Simulação aplicada a manufatura flexivel

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro TecnologicoOs sistemas flexíveis de manufatura resultam do desejo de alcançar a produtividade da produção de massa com a agilidade da fabricação por encomenda. Em virtude do grau de automação, da flexibilidade, do número elevado de diferentes produtos fabricados em pequenos lotes, estes sistemas apresentam uma complexidade maior do que os tradicionais. A obtenção da eficiência produtiva destes sistemas envolve otimizar um grande número de variáveis decisórias e solucionar uma problemática variada que vai de problemas de longo prazo, como os de projeto, médio prazo, representado pelo planejamento, curto prazo, identificado pelos problemas de programação e, ainda, por problemas de curtíssimo prazo, relacionados com o controle em tempo-real do sistema. A complexidade destes sistemas fez da simulação senão a única ferramenta para sua análise, pelo menos, a mais importante. Com o barateamento dos custos de hardware e a crescente aceitação da simulação como técnica da solução de problemas, o número de recursos de software relacionados aos SFM cresceu muito além do que qualquer um seria capaz de acompanhar. O propósito deste trabalho é descrever estes sistemas, sua origem, vantagens e problemática, classificando e analisando os instrumentos de software disponíveis possibilitando, desta forma, decisões melhores e mais rápidas por parte de quem pretenda faser uso da simulação para estudá-los

Development of a standard framework for manufacturing simulators

Discrete event simulation is now a well established modelling and experimental technique for the analysis of manufacturing systems. Since it was first employed as a technique, much of the research and commercial developments in the field have been concerned with improving the considerable task of model specification in order to improve productivity and reduce the level of modelling and programming expertise required. The main areas of research have been the development of modelling structures to bring modularity in program development, incorporating such structures in simulation software systems which would alleviate some of the programming burden, and the use of automatic programming systems to develop interfaces that would raise the model specification to a higher level of abstraction. A more recent development in the field has been the advent of a new generation of software, often referred to as manufacturing simulators, which have incorporated extensive manufacturing system domain knowledge in the model specification interface. Many manufacturing simulators are now commercially available, but their development has not been based on any common standard. This is evident in the differences that exist between their interfaces, internal data representation methods and modelling capabilities. The lack of a standard makes it impossible to reuse any part of a model when a user finds it necessary to move from one simulator to another. In such cases, not only a new modelling language has to be learnt but also the complete model has to be developed again requiring considerable time and effort. The motivation for the research was the need for the development of a standard that is necessary to improve reusability of models and is the first step towards interchangability of such models. A standard framework for manufacturing simulators has been developed. It consists of a data model that is independent of any simulator, and a translation module for converting model specification data into the internal data representation of manufacturing simulators; the translators are application specific, but the methodology is common and illustrated for three popular simulators. The data model provides for a minimum common model data specification which is based on an extensive analysis of existing simulators. It uses dialogues for interface and the frame knowledge representation method for modular storage of data. The translation methodology uses production rules for data mapping

A graphics driven approach to discrete event simulation.

This thesis investigates the potential of computer graphics in providing for a graphics driven specification system that gives sufficient structure and content to form the simulation model itself. The nature of discrete event simulation modelling, the diagramming method of activity cycle diagrams which underpinned this research, the three phase simulation model structure, and the trend of visual simulation modelling are discussed as the basis for the research. Some current existing simulation languages and packages are reviewed, which gives insight into the essential features of an ideal computer simulation environment. The basic research method adopted was to build systems that exemplified the state of thinking at the time. The purpose of this method was to enable ideas to be developed, discarded and enhanced, and for new ideas to emerge. The research has undergone a series of application developments on the Apple Macintosh to examine the advantages and limitations of such systems. The first system developed during the research, MacACD, provides the basis for proposals concerning the enhancement of the ACD diagramming method in a computer-aided environment. However, MacACD demonstrated the limitations of an ACD interface and the need for a more flexible specification system. HyperSim, a simulation system developed using HyperCard, has all the power of interconnectivity demonstrated as a need by MacACD, but has severe limitations both in terms of security of system development, and an inability to provide a running model directly due to lack of speed. However, the power of an icon-based interconnected textual and diagrammatic based system were demonstrated by the construction of this system during this research, and led to the development of the final system described in this thesis : MacGraSE. The development of this system during this research incorporates many innovations. The main input device is a picture representing the problem, including a background display. This system allows for dynamic icon based visual model running, as well as code generation for complete model embellishments, interactive report writing, and representational graphics outputs

