A Process Algebra for Supervisory Coordination

TL;DR

This paper introduces a process algebra framework for supervisory coordination, modeling control loops with formal semantics to improve the synthesis and implementation of supervisory controllers in complex systems.

Contribution

It develops a formal process algebra approach for modeling supervisory control loops with event and state observations, enhancing the theoretical foundation for supervisory coordination.

Findings

Formal process algebra models control loops effectively.

Bisimulation semantics clarify supervisor-machine interactions.

Application examples demonstrate practical relevance.

Abstract

A supervisory controller controls and coordinates the behavior of different components of a complex machine by observing their discrete behaviour. Supervisory control theory studies automated synthesis of controller models, known as supervisors, based on formal models of the machine components and a formalization of the requirements. Subsequently, code generation can be used to implement this supervisor in software, on a PLC, or embedded microprocessor. In this article, we take a closer look at the control loop that couples the supervisory controller and the machine. We model both event-based and state-based observations using process algebra and bisimulation-based semantics. The main application area of supervisory control that we consider is coordination, referred to as supervisory coordination, and we give an academic and an industrial example, discussing the process-theoretic concepts employed.