Autonomous control of production networks using a pheromone approach

D. Armbruster, C. de Beer, M. Freitag, T. Jagalski and C. Ringhofer

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2006, vol. 363, issue 1, 104-114

Abstract: The flow of parts through a production network is usually pre-planned by a central control system. Such central control fails in presence of highly fluctuating demand and/or unforeseen disturbances. To manage such dynamic networks according to low work-in-progress and short throughput times, an autonomous control approach is proposed. Autonomous control means a decentralized routing of the autonomous parts themselves. The parts’ decisions base on backward propagated information about the throughput times of finished parts for different routes. So, routes with shorter throughput times attract parts to use this route again. This process can be compared to ants leaving pheromones on their way to communicate with following ants.

Keywords: Production networks; Autonomous control; Pheromones; Discrete-event simulation models; Fluid models (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:363:y:2006:i:1:p:104-114

DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2006.01.052

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