A specification to build distributed reconfigurable manufacturing systems using intelligent agents

摘要

In this paper we discuss critical aspects for achieving flexible reconfigurable systems. We propose that to create reconfigurable manufacturing systems, it is necessary to establish a common interface for language and knowledge representation among the components of the system and to organize the functions of the components so that each can act as an intelligent agent. An intelligent agent is capable of acting both autonomously and cooperatively. The manufacturing system is envisioned fundamentally as a two tier system with an intelligent agent part and a physical device part. The combination of the two tiers permits the realization of a reconfigurable manufacturing organization which is made of loosely coupled components. No rigid dependencies are used in this system to associate the production components with products. This technique permits us to create the reasoning and controlling parts of each component with a smaller and simpler set of rules and interactions.