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Designing supervisory controllers for high-tech systems is a laborious and error-prone task. By using formal model-based methods, such as the supervisor synthesis method based on supervisory control theory (SCT), a correct-by-construction controller can be synthesized automatically from a model of the plant and a model of the requirements. Modeling for SCT, however, remains a cumbersome task for systems with large numbers of components. Moreover, modeling such systems requires extensive knowledge on SCT, e.g. regarding modeling formalisms and synthesis algorithms, as there exist relatively few modeling guidelines, especially when the components have complex dependencies. This paper proposes a parameter-based modeling approach that enables a designer to automatically generate the required models for synthesis and simulation by defining the parameters of a system within a product platform. The gained benefits include more efficient modeling while requiring less knowledge on SCT. The product platform in this paper considers supervisory controllers for road tunnels. The parameter-based modeling platform is implemented as a proof-of-concept configuration tool, is validated by means of simulation, and its applicability is shown in a case study for a family of 22 tunnels in the Netherlands.

In literature, extensive research has been done with respect to synthesis of supervisory controllers. Such synthesized supervisors can be distributed for implementation on multiple physical controllers. This paper discusses a method for distributing a synthesized supervisory controller. In this method, dependency structure matrices are used to distribute a system, the supervisor is then distributed accordingly, using existing localization theory. The existence of communication delays between supervisory controllers is unavoidable in a distributed application. The influence of these delays on the behavior of a supervisor is therefore studied using delay robustness theory. This paper introduces the use of mutex algorithms to make the distributed supervisor delay-robust. A case study is used to demonstrate the method and hardware in the loop testing is used to validate the resulting distributed supervisor., Comment: 14 pages, 22 figures

In an ongoing project, a cooperation between the TU/e and the Dutch Department of Waterways and Public Works (Rijkswaterstaat in Dutch, abbreviated to RWS) is established. The project focuses on investigating applicability of synthesis-based engineering in the design of supervisory controllers for bridges, waterways and tunnels. Supervisory controllers ensure correct cooperation between components in a system. The design process of these controllers partly relies on simulation with models of the plant (the physical system). A possible addition to this design process is digital twin technology. A digital twin is a virtual copy of a system that is generally much more realistic than the 2D simulation models that are currently used for supervisory controller validation. In this report, the development of a digital twin of the Swalmen tunnel that is suitable for supervisory control validation is described. The Swalmen tunnel is a highway tunnel in Limburg, the Netherlands. This case study is relevant, because the Swalmen tunnel will be renovated in 2023 and 2028. These renovation projects include updating controlled subsystems in the tunnel, such as boom barriers and traffic lights, and updating the supervisory controller of the tunnel. The digital twin might be useful to aid the supervisory controller design process in these renovation projects.

This paper reports on recent research advances in supervisor synthesis, as well as industrial applications and future research challenges, especially in the context of a research project funded by Rijkswaterstaat, responsible for the construction and maintenance of infrastructure in the Netherlands.