Towards a Methodology for Evaluating the Execution Semantics of IEC 61499 Runtime Environments

Abstract:
IEC 61499 is a standard for industrial automation systems and was created in order to set up models for distributed and event-based Industry 4.0 applications. It enables modeling of distributed applications through the use of a graphical modeling language. These applications are then executed in a given runtime environment. Because IEC 61499 semantics are not fully specified by the standard, a program written for one runtime environment may behave differently in another. This unspecified behavior is particularly relevant in the context of virtual integration testing, where the goal is to simulate the behavior of a given runtime and thus requiring a confirmation of behavioral equivalence. This study presents a methodology for systematically investigating differences between implementations. The proposed approach compares a SystemC simulator with the 4diac FORTE runtime, revealing notable differences in their execution order and highlighting the need for standardized semantic specifications in IEC 61499.