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Self organizing industrial control system using bidding process

  • US 6,091,998 A
  • Filed: 09/30/1998
  • Issued: 07/18/2000
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An industrial control system for controlling an industrial process of interconnected machines operating on a manufactured product, the industrial control comprising:

  • a communication link receiving a job description of a set of tasks for producing a desired product;

    a plurality of autonomous control units, one associated with each machine, each autonomous control unit including;

    (a) an interface connecting the autonomous control unit to the communications link to communicate thereon with other autonomous control units;

    (b) an electronic memory holding data representing;

    (i) machine constraints indicating constraints on the operation of the associated machine resulting from the limitations of the machine;

    (ii) inter-machine constraints indicating constraints on the operation of the associated machine resulting from the interaction of the associated machine with other machines;

    (iii) goals indicating desired operating points within the operational constraints; and

    (iv) a bid protocol program;

    (c) an electronic computer communicating with the interface to receive the job description and the electronic memory and executing the bid protocol program to;

    (i) in response to the job description and bids by other autonomous control units, transmitting a bid over the communications link describing performance of a task by the associated equipment operating within the machine constraints, inter-machine constraints and according to the goals and in the alternative, a counterbid proposing new inter-machine constraints;

    (ii) in response to counterbids received over the communication link from other autonomous control units, transmitting a modified bid over the communications link describing performance of a task by the associated equipment operating within the machine constraints, the inter-machine constraints as modified by the received counterbid and according to the goals, and in the alternative, a counterbid proposing new inter-machine constraints;

    whereby the set of tasks for producing the desired product may be automatically allocated among the machines.

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