Enabling Industrial Motion Control through IIoT Multi-Agent Communication

Increasing complexity and performance requirements of distributed industrial applications offer fertile ground for the development and evaluation of novel industrial communication and control paradigms. As a representative example, multi-agent system (MAS) design relies on distributed software agents that collaborate to achieve joint objectives. The application of MAS in industry is currently emerging as a significant trend to bridge the information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT), previously formally separated, domains. We present a multi-agent distributed system implementation for IIoT communication. The system is evaluated through a motion control scenario with IIoT agent data collection and relaying control commands over standards-based industrial networks with a PLC-based control system. The system architecture, enabling technologies and interoperability aspects between open-source and proprietary components are discussed. Experimental deployment of a conveyor-driven motion control system with S71200 PLC, Profinet and IO-Link industrial communication and the Coaty distributed agent framework validates the approach.