Knowledge-Based Reactive Scheduling, E.Szelke and R.M.Kerr
(eds.), IFIP Transactions B-15, Elsevier Science B.V. (North-Holland),
1994, pp.93-106:
Configurable Systems for Reactive Production Management
Stephen F. Smith and Ora Lassila
Center for Integrated Manufacturing Decision Systems
The Robotics Institute
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
Abstract
In this paper, we outline current work into the development of
reconfigurable scheduling systems: systems that enable rapid
customization to specific production environments through
encapsulation, extension, and reuse of component scheduling "services"
(e.g., domain modeling primitives, constraint management and analysis
techniques, solution subprocedures, problem decomposition and
configuration heuristics). Our approach is grounded on two basic
premises: (1) that system organization and decision-support "services"
should directly reflect the inherently reactive nature of
decision-making in practical scheduling environments, and (2) that
diversity in the character and requirements of different application
environments will invariably require different specialized scheduling
support services. We adopt a general constraint-based model of
scheduling as an iterative, opportunistic process of schedule
revision, which provides an architectural framework for formulating
the configuration problem, and utilize object programming techniques
to compositionally construct component services. Our overall goal is
the development of an application building environment, which combines
a "tool box" of basic modeling and scheduling primitives with
facilities for assembling, aggregating and specializing these
primitives to define the decision support functionality (or services)
required in a given application context. As new services are composed,
they can be encapsulated as additional, higher level tools and are
available for reuse in subsequent applications.
Full paper in Postscript format