MODELING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A DISTRIBUTED SHOP FLOOR MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL SYSTEM

Adopting distributed control architecture is the important development direction for shop floor management and control system, is also the requirement of making it agile, intelligent and concurrent. Some key problems in achieving distributed control architecture are researched. An activity model of shop floor is presented as the requirement definition of the prototype system. The multi-agent based software architecture is constructed. How the core part in shop floor management and control system, production plan and scheduling is achieved. The cooperation of different agents is illustrated. Finally, the implementation of the prototype system is narrated.     

分布式车间管理控制系统研究

制造执行系统（MAS）具有分布性,自主性,互操作性,开放性等特征,这些特征有助于将一个递阶式管理控制方式改造为并行智能方式,目前一些分布式对象计算中间软件也正不断走向商品化,因而采用MAS来改造CIMS环境下的车间管理控制系统能够使之具有快速动态重组生产过程的能力（这是敏捷性的关键）,提出了基于MAS的敏捷化车间管理控制系统的体系结构,并设计了用于任务分配的招标机制和Agent间协作机制,采用面向对象的方法对Agent的构造进行了讨论。     

Multi-agent-based fuzzy scheduling for shop floor

This paper deals with a multi-agent architecture of agile manufacturing system and a hybrid strategy for shop floor scheduling. Firstly, it proposes a distributed multi-agent-based manufacturing structure, which has characteristics of self-determination and distribution grounded on multi-agent as well as control and harmony grounded on hierarchical structure or dynamic logical unit. Then, based on the fuzzy theory and method, it studies a hybrid shop floor scheduling strategy that combines fuzzy programming with fuzzy contract net protocol. The hybrid strategy has both virtues of precision of static programming and flexibility of contract net protocol.     

敏捷制造车间任务规划系统的设计与开发

敏捷制造车间任务规划作为联系敏捷制造车间计划与敏捷制造车间调度与控制的纽带，是计划任务在敏捷制造单元层上的动态分配。对敏捷制造车间任务规划系统进行了设计，构造了基于多Agent的体系结构，定义并描述了敏捷制造车间任务规划问题，并在分析敏捷制造车间各个智能体行为的基础上，提出了基于知识和联盟形成算法的敏捷制造车间任务规划方法。该方法。是敏捷制造车间任务规划系统的核心。介绍了开发的敏捷制造车间任务规划系统。     

支持网络化制造的车间资源集成与执行系统

提出一种对传统车间制造资源实施网络化改造与性能提升以支持网络化制造的系统集成框架及其实现方法。应用分布式人工智能中的多Agent技术和CORBA分布式对象技术与规范，对车间各种异构制造资源进行建模和封装设计，通过基于CORBA的开放式系统集成框架，将封装后的制造资源Agent以“即插即用”方式进行集成，制造资源Agent之间通过互操作方式进行协作，以实现制造过程管理与执行。最后，基于上述方法开发了一套支持网络化制造的车间制造资源集成与制造过程执行系统，该系统具有可集成性、开放性、智能性和可重构性等特点，不仅可实现车间内部制造资源的快速集成，同时还能支持网络化制造环境下车间资源的共享及制造过程管理与执行。     

敏捷化车间制造执行系统研究

车间生产管理及运行的敏捷化是实施CIMS及敏捷制造战略的重要环节。制造执行系统（MES）是实现车间生产敏捷化的基本途径，MES的敏捷性体现为其性能上的快速响应和结构上的快速重组。采用MAS理论与方法研究MES的体系结构，并设计了Agent的统一结构形式以及各Agent之间的协作机制；开发了一个基于MAS的敏捷化MES原型系统，并阐述了其工作流程。     

Hybrid shop floor control system for Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM)

A shop floor can be considered as an important level to develop Computer Integrated Manufacturing system (CIMs). However, a shop floor is a dynamic environment where unexpected events continuously occur, and impose changes to the planned activities. To deal with this problem, a shop floor should adopt an appropriate control system that is responsible for the coordination and control of the manufacturing physical flow and information flow. In this paper, a hybrid control system is described with a shop floor activity methodology called Multi-Layered Task Initiation Diagram (MTD). The architecture of the control model contains three levels: i.e., the shop floor controller (SFC), the intelligent agent controller (IAC) and the equipment controller (EC). The methodology behind the development of the control system is an intelligent multi-agent paradigm that enables the shop floor control system to be an independent, an autonomous, and distributed system, and to achieve an adaptability to change of the manufacturing environment.     

