Table 1 (Abstract P9). Agent list in the digital twin framework for industrial production processes
From: Abstracts from the Energy Informatics.Academy Asia 2021 conference and PhD workshop
Agent | Description |
Process Agent | is a representation of a generic production process with an arbitrary production time. The process agent holds a specific number of product agents, corresponding to the maximum number of products that the specific process can contain. |
Environment Agent | contains the environmental production parameters for a given part of the system. The environment is an essential agent for assessing the relationships between the production environment and the product qualities. In a specific production facility, individual parts of the system can provide various production parameters to the environment agent through IoT devices. The production environment is typically controlled through a controller which adheres to specific setpoints. The environment's behavior can be influenced by processes, products, and resources which it contains. |
Product Agent | is the central object moving through the production facility's pre-defined production stages. The product is affected by the production environment and the process agents. The product's quality is monitored throughout the production flow to ensure that it is kept within the specified restrictions. |
Batch Agent | is highly related to the product agents but functions as a collective reference point for all product agents within the same batch. A batch may hence be constituted of multiple product agents that adhere to the same logistical parameters. Hence, within the batch agent, information such as product deadline, customer, price, etc., is stored. |
Conveyor Agent | moves the agents within the facility. The conveyors are used within production systems to move the products between processes. The conveyor works autonomously and requires no resource to function. The conveyor agent can function either as an accumulating type or a fixed distance type depending on the specific conveyor used. |
Transportation Agent | is similar to the conveyor agent but is governed by a resource need to function. Hence, the transportation agent requires an available resource to be active, e.g., a forklift needs an operator to work. |
Ressource Agent | represents the resources required to operate the facility. Parts of a facility may be automated and operated independently of available resources, whereas other processes require available resources to function. Personel is an example of a resource agent required to operate specific machinery or, e.g., operate a forklift. Parts of the production flow may hence be limited to resource availability. |
Planning Agent | is the central control unit that determines the movement of products and the facility's operation. In practice, the planning agent can be integrated with the facility's internal signals and is thereby a connection placeholder. However, the planning agent was constructed to allow for scenario testing in which the operation of the DT is decoupled from the actual operation. |