Distributed intelligent control system for a continuous-state plant

Continuous-state plants place specific demands on the structure and operation of multi-agent, multi-paradigm distributed intelligent controllers. An investigation of the use of distributed artificial intelligence techniques for continuous-state control is presented. The choice of agents and how they interact to control a continuous-state plant is discussed. A distinction between a priori and operational knowledge is introduced to simplify and aid the design of distributed intelligent controllers. A simulation study of a controller designed for a deep-shaft mine winder serves to demonstrate the application of distributed intelligent control to a continuous-state plant.