Process Control with IEC 61499: Designers´ Choices at Different Levels of the Application Hierarchy

The IEC 61499 enables different approaches for application development, and this can undermine the emerging open knowledge economy. Developers typically try to use an approach that resembles their previous programming experience, and this can result in the new features of IEC 61499 to be overlooked. Even when designers are able to turn out working software, the various components are often incompatible because they incorporate diverse design principles. In this research, we look at the different levels of the application hierarchy, in order to understand the design decisions that need to be made. We have organized a laboratory experiment with professional designers and researchers, and we use qualitative research methods to understand the design choices that participants with different backgrounds make.