Multi-agent based beam search for intelligent production planning and scheduling

Production planning and scheduling is a long standing research area of great practical value, while industrial demand for production planning and scheduling systems is acute. Regretfully, most research results are seldom applied in industry because existing planning and scheduling methods can barely meet the requirements for practical applications. This paper identifies four major requirements, namely generality, solution quality, computation efficiency, and implementation difficulty, for practical production planning and scheduling methods. Based on these requirements, method, a multi-agent based beam search (MABBS), is developed. It seamlessly integrates the multi-agent system (MAS) method and beam search (BS) method into a generic multi-stage multi-level decision making (MSMLDM) model to systematically address all the four requirements within a unified framework. A script language, called EXASL, and an open software platform are developed to simplify the implementation of the MABBS method. For solving complex real-world problems, an MABBS-based prototype production planning, scheduling and execution system is developed. The feasibility and effectiveness of this study is demonstrated with the prototype system and computation experiments. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.postprin

Multi-agent systems for power engineering applications - part 1 : Concepts, approaches and technical challenges

This is the first part of a 2-part paper that has arisen from the work of the IEEE Power Engineering Society's Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) Working Group. Part 1 of the paper examines the potential value of MAS technology to the power industry. In terms of contribution, it describes fundamental concepts and approaches within the field of multi-agent systems that are appropriate to power engineering applications. As well as presenting a comprehensive review of the meaningful power engineering applications for which MAS are being investigated, it also defines the technical issues which must be addressed in order to accelerate and facilitate the uptake of the technology within the power and energy sector. Part 2 of the paper explores the decisions inherent in engineering multi-agent systems for applications in the power and energy sector and offers guidance and recommendations on how MAS can be designed and implemented

Exploiting multi-agent system technology within an autonomous regional active network management system

This paper describes the proposed application of multi-agent system (MAS) technology within AuRA-NMS, an autonomous regional network management system currently being developed in the UK through a partnership between several UK universities, distribution network operators (DNO) and a major equipment manufacturer. The paper begins by describing the challenges facing utilities and why those challenges have led the utilities, a major manufacturer and the UK government to invest in the development of a flexible and extensible active network management system. The requirements the utilities have for a network automation system they wish to deploy on their distribution networks are discussed in detail. With those requirements in mind the rationale behind the use of multi-agent systems (MAS) within AuRA-NMS is presented and the inherent research and design challenges highlighted including: the issues associated with robustness of distributed MAS platforms; the arbitration of different control functions; and the relationship between the ontological requirements of Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agent (FIPA) compliant multi-agent systems, legacy protocols and standards such as IEC 61850 and the common information model (CIM)

FIPA-Compliance of HTML5 Agent Framework

In agent-oriented architecture, systems are built on autonomous components called agents. Agents exist and operate in an agent environment/platform. When an agent environment contains two or more agents, it is called Multi-agent System (MAS). Like humans, agents have an ability to cooperate, coordinate, negotiate and interact with each other to resolve problems on the behalf of their users. Moreover, agents in agent environment can reach beyond its system environment and interact with agents in other third-party agent environments for co-operative problem solving. Agent systems developed by different developers possess architecture specific features and implementation. These differences among agent systems prevent interoperability between agents existing in different agent environment. Therefore, mechanisms that allow agents and/or MASs to interoperate are needed. It is easier to rationalize the use of agent systems based on existing well known standards like FIPA than on self-made standards. The HTML5 Agent Framework developed in TUT has its own architecture specific features and implementation. The main purpose of this thesis is to analyze how HTML5 Agent Framework can be made FIPA compliant. An agent system that conforms to FIPA specifications is a FIPA-compliant system. A FIPA-compliant system can interoperate with other heterogeneous agent systems that are FIPA-compliant as well. The conversion of MAS into a FIPA-compliant system is one way of guaranteeing interoperability between different MASs. FIPA is a standard body that provides specifications for developers of agent systems. It promotes agent-based technologies and interoperability of its standards with other agent-based technologies that facilitate the end-to-end interworking of agent systems in modern commercial and industrial settings. In this thesis, the current implementation of HTML5 Agent Framework is mapped with FIPA standards. This thesis presents analysis to make HTML5 Agent Framework a FIPA-compliant agent system. Moreover, possible solutions to make HTML5 Agent Framework compliant to FIPA are suggested. A proof of concept is also implemented. It can establish simple communication between HTML5 agent and FIPA-compliant JADE agent

Practical applications of multi-agent systems in electric power systems

The transformation of energy networks from passive to active systems requires the embedding of intelligence within the network. One suitable approach to integrating distributed intelligent systems is multi-agent systems technology, where components of functionality run as autonomous agents capable of interaction through messaging. This provides loose coupling between components that can benefit the complex systems envisioned for the smart grid. This paper reviews the key milestones of demonstrated agent systems in the power industry and considers which aspects of agent design must still be addressed for widespread application of agent technology to occur

Special Session on Industry 4.0

No abstract available