EXPERIENCES WITH BUlLDING A KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM AN APPLICATION IN INDUSTRIAL CQNTROL

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Centre for Robotics at the University of Stellenbosch set itself the objective of building a fairly complex manufactu.ring ceH, including .'.11 unskilled human as a system componenL As a precursor to this effort we constmcted a simple cell requiring both supervision of a robot and supenision of a human using a Micro-Prolog knowledge system to do so. l1tis was successfully done but at the costar low execution speed and difficulty in integrating machine code instructions for machine control interfacing with the largely consultation orientated softv,are which rendered the approach unsuitable fortbe more complex cell. MiCroExpert "..as used for this new effort but we a1sa tried Turbo-Prolog 10 mimick the inference engine of the former software. This experience made us decide 10 trade the higher speed achieved by Turbo-Prolog for the much more rapid knowledge base development in MicroExpen. To do so it was necess::.uy to bulld a special frame data sLrUtTille and to enhance. Micro-Expert for supervising such manufactlrring cells. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Seotrunl vir Robotika aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch is die taak gestelam'n komplekse vervaardigingsel to bOll wat 'n ongeskoolde mens as stelselkomponent sou moes insluiL As voorloper vir hierdie paging het ons eers 'n eenv0udige scI daargeste! waarby loesig oar sJeg 'n robot en 'n mens nodig v.'as deur IT'JddeJ van 'n kcn..IDsste!sel gegrond op Micro-Prolog. Oit was suksesvol maar len koste van betreklike lae ultvaerspoed en omslagtige instruksies in masjienkode vir die toesig oor die robot 5e werking, met die progranllnatuur was eintlik toegesr.its is op diagnose en konsultzsie. Ter'J''Y1 hierdie paging geslaagd was was dil duideltk dat die benadering nie so suhesvol op die beplance komplekse scI sou wees nie. Daarom is MicfoExpert aangewend vir die finale sel waarby OTIS verder Turbo-Prolog gebruik het om die infercnsie-enjin van Micro··Prolog na Ie boots_ Hierdie ervaring het gelei tot die besluit om die huidige hoer spoed van Turbo-Prolog in te boet vir die gema.!{ waarmee die ontwikkeling van kel1l1.isstelsels in Micro-E)[pert gedoen kan word. Die gebruik van Microfu'Pert vIr die besondere toepassiug het ous egter genoodsaak om 'n spesiale raam datastruktuur daar te stel en am l(licrofu'Pert verder uit te bOlL