| A set of heterogeneous entities is typically used to perform the various operations involved in manufacturing. There is a need to define the software representation of manufacturing entities so that they reflect the ability to integrate with other entities and handle the enhanced levels of control functionality that integration will allow. The entities should be represented in a standard format so that a generic message set can be developed for controlling them. The entity representation should support the control of the entity from any source. It should also support simulation of the entity for its evaluation in terms of suitability for the manufacturing system and development and validation of control code. The current software representations of manufacturing entities, MMS and the ESPRIT approach, lack the ability to robustly model a manufacturing entity.;This research presents a modeling methodology for multi-axis manufacturing entities. This model, called Open Control Interface (OCI), provides a mechanism for controlling a multi-axis manufacturing entity from remote entities and programs. Unlike the traditionally used functional decomposition process to model the manufacturing entities, the OCI approach encapsulates both physical and functional characteristics of the manufacturing entities into modules that form the model. The physical modules make the mapping from the model to the physical components almost one-to-one, thus easing the abstraction process. The separation of functional and physical modules also provide a potential for simulating the manufacturing entity for evaluating it for its suitability for a manufacturing system. The OCI methodology provides a formal specification of the modules and their interactions, allowing for formal reasoning about the behavior of the system. |
