IEC 61499 vs. 61131: A Comparison Based on Misperceptions

TL;DR

This paper critically compares IEC 61499 and IEC 61131 standards, highlighting misconceptions about IEC 61499's capabilities and arguing it lacks a solid framework for future industrial automation systems.

Contribution

It challenges the promoted advantages of IEC 61499 over IEC 61131, providing a critical analysis of misconceptions and industry acceptance.

Findings

IEC 61499 is promoted based on unsubstantiated claims.

IEC 61499 does not effectively address complex industrial system requirements.

Industry has not widely accepted IEC 61499 despite academic promotion.

Abstract

IEC 61131 has been widely accepted in the industrial automation domain. However, it is claimed that the standard does not address today the new requirements of complex industrial systems, which include among others, portability, interoperability, increased reusability and distribution. To address these restrictions, IEC has initiated the task of developing IEC 61499, which is presented as a mature technology to enable intelligent automation in various domains. This standard was not accepted by industry even though it is highly promoted by the academic community. In this paper, a comparison between the two standards is presented. We argue that IEC 61499 has been promoted by academy based on unsubstantiated claims on its main features, i.e., reusability, portability, interoperability, event-driven execution. A number of misperceptions are presented and discussed. Based on this, it is claimed that IEC 61499 does not provide a solid framework for the next generation of industrial automation systems.