자동화 시스템내 셀 콘트롤러의 통신소프트웨어 개발 및 실험

Computer Integrated Manufacturing(CIM) is a growing technology as a solution for the total automation of a manufacturing system. However, the implementation in the shop floor is extremely difficult due to many reasons. Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) is usually considered as a solution for the shop floor automation. One of the difficulties in FMS is the communications problem. Since various machinaries with different communications protocols are included, applying a unified scheme is almost impossible. Therefore, a systematic approach is a key point to solve the communication problem. A cell is defined as an automation unit where closely related for a job reside together. A cell is a messenger between upper level computers and lower level machine equipment. In this research, the functions of the cell are defined to have more capabilities than conventional cell since a cell can be often a total manufacturing system in a small to medium sized factory. The cell conducts communications with different machines through the communications schemes established here. A set of software system has been developed according to the defined communications. The software has been tested for a simulation and real experiments for proof.