不同支配关系的NSGA-III算法在机器人制造单元调度问题中的应用

随着经济的发展,机器人制造单元对制造行业的生产效率和生产质量有很大提高.相对于传统的柔性制造单元,带机器人搬运的车间的调度问题还考虑了加工物料的搬运环节.因此,生产调度所面临的问题越来越复杂.针对Pareto支配关系在高维多目标优化中的支配能力不足,本文将Lorenz支配和CDAS支配分别与NSGA-III算法相结合,并首次应用到带机器人制造单元的高维多目标车间调度问题上来.考虑到现代生产过程的复杂化,本文提出对最大完工时间、加工总能耗、交货期提前量、延迟量、生产总成本等多个目标同时进行优化,用于确定机器人工作时操作状态和搬运顺序,提高生产效率.通过实验发现基于Lorenz支配和CDAS支配的NSGA-III算法在该生产调度问题上比传统的NSGA-III在解的收敛性和均匀性上表现更优.     

基于区块链的云制造系统内可信资源调度方案

针对目前云制造系统中存在的各参与主体间信任问题以及资源调度效率问题,研究了将区块链技术应用于云制造系统中.首先,阐述了区块链技术应用于云制造系统的意义,提出了一种基于区块链技术的云制造系统;其次,设计了基于智能合约的制造资源调度方式,构建制造成本最小、时间最短、合格率最高的资源调度模型并用差分进化算法进行求解;最后,进行实验仿真.结果表明,基于区块链技术的智能合约内进行资源调度方法在保证了系统内各参与主体间相互信任的同时,有效地提高了云制造系统的资源调度效率和资源调度方案的优越性.     

求解考虑机器调整时间的并行机分批优化调度问题

基于目前车间调度问题是以单个或整批进行生产加工的并行机调度模型已不再符合实际工况下的车间生产。提出以最小化最大完工时间为优化目标,对遗传差分进化混合算法,灰狼差分进化混合算法进行了比较。为提高加工工件进行分批及分批之后子批的分配与排序效率,该问题是对不同规模的经典并行机调度问题进行求解并展示两种算法的求解,证明了灰狼差分进化混合算法在寻优性能上优于遗传差分进化混合算法,不仅具有更好的解的稳定性,而且具有更高的寻优精度。     

基于两阶段调度的制造单元协同调度算法研究

针对单元制造问题,提出了一种基于两阶段的调度算法,通过过程分解和算法优化两方面实现问题求解。调度过程分为“预调度”和“整体调度”两个阶段,对大规模调度进行调度,不仅有效地降低了问题规模,同时制造单元调度结果对实际生产具有现实意义;调度算法采用了“精确”计算和“近似”求解相结合的方式,既提高计算效率又兼顾了全局优化目标。数值实验结果表明了的这一设计思路的有效性。     

两级差分进化算法求解多资源作业车间批量调度问题

以优化生产周期为目标,研究并建立了多资源作业车间批量调度问题模型.提出一种新的两级差分进化算法,采用两级染色体编码来解决批量划分和排序优化问题;设计了基于自适应差分进化算法(DE)的全局搜索操作,并在算法框架中嵌入了基于Interchange邻域结构的局部搜索;基于等量划分原则,为每个工件确定最优批次数及子批次的批量大小,并为各子批次确定最优排序.通过单资源算例和多资源实例仿真表明了模型和算法的可行性和有效性.     

批处理机调度问题的蚁群算法求解

为了求解工件具有不同尺寸的批处理机调度问题,将蚁群算法调整为工件直接成批的调度算法,并提出了一个新的局部优化算法对蚁群算法进行改进。最后通过仿真实验将本算法与其它算法对本问题的求解进行了比较,表明该算法在求解批调度问题上有较好的性能。     

基于多Agent柔性制造单元的生产调度研究

针对基于制造单元的作业车间的生产调度问题进行了研究,结合多代理的智能性、灵活性和遗传算法的智能优化能力,建立基于多智能体的柔性制造单元的作业车间的调度系统模型.然后,提出了集成多智能体和遗传算法的动态调度策略和调度协商机制;最后,应用此方法完成了常规调度和异常调度的仿真算例.结果表明所开发系统可以解决基于加工单元的制造...     

