A real-time control simulator design for automated manufacturing systems using Petri nets

A real-time control simulator for automated manufacturing systems is developed using a Petri net approach. This software provides an intuitive design tool with graphical orientation and convenient debugging capability for modeling and control of automated manufacturing systems. The complex interactions among control, communication, and database functions in a manufacturing environment can also be addressed by using a Petri net model. The performance of the system can be easily evaluated by the developed software through computer simulation and real-time implementation. By choosing a proper firing time, the efficiency of the operation of a manufacturing system can be improved. A laboratory prototype automated manufacturing system is used as an example to illustrate the applicability and novelty of the software design