Ontologically Controlled Autonomous Systems: Principles, Operations and Architecture

Citation

(1998), "Ontologically Controlled Autonomous Systems: Principles, Operations and Architecture", Industrial Robot, Vol. 25 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.1998.04925fae.002

Ontologically Controlled Autonomous Systems: Principles, Operations and Architecture

Ontologically Controlled Autonomous Systems: Principles, Operations and Architecture

G. A. FodorKluwer Academic Publishers1998245 pp.ISBN 0-7923-8035-5£102.50

The book presents the main principles, operations and architecture involved in the design of a novel type of supervisory controller. In brief the ontological controller is used to detect dynamically when a supervised controller (e.g. a PLC) is in a problematic control situation due to a violation of ontological assumptions and when possible, move it into such a state from which it can regain control. Essentially establishing a formalism for the description, analysis and design of such controllers, the author's work claims to be the first in what is a young area of research.

The book revises the concepts behind industrial programmable control systems, and introduces the potential applications of ontological control. A formal description is introduced, and the author then develops the theory further within this framework. Finally the architecture for a ontological controller is discussed, based on the preceding theory.

Aimed at professionals and advanced students in the fields of industrial and discrete control, discrete event and autonomous systems and the like, this is a very specialised text. The issues raised in the book might prove the basis for future research, though some of the theory developed might prove applicable to current industrial problems.