Robot architectures and standards

The author proposes the development of qualitative models of the individual components commonly found in automation, i.e. robots, controllers, computers etc. These can then be configured into a given specific architecture at the design stage to undertake diagnostic analysis and fault reporting. The final design is an optimised architecture that incorporates an inherent fault reporting system. This piece of work builds upon work on the production of diagnosis systems from qualitative models. This work offers a direct comparison between model-based diagnosis and the more traditional approach of using an expert system shell. The model representation uses an object-oriented approach, and includes a basic temporal capability through sequencing of messages