I'm simulating a manufacturing process. The stations need a variable number of ResourcePool "workers". Let's say there are 5 workers for 4 stations, and I want to simulate that those workers can work indifferently in any of the stations.
The problem is that they are not working in the closest station. Oppositely, even when a worker is next to the station, maybe the furthest worker goes until this station which needs the resource, and then the process starts. Obviously, this is inefficient and doesn't represent the reality.
I already have the workers defined, their shifts, their timetables, etc. I have tried to use the function getNeartestAgent() in 'Customize request choice', but it doesn't work. I also tried to calculate the distance of each agent with getDistance(), but I don't know how to manage it and I'm sure it must be a simpler solution even when I'm not working on GIS.
[31/08/22]
Recently I tried to develop a similar model, and I still have the same problem. The model consists of 3 stations which need 1 unit of ResourcePool. In this pool, there are 2 units. This units are agent type Operario. So, I need to choose the closest unit to the station. I tried several things, the following are just some...:
Service blocks -> Resource selection -> "Nearest to the agent". The agent is the material item, so the unit should go to the closest agent being treated in the station. However, it didn't work (units where to any station indeferently).
Service blocks -> Resource selection -> "Unit with top rating". The Unit rating field was 1/distanceTo(node1.getXYZ()). It didn't work either.
Stations (instead of Service blocks) -> Customize resource choice -> Resource choice condition. I can't stablish a boolean variable related to the unit position, as I can't compare among them.
Function. I can't compare units from ResourcePool, as they are detected as Agent and not as Operario.
ResourcePool. I tried to stablish the priority based on the distance to a certain node. But then I can't call these agents (Operario) from the station. It seems here I can only refer to material items, eventhough I write "unit.(...)".
Does anyone know how can I choose the closest resource to the station in which the task is performed? Should be through Customize resource choice -> Resource choice condition, but I don't know how!
when you use a service or seize block, in the advanced properties, there's an option called "Resource Selection"
You have to choose "Nearest to the agent"
If this doesn't work, it might mean that a resource that is close by and not selected, might be actually busy with something else... you have debug your model in order to be sure that it is not the case.
Related
I am trying to simulate a manufacturing assembly process, where material items are processed following an unique line. In the quality control stations, when a failure is detected, the object is sent to the repair area (by a truckpallet) and, when it is repaired, the same resource takes it and puts it at the start of the line. Until this point, I already programmed it.
The problem is the following: when it is a repaired object, is has to follow the same conveyor but with no stops in the stations. The object must enter a station and leave it, with no delays (as the works related with the stations have already been made).
I thought the best would be to consider the difference (repaired vs. not repaired) in the Agent, but then I can't work with it in the Main agent... I have also tried alternative solutions, for example defining variables in each station 1 and consider that in the stations delays and in the following station:
triangular( 109.1*delay_bec, delaytime_bec*delay_bec, 307.6*delay_bec)
Actions - in finished process:
if(delay_bec==0){
delay_headers=0;
delay_bec=1;}
But nothing worked... Any help?
I thought the best would be to consider the difference (repaired vs. not repaired) in the Agent, but then I can't work with it in the Main agent...
This is actually the correct approach. You need to create a custom agent type, give in a boolean variable isRepaired (or similar) and then in the delay you can dynamically adjust the duration using that characteristic:
agent.isRepaired ? 0. : 100
This will delay normal agents by 100 time units and repaired agents not at all.
Obviously, you must make sure that the agents flowing through the flow blocks are of your custom agent type (see the help how to do that)
There is a process, box enters station (i) and operator and machine are used for SETUP, then box moves to (ii) where only machine is used.
there is 1 - operator, but 2- machines.
there are 2 conveyer systems.
How to ensure that box uses same Machine resource in station (ii) as station (i)
**Or
Ensure the Machine is continually seized from station (i) to (ii)
To re-seize the same resource - When the box seizes a resource, set a variable equal to the resource that was seized. In the resource pool, you can see "on seize" and there is self, unit, agent. Agent is the one doing the seizing and unit is the one that got seized. For the second station, in the resources section, check "customize resource condition". Try something like agent.unitSeized == unit; where unitSeized is the variable you set up. See the help menu for this. You might have to play around a little on where this occurs, exact syntax.
To keep the resource seized, I would not use a station. There is no option to seize a resource with the built in station resource & release it later. I would use a position on conveyor and just handle everything manually. That is, convey to that POC, and then next block in your flowchart can be a seize. You can then delay for processing, add a convey for getting to the next POC on conveyor 2, delay for processing, release resource. This approach would work for your first case too. You can have much more control if you route to various positions, and then send to delays or other regular process blocks to get the behavior you want. If you take this approach, you could add decide blocks, so that it covers both of your cases via an input parameter.
