An object model for simulation of manufacturing systems

Abstract

Simulation imposes itself in the field of support and decision making for the analysis, design and exploitation of manufacturing systems. The main properties expected in the simulation took are reusability, abstraction and hierarchy. However, the actual simulation approaches don't offer all these features especially the reusability, except those which are based on the object model. In this paper we present an object oriented approach allowing the modelling and the simulation of manufacturing systems. This approach uses a particular object model and a new analysis approach. AN OBJECT MODELLING APPROACHIn this perspective, an object-oriented modelling and simulation approach for manufacturing systems is proposed. This approach satisfies some criteria of effectiveness. It is based on three fundamental aspects [Bakalem et a1 941:The consideration of the manufacturing system-on the basis of hierarchical structure composed of five recursive levels (elementary resource, work-station, cell, work-centre and workshop). According to this consideration, a shop is an interconnected network of work-centres, where a workcentre is a set of cells, etc.

Agent-Based Synthesis of Distributed Controllers for Discrete Manufacturing Systems

“…The design and implementation of tasks controllers of complex manufacturing systems has been addressed by using several approaches. The object oriented approach has been held for modelling [3], simulation [4][5][6], and control [7] of manufacturing systems. The agent based approach [8] has been adopted to address some problems in manufacturing systems [9]; DeLoach [10] proposes a modelling language for describing the diverse kinds of agents, and defines a methodology (MaSE) for the formal synthesis of agent systems; in [11] Bussmann focuses on decision making issues during the planning stage, and in [12] he addresses the task programming issue proposing a synthesis method that leads to concurrent centralised control software; in [13] Ouelhadj proposed a dynamic control architecture for manufacturing systems organised into cells, but the programming of the agents is not reported.…”