SYSTEMATIC DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY FOR MANUFACTURING STATION SIMULATION MODEL BASED ON OBJECT-ORIENTED DIFFERENTIAL MODELING

摘要

Simulation of a manufacturing cell requires the different kinds of simulation models of manufacturing stations that constitute the cell. However, a commercial station simulator only gives simulation mechanism for a limited kind of station, and its simulation model is fixed to the engineer. On the other hand, it is inefficient for the engineer to develop the dedicated simulation model and mechanism from scratch. In order to solve these problems, this research proposes a systematic development methodology for building various kinds of manufacturing station simulation model. Our methodology is based on the object-oriented differential modeling composed both of the common reference model and of the systematic and efficient procedure for building a model of a specific kind of station. The common reference model is the abstract description of the static structure and dynamic behavior of the controller and the device in the station, and is described by UML. The systematic procedure specifies a formal sequence of defining subclasses of the common reference model and their methods in order to complete the simulation model for a specific kind of manufacturing station. A CASE tool supports throughout the procedure, and UML model elements in the specific station simulation model can be mapped into the C++ codes. Effectiveness of our methodology was confirmed through the modeling results of the station models for different kinds of actual robot systems.