Designing Distributed Control Systems - A Pattern Language Approach

Designing Distributed Control Systems presents 80 patterns for designing distributed machine control system software architecture (forestry machinery, mining drills, elevators, etc.). These patterns originate from state-of-the-art systems from market-leading companies, have been tried and tested, and will address typical challenges in the domain, such as long lifecycle, distribution, real-time and fault tolerance. Each pattern describes a separate design problem that needs to be solved. Solutions are provided, with consequences and trade-offs. Each solution will enable piecemeal growth of the design. Finding a solution is easy, as the patterns are divided into categories based on the problem field the pattern tackles. The design process is guided by different aspects of quality, such as performance and extendibility, which are included in the pattern descriptions. The book also contains an example software architecture designed by leading industry experts using the patterns in the book. The example system introduces the reader to the problem domain and demonstrates how the patterns can be used in a practical system design process. The example architecture shows how useful a toolbox the patterns provide for both novices and experts, guiding the system design process from its beginning to the finest details. Designing distributed machine control systems with patterns ensures high quality in the final product. High-quality systems will improve revenue and guarantee customer satisfaction. As market need changes, the desire to produce a quality machine is not only a primary concern, there is also a need for easy maintenance, to improve efficiency and productivity, as well as the growing importance of environmental values; these all impact machine design. The software of work machines needs to be designed with these new requirements in mind. Designing Distributed Control Systems presents patterns to help tackle these challenges. With proven methodologies from the expert author team, they show readers how to improve the quality and efficiency of distributed control systems.