A one-day tutorial onPetri netsby Dr. S. Parthasarathy |
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Internet/w-w-web. This page is also available online at www.algolog.tripod.com/petritut.htm About Petri netsThe Petri nets group defines Petri nets as follows: a formal , graphical, executable technique for the specification and analysis of concurrent, discrete-event dynamic systems; a technique undergoing standardisation.Since the technique is mathematically well-defined, many static and dynamic properties of a Petri net (and hence a system specified using the technique) may be mathematically proven. Petri nets derive their name from the inventor of this tool: Prof. Carl Adam Petri. Petri nets are specially suitable for control and automation, since they handle elegantly, concurrent, discrete event systems. Real-life processes fall predominantly into this classification of systems. Concurrent: The representation of multiple independent dynamic entities within a system is supported naturally by the technique, making it highly suitable for capturing systems which exhibit concurrency, e.g., multi- agent systems, distributed databases, client-server networks and modern telecommunications systems. In the case of process control, we have three main actors viz. the process, the control system, the process operator who may be seen to be acting concurrently with respect to each other. Within the process,we may have the several components of the process, evolve concurrently with respect to each other. With respect to the control system, the process is evolving concurrently. With respect to the process and the control system, the operator may concurrently be taking several decisions and actions. The control system itself could be an assembly of hardware components (e.g. sensors, actuators, regulators, controllers), with or without an underlying software (in the programming sense). Petri nets bring all these distinctly different actors into a single and elegant framework of representation. The underlying graphical representation, facilitates visualisation of complex processes. Petri nets can play an important role in safety critical systems (an area where the lecturer has been focussing for the past several years). Discrete event dynamic system: a system which may change state over time, based on current state and state-transition rules, and where each state is separated from its neighbour by a step rather than a continuum of intermediate infinitesimal states. Often falling into this classification are information systems, operating systems, networking protocols, banking systems, business processes and telecommunications systems. Most real life processes fall into this category of dynamic systems, making them eminently amenable for modelling by Petri nets. However, a recent breakthrough by R David and Hassane Alla extends Petri nets to the domain of classical continuous time (continuous state) systems also. About the courseThis is a one-day, introductory tutorial, split into four lecture sessions of 90 minutes each.A tentative structure of the tutorial will be :
A CDROM created specifically for this tutorial will be made available to each participant. To the extent possible, lecture/presentation material used in the tutorial will also be included in the CDROM. Who should attendDesigners, project managers, supervisors, students and researchers interested in control engineering. No previous background or exposure to this tool is assumed. However the participants must have good knowledge of control theory and related mathematical concepts. Designers of software for control applications will also benefit a lot from the tutorial.About the lecturer :Dr. Parthasarathy earned his "Docteur Ingenieur" degree from the Automatic Control Laboratory of Grenoble, France. He has an extensive experience in the software industry, and is internationally recognised for his contributions to software for automation. In addition to his full-time involvement in an industrial setup, he has been actively associated with leading research institutions in the fields of automation and control. He was a Post doctoral fellow at the French National Research Centre for Informatics and Automation (I N R I A). He was a Visiting Associate Professor at a famous engineering school in France. Was invited as a Visiting Expert to the United Nations sponsored International Institute for Software Technology, Macau. served as Visiting Director of Research at the French National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS). He was invited as a Guest Scientist at the Institute for automation and control techniques (IfRA) Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany. Associate Editor of the international journal: Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, published (by Pergamon/Elsevier) from UK. He is a Linux activist. He is a very strong advocate for formal methods and is also involved in standards related actvities. He was awarded the prestigious "RAB Achievement Award" and the "IEEE Millennium medal" by IEEE (USA) for his outstanding professional contributions. He speaks English and French, very fluently. Dr. Parthasarathy translated from French to English, the book on Petri nets by Rene David and Hassane Alla, . Presently, he is a private Consultant, based in Secunderabad, India, and can be contacted at: hyd1_algolog@sancharnet.in (Note: hyd1_algolog@sancharnet.in = h-y-d-one underscore algolog AT sancharnet dot in). Dr. S. Parthasarathy is listed in the official who's who of Petri nets. More details about the lecturer, are available in his personal web page : http://algolog.tripod.com/nupartha.htm Get more details about all the training services offered by Dr. Parthasarathy NOW ! |
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