Development of a descriptive model for intralogistics as a foundation for an autonomous control method for intralogistics systems

摘要

Future intralogistics systems need to adapt flexibly to changing material flow requirements in line with future versatile factory environments, producing personalized products under the performance and cost conditions of today's mass production. Small batch sizes down to a batch size of "1" lead to a high complexity in the design and economical manufacturing of these customized products. Intralogistics system are integrated into higher-level areas (segment level) as well as into upstream and downstream performance units (system-wide areas). This includes the logistic activities relevant for the system (organized according to storage, picking, transport) such as transportation or storage tasks of tools, semi-finished products, components, assemblies and containers, and waste. Today's centralized material flow control systems, which work based on predefined processes, are not capable and more specifically not suitable to deal with the arising complexity of changeable intralogistics systems. Autonomous, decentralized material flow control systems distribute the required decision-making and control processes on intelligent logistic entities. A major step for the development of an autonomous control method for hybrid intralogistics systems (manual, semi-automated and automated) is the development of a generic archetype for intralogistics systems regarding the system boundaries, elements and relations resulting in a descriptive model taking into account amongst others the time of demand, availability of resources, economic efficiency and technical performance parameters. The ESB Logistics Learning Factory at ESB Business School (Reutlingen University) serves for this as a close-to-reality development and validation environment.