NSF/CONACyT: Bi-National Effort on Distributed Manufacturing Supervisory Control Systems

NSF/CONACyT赠款为德克萨斯大学阿灵顿分校(UTA)提供资金，与瓜达拉哈拉研究中心(CINVESTAV)和华雷斯自治大学(UACJ)合作，开展柔性制造系统(FMS)控制和通过互联网实施新型离散事件(DE)监控控制器的合作研究。NSF/CONACyT的这项研究有两个目标：1)制造系统的DE监控控制器的结构和性能，使用UTA专利的基于矩阵的离散事件控制器作为工具，执行制造系统监控控制器的高层设计，改善调度、路线和零件释放；研究瓶颈和作业的最优动态再平衡以缓解瓶颈；设计和研究分布式分散的多个网络化单元制造单元的监控控制器的性能和复杂性；2)通过在UTA为来自美国和墨西哥的本科生和研究生提供关于DE控制器分析和设计的正式培训，提高学术目标和更广泛的影响目标；让当地高中生参与实际制造和机器人系统的课程项目；共同为墨西哥博士生提供建议，包括访问UTA进行研究和开发；设计和开发基于互联网的制造车间监督控制系统；并通过互联网设立远程学习计划，培训墨西哥学生为车间编程。此外，研究还将通过为工业伙伴设计飞机零部件的化学加工流水线，设计用于零件路径和资源分配的DE监控控制器，以及模拟零件路径和资源分配的各种策略，来研究工业伙伴化学流水线的实施。自动化、动态控制的化学流水线是飞机制造中的一个新概念，有可能在一个新的行业获得巨大的市场份额。

This NSF/CONACyT grant provides funding for the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) to work with the Centro de Investigaciones y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN Unidad Guadalajara (CINVESTAV) and the Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez (UACJ) to carry out collaborative research in Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) control and implementation of novel Discrete Event (DE) Supervisory Controllers over the internet. By combining current results and developing new results by joint research, this research will develop an integrated approach to FMS design, decision-making, and on-line supervisory DE control.There are two goals in this NSF/CONACyT research: 1) Structure and performance of DE supervisory controllers for manufacturing systems using UTA's patented matrix-based discrete event controller as a tool to perform high-level design of supervisory controllers for manufacturing systems and improve dispatching, routing, and part release; study bottlenecks and optimal dynamic rebalancing of jobs to alleviate bottlenecks; design, and study the performance and complexity of, distributed decentralized supervisory controllers for multiple networked cellular manufacturing workcells; and 2) improve academic and broader impact goals by offering a summer course at UTA for formal training on the analysis and design of DE controllers for undergraduate and graduate students from USA and Mexico; involve local high school students in course projects on actual manufacturing and robotic systems; jointly co-advise Mexican Ph.D. students, including visits to UTA for research and development; design and develop an internet-based supervisory control system for manufacturing workcells; and set up a distance-learning program over the internet to train Mexican students to program workcells. Also, the research will work on industrial partner chemical flowline implementation by designing a chemical processing flowline for aircraft parts for an industrial partner, designing a DE supervisory controller for part routing and resource assignment, and simulate various strategies for part routing and resource assignment. The automated, dynamically controlled chemical flow line is a new concept in aircraft manufacturing that has the potential to gain significant market share in a new industry.