US6088689A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Multiple-agent hybrid control architecture for intelligent real-time control of distributed nonlinear processes
Assignee: Clearsight Systems Inc
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Filing: 1995-11-29
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Granted: 2000-07-11
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Expires: 2015-11-29
Abstract
Abstract A Multiple-Agent Hybrid Control Architecture (MAHCA) uses agents to analyze design, and implement intelligent control of distributed processes. A single agent can be configured to control a local process and a network of agents can be configured to control more complex distributed processes. Multiple agents interact through messages and can be either permanent or temporary. The network of agents interact to create an emergent global behavior. The network of agents support construction of closed-loop, autonomous systems which react to comply with two degrees of freedom: (1) a logic degree of freedom (useful for implementing switching between modes of control) and (2) an evolution degree of freedom (useful for implementing particular modes of control). Global behavior is emergent from individual agent behaviors and is achieved without central control through the imposition of global constraints on the network of individual agent behaviors (the logic agent network). MAHCA is especially useful for reactive synchronization of real-time distributed processes subject to decision-making under uncertainty where both logical and evolution constraints on system operation must be continuously maintained and where human operators must be kept appraised of current system operation and whose decisions must be promptly and safely executed. MAHCA also provides support for reuse of existing trusted components and incremental provision of expanded functionality in old or new components through formal construction of provably correct real-time software from declarations of desired logic and evolution behavior of system components. Finally, MAHCA agents can be used in conventional digital procedures to speed up an ensemble of procedures.
Inventors
- 👤 Wolf Kohn
- 👤 Anil Nerode
- 👤 John James
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 16:18
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05B; G05B19/00; G05B19/02; G05B19/418; G05B19/41865; G05B13/00; G05B13/02; G05B13/0265; G05B19/18; G05B19/414; G05B19/4148; G06; G06N; G06N5/00; G06N5/04; G06N5/043; G05B2219/00; G05B2219/30; G05B2219/33; G05B2219/33055; G05B2219/33068; G05B2219/33073; G05B2219/33277; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P90/00; Y02P90/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 34
Claim 1
Independent Claim
86 words
A hybrid control system architecture comprising: a logic agent network for providing reactive support for synchronization of heterogeneous components through reactive on-line code generation that complies with restrictions of a current system state; a knowledge base builder within said logic agent network, said knowledge base builder including a user interface receiving system requirement information, said knowledge base builder responsive to said system requirement information for providing said restrictions of said current system data; and an applications layer connected to and synchronized by the logic agent network.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
86 words
A hybrid control system architecture comprising: a logic agent network for providing reactive support for synchronization of heterogeneous components through reactive on-line code generation that complies with restrictions of a current system state; a knowledge base builder within said logic agent network, said knowledge base builder including a user interface receiving system requirement information, said knowledge base builder responsive to said system requirement information for providing said restrictions of said current system data; and an applications layer connected to and synchronized by the logic agent network.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
An architecture according to claim 1, further comprising: a database layer connected to the applications layer.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
An architecture according to claim 2, further comprising: a network controller and scheduler layer connected to the database layer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
An architecture according to claim 3, further comprising: a physical communication network layer connected to the network controller and scheduler layer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
An architecture according to claim 1, wherein said logic agent network comprises: a set of cooperating agents.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
An architecture according to claim 5, wherein said set of cooperating agents comprises a permanent agent.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
An architecture according to claim 5, wherein said set of cooperating agents comprises a temporary agent.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
An architecture according to claim 7, wherein said temporary agent can activate and deactivate.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
14 words
An architecture according to claim 5, wherein said logic agent network evolves over time.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
13 words
An architecture according to claim 5, wherein cooperating agents can interact through messages.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
124 words
An agent for controlling a local process of a distributed hybrid system comprising: a knowledge base for storing requirements of a local process; a knowledge base builder within the agent and connected to the knowledge base for acquiring system constraint information, the knowledge base builder having an interface to a user for receiving system requirement information; a knowledge decoder for inserting information from other agents into the knowledge base; a planner for generating a statement representing a desired behavior of the system as an existentially quantified logic expression; an inferencer for determining whether the statement is currently active in the knowledge base; and an adapter connected to the inferencer for modifying the statement if the statement is not currently active in the knowledge base.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
124 words
An agent for controlling a local process of a distributed hybrid system comprising: a knowledge base for storing requirements of a local process; a knowledge base builder within the agent and connected to the knowledge base for acquiring system constraint information, the knowledge base builder having an interface to a user for receiving system requirement information; a knowledge decoder for inserting information from other agents into the knowledge base; a planner for generating a statement representing a desired behavior of the system as an existentially quantified logic expression; an inferencer for determining whether the statement is currently active in the knowledge base; and an adapter connected to the inferencer for modifying the statement if the statement is not currently active in the knowledge base.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
An agent according to claim 11, wherein said knowledge base comprises: a set of declarative clauses written in a language that supports both logical and evolution constraints on system behavior.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
15 words
