ISSN:
1572-8145
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
Notes:
Abstract Future increase in industrial productivity will stem, in large measure, from the effective utilization of automation technologies in the manufacturing environment. Although many tools exist for process automation in both hardware capabilities and software techniques, they have been applied to date only in restricted environments and for limited applications. To fully reap the benefits of the technological state of the art, isolated capabilities must be integrated into a synergistic whole. This paper demonstrates how a logic-based approach can provide both a practical and a theoretical foundation for such integration. From a theoretical standpoint, a coherent framework build on logic-based techniques is indicated. A promising structure within this arena is modal logic, which serves to integrate other methodologies such as temporal logic. Further, the power of this approach as a formalizing tool is shown. In particular, the formalization can provide a rigorous structure for investigating the theoretical limits as well as efficiency issues. From a practical standpoint, the methods of logic can serve as a substrate for integrating diverse representation techniques. More specifically, the integration of qualitative and quantitative knowledge is studied. Previous work in qualitative physics as well as concepts such as the superinterval, which effectively combines point-based and interval-based temporal reasoning techniques, can be utilized. The major advantage of an integrated approach is the feasibility of developing model-based control systems. As a result, various activities such as process planning, error diagnosis, and fault management can proceed through a chain of causal inferences rather than merely stand as a superficial set of decision rules. In this way, the control system can check for internal consistency and even reason about some eventualities which were not necessarily envisioned by the original developers. The utility of this integrated, model-based approach is investigated using case studies.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01471342
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