ESPFAS-A prototype expert system for technological planning in robot-based flexible assembly systems

This paper describes an application of expert systems to the area of technological planning for robot-based flexible assembly systems. The work described in this paper is part of the research being done in the Republic of Ireland as part of the European Strategic Programme for Research and Development in Information Technology (ESPRIT), Project No. 623. The discussion focuses on the role of technological planning, an explanation of the generative approach to planning, the use of robot-based flexible assembly systems, and the need for a planning procedure within these systems. Following this, a description of the logic of the assembly planning system being developed at the University College Galway (U.C.G.) is given, followed by a review of the knowledge which is encoded in the expert system. The final section details some developments, which have been carried out on the system as a result of two case studies.