Patent ID: 8381173

Claim:
A method of generating a set of platform-specific control logic implementation code suitable for execution by a corresponding programmable logic controller in a control environment: modeling a plurality of control requirements as a unitary mathematical model (UMM) in a first processing layer using a processor and a software-based modeling application, wherein the UMM represents the control environment; pre-populating a second processing layer, which is in communication with the first processing layer, with generic code for a predetermined set of commonly used control functions, wherein the second processing layer is configured to receive the UMM from the first processing layer and transform the UMM, using the generic code, into platform-independent control code describing a predetermined set of generic control functions using an Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema; receiving the UMM from the first processing layer via the second processing layer; transforming the UMM, using the generic code, into the platform-independent control code; and automatically transforming, in a third processing layer having an XML-based code adapter having processing hardware, the predetermined set of generic control functions, via the XML code adapter, into the set of platform-specific control logic implementation code; wherein the second processing layer includes: a library of XML-based control code for executing a plurality of common control functions, the library providing a first portion of the set of platform-independent control code; and a data model for transforming the UMM into a second portion of the platform-independent control code; and wherein the XML-based code adapter is configured to receive and process, via processing hardware, the first and second portions of the set of platform-independent control code from the second processing layer to thereby generate the set of platform-specific control logic implementation code.