IEC 61499 as a reference model for reconfigurable distributed control at real-time level

The new standard IEC 61499 serves as a reference architecture that has been developed for distributed, modular, and flexible control systems. It specifies an architectural model for distributed applications in industrial–process measurement and control systems (IPMCS) in a very generic way and extends the function block model of its antecessor with additional event handling mechanisms and concepts for distributed systems.

Function blocks (FB) are an established concept for industrial applications to define robust and reusable software components. The used network type is not in the scope of the specification, but a compliance profile for feasibility demonstrations, which is provided by the Holonic Manufacturing Systems Consortium, specifies its usage for Ethernet. The following main features characterize this new standard:

•  Component oriented basic building blocks called FBs
• Graphical intuitive way of modeling control algorithms through the connection of FBs
• Direct support for distribution
• Definitions for the interaction between devices of different vendors
  
• Basic support for reconfiguration 
• Based on existing standards of the domain