Standardized Framework for Evaluating Centralized and Decentralized Control Systems in Modular Assembly Systems

Addressing the need for more flexible modular assembly systems due to an increasing number of product variants, industry utilizes the capabilities of cyber-physical production systems, where automated guided vehicles handle the transport of materials. Such systems require complex control algorithms managing the given flexibility and coordinating the cyber-physical entities. Control algorithms can be organized either in a centralized or decentralized manner. For the development and the performance evaluation of both types of algorithms, no standardized framework exists using the same boundary conditions. Following the principles of virtual commissioning, this work presents a framework composed of three elements: a simulation model representing a modular assembly system, a multi-agent system incorporating centralized or decentralized control logic, and an interface for data-exchange. The framework has been successfully validated implementing a centralized approach, where the system followed a global schedule and a decentralized approach, where a bidding-based agent-system controlled the production flow.