HPCC: A Distributed Architecture for Rapidly Reconfigurable Assembly Systems

9527190霍利斯本研究旨在改善产品制造中的装配。自动化装配是一个困难且耗时的过程，特别是当需要小公差时。敏捷装配的这种体系结构是一个使用精确、模块化和可扩展的基于代理的机器人元素的战略框架。这些元素形成了一组出租的自包含软件/硬件模块，这些模块可以在Internet上编程和操作，并且可以组合在一起形成用于组装的微型敏捷工厂。这种方案需要结合智能网络通信、高性能处理器的分布式计算资源和新颖设计的分布式传感器/执行器子系统。根据敏捷装配体系结构原理设计和构建原型微型工厂，验证研究成果，为工业装配研究和评估提供一个独特而强大的可重构平台。磁性存储磁盘驱动器的部分组装将作为测试平台。这项工作旨在推进三个主要领域的知识：(1)强调高质量服务的分布式代理的无缝广域网和局域网；(2)包含高性能嵌入式处理器的模块化精密机器人装配单元；(3)对微型工厂进行建模、仿真和编程的综合软件环境。研究结果可以让制造商开发地理分布设计和部署装配系统的能力，同时提供大幅减少的转换时间、更高的质量和一个新的制造系统可移植性水平。

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.