In “Transformation of Simulink models to IEC 61499 Function Blocks for verification of distributed control systems,” Chia-han Yang and Valeriy Vyatkin at the University Auckland, NewZealand, describe a new model-based engineering approach that bridges MATLAB/Simulink with IEC61499 Function Block models.

This is achieved by a transformation between the two block- diagram languages. The transformation supported by the developed tools sets the cornerstone of the verification and validation framework for IEC61499 Function Blocks in closed-loop with the models of the plant.

The framework also paves the way to running distributed simulations of complex hybrid (i.e., continuous-discrete) closed-loop plant-controller systems and building complex models using the efficient object instantiation techniques of IEC61499.