EXPERT CONTROL SYSTEM FOR REAL TIME MANAGEMENT OF AUTOMATED FACTORY EQUIPMENT AND METHOD FOR DEVELOPING SAME

摘要

An expert control system (120) for the real time management of an automated factory (AWS) is disclosed. Variables within rule base trees (201) of the expert control system are preferably restricted to taking on only four values, namely, true (T), false (F), indeterminate (I), and untested (U). Flexibility for responding to real time changes in the automated factory is provided by a command structure (400) which allows the value of any arbitrary variable within a rule base tree to be changed from its current value to any one of the other three values.