面向敏捷制造的智能制造单元框架结构的研究

分析了敏捷制造单元的构成和运行特征,提出建立敏捷制造单元智能自治体模型的原则,在此基础上建立了基于多智能自治体系统的敏捷制造单元运行控制框架结构。这种结构不仅很好地解决了敏捷制造单元分布式动态调度与控制问题,而且为制造系统集成和分布式、网络化制造环境下的多单元、多地点协调协作提供了集成框架和技术基础。     

敏捷制造执行系统的调度策略研究

敏捷制造模式下 ,车间控制应该具有柔性、系统性能优化和对干扰的快速反应性。制造执行系统是适应敏捷车间的生产管理系统 ,现针对它的核心功能———调度 ,提出使用并行调度和调度执行作为调度策略 ,并对基于多代理的调度框架进行了描述。     

基于多代理和规则调度的敏捷调度系统研究

研究了在敏捷制造环境下制造车间过程的动态调度问题,针对敏捷化调度的特殊要求,提出了综合运用多代理机制与规则调度实现敏捷化制造车间生产过程动态调度的方法,建立了基于多代理生产组织和运行模式的生产过程动态调度系统框架结构,研究了在多代理结构的基础上实现规则调的方法,创建了适应实际生产环境的代理的模型结构,并以一类敏捷加工车间动态调度的仿真研究说明所提出方法的思路和可行性。     

Autonomous Behaviour in Automated Manufacturing Systems

In this paper, a decision-theoretic approach is provided to model the autonomous behaviour among intelligent agents, e.g. machines, in automated manufacturing systems (AMS). The automated manufacturing systems make available agile manu-facturing systems with the characteristic of quick response to the customers’ needs. An autonomous agent can use the decision method to model multi-agent situations and behave rationally based on this decision-theoretic approach. The AMS is constructed in a matrix framework for rule-based controller design. The controller is comprised of inner and outer loops, where the inner loops are decision-free with no shared-resource problems. The outer loops involve shared-resources, parts dispatching, and route selection, and so require a conflict resolution command input, uc. The decision-making input uc is selected based on an agent-oriented paradigm. This paradigm views the production process in an automated manufacturing facility as distributed among autonomous manufacturing agents. The payoff matrix representation and operations research techniques are used to facilitate the agents’ decision making. This paper shows how the matrices depicting the decision-making situations of manufacturing agents can be arrived at. An example with a reentrant flow system characteristic for semiconductor manufacturing plants is provided.     

Agent- and CORBA-Based Application Integration Platform for an Agile Manufacturing Environment

A new application integration platform for an agile manufacturing environment is presented, which is based on agent and common request broker architecture (CORBA). CORBA enhances the system integration because it is an industry-standard for interoperable, distributed objects across heterogeneous hardware and software platforms. Agent technology is used to improve the intelligence of the integration system. The platform is open, distributed, and modular to enable the user to adapt its content to his requirements. This application integration platform supports the goals of agile manufacturing: rapid response to changing requirements, reduction in both time and cost of the product realisation process, and integration within a heterogeneous, wide-area-networked enterprise. In order to implement the application integration platform, we use a network integration server to integrate the network, design a generic database agent to integrate database, adopt a multi-agent based architecture to integrate application, and utilise a wrapper as a CORBA object to integrate the legacy code. Finally, a prototype framework is presented. ID="A1"Correspondance and offprint requests to: Dr F. T. S. Chan, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong. E-mail: ftschan@hkucc.hku.hk     

基于多代理系统的侦察机器人监控系统研制

针对半自主侦察机器人监控系统应该具有分布的智能、局部的自主能力和开放的系统构架的要求，建立了基于多代理机制的监控系统。系统主要分成感知代理、车体驱动代理、事务执行代理、操作员接口代理、数据管理代理等部分，这些代理又可以是由若干个代理协同工作的组合代理，代理之间采用控制驱动的协调方法。然后，分别介绍了感知代理、事务执行代理、人一机器人接口代理中主要代理的功能和实现方法。实验测试表明，系统满足侦察机器人的监控要求，具有很好的灵活性和扩展性。     

APPLICATION OF IMPROVED PRODUCTION ACTIVITY CONTROL ARCHITECTURE FOR SHOP FLOOR INFORMATION SYSTEM IN DIGITAL MANUFACTURING

