A multi-agent RFID-enabled distributed control system for a flexible manufacturing shop

Flexible manufacturing systems are complex, stochastic environments requiring the development of innovative, intelligent control architectures that support flexibility, agility, and reconfigurability. Distributed manufacturing control system addresses this challenge by introducing an adaptive production control approach supported by the presence of autonomous control units that are cooperating with each other. Most of the currently distributed control systems still suffer from lack of flexibility and agility when the product verity is high and is not reconfigured in case of ad hoc events. To overcome this limitation, a drawback of an excessive dependence on up-to-date information about the products and other elements that move within the system is essential. Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a new emerging technology which uses radio frequency waves to transfer data between a reader and movable item for identification, tracking, and categorization purpose. This paper discusses the architecture devised to deploy RFID-enabled distributed control and monitoring system by means of a set of agents that are responsible for the realization of different control and monitoring tasks and for cooperating to enhance agility, flexibility, and reconfigurability of manufacturing system.

[1]  Ichiro Satoh,et al.  Location-based services in ubiquitous computing environments , 2003, International Journal on Digital Libraries.

[2]  Michael J. Shaw,et al.  A multi-agent framework for the coordination and integration of information systems , 1998 .

[3]  Hidehiko Yamamoto,et al.  Intelligent Communication Between Agents of Autonomous Decentralized FMS , 2005, 2005 International Symposium on Computational Intelligence in Robotics and Automation.

[4]  Robin G. Qiu,et al.  RFID-enabled automation in support of factory integration , 2007 .

[5]  Jean-François Pétin,et al.  Supervisory synthesis for product-driven automation and its application to a flexible assembly cell , 2007 .

[6]  D. Rh.  International symposium on pain. , 1973 .

[7]  Bonnie A. Nardi,et al.  Collaborative, programmable intelligent agents , 1998, CACM.

[8]  Ting Qu,et al.  Agent-based smart objects management system for real-time ubiquitous manufacturing , 2011 .

[9]  M. Zhao,et al.  RFID-enabled real-time production management system for Loncin motorcycle assembly line , 2012, Int. J. Comput. Integr. Manuf..

[10]  Bin Wang,et al.  Fundamental technology for RFID-based supervisory control of shop floor production system , 2011 .

[11]  Adriana Giret,et al.  From system requirements to holonic manufacturing system analysis , 2006 .

[12]  Pierre Massotte,et al.  Comparison of negotiation protocols in dynamic agent-based manufacturing systems , 2006 .

[13]  M. X. Weng,et al.  Multi-agent-based workload control for make-to-order manufacturing , 2008 .

[14]  Paulo Leitão,et al.  Agent-based distributed manufacturing control: A state-of-the-art survey , 2009, Eng. Appl. Artif. Intell..

[15]  Djamila Ouelhadj,et al.  Multi-agent architecture for distributed monitoring in flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) , 2000, Proceedings 2000 ICRA. Millennium Conference. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Symposia Proceedings (Cat. No.00CH37065).

[16]  Hui Gao,et al.  Parallel and Distributed Processing and Applications , 2005 .

[17]  Khalid Kouiss,et al.  Using multi-agent architecture in FMS for dynamic scheduling , 1997, J. Intell. Manuf..

[18]  Zongwei Luo,et al.  RFID-enabled tracking in flexible assembly line , 2010 .

[19]  Ruey-Shun Chen,et al.  An RFID-based enterprise application integration framework for real-time management of dynamic manufacturing processes , 2010 .

[20]  David A. Guerra-Zubiaga,et al.  Toward a Modeling Framework for Organizational Competency , 2013, DoCEIS.

[21]  A. García,et al.  RFID enhanced MAS for warehouse management , 2007 .

[22]  Lionel M. Ni,et al.  An RFID-Based Distributed Control System for Mass Customization Manufacturing , 2004, ISPA.

[23]  Ali Vatankhah Barenji,et al.  Structural Modeling of a RFID-enabled Reconfigurable Architecture for a Flexible Manufacturing System , 2013 .

[24]  Klaus Finkenzeller,et al.  RFID Handbook: Radio-Frequency Identification Fundamentals and Applications , 2000 .

[25]  Dimitris Kiritsis,et al.  A framework for RFID applications in product lifecycle management , 2009, Int. J. Comput. Integr. Manuf..

[26]  Luis M. Camarinha-Matos,et al.  Technological Innovation for the Internet of Things , 2013, IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology.

[27]  Robert I. M. Young,et al.  Design of a manufacturing knowledge model , 2008, Int. J. Comput. Integr. Manuf..

[28]  Sanjay E. Sarma,et al.  Auto ID systems and intelligent manufacturing control , 2003 .

[29]  Kai Cheng,et al.  RFID enabled manufacturing: fundamentals, methodology and applications , 2006 .

[30]  Reza Vatankhah Barenji.  Towards a Capability-Based Decision Support System for a Manufacturing Shop , 2013, PRO-VE.

[31]  George Q. Huang,et al.  Radio frequency identification-enabled real-time manufacturing execution system: a case study in an automotive part manufacturer , 2012, Int. J. Comput. Integr. Manuf..

[32]  N. K.C. Krothapalli,et al.  Design of negotiation protocols for multi-agent manufacturing systems , 1999 .

[33]  Tao Geng,et al.  Multiagent AGVs dispatching system using multilevel decisions method , 2002, Proceedings of the 2002 American Control Conference (IEEE Cat. No.CH37301).