Topology models in AutomationML – Object-oriented basis for the automation of automation

Abstract

For over a decade, Automation of Automation (AoA) has captured the attention of researchers. This has resulted in methods for the automatic creation of engineering artefacts with proven applicability in various use cases. Such methods require a high-level model of the plant’s topology. AutomationML has been shown to be useful for this purpose. However, the degrees of freedom provided by AutomationML often result in plant models which are hard to interpret by software. This contribution presents a modelling method for the generation of plant models based on AutomationML and their efficient deployment on software, thus providing an easy entrance point to AoA for software developers. The modelling method has been specifically designed for a 1:1 mapping between process models on AutomationML and a Microsoft .NET software environment.