Due date assignment using feedback control with reinforcement learning

Good due date assignment for an order requires the calculation of a time bu ffer that will account for the uncertainties associated with the arrival of future orders in a dynamic environment. This paper presents a method that controls the size of this time buffer for a discrete manufacturing system. The applicability of the method to an unrestricted class of discrete manufa cturing systems is preserved by the use of a feedback control paradigm, and control knowledge is acquired using reinforcement learning. The current tr ajectory of the state of the shop is considered so that due date performanc e is improved during transient conditions. Results of simulation experiment s demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.