System reconfiguration of modular production units using a SOA-based control structure

This paper presents a novel approach for self-reconfiguration and plug-and-play control of modular production units. The approach is based on a service-oriented architecture which allows for a fully decentralized control and communication structure. Each system module is equipped with its own control system and communicates with other units by means of predefined service requests. Hence, the control of the overall system is solely executed by the modules own control and by the exchange of service requests of each station. The approach is implemented on a laboratory bulk good system typically used in the pharmaceutical industry with modular system structure. Results obtained from experiments underline the applicability of the approach.