A Framework for Modeling Agent-based Control of Service-enabled Manufacturing Systems

The next generation of manufacturing systems will need to support different technologies such as Web Services (WSs) and Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) in order to create dynamic production sites that can adapt better to frequent configuration changes. Despite the fact that many devices already support the use of these technologies, still many of the software tools currently available for designing and modeling manufacturing systems include only partial or not support at all. Besides modeling the mechanical, electrical, or automation features of a manufacturing system, a design tool will be also expected to support modeling WSs and control agents in order to facilitate a streamlined design flow. This paper presents a framework for a software tool which includes capabilities for discovery and invocation of WSs provided by devices, as well as for modeling composition of WSs. Additionally, the framework supports modeling of control agents, their automatic generation, and linkage to WSs.