An architecture for real-time reasoning and system control

International audienceThe development of systems capable of handling and diagnosing malfunctions in real time has long been of considerable practical importance. This paper describes the architecture of such a system, called the Procedural Reasoning System (PRS). PRS is based on the notion of a rational agent that can reason and plan under possibly stringent constraints on both time and information. This approach p r o vides the system with the ability to reason in complex ways about dynamic processes, while still maintaining the reactivity required to ensure appropriate responsiveness and control. By considering two large-scale applications in aerospace and telecommunications, it is shown how PRS meets many of the critical requirements for real-time malfunction-handling and diagnostic systems. Finally, PRS is compared with a number of other real-time reasoning and knowledge-based architectures that have been used in similar applications