Safe-guarded multi-agent control for mechatronic systems: implementation framework and design patterns

Abstract

This thesis addresses two issues: (i) developing an implementation framework for Multi-Agent Control Systems (MACS); and (ii) developing a pattern-based safe-guarded MACS design method.\ud \ud The Multi-Agent Controller Implementation Framework (MACIF), developed by Van Breemen (2001), is selected as the starting point because of its capability to produce MACS for solving complex control problems with two useful features:\ud • MACS is hierarchically structured in terms of a coordinated group of elementary and/or composite controller-agents;\ud • MACS has an open architecture such that controller-agents can be added, modified or removed without redesigning and/or reprogramming the remaining part of the MACS