Material Flow

In OptiMaFlow, we intend to use the Material Flow Description Language (MFDL) to describe material flows in a declarative manner. A material flow is composed of a set of tasks. Each task consists of multiple orders that are assigned to a single AMR. The transport order represents the process of picking up an item from location A and transporting it to a designated delivery location B. Additionally, there are move orders that specify the movement of the AMR within the warehouse, and action orders that describe specific actions such as loading and unloading. A task with all of its orders will always be assigned to a single AMR.

Material Flow Logical Agent

Material Flow (MF) Logical Agents play a crucial role in coordinating and managing the assignment and execution of tasks within the cyber space. Unlike AMR Logical Agents that represent physical assets, MF Logical Agents solely exist in the cyber space. Their primary responsibility is to ensure the successful assignment and execution of a specific set of tasks.

To achieve this, MF Logical Agents can communicate with other MF Logical Agents and AMR Logical Agents. This allows them to assign tasks from their material flow to the appropriate AMRs, considering factors such as availability and efficiency.

In a decentralized architecture, multiple MF Logical Agents can coexist in the cyber space simultaneously, each managing its own set of tasks.

Algorithms

Different algorithms can be applied to assign tasks to an AMR using centralized or decentralized Task Assignment Algorithms. Some Task Assignment Algorithms require cost calculations that are delegated to the Task Management of the AMR Logical Agent. It is necessary to select an Algorithm to give the agent functionality.

SOLA Connection

The SOLA Connection is a socket enabling the Material Flow Logical Agent to send and receive messages through the SOLA Network. All sent messages are generated by the Algorithms components and forwarded to those accordingly.