkovic and M. Larsson, Building Reliable Component-Based Software Systems. Artech House, 2002. [4] P. Dissaux, M.F. Amine, and P. Michel, "Architecture Description Languages," Proc. Workshop Architecture Description Languages (WADL), World Computer Congress, 2004. [5] IEC61499-1, Function Blocks for Industrial Process Measurements and Control Systems, Int'l Standard IEC-TC65-WG6, 2003. [6] V. Vyatkin, Iec61499 Function Blocks for Embedded and Distributed Control Systems Design. ISA, 2007. [7] M. Khalgui and K. Thramboulidis, "An Iec61499-Based Development Approach with Focus on the Deployment of Industrial Control Applications," Int'l J. Modelling, Identification and Control, vol. 4, pp. 186-204, 2008. [8] M. Khalgui, X. Rebeuf, and F. Simonot-Lion, "A Deployment Method of Component Based Applications on Distributed Industrial Control Systems," European J. Automated Systems, vol. 41, no. 6, 2007. [9] M. Khalgui and X. Rebeuf, "An Approach to Implement a Programmable Logic Controller from Real-Time Software Components," Int'l J. Industrial and Systems Eng., vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 60-75, 2008. [10] Rockwell, http:/www.holobloc.com, Rockwell Automation, 2006. [11] M. Khalgui, E. Carpanzano, and H.-M. Hanisch, "An Optimised Simulation of Component-Based Embedded Systems in Manufacturing Industry," Int'l J. Simulation and Process Modelling, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 148-162, 2008. [12] D.B. Stewart, R.A. Volpe, and P.K. Khosla, "Design of Dynamically Reconfigurable Real-Time Software Using Port-Based Objects," IEEE Trans. Software Eng., vol. 23, no. 12, pp. 759-776, Dec. 1997. [13] Arcticus, Rubus OS Reference Manual, http:/www.arcticus- systems.com/, Arcticus Systems, 2009. [14] R. van Ommering, "Building Product Populations with Software Components," Proc. 24th Int'l Conf. Software Eng., pp. 255-265, 2002. [15] P. Global, http:/www.philips.com/, Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V., 2007. [16] Pecos-Project, www.pecos-project.org, 2009. [17] L. Zhuo and V.-K. Prasanna, "High-Performance Designs for Linear Algebra Operations on Reconfigurable Hardware," IEEE Trans. Computers, vol. 57, no. 8, pp. 1057-1071, Aug. 2008. [18] O. Lysne, J.-M. Montanana, J. Flich, J. Duato, T.-M. Pinkston, and T. Skeie, "An Efficient and Deadlock-Free Network Reconfigurable Protocol," IEEE Trans. Computers, vol. 57, no. 6, pp. 762-779, June 2008. [19] W. Jigang, T. Srikanthan, and X. Wang, "Integrated Row and Column Rerouting for Reconfiguration of VLSI Arrays with Four-Port Switches," IEEE Trans. Computers, vol. 56, no. 10, pp. 1387-1400, Oct. 2007. [20] A. Ahmadinia, C. Bobda, S.-P. Fekete, J. Teich, and J.-C.V.D. Veen, "Optimal Free-Space Management and Routing-Conscious Dynamic Placement for Reconfigurable Devices," IEEE Trans. Computers, vol. 56, no. 5, pp. 673-680, May 2007. [21] C. Angelov, K. Sierszecki, and N. Marian, "Design Models for Reusable and Reconfigurable State Machines," Proc. Int'l Conf. Embedded and Ubiquitous Computing (EUC '05), L.T. Yang et al., eds., pp. 152-163, 2005. [22] M.N. Rooker, C. Sunder, T. Strasser, A. Zoitl, O. Hummer, and G. Ebenhofer, "Zero Downtime Reconfiguration of Distributed Automation Systems: The $\varepsilon$ cedac Approach," Proc. Third Int'l Conf. Industrial Applications of Holonic and Multi-Agent Systems, 2007. [23] Y. Al-Safi and V. Vyatkin, "An Ontology-Based Reconfiguration Agent for Intelligent Mechatronic Systems," Proc. Third Int'l Conf. Industrial Applications of Holonic and Multi-Agent Systems, 2007. [24] M. Rausch and H.-M. Hanisch, "Net Condition/Event Systems with Multiple Condition Outputs," Proc. Symp. Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation, vol. 1, pp. 592-600, 1995. [25] H.-S. Hu and Z.-W. Li, "Clarification on the Computation of Liveness-Enforcing Supervisor for Resource Allocation Systems with Uncontrollable Behavior," IEEE Trans. Automation Science and Eng., vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 557-559, July 2009. [26] P.-A. Hsiung, Y.-R. Chen, and Y.-H. Lin, "Model Checking Safety-Critical Systems Using Safecharts," IEEE Trans. Computers, vol. 56, no. 5, pp. 692-705, May 2007. [27] S. Roch, "Extended Computation Tree Logic: Implementation and Application," Proc. AWPN 2000 Workshop, 2000. [28] H.-M. Hanisch and A. Luder, "Modular Modelling of Closed-Loop Systems," Proc. Colloquium Petri Net Technologies for Modelling Comm. Based Systems, pp. 103-126, 1999. [29] S. Roch, "Extended Computation Tree Logic," Proc. CESP 2000 Workshop, Number 140 in Informatik Berichte, pp. 225-234, 2000. [30] R. Lewis, Modelling Control Systems Using Iec61499. Inst. of Electrical Engineers, 2002.