A Signal-Based Approach to Switching Between Micro and Macro Material Flow Models for Production Systems

In order to enhance resource efficiency and minimize waste in production, effective planning and monitoring of material flow is crucial, which can be facilitated by material flow simulations. There are various material flow models on different scales with different advantages and disadvantages. With a significant quantity of piece goods, transitioning or switching between different model scales becomes essential for balancing accuracy and computational efficiency. However, determining the appropriate switching points in space or time can be challenging. This paper presents a signal-based methodology for identifying appropriate switching points between different models, which can be customized by the user. We concentrate on the switch from a physics-based model on a micro scale to a flow model on a macro scale. By defining switch conditions based on necessary information, signals can trigger switches between models. The proposed approach provides a flexible solution for simulating complex material flow systems with different scales.