3.3. Machine agents
According to the configuration, machine agents are set by the plant panel. When setting a machine agent, the machine model and the operation rules are given. The general structure of a machine agent is shown in Fig. 7. When the workpiece/part agent asks whether a requested job can be performed by a machine, the job estimator in the machine agent determines which operations can be processed by the machine itself, checks its own schedule and replies with the possible operations and schedule.
Once a job is allocated by a workpiece/part agent, the job scheduler and operation planner autonomouslyschedules and plans job operations. The command generator generates operation commands. Then, the virtual operation executer simulates controls and operations of the tasks, calculates productivity data and environmental data, and reports them to the plant panel and workpiece/part agent. The machine model is referred to at every stage in a machine agent.