I have in my model some free-moving agents, which travel to specific nodes. I use the function...
moveTo(node)
...to specify the node an agent should visit. Using this function, the agent travels the shortest path to the node. However, the model layout contains areas (i.e. image files), which the agent should not pass. Right now, the agents may travel through these areas to reach their destination. Now I'm wondering, whether there is an easy way to permit an agent to enter specific areas in the model, when traveling to a node.
I already took a look at the example model "Wandering Elephants" where the elephants are permitted to walk through areas with water. The solution there is, that if an elephant meets water in the direction it's currently heading, it randomly searches for another direction, until it finds one without water. However, this approach doesn't really fit to my problem, as the elephants in the model wander around without any specific destination. I'm searching for a method, which works for an agent that travels to a specific point. In the best case, the agent would search the shortest path around the obstacle to reach its destination.
Edit 1: The following figure shows my problem in a nutshell. On the left side is my model structure, while on the right side the state chart of my custom agent. What is happening in the model: The 3 sources are producing agents, which will be delayed for an uncertain time (delay stops with stopDelay()). Everytime an agent enters a delay, the delay is added to the collection request. My customagent check requests in a loop until the collection contains at least one request. Then, the customagent randomly selects a request (i.e. delay object) to serve. Each delay is associated with a node (the collection processNodes maps delays to nodes). Now, I want to cast my customagent to a Transporter and move it to the corresponding node. The agent should avoid collisions with the stripped walls in the model. I want to avoid any seizing and releasing of resources. I just want to adapt the behaviour of the Transport agent from the material handling library to my agent.
Edit 2:
In my current testbed, my custom agent does not consider node 1 or node 2. For testing, the agent should only try to reach node without any collisions.
I found a sufficient work-around. Not exactly what I wanted, but it works. Against my initial intention, I use now seize and release for transports. However, I added a hold-block in front of each seized-block and only a resource, which decides to serve the process, is able to unblock the corresponding hold. The on-enter control of the unblocked hold ensures that the hold is directly blocked again as soon as a single agent flows through. For the case that other users are also interested in the solution, I attached the flow-chart of the process and the state-chart of the Transporter-Agent. The system structure is quite the same as in my initial question.
There is no build-in way unless you use transporters from the Material handling library (or pedestrians). These can do what you need.
So easiest might be to convert you agents to transporters temporarily.
Otherwise, you will have to code something yourself...
I am using Anylogic where I have just one ResourcePool made by just one Resource Type unit (created through the command "Resource Agent" in the Process Library).
I define the capacity of the ResourcePool, let's say, to 20 and I would like to have each of the single element (or some of them) within the Pool with a different value for the same parameter (e.g 3 units have parameter=1 , other 4 units parameter=2 ...).
First of all how can I set individually each of this parameter? Do I need to use a population of agent? If yes how can I do that? And how can I call the resourcePoolPopulation in other location within the model?
Is there a clevere way to do that?
Hope it is clear, thanks!
That is a weak spot of resource pools, IMO. They are designed to hold a homogeneous "soup" of similar resources and it is hard to pull in a specific element.
However, not impossible, there are various ways. You can create your resource agents manually in an agent population first and add them to the pool manually after creation. Then, in the service object, tick "manual resource unit choice" (or similar) and use a criteria that matches your resource params.
I am making simple distribution center in Anylogic.I did make truck agent and i am able to move it from one gis point to another gis point.
But I want to load some other agents(Let's say banana agent) into my truck agent and then trucks start their journey(if truck is full of banana).How can i do this?
I hope you have already solved your problem from almost a year ago. However, since there is no specific answer, I'll leave it here for anyone who might get stuck with the same problem.
Anylogic's Process Modelling Library (PML) has an element called Pickup and its opposite, Dropoff. This is used to do exactly what you asked: to load some element into a transporter (either a truck, a forklift, or even a person).
To use the block as you asked you would need a topology like in the picture:
The Queue elements are necessary to hold elements until the pickup occurs.
The Pickup element might pick elements in three modes:
While a given condition is True;
An exact amount (if available);
All available agents.
I'm assuming all trucks must be completely filled up to its maximum capacity. Hence, the chosen mode will be the second one where the exact amount will be TruckCapacity, a parameter of agent Truck.
The selected mode picks up agents (in this case Bananas) up to the desired amount. However, if nothing is available or the present amount is inferior to the desired, the native behavior of the Pickup block is to allow the container element to simply go through it and pick only what's available.
To prevent such behavior, I've created a restricted area where only 1 Truck can be at a time. Additionally, the Hold block WaitFullyLoaded (set to initially blocked) forces the container agent Truck to be fully loaded. Whenever a Banana enters the Queue waitTruck, a verification is performed to check if 1 Truck can be filled. If so, allows passage for that one truck:
if(self.size()/TruckCapacity>=1){
WaitFullyLoaded.unblock();
}
To block WaitFullyLoaded again, when the truck passes through the restrictedAreaEnd block, it performs WaitFullyLoaded.block();
The main idea is this. However, many features can be added and changed.
Hope this helps,
Luís