Semantic Extension for Automation Objects

Markets nowadays demand new products with more functionality at lowest prices and in shortest times. In order to face these requirements companies should include continuous changeover in their production systems. New software paradigms applied in factory automation promise to bring the openness, flexibility and scalability required in the reconfiguration of production lines. Modularization in devices, machines and cells facilitates physical changes; current modular control software such as function blocks from the standard IEC 61499 has not yet fulfilled the expectations of industrial control developers. This work describes the enhancement of the Automation Object reference model with semantics provided by the Web ontology language OWL. The AO reference model is still a draft document promoted by IEC TG65 which promises standardize the software and hardware models description of devices.