Coloured Petri net-based active sensing system of real-time and multi-source manufacturing information for smart factory

The wide use of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in manufacturing shop-floor creates an opportunity to turn the traditional manufacturing factories into smart ones. The synchronous operation between the real shop-floor frontline and virtual production management system is vital in the establishment of smart factories. However, managing a wide variety of sensing devices and processing the large amount of raw captured manufacturing data are difficult for general production operators. In this article, the Coloured Petri net (CPN) technology is combined with IoT technologies to establish an active sensing system of real-time and multi-source manufacturing information (CPN-MIASS). It aims to establish a systematic graphics-based modelling approach for the sensing of manufacturing information and the management of sensor, which can assist the general operators in monitoring and controlling the real-time manufacturing process easily and dynamically. Based on this system and its key components, the multiple sensors can be managed in a ‘Plug-and-play’ manner, and the high-level manufacturing information can be obtained efficiently. In addition, a prototype system is used to validate the usability of the proposed CPN-MIASS.