IPEX: interactive process expert

IPEX (interactive process expert), an expert system that provides an architecture for interactive supervision of physical processes, is described. The IPEX system samples the process level at regular time intervals and decides what diagnostic procedures it needs to identify problems with the process. Diagnostic procedures may take the form of tests, control algorithms, or signal-processing algorithms that run in the process environment. Once IPEX identifies the procedures that it needs to run, it uses a scheduling algorithm to make sure that all procedure results are available at the right times for valid diagnosis and that no interference occurs between procedures. When a problem is diagnosed, IPEX finds an appropriate treatment and applies it to the process level. The operation of the IPEX system and an example of the system in a circuit diagnosis application are described