Shop floor control (SFC) is responsible for the coordination and control of the manufacturing physical and information flow within the shop floor in the manufacturing system. Weaknesses of the production activity control (PAC) architecture of the shop floor are addressed by the Maglica's new system architecture. This architecture gives rise to unlimited number of movers and producers thus evolving more complex but decentralized architecture. Beijing Institute of Technology - production activity control (BIT-PAC) architecture introduces an idea of sub-producers and sub-movers thus reducing the complexity of the architecture. All the equipments including sub-producers and sub-movers are considered to be passive in the proposed shop floor information system. The dissemination of information from sub-producers and sub-movers is done manually through a PC. Proposed BIT-PAC SFC architecture facilitates the information flow from shop floor to the other area of the organization. Effective use of internet information services (IIS) and SQL2000 is done along with the ASP.NET technology to implement the application logic. Applicability of the software based on BIT-PAC architecture is checked by running application software on a network PC that supports the dynamic flow of information from sub-producers and sub-movers to the other parts of the organization. Use of software is also shown at the end for BIT training workshop thus supporting the use of SFC architecture for similar kind of environments.     

基于多智能体由开放式CNC构筑网络制造系统

在分析先进制造系统特点的基础上，给出了一种基于MAS理论的车间网络控制系统模型。讨论了模型中不同智能体的功能与作用。由开放式数控系统和Intranet组成的DCN系统具有硬件成本低、软件开发费用少、性能好等优点。     

基于MES的生产车间管理信息系统

针对制造企业在实施生产管理信息化过程中存在的问题,提出以制造执行系统(MES)为核心的三层结构———企业资源计划(ERP) /制造执行系统(MES) /过程控制系统(PCS)的生产管理信息化的实施方案,用于解决生产与计划相互脱节的难题,实现了车间的现场调度、生产过程控制、在线质量控制,以及对生产过程中“非常规信息”的控制与管理,加强了制造计划的可执行性。     

Study on multi-agent-based agile supply chain management

In a worldwide network of suppliers, factories, warehouses, distribution centres and retailers, the supply chain plays a very important role in the acquisition, transformation, and delivery of raw materials and products. One of the most important characteristics of agile supply chain is the ability to reconfigure dynamically and quickly according to demand changes in the market. In this paper, concepts and characteristics of an agile supply chain are discussed and the agile supply chain is regarded as one of the pivotal technologies of agile manufacture based on dynamic alliance. Also, the importance of coordination in supply chain is emphasised and a general architecture of agile supply chain management is presented based on a multi-agent theory, in which the supply chain is managed by a set of intelligent agents for one or more activities. The supply chain management system functions are to coordinate its agents. Agent functionalities and responsibilities are defined respectively, and a contract net protocol joint with case-based reasoning for coordination and an algorithm for task allocation is presented.     

基于多智能体协商的虚拟企业调度研究

针对虚拟企业制造环境的分布性、不确定性和动态性,运用多智能体技术,构建了虚拟企业生产调度系统体系结构。通过多属性效用函数进行调度过程中的协商决策,改进合同网协商协议提高协商效率来实现敏捷调度,并提出了基于多智能体协商的调度算法来实现虚拟企业任务调度。     

生产车间混合式控制结构模型和协商机制研究

为了提高车间控制系统的柔性、开放性和全局优化性能,在分析现有车间控制体系结构的基础上,融合Agent技术,提出了一种适应性混合式车间控制系统体系结构模型。该模型利用递阶结构将控制功能设计成系统优化Agent、单元协调Agent和单实体Agent三层结构,并允许同层Agent及上下层Agent之间的协商。为了进一步提高协商效率,集成分布式协商和全局控制,设计了基于招投标机制和示例学习方法的协商机制,详细分析了包括时间约束算法和基于示例的学习方法的协商机制核心算法。在JADE(Java Agent development framework)平台上构建了原型系统。     

基于多Agent的分布式制造执行系统的建模

采用UML技术，提出了一种开放式、模块化、分布式、可配置、可集成和可维护的基于多Agent的制造执行系统(MES)模型。分析了制造系统中的制造执行系统域，提出了基于多Agent的MES模型并详细分析了该模型的MES的功能实现，最后给出了正在实施的MES系统框架。该MES系统能够容易地与企业资源计划(ERP)、车间控制系统(FCS)及其他制造系统相集成。