Structuring Distributed Control Applications for Adaptability

In modern industrial applications, the complexity of control software is increasing while its execution may be distributed to numerous small devices. The standard IEC 61499 fosters designing distributed control applications by defining a platform-independent application model that can be mapped to numerous hardware components. Applications though need to be designed for distribution, as comparing three implementation designs of a running example indicated. We propose the usage of a distributed architectural pattern for applications with parallel paths. Metrics confirm a reduced complexity compared to purely hierarchical designs.