An agent according to claim 11, wherein said system constraint information comprises a local constraint.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
15 words
An agent according to claim 11, wherein said system constraint information comprises a global constraint.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
An agent according to claim 11, wherein said interface accepts off-line system requirement information.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
14 words
An agent according to claim 11, wherein said interface accepts on-line system requirement information.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
112 words
An architecture for implementation of control of a distributed, real-time computing system comprising: a generic software agent process for controlling a physical or logical device; a subprocess of the agent for extracting the agent's current optimal control by computing an affine connection for a manifold associated with the system; a feedback loop in the agent for using violations of conservation laws to compute corrections to a Lagrangian used by the agent; and a memory map design for enabling the affine connection to be implemented for real time processes by arranging adjacent charts of an atlas of the manifold, through which a geodesic carrying the connection passes, to be close in memory access.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
112 words
An architecture for implementation of control of a distributed, real-time computing system comprising: a generic software agent process for controlling a physical or logical device; a subprocess of the agent for extracting the agent's current optimal control by computing an affine connection for a manifold associated with the system; a feedback loop in the agent for using violations of conservation laws to compute corrections to a Lagrangian used by the agent; and a memory map design for enabling the affine connection to be implemented for real time processes by arranging adjacent charts of an atlas of the manifold, through which a geodesic carrying the connection passes, to be close in memory access.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
51 words
An architecture according to claim 17, wherein the agent process extracts a relaxed optimal control policy for that agent process relative to a Lagrangian cost function, by symbolic computation, and extracts a locally finite state control automaton that issues chattering controls to the physical or logical device to assure near-optimal behavior.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
An architecture according to claim 17, wherein the memory map design comprises specialized datatypes classified according to closeness of memory location access.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
22 words
An architecture according to claim 17, wherein an agent process comprises incremental construction of multiple-agent hybrid control systems comprising legacy software components.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
22 words
An architecture according to claim 17, wherein an agent process comprises incremental construction of multiple-agent hybrid control systems comprising legacy network components.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
22 words
An architecture according to claim 17, wherein an agent process comprises incremental construction of multiple-agent hybrid control systems comprising legacy hardware components.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
21 words
An architecture according to claim 17, wherein an agent process comprises incremental construction of multiple-agent hybrid control systems comprising new components.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
13 words
An architecture according to claim 17, wherein the agent process has a constraint.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
13 words
An architecture according to claim 24, wherein the constraint comprises a logical constraint.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
13 words
An architecture according to claim 24, wherein the constraint comprises a evolution constraint.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
13 words
An architecture according to claim 17, wherein the manifold is a Finsler manifold.
Claim 31
Independent Claim
110 words
A method for controlling a distributed real-time computing system comprising the steps of: creating a description of the distributed, real-time computing system; proving that a solution to the system exists; enabling an affine connection to be implemented for real time processes by using a memory map process to arrange adjacent charts of an atlas of a manifold to be close in memory access; extracting a near optimal path to meet performance criteria for the system by calculating the affine connection; and generating automata that take actions according to a current system state to cause a compensated system state to follow a near-optimal path to meet performance criteria for the system.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
110 words
A method for controlling a distributed real-time computing system comprising the steps of: creating a description of the distributed, real-time computing system; proving that a solution to the system exists; enabling an affine connection to be implemented for real time processes by using a memory map process to arrange adjacent charts of an atlas of a manifold to be close in memory access; extracting a near optimal path to meet performance criteria for the system by calculating the affine connection; and generating automata that take actions according to a current system state to cause a compensated system state to follow a near-optimal path to meet performance criteria for the system.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
97 words
A method for transforming a software procedure comprising the steps of: creating a discrete software procedure representing physical or functional conditions; collecting data from at least one sensor; transforming the discrete software procedure into a differential equation whose solution contains values computed by the software procedure using data from the at least one sensor; converting the differential equation into a Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation; coding recursion into an evolution of the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation; solving on-line the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation; and producing signals for controlling at least one action desired to be taken as a result of solving the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation.
Claim 34
Independent Claim
97 words
A method for transforming a software procedure comprising the steps of: creating a discrete software procedure representing physical or functional conditions; collecting data from at least one sensor; transforming the discrete software procedure into a differential equation whose solution contains values computed by the software procedure using data from the at least one sensor; converting the differential equation into a Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation; coding recursion into an evolution of the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation; solving on-line the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation; and producing signals for controlling at least one action desired to be taken as a result of solving the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-07-11 | 2004-01-10 | 2004-07-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-07-11 | 2008-01-10 | 2008-07-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-07-11 | 2012-01-10 | 2012-07-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |