Tiny Cyber-Physical Systems for Performance Improvement in the Factory of the Future

• Published in: IEEE transactions on industrial informatics 2019-03, Vol.15 (3), p.1598-1608
• Main Authors: Bonci, Andrea, Pirani, Massimiliano, Longhi, Sauro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Complexity theory; Cyber-physical systems; Cyber-physical systems (CPS); distributed database; embedded systems; Fractals; Manufacturing; Measurement; performance metrics; Production facilities; smart manufacturing
• ISSN: 1551-3203; 1941-0050
• DOI: 10.1109/TII.2018.2855747

This work extends a performance metrics method for the treatability of some classes of problems in manufacturing automation that can be represented as a system-of-systems controlled by a cyber-physical infrastructure. With the use of proper distributed and recursive computing approaches, the complexity of the control of cyber-physical systems can be attacked through a unified and human-centered simple framework that complies with the forthcoming pervasive computing challenges posed by the smart manufacturing scenarios. The aim of this work is to provide the proof of concept of an effective methodology that relies on the decomposition of a production goal into a hierarchical self-similar structure of subgoals for the steering of the system toward improved effectiveness. An implementation of the technique is proposed by means of multiactor and multidatabase paradigms. The simulation of implementation and experimental deployment on low cost embedded device is provided.