Agile manufacturing system control based on cell re-configuration

Abstract

The control of an agile manufacturing system (AMS) is expected to be flexible, open, scalable and re-configurable so as to tackle the more complex and uncertain information flows. To meet these requirements, we propose agent-based control architecture for AMS, under which the functions of task planning, scheduling and dynamic control are integrated seamlessly. First of all, this paper introduces the concept of RMC (re-configurable manufacturing cell), based on which, we construct the control architecture for AMS in compliance with multi-agent system (MAS). The whole control process under the architecture comprises two hierarchies, i.e. the upper one for order planning and RMC forming and the lower one for task scheduling within each RMC. For the upper hierarchy, we establish a linear integer programming (LIP)-based mathematical model and a MAS-based dynamic process model, and present a two-step approach to order planning and RMC forming. For the lower hierarchy, we develop the scheduling model, a method based on the bidding mechanism from contract net, and describe the rescheduling mechanism in the control system. To illustrate the methodology proposed in the paper, a simulation study is thoroughly discussed. Our studies demonstrate that the RMC-based control architecture provides an AMS with an optimal, dynamic and flexible mechanism of responding to an unpredictable manufacturing environment, which is crucial to achieve agility for the whole manufacturing system.

Keywords:

• Agile manufacturing
• Control architecture
• Multi-agent system (MAS)
• Scheduling
• Re-configurable manufacturing cell (RMC)

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the support of the National Basic Research Program of China under grant number 2005CB724107, the National High-Technology R&D Program for CIMS of China under grant number 2003AA411120 and the National Natural Science Foundation of China under grant number 50105006. We are very grateful to Dr Janet Efstathiou at the Department of Engineering Science of the University of Oxford for her valuable suggestions and comments.