Uses and applications of artificial intelligence in manufacturing

The purpose of the THESIS is to provide engineers and personnels with a overview of the concepts that underline Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems. Artificial Intelligence is concerned with the developments of theories and techniques required to provide a computational engine with the abilities to perceive, think and act, in an intelligent manner in a complex environment. Expert system is branch of Artificial Intelligence where the methods of reasoning emulate those of human experts. Artificial Intelligence derives it\u27s power from its ability to represent complex forms of knowledge, some of it common sense, heuristic and symbolic, and the ability to apply the knowledge in searching for solutions. The Thesis will review : The components of an intelligent system, The basics of knowledge representation, Search based problem solving methods, Expert system technologies, Uses and applications of AI in various manufacturing areas like Design, Process Planning, Production Management, Energy Management, Quality Assurance, Manufacturing Simulation, Robotics, Machine Vision etc. Prime objectives of the Thesis are to understand the basic concepts underlying Artificial Intelligence and be able to identify where the technology may be applied in the field of Manufacturing Engineering

A review and classification of computer-based manufacturing scheduling tools

Computer-based manufacturing scheduling tools can play a key role in the management of industrial operations, as obtaining economic and reliable schedules is at the core of excellence in customer service and of efficiency in manufacturing companies. As a consequence, this topic has been receiving an increasing interest in the last decades, resulting in a number of case studies and descriptions of implementation of these tools. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no review of these cases in order to classify existing references and to identify relevant issues still not properly addressed. Therefore, in this paper we carry out a systematic review of case studies of manufacturing scheduling tools. In order to provide a coherent taxonomy for the analysis of these tools, we develop a classification based on the functionalities of the manufacturing scheduling tools. Using this framework, existing contributions are classified and discussed, and a number of conclusions and open issues are identified. We hope that our work can establish a coherent picture of the topic so it serves as a starting point for future research

Proceedings of the 2nd Conference on Production Systems and Logistics (CPSL 2021)

Proceedings of the CPSL 202

Decision support systems for task scheduling: applications in manufacturing and healthcare

