Using hypertext to overcome the knowledge base development bottleneck: a case study

ABSTRACT

The installation of a new complex rolling mill used to manufacture the sheet metal to make beverage cans raised concerns about maintaining and troubleshooting the mill's systems. This led to an evaluation of computer-based technologies which could provide the needed diagnostic decision support, including expert and hypertext systems. Expert systems have been demonstrated for a variety of applications including equipment diagostics. Their principal drawback is that they are very costly to develop and maintain for large problems. In hypertext systems, objects in a documentation data base are represented by graphical objects on a computer screen. By manipulating the screen objects, users can display and organize the on-line documentation. The course embarked upon was to construct a hypertext system with the means to build troubleshooting and maintenance aids as well. The Electronics Guidance and Documentation System (EGADS), now operational in the mill, combines a commercially available hypertext system with a custom interface which graphically depicts decision networks. The decision networks convey high level qualitative problem solving knowledge to users, and highly detailed information typical of technical documentation is available through the hypertext system. EGADS was used to develop a diagnostic and maintenance aid for one the mill's major components, the flatness subsystem. Its decision network gives step by step instructions for troubleshooting a wide variety of problems, and provides direct access to appropriate equipment functional descriptions and maintenance documentation. By using the detailed technical documentation available from equipment vendors, the authors conclude that the application they developed required considerably less resources than would be needed to create an expert system with comparable functionality.

REFERENCES

• 1: Document Examiner is a registered trademark of Symbolics Corporation.
• 2: Williamson, M., "On Frames, Semantic Nets, and Hypertext," Computers in Science (Jan/Feb, 1988), pp. 49-51.
• 3: Conklin, J., "A Survey of Hypertext," MCC Technical Report STP-356-86, Rev. 2 (Dec. 3, 1987).
• 4: Bonissone, P.P., Johnson, H.E.,"Expert System for Diesel Electric Locomotive Repair," Proc. IJCAI (1983).
• 5: Davis, R., Shrobe, H.,"Representing Structure and Behavior of Digital Hardware," MIT Report 4-57-84 (1984).
• 6: Robert L Osborne, Online, artificial intelligence-based turbine generator diagnostics, AI Magazine, v.7 n.4, p.97-103, Fall 1986

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.2 DATABASE MANAGEMENT
      H.2.4 Systems
          Subjects: Transaction processing

Additional Classification:
  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
      I.2.1 Applications and Expert Systems
          Subjects: Industrial automation
  I.3 COMPUTER GRAPHICS
      I.3.6 Methodology and Techniques
          Subjects: Interaction techniques

  J. Computer Applications
  J.1 ADMINISTRATIVE DATA PROCESSING
      Subjects: Manufacturing
  J.6 COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING
      Subjects: Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)
  J.7 COMPUTERS IN OTHER SYSTEMS
      Subjects: Command and control

General Terms:
Design, Documentation