An application of discrete-event theory to truck dispatching

This paper proposes a theoretical framework to automate the making of decisions for the discrete part of a large hybrid system. For this purpose, we examine the capabilities and limitations of two distinct theories: discrete-event systems (DES) and vector discrete-event systems (VDES). A discrete system modeling the task of dispatching a fleet of trucks serves as an example for enforcing production and maintenance specifications. The DES and VDES approaches are compared in the context of the truck dispatching problem