The aim of this paper is to present a component-based approach for the design of transitic systems and their implementation on operational architecture. It considers a flow that applies from specifications to integration the same model. This model is obtai

A Component-Based Approach

Thierry COUDERT, Pascal BERRUET, Jean-Luc PHILIPPE

Université Bretagne SudLESTER - Centre de RechercheRue de Saint Maude - BP 9211656321 LORIENT Cedex - FRANCE

{thierry.coudert, pascal.berruet, jean-luc.philippe}@univ-ubs.fr

Abstract –The aim of this paper is to present a component-based approach for the design of transitic systems and theirimplementation on operational architecture. It considers a flowthat applies from specifications to integration the same model.This model is obtained from design requirements. Two steps arethen conjointly performed: validation and prototyping.Validation is based on simulation and a more formal approach.Prototyping enables choice of parameters and controlelaboration. The last step is the integration. The different partsof the workshop have to be installed and controls implementedon classical Programmable Logic Controllers or on dedicatedones: the nano-controllers.

I. INTRODUCTION

Transitic systems are particular manufacturing systemsthat transport parcels from different locations with a fast flowand dispatch them to their right locations. They are composedof different types of conveyors, elevators, consignments,sorters, and automated guided vehicles (Fig. 1). Conveyorscan be linear, curved, and circular. They can have pneumaticjacks, stops, and switchings.

Designers of such manufacturing systems are confrontedto many problems. The complexity requires modularapproaches in order to decompose very large and complexdesign problems in more simple ones. The bestappropriateness between functional solutions and materialarchitecture has to be obtain at the earliest stage of design.Facing very competitive markets, time to design andimplement a new transitic system has to be reduced. Atransitic system has to be robust, easy to maintain, easy tocontrol, flexible, modular and fault tolerant. Several solutionsare possible with different costs and have to be evaluated inorder to choose the optimal one. The reusability aspect is alsovery important enabling designers to reuse some validatedparts.

This work concerns a major project that provides aframework from design to integration of transitic systemsincluding both control and material part. The goal is topropose to designers a component-based model enablingthem to choose the different physical parts of the real system,to design the control, to check the behaviour of the controlledsystem and to test it before on-site implementation. When thedifferent components are well parameterised, chosen andorganised, the control is coherent and the system behaviour isconsistent with specifications, the obtained model can beimplemented on an operational architecture.

Fig. 1: Example of transitic system

The general approach is summarised Fig. 2. It considers aflow that applies from specifications to integration the samecomponent-based model obtained from design requirements(modelling step). On the basis of this model, two steps arethen conjointly performed: prototyping and validation. Theprototyping step enables choice of physical parameters andcontrol elaboration. The validation step is based onsimulation and a more formal approach based on constraintssatisfaction. The model is then implemented on theoperational architecture (integration step). Parts of thetransitic system have to be put together on the workshop andcontrols have to be implemented on controllers.

Fig. 2: Design flow approach