Agents-based interaction protocols and topologies in manufacturing task allocation

The focus of this paper is on interaction protocols and topologies of multi-agent systems for task allocation in manufacturing applications. Resource agents in manufacturing are members of a network whose possible logical topologies and governing interaction protocol influence the scheduling and control in the multi-agent system. Four models are identified in the paper, each having specific rules and characteristics for scheduling and task allocation. The models use either a standard interaction method such as Contract-Net Protocol (CNP), or a different method proposed in this research. A Java-based multi-agent system was developed to simulate different scenarios of task allocation and to compare the four models in terms of performance indicators. Data from an industrial case study involving a manufacturing shop floor was used to evaluate the performance of the models. The results indicate meaningful differences between the four models, and highlight the performance potential of a proposed task allocation model.