Specification and verification of the real-time synchronisation software for a modular independently driven high-speed machine

Describes research into the design of real-time synchronisation software for a high-speed packaging machine utilising independent drives. The machine is of a novel modular design which exploits the flexibility that is introduced by the use of software controlled independent drives. It is intended for use in flexible manufacturing applications in which large quantities of various products are produced by one high-speed machine. The research involved the specification of the control and synchronisation requirements of the machine using a concurrent language and the design and implementation of a transputer-based distributed control system capable of high-speed performance. This involved software design using the concurrent programming language Occam and software modelling and verification using Petri-nets