An architecture of configurable equipment connectivity in a future manufacturing information system

This paper discusses equipment integration architecture on the shop floor, aiming at design and development of suitable, intelligent, and cost-effective shop floor connectivity for future manufacturing information systems. Generic equipment connectivity is defined as a platform capable for continuous customization. By loading configurable equipment connectivity components and an equipment characteristic descriptor, generic equipment connectivity is enabled for supporting designated communication protocols. By considering data from a variety of heterogeneous sources in an advanced manufacturing information system, an RDF-type (resource description framework) schema is used as an effective vehicle for assimilating different information structures and semantics. Effective mechanisms are created to extract pertinent information among overwhelming data from heterogeneous sources. The proposed architecture provides a necessary foundation for the creation of generic equipment connectivity on the shop floor.