System integration for predictive process adjustment and cloud computing-based real-time condition monitoring of vibration sensor signals in automated storage and retrieval systems

Abstract

As automation and digitalization are being increasingly implemented in industrial applications, manufacturing systems comprising several functions are becoming more complex. Consequently, fault analysis (e.g., fault detection, diagnosis, and prediction) has attracted increased research attention. Investigations involving fault analysis are usually performed using real-time, online, or automated techniques for fault detection or alarming. Conversely, recovery of faulty states to their healthy forms is usually performed manually under offline conditions. However, the development of intelligent systems requires that appropriate feedback be provided automatically, to facilitate faulty-state recovery without the need for manual operator intervention and/or decision-making. To this end, this paper proposes a system integration technique for predictive process adjustment that determines appropriate recovery actions and performs them automatically by analyzing relevant sensor signals pertaining to the current situation of a manufacturing unit via cloud computing and machine learning. The proposed system corresponds to an automated predictive process adjustment module of an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS). The said integrated module collects and analyzes the temperature and vibration signals of a product transporter using an internet-of-things-based programmable logic controller and cloud computing to identify the current states of the ASRS system. Upon detection of faulty states, the control program identifies corresponding process control variables and controls them to recover the system to its previous no-fault state. The proposed system will facilitate automatic prognostics and health management in complex manufacturing systems by providing automatic fault diagnosis and predictive recovery feedback.