Towards a Graphical Modelling Tool for Response-Time Requirements based on Soft and Hard Real-time Capabilities in Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems

Emerging industrial digitization metaphors such as Cyber-physical Systems and Digital Twins increasingly advocate the use of distributed and autonomous modular solutions. This paper proposes a visual notation for modelling the timing properties of such modular industrial systems. The proposed work builds upon an existing notation that enables the analysis of the timing properties and requirements of potentially competing automation solutions. It provides a set of symbols that capture, among others: communication networks and devices, I/O interfaces and industrial controllers. The present work extends this preexisting notation by modelling the relation between physical devices and their controlling software in the context of industrial automation applications. The existing notation and its extensions are described and applied to a miniaturized automation system to illustrate its dual usage: as a tool to collect requirements and as a tool to analyse existing systems. The testing scenario highlights the opportunities provided by the extensions in comparison to the preexisting notation which, for the sake of completeness, is more briefly introduced and described.     «

Emerging industrial digitization metaphors such as Cyber-physical Systems and Digital Twins increasingly advocate the use of distributed and autonomous modular solutions. This paper proposes a visual notation for modelling the timing properties of such modular industrial systems. The proposed work builds upon an existing notation that enables the analysis of the timing properties and requirements of potentially competing automation solutions. It provides a set of symbols that capture, among oth...     »