This article proposes a method for the automatic generation of a plant model and monitoring using process mining algorithms based on recorded event logs. The behavioral traces of the system are captured by recording event logs during plant operation in either manual control mode or with an automatic controller. Process discovery algorithms are then applied to extract the logic of the process behavior properties from the recorded event logs. The result is represented as a Petri net, which is used to construct the state machine of the plant model and monitor and is in accordance with the IEC 61499 Standard. The monitor is implemented as a function block and can be deployed in real time to trigger an error signal whenever there is a deviation from the actual process scenario. The plant model and controller are connected in a closed loop and are used for the formal verification of the system with the help of the “fb2smv” converter and symbolic model checking tool NuSMV.

This paper presents a novel approach for tracking products and processes within industrial multi-agent control systems by leveraging blockchain technology. The suggested solution facilitates the recording and validation of every step involved in creating a tailored product through the utilization of Ethereum-based smart contracts. The OWL ontology is used to describe agents and their capabilities and these software agents interact with IEC 61499 function blocks for process execution. The software agents record process events at each stage on the blockchain and the latter smart contract helps to trace and verify these process sequences of the customised product.

A learning management system (LMS) is a web-based technology developed to improve the learning process in educational institutions. This study addresses the drawbacks of existing LMS by developing DeLMS (Decentralized Learning Management System) and aims to revolutionize the way educational institutions manage and deliver educational content using Ethereum smart contracts and the IPFS (InterPlanetary File System). By leveraging Smart contracts and IPFS cutting-edge technologies, DeLMS provides a secure, transparent and decentralized platform for managing and delivering educational content. The content addressing feature of IPFS eliminates the need for constant requests to centralized servers for the location of files, resulting in faster file transfer and reduced energy consumption. The proposed system has the potential to change the way educational institutions operate, making it more accessible and beneficial for both students and educators.

This paper summarises recent developments in the application of modular formalisms to model-based verification of industrial automation systems. The paper is a tribute to the legacy of Professor Hans-Michael Hanisch who invented Net Condition/Event Systems (NCES) and passionately promoted the closed-loop modelling approach to modelling and analysis of automation systems. The paper surveys the related works and highlights the impact NCES has made on the current progress of modular automation systems verification.

This paper presents a swarm-based architecture for the composition of mechatronic systems from smart components complemented by a Virtual Commissioning (VC) environment. The architecture is based on the IEC 61499 standard. The proposed solution enables plug-and-play composition of the system which is ready to operate ”out of the box” right after it was composed without extra programming.

In this paper, we describe a method to automatically derive the controller for an automated process by an interactive learning approach using a simulation model developed in Visual Components 3D simulation software. The latter is used to record the events of the processes and the controller is generated as an IEC 61499 function block. To create different process scenarios, the actuator signals are triggered manually in appropriate order. The controller logic in Petri net is derived by process discovery algorithms with help of recorded events and conversion of Petri net to IEC 61499 function blocks is done by a software tool configured with a set of transformation rules.

With increase in use formal verification tools and methods in distributed systems, it is becoming more challenging to analyse the execution traces generated by formal verification tools. This paper presents a method for unification of execution traces of industrial automation systems, based on IEC 61499 standard. Execution trace of a system is a sequence of events, where each event represents a change in the state of the system. Execution traces allow developers to explore safely behavior of control software. Execution traces can be obtained several ways, including monitoring of a real system (or its simulator), or as a counterexample build by model checker. In the paper we explore unification of execution traces for debug task in FBME - modular IDE for IEC 61499 applications. We present the formal model of the execution trace representation and show the working on a simple example.