Eclipse 4diac White Paper on Improved IEC 61499 Communication Modelling

The Eclipse 4diac project is not only dedicated to providing an open-source ecosystem for IEC 61499-based automation but also to continuously advancing and improving the IEC 61499 standard itself.

As part of this ongoing effort, we are excited to share our first Eclipse 4diac White Paper, focusing on improved communication modelling in IEC 61499.

The white paper, authored by Friederike Bruns and Alois Zoitl, proposes an extension to the IEC 61499 standard introducing messages and channels as explicit modelling concepts for communication across devices. With this approach, developers can capture timing, quality of service (QoS), and synchronization aspects directly in their application and system models.

By making communication a first-class modelling concept, distributed automation systems can be described more precisely, supporting platform independence, analysis, and reconfiguration.

This white paper is the first in a planned series that aims to document key design and implementation decisions within Eclipse 4diac, opening up discussions on potential extensions and refinements to IEC 61499.

👉 You can read the paper here: Modelling Network Communication in IEC 61499

We’d love to hear your feedback and ideas — join the discussion and help us shape the future of IEC 61499 communication modelling!

Cheers,
The Eclipse 4diac Team