Design of an Agent-based Holonic Execution Control for a generic AS/RS with Aisles of Multi-Cranes

• Main Authors: Ming-Jang Ju, 朱明彰
• Other Authors: Yuan-Chen Yu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2005
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/98831129203279605756

碩士 === 國立高雄第一科技大學 === 機械與自動化工程所 === 93 === Automatic Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) is a three-dimensional warehouse system which can automatically store incoming material and retrieve stored parts with no direct human handling. A typical AS/RS configuration includes several aisles with storage racks on both sides of each and with one storage/retrieval machine (S/R machine), or called crane, in each aisle and several material transportation systems in different floors for connecting the material flow between input/output ports in each floor and the S/R machine in each aisle. The AS/RS to be studied and controlled in this research is basically an AS/RS of typical configuration, but with multiple cranes allowable in each aisle and multiple cars in each material transportation system. The aim of this research is thus to develop a generic execution control system for such a material flow integrated AS/RS with aisles of multi-cranes. In this execution control system, the AS/RS system configuration can be flexibly defined, and a wide variation in the number of floors, aisles, cranes and transportation cars included can be handled by the generic control system, such that the controllable AS/RS can own the feature of high agility, reconfigurability and extendibility. Also, an agent-based holonic manufacturing architecture was adopted for designing the execution control system, in which each agent was modeled with EPC (Event-Driven Process Chain) for the upper level decision & planning operation and with a modified Colored Petri-Nets for the lower level equipment real time control operation.