Embed state machine into DEVS to build complex control system

DEVS provides a modular and hierarchical system modeling and simulation framework but lacks the ability of behavior modeling. Statecharts extends finite state machine and does outstanding jobs in modeling complicated behavior of systems by means of visual and flexible state-transition diagrams. Hence, a system modeling method, embedding statecharts into DEVS to complement each other, is raised. It can be used to build complicated intelligent control system. DEVS as a system modeling framework, provides simulation logical support and statecharts expands the event interaction mechanism of DEVS which can be used to modeling system behavior logic. The paper details the syntax and semantics of statecharts and DEVS, and emphasis on the mechanism of embedding statecharts into DEVS. The advantages of building control system models by embedding statecharts into DEVS are illustrated by an application example.