Esta Tesis se centra en el problema de la programación de tareas. Aunque pueden encontrarse diferentes definiciones de la programación de tareas en la literatura, aquí se define como la asignación de un número de tareas – acciones individuales que deben realizarse para completar un determinado proceso-, a un conjunto de recursos, en momentos de tiempo específicos. Pueden encontrarse ejemplos de programación de tareas en muchos contextos, como por ejemplo, el orden en el que deben fabricarse las diferentes partes de un coche, la asignación de quirófanos y cirujanos a intervenciones quirúrgicas en un hospital, o el orden en el que deben ser servidos los clientes de un restaurante. La programación de tareas supone un elemento clave en muchas compañías, en el campo de los servicios y en el de la fabricación, ya que es esencial para la coordinación del trabajo entre los diferentes actores involucrados, tales como departamentos, recursos (físicos y humanos) o entidades externas. En la mayoría de los casos, la programación de tareas conlleva trabajar con grandes cantidades de datos relacionados con el proceso y gestionar correctamente el conjunto de restricciones que controlan el proceso. Como consecuencia de esto, la programación de tareas suele hacerse con ayuda de herramientas informáticas que ofrecen algún tipo de soporte para el decisor. A este respecto, el auge de las Tecnologías de la Información (TI) en las últimas décadas ha ayudado enormemente al desarrollo de sistemas computarizados que ofrecen soporte a la toma de decisiones – Sistemas de Soporte a la Decisión (SSD) – en muchos ámbitos, incluyendo la programación de tareas. Además, ha habido un notable aumento en la capacidad computacional que ha hecho posible afrontar problemas de programación de tareas que se consideraban irresolubles hace algunos años. A pesar de estos avances, se ha detectado un gap entre teoría y práctica al llevar estas nuevas condiciones a la práctica, que puede ser demostrado por el limitado número de sistemas que se han implementado y aceptado por los usuarios satisfactoriamente. La hipótesis de trabajo de esta Tesis es que, para reducir este gap entre teoría y práctica, estos sistemas deberían considerar un conjunto de aspectos que se han estudiado en la literatura pero que no se han tenido en cuenta en el proceso de implementación, tales como el rol del decisor en el sistema, el contexto organizacional donde se toman las decisiones para la programación o la consideración de la programación como un proceso dinámico. Normalmente, cada vez que una empresa necesita implementar un SSD para la programación de tareas (SSDPT), es posible elegir entre dos opciones: adquirir una solución off-the-shelf, o diseñar y desarrollar una herramienta personalizada. Cuando se elige la primera opción, normalmente la solución no se adapta perfectamente a las actividades de la empresa, y considerando que la programación de tareas es muy dependiente del contexto, esta opción puede resultar en una situación muy documentada en la literatura en la que se consigue una implementación muy limitada en la que hay diferentes sistemas de información trabajando en paralelo para tener en cuenta las diferentes especificidades de la empresa. Por otro lado, si se opta por la segunda opción, esta suele derivar en largos tiempos de implementación con resultados pobres, ya que el equipo de desarrollo podría no tener en cuenta los errores y aciertos de otras implementaciones, tales como las funcionalidades que un sistema debería tener o los perfiles que se debería dar a los diferentes usuarios. Como resumen podríamos decir que el diseño y la implementación de SSDPT tienen un conjunto de problemas que constituyes una de las principales causas del gap existente entre la teoría de la programación de tareas y su implementación en la práctica. Para mejorar la actividad de diseño y desarrollo de SSDPT, el objetivo de esta tesis es proponer un framework común para el desarrollo de SSDPT. Para asegurar su validez y analizar su rango de aplicación, se analiza su factibilidad en dos sectores de aplicación, fabricación y salud, y se llevan a cabo dos casos de estudio en estos sectores. Para conseguir el objetivo general de la Tesis, se consideran un conjunto de objetivos específicos: 1. Proponer un framework para el diseño y desarrollo de SSDPT. • El framework tiene en cuenta todos los problemas detectados en la literatura que tienen que ver con los fallo a la hora de implementar este tipo de sistemas. Este framework se detalla mediante un conjunto de perspectivas. 2. Analizar las implementaciones existentes de SSDPT para analizar la alineación del framework propuesto con las implementaciones existentes de este tipo de sistemas en los dos campos de aplicación. • Se lleva a cabo una revisión sistemática de la literatura en SSDPT en fabricación. Las contribuciones revisadas se clasifican de acuerdo a las funcionalidades que presentan. Se analizan y discuten una serie de resultados y conclusiones de los mismos. Además se realiza una revisión de SSDPT comerciales para la programación de quirófanos. Estas contribuciones también se clasifican según sus funcionalidades y se presentan y discuten una serie de resultados y conclusiones. 3. Levar a cabo el diseño e implementación de dos SSDPT de acuerdo con el framework propuesto para demostrar su validez. • Basándonos en el framework un SSDPT para fabricación y un SSDPT para la programación de quirófanos han sido propuestos: i. El SSDPT para fabricación se implementó para una empresa de fabricación situada en Sevilla. Primero se describe el contexto en el que el sistema actúa y el problema considerado. Después se estudian los principales casos de uso del sistema y se relacionan con el framework propuesto. Más tarde, se proponen una serie de métodos de resolución eficientes para el problema analizado. Finalmente, se realiza una breve discusión sobre los principales resultados de implementación del sistema. ii. El SSDPT para programación de quirófanos se implementó en un hospital situado en Sevilla. Primero se describe el contexto en el que el sistema actúa y el problema considerado. Después se estudian los principales casos de uso del sistema y se relacionan con el framework propuesto. Más tarde, se proponen una serie de métodos de resolución eficientes para el problema analizado. Finalmente, se realiza una breve discusión sobre los principales resultados de implementación del sistema.This thesis focuses on the problem of task scheduling. Although slightly different definitions of task scheduling can be found in the literature, here it is defined as the allocation of a number of tasks - single actions that must be performed to complete a specific process-, to a set of resources, at specific moments in time. Examples of task scheduling can be found in many settings, as for example, the order in which the different parts of a car have to be manufactured in a set of machines, the allocation of operating rooms and surgeons to the surgical interventions in a hospital, or the order in which the customers of a restaurant should be served. Clearly, task scheduling is a core activity of many companies, both in manufacturing and in services, as it is essential for the coordination of the work between the different involved actors, such as departments, resources (human and physical) or external entities. In most settings, task scheduling involves treating large amounts of data related to the process and properly handling the set of constraints controlling this process. As a consequence, task scheduling is usually carried out with the help of computer tools that offer some type of support to the decision maker. In this regard, the rising of Information Technologies (ITs) in the last decades has helped enormously to develop computer systems providing support for decision making - i.e. Decision Support Systems (DSSs) - for many decisions, including task scheduling. At the same time, there has been a notable increase in computer capacity that has made possible facing task scheduling problems that were considered unsolvable some years ago. Despite these advances, an important gap between theory and practice has been found when translating these new conditions into practice, as it can be proven by the relatively short number of documented systems that have been correctly implemented and accepted by users. The working hypothesis in this Thesis is that, in order to reduce this gap between theory and practice, these tools should consider a number of aspects that have been studied in the literature but that have not been taken into account in practice during the implementation process, such as the role of the decision makers in these tools, the organisational context where scheduling decisions take place or the consideration of scheduling as a dynamic process. Typically, each time a company requires to implement of a DSS for task scheduling, in the following DSSTS, it faces two different options: either acquiring an off-the-shelf solution, or designing and developing an in-house tool. If the former option is chosen, the acquired solution may not fit perfectly into the activities of the company, and, since task scheduling is company-specific, this approach may result in a situation widely documented in the literature where there exist limited implementations that needs information systems working in parallel to deal with the specificities of the company. On the contrary, the second option usually derives in large implementation times with poor results, as the development team may not take into account errors or successes from former implementations, such as the functionalities that the system should include or the profiles required for the decision makers among others. As a summary, the design and implementation of DSSTS suffer a number of problems which constitute a root cause for the existing gap between the scheduling theory and its implementation into practice. In order to improve the activity of designing and developing DSSTS, the aim of this thesis is to propose a common framework for the development of DSSTS. In order to ensure the validity and range of application of this framework, its feasibility is analysed within two specific fields of applications, namely manufacturing and healthcare, and two implementation case studies are conducted within these fields. In order to fullfil this general objective, a number of specific objectives can be detailed: 1. To propose a framework for the design and development of DSSTS. • This framework address all the issues found in literature regarding the common failures when implementing this type of systems. A number of perspectives of the framework are given in order to properly detail it. 2. To analyse existing implementations of DSSTS in order to check the alignment of the framework proposed with the task scheduling systems implemented in the two sectors chosen for the evaluation of the framework. • A systematic literature review on manufacturing DSSTS is carried out. The reviewed contributions are classified according to their functionalities. A number of findings and conclusions about these findings are discussed. Additionally, a review on commercial operating room DSSTS is done. These contributions are also classified according to their functionality and a number of findings and conclusions about these findings are discussed. 3. To conduct the design and implementation of two DSSTS according to the proposed framework in order to demonstrate its applicability. • Based on the proposed framework, a manufacturing DSSTS and an operating room DSSTS are implemented: i. The manufacturing DSSTS is applied to a real manufacturing company in Sevilla. First, we describe the context where the DSSTS is deployed and the problem addressed, i.e. the hybrid flowshop scheduling problem with missing operations. Then, the main use cases of the DSSTS are discussed and related to the framework. Next, a set of efficient solution procedures for the problem under study are proposed. And finally, a brief discussion on the main results of the implementation of the DSSTS is carried out. ii. The operating room DSSTS is applied to a real hospital in Sevilla. First, we describe the context where the DSSTS is deployed and the problem addressed, i.e. the the operating room scheduling problem. Then, the main use cases of the DSSTS are discussed and related to the framework. Next, a set of efficient solution procedures for the problem under study are proposed. And finally, a brief discussion on the main results of the implementation of the DSSTS is carried out

