Software design of distributed manufacturing control systems

Abstract

How a software design method for distributed real-time applications can be used to design distributed manufacturing control systems which consist of several concurrent tasks executing on multiple modes supported by a local area network is described. The application is a manufacturing control system which controls part manufacturing in a high-volume, low-flexibility assembly plant. The method addresses the needs of distributed real-time manufacturing applications by providing criteria for structuring subsystems into concurrent tasks. The method leads to a design which is primarily message based.<>