Effectiveness of dynamic rescheduling in agent-based flexible manufacturing systems

Ashraf Saad; Gautam Biswas; Kazuhiko Kawamura; Eric M. Johnson

doi:10.1117/12.294422

9 December 1997 Effectiveness of dynamic rescheduling in agent-based flexible manufacturing systems

Ashraf Saad, Gautam Biswas, Kazuhiko Kawamura, Eric M. Johnson

Proceedings Volume 3203, Architectures, Networks, and Intelligent Systems for Manufacturing Integration; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.294422
Event: Intelligent Systems and Advanced Manufacturing, 1997, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Abstract

This work has been developed within the framework of agent- based decentralized scheduling for flexible manufacturing systems. In this framework, all workcells comprising the manufacturing system, and the products to be generated, are modeled via intelligent software agents. These agents interact dynamically using a bidding production reservation (BPRS) scheme, based on the Contract Net Protocol, to devise the production schedule for each product unit. Simulation studies of a job shop have demonstrated the gains in performance achieved by this approach over heuristic dispatching rules commonly used in industry. Manufacturing environments are also prone to operational uncertainties such as variations in processing times and machine breakdowns. In order to cope with these uncertainties, the BPRS algorithm has been extended for dynamic rescheduling to also occur in a fully decentralized manner. The resulting multi-agent rescheduling scheme results in decentralized control of flexible manufacturing systems that are capable of responding dynamically to such operational uncertainties, thereby enhancing the robustness and fault tolerance of the proposed scheduling approach. This paper also presents the effects of the proposed agent-based decentralized scheduling approach on the performance of the underlying flexible manufacturing system under a variety of production and scheduling scenarios, including forward and backward scheduling. Future directions for this work include applying the proposed scheduling approach to other advanced manufacturing areas such as agile and holonic manufacturing.

Citation Download Citation

Ashraf Saad, Gautam Biswas, Kazuhiko Kawamura, and Eric M. Johnson "Effectiveness of dynamic rescheduling in agent-based flexible manufacturing systems", Proc. SPIE 3203, Architectures, Networks, and Intelligent Systems for Manufacturing Integration, (9 December 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.294422

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