Simulation modelling of spatial problems

The thesis presents a simulation modelling strategy for spatial problems which uses a data structure based on spatial relationships. Using this network based approach, two domain specific data-driven models are developed in which the movement of people is modelled as a quasi-continuous process. The development of simulation modelling technology is examined to find reasons why there should be a reluctance to use the technique. With particular reference to problems which are spatially related, the established simulation modelling techniques, together with their diagrammatic representations, are evaluated for their helpfulness at the model building stage. Using a specimen example, it is demonstrated that the commonly used approaches for digital discrete event simulation, which use a procedural paradigm, give little help with problems which involve the allocation of a resource and have spatial constraints. Two domain specific generic models are demonstrated which adopt an object-oriented approach, for which the model description, including the logical constraints, are given in the data-file. A method for modelling the movement of people at different levels of congestion as a quasi-continuous process is validated using results from reported surveys of people's movement rates and direct observations, and this is applied in both models. The first models the emergency evacuation of a building, using a graph structure to represent the spatial components. This is implemented using object-oriented code and test runs are compared with evacuation times from a building at the University of North London. The second provides an experimental tool for comparing the effect upon ward function of different layouts and was influenced by a published survey of a nurse activity analysis carried out in fourteen different wards. The nurse activity model uses two graph structures and an object class to model the nurses who move, with reference to, and informed by, the spatial graph structure. The successful application of the method in the two problem domains confirms its potential usefulness for spatial problems

Functional partitioning of multi-processor architectures

Many real-time computations such as process control and robotic applications may be naturally distributed in a functional manner. One way of ensuring good performance, reliability and security of operation is to map or distribute such tasks onto a distributed, multi-processor system. The time-critical task is thus functionally partitioned into a set of cooperating sub-tasks. These sub-tasks run concurrently and asynchronously on different nodes (stations) of the system. The software design and support of such a functional distribution of sub-tasks (processes) depends on the degree of interaction of these processes among the different nodes. [Continues.

Joe Pawsey and the Founding of Australian Radio Astronomy

This open access book is a biography of Joseph L. Pawsey. It examines not only his life but the birth and growth of the field of radio astronomy and the state of science itself in twentieth century Australia. The book explains how an isolated continent with limited resources grew to be one of the leaders in the study of radio astronomy and the design of instruments to do so. Pawsey made a name for himself in the international astronomy community within a decade after WWII and coined the term radio astronomy. His most valuable talent was his ability to recruit and support bright young scientists who became the technical and methodological innovators of the era, building new telescopes from the Mills Cross and Chris (Christiansen) Cross to the Parkes radio telescope. The development of aperture synthesis and the controversy surrounding the cosmological interpretation of the first major survey which resulted in the Sydney research group's disagreements with Nobel laureate Martin Ryle play major roles in this story. This book also shows the connections among prominent astronomers like Oort, Minkowski, Baade, Struve, famous scientists in the UK such as J.A. Ratcliffe, Edward Appleton and Henry Tizard, and the engineers and physicists in Australia who helped develop the field of radio astronomy. Pawsey was appointed the second Director of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (Green Bank, West Virginia) in October 1961; he died in Sydney at the age of 54 in late November 1962. Upper level students, scientists and historians will find the information, much of it from primary sources, relevant to any study of Joseph L. Pawsey or radio astronomy. This is an open access book

Joe Pawsey and the Founding of Australian Radio Astronomy

This open access book is a biography of Joseph L. Pawsey. It examines not only his life but the birth and growth of the field of radio astronomy and the state of science itself in twentieth century Australia. The book explains how an isolated continent with limited resources grew to be one of the leaders in the study of radio astronomy and the design of instruments to do so. Pawsey made a name for himself in the international astronomy community within a decade after WWII and coined the term radio astronomy. His most valuable talent was his ability to recruit and support bright young scientists who became the technical and methodological innovators of the era, building new telescopes from the Mills Cross and Chris (Christiansen) Cross to the Parkes radio telescope. The development of aperture synthesis and the controversy surrounding the cosmological interpretation of the first major survey which resulted in the Sydney research group's disagreements with Nobel laureate Martin Ryle play major roles in this story. This book also shows the connections among prominent astronomers like Oort, Minkowski, Baade, Struve, famous scientists in the UK such as J.A. Ratcliffe, Edward Appleton and Henry Tizard, and the engineers and physicists in Australia who helped develop the field of radio astronomy. Pawsey was appointed the second Director of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (Green Bank, West Virginia) in October 1961; he died in Sydney at the age of 54 in late November 1962. Upper level students, scientists and historians will find the information, much of it from primary sources, relevant to any study of Joseph L. Pawsey or radio astronomy. This is an open access book