Processing Architecture Yielding Deductions in Real Time

PAYDIRT - 5473

Keywords real-time knowledge-based systems, time-dependent reasoning

Start Date: 01-NOV-90 / Duration: 36 months

Objectives and Approach

PAYDIRT has built the key tools for developing real-time knowledge based systems applications. The development environment is built on Unix-based workstations and developed in C++. The main topics are:

time-dependent reasoning in real time
object-based approach
parallel inference engine
rule language
procedural control
dynamic scheduling.

The run-time system is placing minimal requirements on the host operating system to maximise its portability. It is capable of both calling external routines and being called by them. This is in accordance with the aim to build a system that is suitable for embedding within other systems (typically supervisory control and data-acquisition systems).

Emphasis has been placed on run-time issues rather than development ones, with the aim of producing a truly real-time knowledge-based system. The key issues of interruptability, guaranteed response times, and temporal reasoning are addressed within a system with high performance and good representational adequacy.

The development of this system is driven by two applications to ensure that the requirements from these applications are satisfied by the tool development. The tools are being validated against requirements both from functional perspective and from performance perspective. This validation will shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of the tools and assist in the identification of the optimisation possibilities.

Progress and Results

The PAYDIRT project is giving rise to a run-time environment for real-time diagnosis, with a generic SCADA interface. Developed as a modular system, the functional components of PAYDIRT are:

Generic Interface, which maps real-world data into internal representation
Shared Object Memory, which acts as a partition blackboard and enables our components to communicate
Reactive Reasoning Level (the FILTERS), which compiles production rules into C++ code and incorporates temporal reasoning mechanisms
High-level Reasoning Mechanism (the THINKER): a sophisticated second order production rules system also incorporating temporal constraints
Intelligent Scheduler, which includes both procedural and declarative components).

Exploitation

Lyonnaise des Eaux - Dumez is installing the PAYDIRT system at the operations center of the Communauté Urbaine de Bordeaux. SINAPSE is embedding the PAYDIRT tools in its offerings and services. ATLAS plans to extend its PAYDIRT applications base.

CONTACT POINT

Mr Michel Guillon
LYONNAISE DES EAUX -DUMEZ (LIAC)
Bâtiment 3, Technopolis
ZAC de Mercieres,14, rue du Fonds Pernant
F - 60471 COMPIEGNE
tel: + 33/ 44-304141
fax: + 33/ 44-304140
email: mguillon@eurokom.ie

Participants

LYONNAISE DES EAUX-DUMEZ - F - C
ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GMBH - D - P
SINAPSE - F - P
LLOYD'S REGISTER OF SHIPPING - UK - P

PAYDIRT - 5473, December 1993

please address enquiries to the ESPRIT Information Desk

html version of synopsis by Nick Cook