A system reconfiguration architecture for hybrid automation systems based in agents and programmable logic controllers

As web related technologies continue to find their way into production related activities, their true potential can only be explored with a shop floor that is cyber-physically agile. This means the ability to quickly reconfigure a production system during production changeovers while significantly reducing setup times and non value-adding activities keeping the overall performance of the control system. Currently, system reconfiguration in mainly supported by reprogramming. However, reprogramming of large complex systems is often a time consuming and risky activity since it has a non negligible potential for introducing errors which normally result in long debugging times. In this context, this paper details an agent-based system architecture that enables quick system reconfiguration and minimizes the reprogramming effort. For this purpose a production system is abstracted as a multiagent system that dynamically interacts with a native, programmable-logic-controller-based control system and is able to re-parametrize it. The focus on re-parametrization means that the native system can still operate in the absence of the agent system which improves the overall robustness of the solution, using readily available equipment and enables its integration with legacy systems.