MFSMTools: Software for the Development, Verification, and Execution of Modular Finite State Machines

Abstract

This paper describes a set of software tools that have been developed to create, manipulate, verify, and execute logic control systems written using modular finite state machines (MFSMs). The MFSMs are specified using text files, and the software is written in Java for portability. Interaction with the environment is supported via digital IO, simulated IO, DeviceNet, Ethernet (sockets), and OPC tags. Logic controllers written using MFSMs have been implemented on several manufacturing testbeds at the University of Michigan.

A service-oriented approach to embedded component-based manufacturing automation

“…It is because large systems may result into finite state machines with potentially large number of states and associated conditions for state transitions, which can make the finite state machines difficult to comprehend. Therefore, this approach is not feasible in these situations because of the large size of the resulting control program and the associated complexity in developing, debugging and maintaining the program (Endsley et al, 2006). Therefore, a distributed finite state machine (DFSM) is used in this thesis and in the Loughborough research groups distributed control work more generally.…”