Language and semantics of expressions for Grafcet model synthesis in a MDE environment

The GRAphe Fonctionnel de Commande Étapes Transitions (GRAFCET) is a powerful graphical modeling language for the pecification of controllers in discrete event systems.It uses expressions to express the conditions of transitions and conditional actions as well as the logical and arithmetic expressions assigned to stored actions. However, several research works has focused on the transformation of Grafcet specifications (including expressions) into control code for embedded systems. To make it easier to edit valid Grafcet models and generate code, it is necessary to propose a formalization of the Grafcet expression language permitting to validate its constructs and provide an appropriate semantics. For this, we propose a context-free grammar that generates the whole set of Grafcet expressions, by extending the usual grammars of logical and arithmetic expressions. We also propose a metamodel and an associated semantics of Grafcet expressions to facilitate the implementation of the Grafcet language. A parser of the expressions Grafcet emph G7Expr is then obtained thanks to the generator of parsers ANTLR, while the metamodel is implemented in the Eclipse EMF Model Driven Engineering (MDE) environment. The combination of the two tools makes it possible to analyze and automatically build Grafcet expressions when editing and synthesizing Grafcet models. Le GRAphe Fonctionnel de Commande Étapes Transitions (GRAFCET) est un puissant lan-gage de modélisation graphique pour la spécification de contrôleurs dans des systèmes à événe-ments discrets. Il fait usage des expressions pour exprimer les conditions de franchissement des transitions et des actions conditionnelles ainsi que les expressions logiques et arithmétiques assi-gnées aux actions stockées. Cependant, de nombreux travaux se sont penchés sur la transformation de spécifications Grafcet (y compris les expressions) en code de contrôle pour systèmes embar-qués. Pour faciliter l'édition de modèles Grafcet valides et la génération du code de contrôle, il est judicieux de proposer une formalisation du langage des expressions Grafcet, permettant de valider ses constructions et d'en pourvoir une sémantique appropriée. Pour cela, nous proposons une gram-maire hors-contexte qui génère tout l'ensemble des expressions Grafcet, en étendant les grammaires usuelles des expressions arithmétiques et logiques. Nous proposons également un métamodèle et une sémantique associée des expressions Grafcet pour faciliter la mise en oeuvre du langage Grafcet sous la forme d'un parseur des expressions Grafcet G7Expr obtenu grce au générateur d'analyseurs syntaxiques ANTLR, alors que le métamodèle est mis en oeuvre dans l'environnement d'Ingénie-rie Dirigée par les Modèles (IDM) Eclipse EMF. L'association des deux outils permet d'analyser et de construire automatiquement les expressions Grafcet lors de l'édition et la synthèse des modèles Grafcet.

Research on a cascade model synthesis with the use of classical and non-classical methods in the context of new piezoelectric stack applications

Active audio noise cancellation technology using piezoelements is fairly new and emerging technology on the market in recent years and is still gaining in popularity. The ability to use piezoelectric devices to gather information about vibration spectrum and to create interfering waves, to cancel out the noise, allows for the reduction in passive vibration methods and gives more flexibility in terms of space and application. The idea of using this technique on larger scales such as industrial equipment is the focus of ongoing research conducted by the authors of this article. This work is intended as the first part of a larger project and focuses solely on theoretical approach to the problem of modelling mechatronic systems capable of creating complex vibration spectrums and using piezoelectric components. The authors have focused on creating a mix of classical and non-classical methods to synthesize model systems based on input resonance frequencies. A classical calculation through matrix equations was also done to validate the accuracy of obtained results through the structural number method. The resulting model is still awaiting the empirical verification through extensive testing on real-life models, and that part of the research is still being developed. When validated and checked, this technology could bring new solutions in the vibration damping of industrial equipment, potentially increasing its flexibility and effectiveness.

Logic Rules for Automated Synthesis of Function Models Using Evolutionary Algorithms

This paper presents the development of logic rules for evaluating the fitness of function models synthesized by an evolutionary algorithm. A set of 65 rules for twelve different function verbs are developed. The rules are abstractions of the definitions of the verbs in their original vocabularies and are stated as constraints on the quantity, type, and topology of flows connected to the functions. The rules serve as an objective and unambiguous basis of evaluating the fitness of function models developed by a genetic algorithm. The said algorithm and the rules are implemented in software code, which is used to both demonstrate and validate the efficacy of the rule-based approach of converging function model synthesis using GAs.

Genetic programming for feature model synthesis: a replication study

Software Product Lines (SPLs) make it possible to configure a single system based on features in order to create many different variants and cater to a wide range of customers with varying requirements. This configuration space is often modeled using Feature Models (FMs). However, in practice, the SPL (and consequently the FM) is often created after a set of variants has already been created manually. Automating the task of reverse engineering a feature model that describes a set of variants makes the process of adopting an SPL easier. The genetic programming pipeline is a good fit for feature models and has been shown to produce good reverse engineering results. In this paper, we replicate the results of such an existing approach with a larger set of feature models and investigate the effects of various genetic programming parameters and operators on the results. The design of our replication experiments employs three perspectives: duplicate the exact conditions using various features models, study the interaction of two parameters of the genetic programming approach, and optimize the values for the population and generation parameters and for the mutation and crossover operators. Results reinforce the previously obtained outcome, the original study being confirmed. The relations between the number of features and number of generations, respectively number of features and size of populations were also investigated and best values based on obtained results are provided. The current study also aimed to optimize various parameters of the genetic programming approach, the interpretation of those experiments discovering concrete values.