Conflict-Free Routing Scheduling of OHTs Based on Multi-agent Intelligent Control System Framework  

作　　者：周炳海 王翥 郑雯 

机构地区：[1]School of Mechanical Engineering,Tongji University

出　　处：《Journal of Donghua University(English Edition)》2012年第6期484-488,共5页东华大学学报（英文版）

基　　金：National Natural Science Foundations of China(No. 61273035,No. 71071115);National High-Tech R&D Program for CIMS,China(No. 2009AA043000)

摘　　要：Overhead-hoist-transporters (OHTs) have become the most appropriate tools to transport wafer lots between inter-bay and intra-bay in united layouts of automated material handling systems (AMHSs) in 300 mm semiconductor wafer fabrications. To obtain a conflict-free scheduling solution, an intelligent multi-agent-based control system framework was built to support the AMHSs. And corresponding algorithms and rules were proposed to implement cooperation among agents. On the basis of the mentioned above, a time-constraint-based heuristic scheduling algorithm was presented to support the routing decision agent in searching the conflict-free shortest path. In the construction of the algorithm, the conflicted intervals of the k-shortest-route were identified with the time window theory. The most available path was chosen with an objective of the minimum completion time. The back tracking method was combined to finish the routing scheduling. Finally, experiments of the proposed method were simulated. The results show that the multi-agent framework is suitable and the proposed scheduling algorithm is feasible and valid.Overhead-hoist-transporters （ OHTs ） have become the most appropriate tools to transport wafer lots between inter-bay and intra-bay in united layouts of automated material handling systems （AMHSs） in 300 mm semiconductor wafer fabrications. To obtain a conflict-free scheduling solution, an intelligent multi-agent-based control system framework was built to support the AMHSs. And corresponding algorithms and rules were proposed to implement cooperation among agents. On the basis of the mentioned above, a time-constraint.based heuristic scheduling algorithm was presented to support the routing decision agent in searching the conflict-free shortest path. In the construction of the algorithm, the conflicted intervals of the k-shortest-route were identified with the time window theory. The most available path was chosen with an objective of the minimum completion time. The back tracking method was combined to finish the routing scheduling. Finally, experiments of the proposed method were simulated. The results show that the multi- agent framework is suitable and the proposed scheduling algorithm is feasible and valid.

关 键 词：overhead-hoist-transporter (OHT) automated material handling system(AMHS) SCHEDULING conflict-free MULTI-AGENT SYSTEM algorithm 

分 类 号：TP29[自动化与计算机技术—检测技术与自动化装置]