Interface for Multi-Agent Platform Systems

An agency-agent based framework for monitoring industrial systems may comprise agents with a different tasks, (e.g. strictly measurement, computation, decision making, simulation), each implemented in a dedicated environment (e.g. LabVIEW, Matlab, custom simulators). The focus of this work is a heterogeneous agent-based monitoring system; aim of this work is to provide this complex environment with the interaction and proactiveness capabilities proper of agents. This goal is achieved by developing and setting up application program interfaces (APIs) that allow the agents to interact over a network, exchanging data and commands. Thanks to these interactions data requests can be placed and local agents can properly react. In the application presented here, it was shown how an agent-based architecture implementing APIs can be usefully employed to coordinate the roles and operations performed by the agents. In particular, it is shown how a control agent, operating an induction motor drive, can interact with a data acquisition and monitoring agent, monitoring the status of the power network that supplies the drive