Traditional simulation languages and simulators do not
fully support the need to design, modify, and extend
simulation models of manufacturing systems, especially,
material handling systems. Since AGV systems, one type of
automated material handling systems, require complicated
control logic, flexible job routings, and frequent layout
modifications and extensions to correspond to production
requirements, the time consumption and efforts to achieve
the above tasks in traditional paradigms are significant.
However, such difficulties can be overcome by the use of
object-oriented simulation.
This research develops an object-oriented modeling
architecture for the simulation of AGV (automated guided
vehicle) systems by extending Beaumariage's object-oriented
modeling environment (1990) which is originally designed for
the simulation of job shop type manufacturing systems. For
this extension, several classes required to comprise an AGV
system are created into the original environment which
include AGV, limited size queue, control point, track
segment, machine cell, AGV system control classes, and so
on. This architecture provides a flexible environment that
enables the modeling of traditional and tandem AGV system
layouts. A best-first search approach, one artificial
intelligence search algorithm, is employed to direct AGVs to
determine the shortest path from all possible travel paths.
The computerized modeling system with this conceptual
architecture is easy to use, especially compared with
traditional simulation tools. In addition, the extended
object-oriented architecture used for the simulation of AGV
systems is program independent and may be implemented in any
object-oriented language.
The prototype system implemented as a portion of this
research is performed in Smalltalk/V. Two case examples are
presented for verification and validation. / Graduation date: 1996
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/34930 |
| Date | 09 June 1995 |
| Creators | Wang, I-Chien |
| Contributors | Beaumariage, Terrence G. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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