Control problems in manufacturing and communication networks

控制复杂的相互关联的系统，如制造和通信网络，提出了重要的概念和计算挑战。近似系统分解是部分缓解这些挑战的一种方式。这位研究人员和他的同事最近开发了一种用于制造业中所有传送线的分解方法，这种方法允许新的结构见解，并极大地简化了相关的重要的最优缓冲区大小问题。建议通过考虑以下两个重要方向来扩展这种分解方法：第一，生产控制体系结构比看板(对于看板，每个生产线机器都与它必须尝试填充的固定缓冲区相关联)更通用，例如CONWIP，即连续在制品(看板策略适用于一系列机器)，或广义看板(使实际生产与生产授权的迁移不同步)；第二，多部分(而不是单部分)类型的系统，因为它们构成了资本密集型柔性制造系统的大部分。为了帮助解决下一代通信网络(互连的互联网和无线系统，以提供具有性能保证的类似互联网的服务)中的相关服务质量(Qos)保证问题，在解决这些制造系统问题方面开发的技术诀窍将被转让。事实上，固定互联网路由与传输线非常相似，在所谓的DiffServ范型(将互联网流量聚合到少量区分的QoS类别以实现可扩展性)中进行的性能分析与制造业中所有多部件类型传输线的性能分析密切相关。最后，已经观察到，在分析离散制造过程时，流体近似可以产生有趣的见解和可接受的数值精度。使用无线数据传输过程的流体近似，我们建议进一步探索成熟的(连续)线性调节器理论在得出公平和效率的正确组合的易处理时间表方面的潜力。

The control of complex interconnected systems such as manufacturing and communication networks presents important conceptual and computational challenges. Approximate system decomposition is one way of partially mitigating these challenges. The researcher and coworkers, have recently developed  a decomposition method for  transfer lines in manufacturing  which permits new structural insights and greatly simplifies the important associated optimal buffer sizing problems. It is proposed to extend this decomposition method in two important directions by considering:   First, production control architectures more general than Kanbans ( for which each transfer line machine is associated with a fixed buffer that it must attempt to fill), such as CONWIP, i.e. CONstant Work In Process (the kanban strategy is applied to a string of machines), or generalized kanbans (desynchronizing actual production from migration of production authorization); second, multi-part (versus single part) type systems, as they constitute the bulk of capital intensive flexible manufacturing systems. The know how developed in solving these manufacturing system problems is to be transferred in order to help address related quality of service (QoS) assurance issues in next generation communication networks (Internet and wireless systems interconnected to offer Internet like services with performance guarantees). Indeed, fixed Internet routes strongly resemble transfer lines, and performance analysis  within the so-called DIFFSERV paradigm (aggregating Internet traffics into a small number of differentiated QoS classes for scalability) is closely related to performance analysis of  multi-part type transfer lines in manufacturing. Finally, it has been observed that fluid approximations can yield interesting insights and acceptable numerical accuracy in analyzing discrete manufacturing processes. Using fluid approximations of wireless data transmission processes, we propose to further explore the potential of the well established (continuous) linear regulator theory in deriving tractable schedules with the right mix of fairness and efficiency.