Multi-tasking supervisory control of discrete-event systems

Abstract

This paper presents an approach for functionally dealing with multiple tasks in the supervisory control of discrete-event systems (DES). The colored marking generator (CMG), a special type of Moore automaton, is introduced as a model that distinguishes classes of tasks in DES. Then, the main results of supervisory control theory are extended to this model, allowing the synthesis of more refined supervisors in control problems where the distinction of classes of task is necessary. Reversibility is also investigated as an alternative way of ensuring liveness of multiple tasks. Finally, an example illustrates the convenience of this approach.