Agent‐based architecture for manufacturing system control

Abstract

A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is a complex manufacturing system and it demands a robust control software for its scheduling, planning and control functions. This paper describes the development of an agent‐based infrastructure for the control of a cellular FMS. The FMS in this project is a flexible assembly cell (FAC), comprising two assembly robots and a conveyor system. The aim is to establish a multi‐agent control system with good expandability and to be able to cope with dynamic changes in the FAC. The proposed agent‐based FAC control system comprises a collection of agents implemented in a distributed control network. The approach of the agent design is based on the object‐oriented modelling technique. According to the proposed control architecture, a standard agent template has been designed for the establishment of individual agents in the agent‐based system.

Citation

Fan, C.K. and Wong, T.N. (2003), "Agent‐based architecture for manufacturing system control", Integrated Manufacturing Systems, Vol. 14 No. 7, pp. 599-609. https://doi.org/10.1108/09576060310491955