In: Computer Integrated Manufacturing Systems, Vol. 11, No. 3, pages 229-242. 1998.
Abstract: An appropriate specification of user requirements is considered as an essential step leading to the successful implementation of manufacturing cell control systems. It is predicted that the number of Discrete Cell Control (DCC) systems is likely to show a significant increase in the near future. This demand calls for methods to establish a thorough understanding of user needs. These methods, if applied appropriately, could be used for the acquisition, synchronization, analysis and specification of user requirements. This paper reports a method specifically developed to assist the acquisition of user requirements on DCC systems. End-user companies are usually unwilling to invest capital and time at the beginning of a project, therefore, to try to overcome this hurdle, a Short-Period Modeling Method (SPMM) has been created. The method bridges the gap between the existing formal modeling methods and the practical needs of industry. The method, based on Petri nets, is simple to learn and easy to use, but it takes multiple views into account so that the resultant models provide a relatively complete picture of the system under consideration. It has been developed for use during the initial stages of DCC evaluation, as indicated by a research project using the combined expertise and experience of a consortium of academic, vendor and industrial user interests.
Keywords: Petri nets, flexible manufacturing systems, requirements analysis.