An hybrid knowledge-based / Analytical control system for failure-prone manufacturing systems

The problem of controlling production flows in a failure-prone Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) is approached, when such a FMS is a component working section of a complex manufacturing process. A hierarchical control architecture is formulated, on the basis of the following concepts : a) the possibility of decentralizing the FMS Production Planning and Control (PPC) problem, by its decomposition into a number of PPC sub-problems, each one referred to a machining center included in the FMS itself ; b) the possibility of classifying possibly occurring events, according to their influence either on individual machining centers, or on the whole FMS. To overcome the intrinsic problem complexity, a new Hybrid (partly knowledge-based, partly analytical) Control design methodology is adapted.