González Mateos, Guzmán (Universidad de León), Morán Álvarez, Antonio (Universidad de Leon), Prada, Miguel Angel (Universidad de Leon), Alonso Castro, Serafín (Universidad de León), Domínguez, Manuel (Universidad de León)

Educational Platform for Training in IEC 61499

Scheduled for presentation during the Regular Session "New Trends in Control Education" (FrBT1), Friday, June 20, 2025, 12:10−12:20, Room F09

14th IFAC Symposium on Advances in Control Education, June 17-21, 2025, Budapest, Hungary

This information is tentative and subject to change. Compiled on June 20, 2025

Abstract

The fourth industrial revolution has introduced a shift towards decentralized and event-driven control systems, demanding new educational approaches for control engineers. The IEC 61499 standard provides a framework for modular and scalable industrial automation, yet its adoption is limitated by the steep learning curve associated with event-based programming and object-oriented principles. This paper presents an educational platform designed to bridge this gap, incorporating two Python-based tools: one for seamless integration with IEC 61499-based control systems, and another providing a benchmark library for testing control algorithms. The platform enables students to develop, simulate, and validate their control strategies before implementing them on real hardware, thus reducing failure rates and improving learning outcomes. A practical use case within a Master’s level industrial automation course demonstrates the platform’s effectiveness in reinforcing key concepts. Preliminary feedback indicates that students benefit from simulation-based learning, gaining confidence and competence in implementing distributed control architectures.