Model‐Based Computing for Design and Control of Reconfigurable Systems

Complex electro‐mechanical products, such as high‐end printers and photocopiers, are designed as families, with reusable modules put together in different manufacturable configurations, and the ability to add new modules in the field. The modules are controlled locally by software that must take int...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe AI magazine Vol. 24; no. 4; pp. 120 - 130
Main Authors Fromherz, Markus P. J., Bobrow, Daniel G., Kleer, Johan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published La Canada American Association for Artificial Intelligence 01.12.2003
John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Subjects
Artificial intelligence
Computer programming
Control algorithms
Controllers
Design
Design engineering
Designers
Employment
Engineers
Printers
Productivity
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Summary:Complex electro‐mechanical products, such as high‐end printers and photocopiers, are designed as families, with reusable modules put together in different manufacturable configurations, and the ability to add new modules in the field. The modules are controlled locally by software that must take into account the entire configuration. This poses two problems for the manufacturer. The first is how to make the overall control architecture adapt to, and use productively, the inclusion of particular modules. The second is to decide, at design time, whether a proposed module is a worthwhile addition to the system: will the resulting system perform enough better to outweigh the costs of including the module? This article indicates how the use of qualitative, constraint‐based models provides support for solving both of these problems. This has become an accepted part of the practice of Xerox, and the control software is deployed in high‐end Xerox printers.
ISSN:0738-4602
2371-9621
DOI:10.1609/aimag.v24i4.1735