Introduction

Abstract

Discrete event systems (DES) are dynamic system models with state changes driven by the occurrence of individual events. The state space of a DES is a possibly infinite discrete set. State-to-state transitions are forced by the ordered occurrence of events from a discrete and (almost always) finite set. The discrete nature of the state and event spaces make these systems practical models for the higher level behavior of complex systems, capturing the logic and dynamics of overall system behavior and evolution. Applications for discrete event systems include industrial manufacturing systems, the relation between robotic actions and goals, process control plants, computer networks, communications protocols, and others.