Control System for Real-Time Weighing and Distributing in Raw Material Yard
Abstract
Raw material feeders are essential to the whole production process in any industry, making them an integral part of todays manufacturing systems and processes. To ensure efficient product output and in order to remain competitive, companies must invest in a well-functioning, efficient feeder system. However, a traditional approach to feeder control has limitations and is both time and labor intensive. This paper presents a real-time weighing and distributing system based on Multi-Agent System (MAS) technology, guaranteeing dynamic and effective control of any automatic feeder system. The system can simultaneously monitor the load, weight and conveying rate of the feeding conveyor, ensuring that the flow of feed material is properly regulated. The system also enables a dynamic distribution of material among multiple feeding units. Experiments conducted on a demo virtual environment prove the feasibility of the real-time weighing and distributing system, suggesting that this technology could improve operational performance in many field applications.
Keywords: Multi-Agent Systems, Weighing and Distributing, Real-Time Control
1. Introduction
Weighing and distributing systems are essential to guarantee the efficient flow of raw materials in production processes. The use of reliable weighing systems and feeders significantly contributes to accurate and consistent results, often accompanied by significant cost reduction. As a result, efficient feeder systems are highly sought-after by many companies and organizations today.
Despite the importance of these systems, traditional approaches are incapable of providing flexible real-time control. This means that the control tasks have to be handled manually, which is both time and labor intensive. To break free from this traditional approach and to gain competitive edge by providing better services to customers, many companies are turning to Multi-Agent System (MAS) technology as a potential solution.
2. MAS-Based Real-Time Weighing and Distributing System
The MAS-Based Real-Time Weighing and Distributing System is a distributed and autonomous system that is capable of dynamically monitoring and controlling the flow of feed material in an automated feeder system.
The system is composed of multiple artificial agents, each responsible for a sub-task that is necessary for the overall system to function. These agents include a Monitoring Agent (MA), a Distribution Agent (DA), a Load Agent (LA), and a Weight Agent (WA).
The MA is responsible for monitoring the load and the weight of each feeding unit, as well as the conveying rate of the conveyor. This enables the system to accurately detect the amount of material in each feeding unit, ensuring that the flow of material is regulated properly.
The DA is responsible for dynamically distributing the incoming material among multiple feeding units. The DA gathers the load and weight readings of each feeding unit, as well as the desired conveying load, and uses this information to determine the optimal distribution of material.
The LA and WA are responsible for regulating the flow of material at the feeding units, respectively. The LA adjusts the opening of the feeding gate depending on the calculated conveying rate, while the WA ensures the accuracy of the material weight in each unit by controlling the feeder motors.
The agents work together to monitor and control the system using an intelligent algorithm, allowing for an adaptive and dynamic control of the system.
3. Experimental Results
To evaluate the performance of the system, an experiment was conducted on a demo virtual environment.
The results show that the system was able to accurately regulate the flow of feed material in the system. The system also showed promising results in terms of dynamic distribution of material among multiple feeding units.
The total time required to regulate the system was also significantly reduced, suggesting that the MAS-Based Real-Time Weighing and Distributing System could provide much improved operational performance compared to traditional approaches.
4. Conclusion
This paper presented a real-time weighing and distributing system based on Multi-Agent System (MAS) technology. The system was evaluated using a demo virtual environment and the results showed that the system was able to accurately regulate the flow of feed material, as well as dynamically distribute the material among multiple feeding units. Experiments conducted on the demo environment also prove that the system could significantly reduce the total time required for regulation, suggesting that this technology could be beneficial for many real-world applications.
