Dealing with routing in an automated manufacturing cell: a supervisory control theory application

Abstract

Automated manufacturing cells are capable of producing different products using the same set of resources. This characteristic allows a more efficient use of resources, but makes the control of these systems more difficult and susceptible to errors. This article addresses the problem of routing control in an automated manufacturing cell that consists of three workstations, a transportation system, a feeding conveyor and a retrieving conveyor. In the modelling step, this article employs a systematisation of system and behavioural specifications modelling. This systematisation aims to minimise the impact caused by changes on system constitution and production specifications. In the synthesis step, the local modular control approach of the supervisory control theory is used to obtain the supervisors that match the specifications. In the implementation step, the systematic translation of the results obtained with the application of this theory into the application program to be implemented in the programmable logic controller that controls the cell occurs. The proposed approach in this study was tested and validated in a real manufacturing cell and the experimental results show the viability and success of this project.

Keywords:

• routing control
• supervisory control theory
• manufacturing
• automation
• flexibility