Real-time task decomposition and allocation for a multi-agent robotic assembly cell

In this paper, a robotic assembly system with decentralized architecture is studied. In order to achieve high flexibility and reconfigurability, the system consists of autonomous agents, "holons"; each of assembly devices is controlled by its own holon, "execution holon" and each of assembly operations is handled by a holon, "operation holon". Operation holons are dynamically created and destroyed to execute assembly tasks. When an assembly task is launched in the system, the task is decomposed recursively into primitive operations, which are allocated to assembly devices in real time by inter-holon negotiation. The performance of this task allocation mechanism is validated in simulation. Experimental results on a real assembly system are also presented.