Modeling primitives and specification structures for supervisory control

Three different modeling languages for discrete event systems are compared, automata, Petri nets and process algebra, and it is shown how a couple of basic primitives can be modeled in these languages. Based on these modeling primitives an architecture for a general routing and resource booking problem is presented. The architecture is based on general models for a set of resources, desired routing specifications for a set of objects (products, data packets, vehicles) and a controller that synchronizes the objects utilization of the available resources. High level graphical routing specifications for the objects are also introduced, together with corresponding Petri nets, in order to simplify the specification of desired routes. As applications of the suggested architecture we consider cell controllers for flexible manufacturing systems and multi-purpose batch plants in chemical processing industry