Resource Allocation in Free-choice Multiple Reentrant Manufacturing Systems Based on Machine-job Incidence Matrix

In this paper, we introduce machine-job incidence (MJI) matrix that can be obtained from Steward sequencing matrix and Kusiak machine-part incidence matrix. Methods for determination of structural properties of free-choice multiple reentrant systems (FMRF) are proposed and an explanation on how the content (number of active jobs) of those structures can be controlled. This paper gives a new method on how to determine if allocation of resources, in a form of repeatable sequences, gives stable system behavior. Although efficiency of the proposed methods have been demonstrated on examples involving manufacturing workcells, the method can be used for other discrete-event systems as well, as long as the system under study belongs to FMRF class.