A petri-net based execution model of processing equipment for CSCW-based shop floor control in agile manufacturing

A shop floor control system(SFCS), a central part of agile manufacturing, performs the production activities required to fill orders. In order to effectively control these activities, CSCW (computer supported cooperative work) is adopted where a supervisor does not exist. In this paper, we define functional perspective of CSCW-based shop floor control using planning, scheduling, and execution functions. In particular, we focus on an execution model that can coordinate the planning and scheduling functions. Execution can be defined informally as a function that downloads and performs a set of scheduled tasks. Execution is also responsible for identifying and resolving various errors whether they come from hardware or software. The purpose of this research is to identify all the execution activities and solving techniques under the assumptions of CSCW-based heterarchical control architecture. This paper also proposes a classification scheme for execution activities of CSCW-based heterarchical control architecture. Petri-nets are used as a unified framework for modeling and controlling execution activities. For solving the nonexistence of a supervisor, A negotiation-based solution technique is utilized.