Modeling, controlling, and simulation of local area networks for flexible manufacturing systems using Petri nets

Abstract

Flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) are advanced manufacturing systems comprising machining cells, robots, a automated guided vehicles (AGVs) that function under the hierarchical control of computers. The flexibility of an FMS primarily imparted by integrating the functions of different system elements such as machining cells, robots, AGVs usig computers. In this paper, the role of local area networks (LANs) in FMSs is explicated. The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, the differences between the LANs in conventional systems (CLANs) to that of LANs in FMSs (FLANs) are explicated. Secondly, a new class of Petri nets (PNs) called augmented timed PNs are introduced as a modeling tool designing, simulating, analyzing, and finally implementing the LAN in FMS. A software package has been developed to simulate the Petri net models (PNMs). The software package developed aids system designers by simulating the PNM and generating certain performance criteria.