柔性车间生产排产调度优化方法

为满足柔性制造企业在车间生产中合理安排生产排产调度的需要,提出柔性车间生产排产调度优化方法。首先,通过分析车间生产排产问题的特点,制定满足车间应用需求和各种资源限制的生产排产总体流程,从而设计基于约束条件的生产对象关系模型;其次,提出一种动态策略差分进化算法,根据个体之间的拥挤度动态选择变异策略,设计基于工序位置的编解码方案,其能快速有效地进行求解,从而得到最佳调度方案,提高设备运行效率,实现资源利用的最大化;最后,通过6个标准测试函数、FT6-6测试问题及生产调度应用实例验证了算法的有效性。     

改进的差分进化算法求解炼钢-连铸动态调度问题

为了求解炼钢-连铸动态调度问题,提出了一种将拉格朗日插值算法与差分进化算法相融合得到的改进的差分进化算法。改进后的差分进化算法通过自适应调整进化参数,动态的调整差分进化的方向,并结合拉格朗日插值来优化差分进化算法的局部搜索能力,引入权重系数对全局搜索和局部搜索加以平衡。针对国内某大型钢厂的实际生产数据建立实验模型,以最小化总完工时间、最小化总断浇时间、最小化炉次间总等待时间和最小化总偏差量时间为目标,将改进的差分进化算法应用于求解炼钢-连铸转炉出现故障的动态扰动事件调度问题,实验结果表明,改进的差分进化算法应用在炼钢-连铸动态调度问题上,有效的缩短了炉次加工总完工时间、炉次间总等待时间和总断浇时间,在合理范围内,有效控制了新生产的调度计划与原始调度计划的时间偏差量,避免了因扰动事件的发生而引起连铸机断浇。     

求解阻塞混流生产机器人制造单元调度问题的分支定界算法

针对阻塞混流生产机器人制造单元调度问题,为了同时优化机器人运行顺序和工件加工顺序,提出了分支定界算法。首先,定义机器人活动,将双排序转化为单排序;其次,构建顺序插入规则生成可行解;最后,依据顺序插入规则,设计了分支过程。通过计算随机生成算例,计算结果表明：工作站个数为3时,分支定界算法得到的目标函数值与CPLEX相同,但平均运行时间比CPLEX降低38.58%,证实了分支定界算法的有效性;工作站个数大于3时,与CPLEX相比,在同等时间内,有85.19%的算例搜索到更好解,因此,对于大规模情形,分支定界算法更有价值。     

An ACO-based intercell scheduling approach for job shop cells with multiple single processing machines and one batch processing machine

Intercell transfers are inevitable for the manufacturing of complicated products, which disrupts the philosophy of cellular manufacturing and leads new challenges to the field of production scheduling. The issue of intercell scheduling is analyzed in the context of a cellular manufacturing system consisting of multiple single-processing machines and one batch-processing machine, which is derived from the actual manufacturing of complicated assemblies in the equipment manufacturing industry. Since the two types of machines are different from, even contrary to, each other in some constraint conditions, a combinational ant colony optimization (CACO) approach is developed in this paper, which designs two structures for the single-processing machines and the batch-processing machine, respectively. By updating pheromone trails integratedly and scheduling the single-processing operations and the batch-processing operations simultaneously, cooperative optimization for the two types of machines is achieved in the CACO. Minimizing the maximum completion time is taken as the scheduling objectives. Computational results show that the CACO has significant advantages comparing with other approaches and the CPLEX, and is especially suitable for the large dimension problems.     

A hybrid flowshop scheduling model considering dedicated machines and lot-splitting for the solar cell industry

This paper studies a solar cell industry scheduling problem, which is similar to traditional hybrid flowshop scheduling (HFS). In a typical HFS problem, the allocation of machine resources for each order should be scheduled in advance. However, the challenge in solar cell manufacturing is the number of machines that can be adjusted dynamically to complete the job. An optimal production scheduling model is developed to explore these issues, considering the practical characteristics, such as hybrid flowshop, parallel machine system, dedicated machines, sequence independent job setup times and sequence dependent job setup times. The objective of this model is to minimise the makespan and to decide the processing sequence of the orders/lots in each stage, lot-splitting decisions for the orders and the number of machines used to satisfy the demands in each stage. From the experimental results, lot-splitting has significant effect on shortening the makespan, and the improvement effect is influenced by the processing time and the setup time of orders. Therefore, the threshold point to improve the makespan can be identified. In addition, the model also indicates that more lot-splitting approaches, that is, the flexibility of allocating orders/lots to machines is larger, will result in a better scheduling performance.     

