PROBLEMS WITH EXPERT-SYSTEMS IN REAL-TIME CONTROL

There is increasing use of knowledge-based or expert systems in the process and manufacturing industries, with currently in excess of 2000 installations. The advantage offered by such systems is their ability to deal with complex and possibly incorrect or incomplete data. A new generation of expert-system tools, designed specifically for real-time control applications, has been developed. This paper examines the requirements of an expert system for real-time control, and shows how current approaches attempt to meet them. It is argued that none of the currently available tools fully satisfy the needs of a real-time expert control system, particularly in terms of reliability and guaranteed real-time response.