Title: Design and simulation of an adaptive and collaborative assembly cell

Authors: Shadi Keshavarzmanesh, Lihui Wang, Hsi-Yung Feng

Addresses: Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada. ' Centre for Intelligent Automation, University of Skovde, P.O. Box 408, 541 28 Skovde, Sweden. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada

Abstract: Nowadays, product-mix in small batches contributes to shop floor uncertainties, whereas distributed resources are handled collaboratively during assembly planning. There is a growing need to develop methods that can increase adaptability and flexibility in dynamic and collaborative job-shop assembly floors. Based on our previous work on an assembly planning framework using Function Blocks (FBs), a novel approach to assembly planning and control is developed, which enables adaptive decision making besides effective plan execution. Following our previous work, this paper reports the latest development of design and simulation of an FB communication network in Matlab-Simulink environment, and validates the methodology through an example. [Received 9 January 2009; Revised 25 June 2009; Accepted 2 July 2009]

Keywords: adaptive planning; adaptive control; function blocks; collaborative assembly; manufacturing uncertainty; assembly cells; cell design; simulation; assembly planning; collaboration; assembly control; communication networks.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMR.2010.029666

International Journal of Manufacturing Research, 2010 Vol.5 No.1, pp.102 - 119

Published online: 30 Nov 2009 *

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