@article { , title = {Integrating Petri Nets and hybrid heuristic search for the scheduling of FMS}, abstract = {This paper studies modelling and scheduling of Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) using Petri Nets (PNs) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) based on heuristic search methods. A subclass of PNs, Buffer nets or B-nets is obtained by the systematic synthesis of PN models from FMS formulations. Scheduling is performed as heuristic search in the reachability tree, which is guided by a new heuristic function that exploits PN information. This heuristic is derived from a new concept, the Resource Cost Reachability (RCR) matrix which builds on the properties of B-nets. To mitigate the complexity problem, a hybrid search algorithm is proposed. The algorithm combines dispatching rules based on analysis information provided by the PN simulation with a modified stage-search algorithm. Experimental results are provided and indicate the effectiveness of the approach and the potential of PN-based heuristic search for FMS scheduling.}, doi = {10.1016/s0166-3615(01)00124-5}, issn = {0166-3615}, issue = {1}, journal = {Computers in Industry}, pages = {123-138}, publicationstatus = {Published}, publisher = {Elsevier}, url = {http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2879284}, volume = {47}, keyword = {Heuristic search, Flexible Manufacturing Systems, Modelling, Scheduling, Petri Nets}, year = {2002}, author = {Reyes, A. and Yu, H. and Kelleher, G. and Lloyd, S.} }