Abstract
This paper presents an approach that can be applied in the design of holonic manufacturing systems (HMSs). The development combines concepts from object-oriented analysis, software architecture design, object-oriented simulation and software implementation. In object-oriented analysis, the object-oriented modeling technology is proposed as a method for capturing and representing the specification of holons with the features of reusability, re-configurability and scalability. A holonic design pattern (CWS holon) is suggested to cope with the dynamic environment without the need for major change in control software and hardware during run-time. The object-oriented simulation is used to bridge the gaps existing between object-oriented analysis/design and software programming. In software implementation, the 3-tier architecture is proposed to implement the idea of the holonic manufacturing control system based on Web-based technology. In this paper, we both present problems and build models required for the development of holonic manufacturing control systems (HMCSs). The specific tasks are: (1) to propose an appropriate software architecture for HMCSs, (2) to define the specification of a cell-workstation (CWS) holon, (3) to advocate the use of design pattern to build reusable, reconfigurable and extendible control software for the CWS holon, (4) to design the cooperative mechanism (contract net) for better system adaptability, (5) to upgrade communication capability of exiting CNC machines from RS232C to TCP/IP based on Ethernet. Finally, to demonstrate the proposed development, a paradigm of a holonic flexible manufacturing system was designed and implemented. Not only does this methodology require less time and cost in evolutionary control software, it also greatly enhances the competitive capability of companies operating on a flexible basis.