Integrating UML diagrams for production control systems

Abstract

The paper proposes to use SDL block diagrams, UML class diagrams, and UML behavior diagrams like collaboration diagrams, activity diagrams, and statecharts as a visual programming language. We describe a modeling approach for flexible, autonomous production agents, which are used for the decentralization of production control systems. In order to generate a (Java) implementation of a production control system from its specification, we define a precise semantics for the diagrams and we define how different (kinds of) diagrams are combined to a complete executable specification. Generally, generating code from UML behavior diagrams is not well understood. Frequently, the semantics of a UML behavior diagram depends on the topic and the aspect that is modeled and on the designer that created it. In addition, UML behavior diagrams usually model only example scenarios and do not describe all possible cases and possible exceptions. We overcome these problems by restricting the UML notation to a subset of the language that has a precise semantics. In addition, we define which kind of diagram should be used for which purpose and how the different kinds of diagrams are integrated to a consistent overall view.