Reference Architecture for Machine Control Systems Integration: Interim Report

摘要

The Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (MEL) at the National Institute ofStandards and Technology (NIST) has been conducting research on control of mechanical systems for more than sixteen years. The Robot Systems Division and Factory Automation Systems Division have been working jointly for over a year to develop a reference architecture for computer integrated control of mechanical systems, drawing on the best of past work in both divisions. The architecture is not yet complete, and work on the architecture is continuing. This report describes the architecture in its current, incomplete state. The architecture is a hierarchical control architecture aimed at the domain of discrete parts manufacturing, including considerations of data systems, communications systems, planning, resource allocation, real-time control, and error recovery.