Formal Description of Control Logic for the Palletizing Process in Agriculture

The paper presents an approach to the formal description of control logic for the palletizing process in agriculture at the level of discrete states and events. The object of study is a robotic bag palletizing cell for agricultural products as part of an agro-industrial production line. The control logic is defined as a deterministic finite-state machine that includes a state dictionary, an event dictionary with registration conditions, a transition table, timing constraints for waiting periods, and synchronization rules. The paper describes the sequence of method steps from identifying observable events and defining the scope of the cell to constructing and validating the automaton specification. Using a typical palletizing cycle as an example, the formal model is used to define nominal operating modes, resource-waiting states, and deviation responses, including timeouts and fault situations. Validation results demonstrate the ability to detect incomplete scenarios, potential conflicts between transition conditions, and implicit assumptions about cell behaviour already at the design stage. The resulting specification can serve as a basis for developing control programs, building simulation models and digital twins of palletizing cells in agriculture, and reducing the number of commissioning iterations.