Multiple time scaling qualitative simulation using typical patterns

A new qualitative simulation method for envisioning behaviors of a system modeled by a structural model is presented. The structural model consists of qualitative causal relations between several factors in the system. For the purpose of reducing ambiguities caused by lack of quantitative information, several typical patterns are introduced, which specify primitive behaviors in equilibrium. The method presented here consists of the following processes: the target structural model is divided into sub-models based on influence propagation speed; the equilibrium in each sub-model is evaluated using typical patterns; and the results for all sub-models are integrated