SIMPLIFYING INDUSTRIAL PROCESS CONTROL USING LINKED STATE MACHINE APPROACH

Abstract

The use of microcontrollers in the design of embedded industrial process control systems is limited by the level of complexities involved in actualizing desired control automation. Adding Intelligence and self diagnostic features to such systems usually increase the complexity of the machine. This paper studies the Linked-State Machine approach as a design alternative to overcome the challenges of designing complex industrial process control systems. The complexity of an intelligent class C water level and temperature control system with self diagnosis is simplified by breaking the system into three simpler class A machines. Each of the three simple machines is designed separately as embedded systems working from their Algorithmic State Machine (ASM) charts. The three simple machines are then linked together as State Machines to actualize the desired operation of the original complex system.