HPCC: A Distributed Architecture for Rapidly Reconfigurable Assembly Systems

9527190霍利斯本研究旨在改进产品制造中的装配。装配自动化是一个困难且耗时的过程，特别是在需要小公差的情况下。这种敏捷组装的体系结构是一个战略框架，使用基于代理的机器人元素，这些元素是精确的、模块化的和可扩展的。这些元素形成了一套租赁的自成一体的软件/硬件模块，可以通过互联网进行编程和操作，并可以组合在一起形成微型敏捷工厂进行组装。这样的方案需要智能联网通信、使用高性能处理器的分布式计算资源以及设计新颖的分布式传感器/执行器子系统的组合。根据敏捷装配体系结构的原理，设计和建造了一个原型微型工厂，以验证研究结果，为行业的装配研究和评估提供了一个独特而强大的可重构平台。磁存储磁盘驱动器的部分组装将用作试验台。这项工作旨在促进三个主要领域的知识：(1)强调高服务质量的分布式代理的无缝广域和局域网；(2)包含高性能嵌入式处理器的模块化精密机器人装配元件；(3)用于微型工厂建模、仿真和编程的综合软件环境。研究结果可以使制造商开发一种在地理上分散设计和部署装配系统的能力，同时提供显著减少的转换时间、更高的质量和制造系统可移植性的新水平。

9527190 Hollis This research aims to improve assembly in product manufacturing. Assembly is a difficult and time-consuming process to automate, especially when small tolerances are necessary. This architecture for agile assembly is a strategic framework using agent-based robotic elements that are precise, modular, and extensible. These elements form sets of leased self-contained software/hardware modules that can be programmed and operated over the Internet, and can be brought together to form miniature agile factories for assembly. Such a scheme requires a combination of intelligent networked communication, distributed computing resources using high-performance processors, and distributed sensor/actuator subsystems of novel design. Design and construction of a prototype miniature factory according to the principles of agile assembly architecture will be carried out to validate the research and provide a unique and powerful reconfigurable platform for assembly research and evaluation by industry. Partial assembly of magnetic storage disk drives will serve as a testbed. This work aims to advance knowledge in three main areas: (1) seamless wide area and local area networking of distributed agents emphasizing high quality of service; (2) modular precision robotic assembly elements containing high-performance embedded processors; and (3) a comprehensive software environment for modeling, simulation, and programming of the miniature factories. The results of the research could allow manufacturers to develop a capability for geographically distributed design and deployment of assembly systems while providing drastically reduced changeover times, higher quality, and a new level of manufacturing system portability.