Fault recovery in distributed manufacturing systems by emergent holonic re-configuration: A fuzzy multi-agent modeling approach
This paper introduces a novel distributed fault recovery technique that could be useful in the design of re-configurable holonic manufacturing systems. The method minimizes the fuzzy entropy in the vague information spread across the multi-agent system (MAS). Minimal entropy induces optimal grouping of the agents in holonic clusters. After a brief introduction to the multi-agent modeling of holonic manufacturing systems, we present a framework for distributed control of holonic re-configurable production systems. Then our approach to fuzzy modeling of MASs is exposed as a tool enabling emergent holonic clustering of the agents. Implemented at the logical level of resource grouping in our distributed control mechanism, the proposed approach enables system re-configuration. The emerging new structures can accomplish fault-recovery by re-distribution of tasks in case a resource fails and as well can re-configure production by dynamic re-allocation of resources for newly received high-priority tasks.
fault recovery holonic manufacturing distributed control fuzzy multi-agent systems modeling production re-configuration emergent holonic structure