This significantly updated second edition provides a thorough yet concise introduction to the main concepts and models defined in the IEC 61499 standard for modeling distributed control systems for use in factory automation.The standard IEC 61499 is already having an impact on the design and implementation of industrial control systems that involve the integration of programmable logic controllers, intelligent devices and sensors. This edition is updated to incorporate the changes introduced in the two revisions of the standard since 2001 and to reflect lessons learned from the author s teaching of IEC 61499 in the last ten years. Topics covered include: defining function blocks, structuring applications, service interface function blocks and event function blocks.This new edition will be essential reading for academic and research-led control and process engineers and students working in research fields that require complex control systems using networked based distributed control. This book will also be of interest to researchers in robotics and safety systems."