MULTIFORM

The focus of the project MULTIFORM is on the integration and the interoperation of tools and methods based on different modelling formalisms in order to make a significant step towards integrated coherent tool support for the design of large complex controlled systems from the first concept to the implementation and further on over their entire life cycle.

By addressing the issue of multi-level multi-formalism control systems modelling and design, this project represents a definite advance over the traditional approach pursued by the control community that focuses solely on the design of control algorithms and, to some extent, their interaction with communication protocols.

The multi-formalism approach pursued here reflects the heterogeneous nature of the functionality and of the implementation of controlled systems.

The key contribution of the project towards the goal of integrated model-based control systems design is the connection of tools that support the design of different layers of the control hierarchy and on different levels of abstraction.

Integration of tools is pursued both along the axes of re-use and consistency of models and data generated in the design process and of feedback and feedforward of results between different levels of abstraction addressed by tools that are based on different formalisms.

The project MULTIFORM will address the following issues:•\tInterchange formats between different tools•\tIntegrated specification and synthesis of logic controllers•\tNew ways of connecting techniques for analysis and design that are based on different levels of abstraction•\tIntegration of the tools into a common framework•\tApplication of multi-formalism analysis and design to challenging real-world case studies.