On-line calculation of the latest starting time for repetitive process progress schedule based on feedback control approach

This paper proposes an on-line calculating method of the latest starting times of input parts which make the completing time be in time for the prescribed schedule for multi-input, multi-output, repetitive process progress scheduling. The proposed method is an extension of an event-driven calculation method, which we have proposed using max-plus algebra, to the time-driven case. The obtained calculation method from the proposed approach can be regarded as a state feedback control law because it calculates the latest starting times of input parts from the the prescribed output schedule and the subsequent internal state values, which represent the starting and ending time of the subsequent jobs. Therefore, it has a robust property against real-time changes of process progress scheduling.