In this paper, we present a distributed automation solution, mainly conceived for manufacturing applications, that is based on a new basic building block for a control device. Such a basic automation component incorporates many features drawn from ICT technologies, namely, service-oriented functionalities, Plug-and-Participate capabilities, Java Virtual Machine. The international standard IEC 61499 has been adopted as a device-independent specification for distributed control applications. In this way, we bring capabilities and intelligence down to the field control device level to enhance the distribution of control algorithms and autonomy inside a manufacturing plant as a key to gain real flexibility and reconfigurability of the plant itself. The results here shown are largely drawn from the European Project TORERO.
['Luca Ferrarini', 'Carlo Veber']
Control functions design and implementation of distributed automation systems for manufacturing applications