Implementing the concept of Product-Driven Control using Wireless Sensor Networks: some experiments and issues

In the dynamically moving context of mass-customization of products, new manufacturing control architectures, based on the consideration of highly distributed, autonomous, adaptable and efficiently cooperating units integrated by a plug-and-operate approach, seem to be efficient alternatives. Amongst them, the concept of a product-driven distributed control promotes an active role of the product in its own manufacturing. This paper focuses on the possibilities to implement this concept on a case study using wireless sensor networks. 1. FROM INTEGRATED TO AGILE MANUFACTURING CONTROL Advances in the use of Information Technologies in manufacturing systems give manufacturers an opportunity to promote make-to-order business models and mass customization of products (Da Silveira et al. 2001). Facing this wide range of customized customer orders impacts the whole set of enterprise information and control systems (Nof et al. 2006), which integration capability has to be improved according to the Enterprise Integration Capability Model (Hollocks et al. 1997) (EICM Fig. 1), in a dynamically moving context. Adaptable Intelligent system Interoperable Distributed system Visible Integrated system Rigid Hierarchic system Fragmented Fragmented system Fig. 1. Enterprise Integration Capability Model Standards, as the IEC/ISO 62264 (ISO 2003) promoted by the MESA (Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association, http://www.mesa.org), the ISA (Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society, http://www.isa.org) and the ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation, http://www.iso.org), enable manufacturing enterprise-control system integration from the business level to the process level in order to meet industry-led Business-to-Manufacturing issues (Morel et al. 2003) (Fig. 2a). In this context, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) ensure information flow synchronic gateway between enterprise and shop floor control systems and diachronic integration between execution activities (service flows). The main issue is then to ensure consistency of information and product flows. A possible alternative, in order to reach the ‘interoperable’ level of EICM, is to put into question the hierarchical/integrated vision of the enterprise-wide control for a more interoperable or intelligent one by postulating the customized product as the ‘controller’ of the manufacturing enterprise resources (McFarlane et al. 2003, Morel et al. 2005) (Fig. 2b). The product, seen as a good by manufacturing systems, and as information and service supplier by business systems, ensures consistency between physical and informational flows. Plant-control system integration Enterprise-control system integration