FACTORY MODELLING, SIMULATION.

AND SCHEDULING
IN THE INTELLIGENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

MARK S. FOX

Robotics I n s t i t u t e
Carnegie-Mellon University
P i t t s b u r g h , P e n n s y l v a n i a 15213

The programs to be demonstrated are t h e f a c t o r y Factory S i m u l a t i o n : An extendable, i n t e r a c t i v e

m o d e l l i n g , s i m u l a t i o n , and s c h e d u l i n g f a c i l i t i e s o f
t h e I n t e l l i g e n t Management System (IMS), being
d e s i g n e d and c o n s t r u c t e d i n t h e R o b o t i c s I n s t i t u t e
of C a r n e g i e - M e l l o n U n i v e r s i t y . The IMS is a long
t e r m a r t i f i c i a l i n t e l l i g e n c e and management s c i e n c e
r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t , whose g o a l i s t o i n t e g r a t e and
automate the r u n n i n g o f t h e " F a c t o r y o f the F u t u r e . "
Factory M o d e l l i n g : I n o r d e r f o r any " i n t e l l i -
g e n t " system t o c a r r y out a management f u n c t i o n i t
must have a f a c t o r y model t h a t i n c o r p o r a t e s a l l the
i n f o r m a t i o n necessary t o s u s t a i n t h e f u n c t i o n . For
example, s s i m u l a t i o n system r e q u i r e s knowledge of
e x i s t i n g processes i n c l u d i n g process t i m e s , resource
r e q u i r e m e n t s , and i t s s t r u c t u r a l ( r o u t i n g ) r e l a t i o n
to other processes. I t must a l s o know when r o u t i n g s
f o r p r o d u c t s a r e s t a t i c , o r are d e t e r m i n e d by a j o b - s h o p s c h e d u l i n g system has been c o n s t r u c t e d
d e c i s i o n process such as a s c h e d u l e r . In t h e l a t t e r
c a s e , it must know when and where to i n t e g r a t e the
s c h e d u l e r i n t o the s i m u l a t i o n . I f the IMS i s to
g e n e r a t e the sequence of e v e n t s to produce a n e w
p r o d u c t , i t must have knowledge o f the processes
( e . g . , machines) w h i c h i n c l u d e s the type of proc -
e a s i n g i t can d o , i t s o p e r a t i n g c o n s t r a i n t s , the
r e s o u r c e s i t consumes, and I t s o p e r a t i n g t o l e r a n c e s .
I f d a t a i s t o b e changed i n a n i n t e r a c t i v e , p o s s i -
b l y n a t u r a l language mode, t h e IMS must have know-
ledge o f g e n e r i c processes such a s machines, t a s k s ,
and d e p a r t m e n t s i f i t i s t o u n d e r s t a n d the i n t e r -
action. I t must a l s o know what i n f o r m a t i o n i s i m -
p o r t a n t and how i t r e l a t e s t o o t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n i n
o r d e r t o d e t e c t m i s s i n g i n f o r m a t i o n and i n c o n s i s -
tencies. Hence, t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n a l model must be
a b l e t o r e p r e s e n t o b j e c t and process d e s c r i p t i o n s
( s t r u c t u r a l and b e h a v i o r a l ) , and f u n c t i o n a l , commun-
i c a t i o n and a u t h o r i t y i n t e r a c t i o n s and d e p e n d e n c i e s .
I t must r e p r e s e n t i n d i v i d u a l m a c h i n e s , t o o l s , m a t e -
r i a l s , and p e o p l e and a l s o more a b s t r a c t concepts
o f d e p a r t m e n t s , t a s k s , and g o a l s . An i n t e r a c t i v e
program f o r c o n s t r u c t i n g and a l t e r i n g f a c t o r y models
w i l l be demonstrated. The m o d e l l i n g system i s
based on t h e AI knowledge r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s y s t e m ,
SRL.*
d i s c r e t e s i m u l a t i o n system has been c o n s t r u c t e d
t h a t i n t e r p r e t s the f a c t o r y model d i r e c t l y . It
a l l o w s the user t o d y n a m i c a l l y query the s i m u l a t i o n
f o r s t a t e i n f o r m a t i o n ( e . g . , s t a t e of a machine,
p r o c e s s , e t c . ) , where o b j e c t s are l o c a t e d ( e . g . ,
what o p e r a t i o n i s b e i n g c a r r i e d out o n a n o r d e r ) ,
and r e g u l a r s t a t i s t i c a l a n a l y s e s . It also allows
the user t o a l t e r the f a c t o r y model b e f o r e and
during simulation. The f a c t o r y can be s i m u l a t e d
and d i s p l a y e d (on a c o l o r g r a p h i c s d e v i c e ) at
variable levels of d e t a i l . The s i m u l a t i o n system
i s i n t e g r a t e d w i t h the s c h e d u l i n g system t o a l l o w
the t e s t i n g o f s c h e d u l i n g h e u r i s t i c s a n d / o r changes
t o the f a c t o r y m o d e l .
Factory Scheduling: An i n t e r a c t i v e , r e a l - t i m e ,
w h i c h i n t e r p r e t s the f a c t o r y model d i r e c t l y . It
a l l o w s the user t o e n t e r o r d e r s and a s s o c i a t e
s c h e d u l i n g c o n s t r a i n t s such a s t i m e , c o s t , o p e r a -
t i o n s , and machines. The system w i l l g e n e r a t e a
schedule t h a t a t t e m p t s t o s a t i s f y the c o n s t r a i n t s .
The system uses a knowledge-based h e u r i s t i c search
t o c o n s t r u c t f o r w a r d ( f r o m s t a r t d a t e ) o r backward
( f r o m due d a t e ) planned s c h e d u l e s . The user a l s o
s p e c i f i e s s t a t e i n f o r m a t i o n f o r the f a c t o r y ( e . g . ,
machine f a i l u r e s , m a i n t e n a n c e , o r d e r f i n i s h e d on a
p a r t i c u l a r machine, e t c . ) . The system does a m i n i -
mal r e s c h e d u l i n g i n r e a c t i o n t o any s t a t e change
o f the f a c t o r y .

*Fox M . S . , ( 1 9 8 1 ) , "SRL: Schema R e p r e s e n t a t i o n L a n -

g u a g e " , T e c h n i c a l R e p o r t , The R o b o t i c s I n s t i t u t e ,
C a r n e g i e - M e l i o n U n i v e r s i t y , P i t t s b u r g h , PA to appear
T h i s r e s e a r c h i s sponsored i n p a r t b y the West-
inghouse C o r p o r a t i o n , and b y t h e R o b o t i c s I n s t i t u t e
of Carnegie-Mellon U n i v e r s i t y .

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