Sequencing and Scheduling in Robotic Cells: Recent Developments

A great deal of work has been done to analyze the problem of robot move sequencing and part scheduling in robotic flowshop cells. We examine the recent developments in this literature. A robotic flowshop cell consists of a number of processing stages served by one or more robots. Each stage has one or more machines that perform that stage’s processing. Types of robotic cells are differentiated from one another by certain characteristics, including robot type, robot travel-time, number of robots, types of parts processed, and use of parallel machines within stages. We focus on cyclic production of parts. A cycle is specified by a repeatable sequence of robot moves designed to transfer a set of parts between the machines for their processing.We start by providing a classification scheme for robotic cell scheduling problems that is based on three characteristics: machine environment, processing restrictions, and objective function, and discuss the influence of these characteristics on the methods of analysis employed. In addition to reporting recent results on classical robotic cell scheduling problems, we include results on robotic cells with advanced features such as dual gripper robots, parallel machines, and multiple robots. Next, we examine implementation issues that have been addressed in the practice-oriented literature and detail the optimal policies to use under various combinations of conditions. We conclude by describing some important open problems in the field.     

Clustering algorithm for solving group technology problem with multiple process routings

Cell formation is an important problem in the design of a cellular manufacturing system. Most of the cell formation methods in the literature assume that each part has a single process plan. However, there may be many alternative process plans for making a specific part, specially when the part is complex. Considering part multiple process routings in the formation of machine-part families in addition to other production data is more realistic and can produce more independent manufacturing cells with less intercellular moves between them. A new comprehensive similarity coefficient that incorporates multiple process routings in addition to operations sequence, production volumes, duplicate machines, and machines capacity is developed. Also, a clustering algorithm for machine cell formation is proposed. The algorithm uses the developed similarity coefficient to calculate the similarity between machine groups. The developed similarity coefficient showed more sensitivity to the intercellular moves and produced better machine grouping.     

Minimising makespan for two batch-processing machines with non-identical job sizes in job shop

In this article, the job shop scheduling problem with two batch-processing machines is considered. The machines have limited capacity and the jobs have non-identical job sizes. The jobs are processed in batches and the total size of each batch cannot exceed the machine capacity. The processing times of a job on the two machines are proportional. We show the problem of minimising makespan is NP-hard in the strong sense. Then we provide an approximation algorithm with worst-case ratio no more than 4, and the running time of the algorithm is O(n?log?n). Finally, the performance of the proposed algorithm is tested by different levels of instances. Computational results demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm for all the instances.     

An integrated control strategy for simultaneous robot assignment,tool change and preventive maintenance scheduling using Heterogeneous Graph Neural Network

There has been a leap in the field of smart manufacturing with the advancement of automation systems, robotic technology, big data analytics, and state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms. Three very important aspects of smart manufacturing systems are system productivity, product quality, and maintenance of machines and equipment. These three issues are strongly interrelated and collectively determine the performance of a smart manufacturing system. Although there has been significant studies in production control, quality control and maintenance scheduling to address each of these aspects individually, there has been a lack of sufficient studies taking all of them into consideration in one control scheme. In this paper, a mobile multi-skilled robot operated Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) is considered and a model that integrates robots, individual workstation processes and product quality is developed using a Heterogeneous Graph Structure. Heterogeneous Graph Neural Network (HGNN) is used to aggregate local information from different nodes of the graph model to create node embeddings that represent global information. A control problem is then formulated in the Decentralized Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (Dec-POMDP) framework to simultaneously consider robot assignment, product quality and maintenance scheduling. The problem is solved using Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL). A case study is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the HGNN-MARL control strategy by comparing it to three baselines and the naive MARL policy without HGNN.     

Unrelated parallel-machine scheduling with aging effects and multi-maintenance activities

Machine maintenance is often performed in manufacturing to prevent premature machine failures with a view to sustaining production efficiency. In this paper we study the parallel-machine scheduling problem with aging effects and multi-maintenance activities simultaneously. We assume that each machine may be subject to several maintenance activities over the scheduling horizon. A machine reverts to its initial condition after maintenance and the aging effects start anew. The objective is to find jointly the optimal maintenance frequencies, the optimal positions of the maintenance activities, and the optimal job sequences such that the total machine load is minimized. We apply the group balance principle to obtain the optimal positions of the maintenance activities and the number of jobs in each group in the scheduling sequence on each machine. We provide an efficient algorithm to solve the problem when the maintenance frequencies on the machines are given.