A hardware system is complex that it comprises multiple views such as strategy/version n, strategy/version n+1, concept, analysis, design, implementation, structure, behavior and input/output data views. Accordingly, a hardware system is defined as a set of interacting components forming an integrated whole of that hardware system's multiple views. Since structure and behavior views are the two most prominent ones among multiple views, integrating the structure and behavior views is a method for integrating multiple views of a hardware system. In other words, structure-behavior coalescence (SBC) is a single model (model singularity) approach which results in the integration of multiple views. Therefore, it is concluded that the SBC architecture is so appropriate to model the multiple views of a hardware system. In this book, we use the SBC architecture description language (SBC-ADL) to describe and represent the hardware architecture of the vending machine. An architecture description language is a special kind of system model used in defining the architecture of a hardware system. SBC-ADL uses six fundamental diagrams to formally grasp the essence of a hardware system and its details at the same time. These diagrams are: a) architecture hierarchy diagram, b) framework diagram, c) component channel diagram, d) component connection diagram, e) structure-behavior coalescence diagram and f) interaction flow diagram. Hardware architecture is on the rise. By this book's introduction and elaboration of the hardware architecture of the vending machine, all readers may understand clearly how the SBC-ADL helps architects effectively perform architecting, in order to synergistically construct the fruitful hardware architecture.
About the Author: Dr. William S. Chao is the CEO & founder of SBC Architecture International(R). SBC (Structure-Behavior Coalescence) architecture is a systems architecture which demands the integration of systems structure and systems behavior of a system. SBC architecture applies to hardware architecture, software architecture, systems architecture, knowledge architecture, and thinking architecture. The core theme of SBC architecture is: Architecture = Structure + Behavior. William S. Chao received his bachelor degree (1976) in telecommunication engineering and master degree (1981) in information engineering, both from the National Chiao-Tung University, Taiwan. From 1976 till 1983, he worked as an engineer at Chung-Hwa Telecommunication Company, Taiwan. William S. Chao received his master degree (1985) in information science and Ph.D. degree (1988) in information science, both from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. From 1988 till 1991, he worked as a computer scientist at GE Research and Development Center, Schenectady, New York, USA. Dr. William S. Chao has been teaching at National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan since 1992 and now serves as the president of Association of Enterprise Architects, Taiwan Chapter. His research covers: systems architecture, hardware architecture, software architecture, systems architecture, knowledge architecture, and thinking architecture.