The last five decades have witnessed a tremendous growth in computer applications. This increase by any means can be approximated to an exponential growth. The human cognitive abilities on the other hand have not kept pace with the gigantic leap in computer applications. Such a mismatch has forced us to look for abstract models of systems to reduce the number of elements we have to consider simultaneously for system comprehension. This necessity created the need for subsystems that are autonomous in nature and perform a specified task independently irrespective of disturbances occurring in the system. The control and information subsystem design evolved over recent years in a manufacturing environment is a typical case in reference. Distributed computing has totally changed the computing paradigm in recent times resulting in rapid employment of these design trends in the manufacturing sector. An important variable in the equation determining the trend of manufacturing technologies is the consumer choice and preference which has become dynamic recently. To address these heterogeneous user demands, the Autonomous Decentralized System (ADS) concept was introduced two decades ago. The ADS has been a significant development incorporated in modem manufacturing systems and have been standardised as the de-facto standard for factory automation. These systems hold the promise for on-line system maintenance, timeliness and assurance, ensuring greater productivity and cost benefit emerging as the system of choice in automated manufacturing systems. This paper reviews the ADS from its inception, its application to a manufacturing system as a case example, assesses the state of the art and discusses the future trends.
Autonomous decentralized systems, manufacturing systems, distributed computing.
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