Introduction

Distributed embedded real–time systems for industrial automation and control of plants that evolve towards downtimeless adaptable systems will play a key role to realize this vision. Systems that can economically be changed by controlled evolution and which meet safety constraints and Quality of Service (QoS) stability will revolutionize manufacturing of goods, products and services. Production downtimes during system evolution need to be avoided. Controlled evolution of distributed embedded real–time IACS istherefore a prerequisite.

Component-based reconfiguration of control logic is technically hardly possible in current architectures of industrial automation and control systems. This hinders the users from getting the expected technical and economical advantages of reconfigurable systems. The component–based reference–architecture introduced by the IEC 61499 - “Function Blocks for Industrial Process Measurement and Control Systems” for distributed industrial control systems features first basic concepts to reach that goal. It defines platform independent reconfiguration services at device level.