A next generation manufacturing control system for a lean production environment

This thesis focuses on addressing the need for a new approach to the design and implementation of manufacturing control systems for the automotive industry and in particular for high volume engine manufacture. Whilst the operational domain in the automotive industry has moved to lean production techniques, the design of presentday manufacturing control systems is still based on systems intended for use in a mass production environment. The design and implementation of current manufacturing control systems is therefore inappropriate when viewed from a business context. The author proposes that it is possible to create a more appropriate manufacturing control systems based on an optimised use of advanced manufacturing technology within the complete business context. Literature is reviewed to provide a detailed understanding of the relationship between modem operating practices and the application of contemporary control systems. The primary tasks of manufacturing control systems, within the context of a structured systems approach to manufacturing technology, production management and industrial economics are identified. A study of modem manufacturing control system technology is carried out, highlighting the fundamental principles that influence application engineering in this area. The thesis develops a conceptual design framework that aids the identification of attributes required of a next generation manufacturing control system (NGCS), in order to enhance the business performance of lean automotive manufacturing. The architecture for a next generation control system is specified and a Proof of concept system implemented. Potential advances over contemporary practice are identified with the aid of a practical implementation at a major automotive manufacturer

The Rational Behavior Model: a multi-paradigm, tri-level software architecture for the control of autonomous vehicles

There is currently a very strong interest among researchers in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics in finding more effective means of linking high level symbolic computations relating to mission planning and control for autonomous vehicles to low level vehicle control software. The diversity exhibited by the many processes involved in such control has resulted in a number of proposals for a general software architecture intended to provide an efficient yet flexible framework for the organization and interaction of relevant software components. The Rational Behavior Model (RBM) has been developed with these requirements in mind and consists of three levels, called the Strategic, the Tactical, and the Execution levels, respectively. Each level reflects computations supporting the solution to the global control problem based on different abstraction mechanisms. The unique contribution of the RBM architecture is the idea of specifying different programming paradigms to realize each software level. Specifically, RBM uses rule-based programming for the Strategic level, thereby permitting field reconfiguration of missions by a mission specialist without reprogramming at lower levels. The Tactical level realizes vehicle behaviors as the methods of software objects programmed in an object-based language such as Ada. These behaviors are initiated by rule satisfaction at the Strategic level, thereby rationalizing their interaction. The Execution level is programmed in any imperative language capable of supporting efficient execution of real-time control of the underlying vehicle hardware.http://archive.org/details/therationalbehav1094544438Major, United States ArmyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited