A simulation-based controller for distributed discrete-event systems with application to flexible manufacturing

Today, sophisticated discrete-event systems (DES) are being proposed and designed to operate under advanced computer control. In most cases, the complexity of the overall planning and control problem for managing these sq stems necessitates the use of distributed planning and control architectures. Currently, there is little formalism guiding the construction of these architectures. In this paper, a new coordination architecture, called the Recursive Object-Oriented Control Hierarchy (ROOCH), is employed to address the real-time management of these systems. In addition, a new simulation approach, called Hierarchical Object-Oriented Programmable Logic Simulator (HOOPLS), is introduced for modeling the ROOCH. In order to demonstrate the benefits arising from both the ROOCH architecture and the associated HOOPLS modeling paradigm, the construction of the real-time control architecture for a physical emulator of a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) will be discussed.