Worker-robot cooperation and integration into the manufacturing workcell via the holonic control architecture

Cooperative manufacturing is a new field of research, which addresses new challenges beyond the physical safety of the worker. Those new challenges appear due to the need to connect the worker and the cobot from the informatics point of view in one cooperative workcell. This requires developing an appropriate manufacturing control system, which fits the nature of both the worker and the cobot. Furthermore, the manufacturing control system must be able to understand the production variations, to guide the cooperation between worker and the cobot and adapt with the production variations.Die kooperative Fertigung ist ein neues Forschungsgebiet, das sich neuen Herausforderungen stellt. Diese neuen Herausforderungen ergeben sich aus der Notwendigkeit, den Arbeiter und den Cobot aus der Sicht der Informatik in einem kooperativen Arbeitsplatz zu verbinden. Dies erfordert die Entwicklung eines geeigneten Produktionskontrollsystems, das sowohl der Natur des Arbeiters als auch der des Cobots entspricht. Darüber hinaus muss die Fertigungssteuerung in der Lage sein, die Produktionsschwankungen zu verstehen, um die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Arbeiter und Cobot zu steuern

Α Behavior Trees-based architecture towards operation planning in hybrid manufacturing

In modern manufacturing, the capability of process scheduling and task allocation is a major feature for the proper organization of complex production schedules. More particularly, the case of human-robot collaboration within assembly lines is considered as a quite challenging field, where an efficient process scheduling can reduce products’ delivery times, increasing in parallel its quality. The purpose of this paper is to propose an approach focusing on operation planning for Human-Robot Collaborative processes that consist of many tasks and multiple resources, such as the assembly of large-scale parts. The implementation of the Human-Robot Operation Planning (HROP) module is presented, which aim at the allocation of multiple operations between multiple and different types of resources. This development’s main pillar is a dynamic decision-making logic that combines both constraints, that exclude resources from the evaluation, as well as mathematical criteria, that provide finally a specific solution. The HROP particularity is that it is developed under the Behavior Trees (BT) architecture. For the validation of the proposed approach, a case study under a real industrial environment of the automotive industry is presented, based on the assembly of large-scale parts, such as buses, in a hybrid cell of both human operators and multi-type robots

A generic architecture for interactive intelligent tutoring systems

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 07/06/2001.This research is focused on developing a generic intelligent architecture for an interactive tutoring system. A review of the literature in the areas of instructional theories, cognitive and social views of learning, intelligent tutoring systems development methodologies, and knowledge representation methods was conducted. As a result, a generic ITS development architecture (GeNisa) has been proposed, which combines the features of knowledge base systems (KBS) with object-oriented methodology. The GeNisa architecture consists of the following components: a tutorial events communication module, which encapsulates the interactive processes and other independent computations between different components; a software design toolkit; and an autonomous knowledge acquisition from a probabilistic knowledge base. A graphical application development environment includes tools to support application development, and learning environments and which use a case scenario as a basis for instruction. The generic architecture is designed to support client-side execution in a Web browser environment, and further testing will show that it can disseminate applications over the World Wide Web. Such an architecture can be adapted to different teaching styles and domains, and reusing instructional materials automatically can reduce the effort of the courseware developer (hence cost and time) in authoring new materials. GeNisa was implemented using Java scripts, and subsequently evaluated at various commercial and academic organisations. Parameters chosen for the evaluation include quality of courseware, relevancy of case scenarios, portability to other platforms, ease of use, content, user-friendliness, screen display, clarity, topic interest, and overall satisfaction with GeNisa. In general, the evaluation focused on the novel characteristics and performances of the GeNisa architecture in comparison with other ITS and the results obtained are discussed and analysed. On the basis of the experience gained during the literature research and GeNisa development and evaluation. a generic methodology for ITS development is proposed as well as the requirements for the further development of ITS tools. Finally, conclusions are drawn and areas for further research are identified

An integration framework for managing rich organisational process knowledge

The problem we have addressed in this dissertation is that of designing a pragmatic framework for integrating the synthesis and management of organisational process knowledge which is based on domain-independent AI planning and plan representations. Our solution has focused on a set of framework components which provide methods, tools and representations to accomplish this task.In the framework we address a lifecycle of this knowledge which begins with a methodological approach to acquiring information about the process domain. We show that this initial domain specification can be translated into a common constraint-based model of activity (based on the work of Tate, 1996c and 1996d) which can then be operationalised for use in an AI planner. This model of activity is ontologically underpinned and may be expressed with a flexible and extensible language based on a sorted first-order logic. The model combines perspectives covering both the space of behaviour as well as the space of decisions. Synthesised or modified processes/plans can be translated to and from the common representation in order to support knowledge sharing, visualisation and mixed-initiative interaction.This work united past and present Edinburgh research on planning and infused it with perspectives from design rationale, requirements engineering, and process knowledge sharing. The implementation has been applied to a portfolio of scenarios which include process examples from business, manufacturing, construction and military operations. An archive of this work is available at: http://www.aiai.ed.ac.uk/~oplan/cpf

Space Station Freedom automation and robotics: An assessment of the potential for increased productivity

This report presents the results of a study performed in support of the Space Station Freedom Advanced Development Program, under the sponsorship of the Space Station Engineering (Code MT), Office of Space Flight. The study consisted of the collection, compilation, and analysis of lessons learned, crew time requirements, and other factors influencing the application of advanced automation and robotics, with emphasis on potential improvements in productivity. The lessons learned data collected were based primarily on Skylab, Spacelab, and other Space Shuttle experiences, consisting principally of interviews with current and former crew members and other NASA personnel with relevant experience. The objectives of this report are to present a summary of this data and its analysis, and to present conclusions regarding promising areas for the application of advanced automation and robotics technology to the Space Station Freedom and the potential benefits in terms of increased productivity. In this study, primary emphasis was placed on advanced automation technology because of its fairly extensive utilization within private industry including the aerospace sector. In contrast, other than the Remote Manipulator System (RMS), there has been relatively limited experience with advanced robotics technology applicable to the Space Station. This report should be used as a guide and is not intended to be used as a substitute for official Astronaut Office crew positions on specific issues