An autonomous decentralized system for constraint-oriented problem solving involving continuous and fuzzy variables

A novel way of solving constraint satisfaction problems by using autonomous decentralized systems is introduced. First, the componential constraints are further decomposed into their structural and elastic parts. Second, the elastic parts are treated by interactive dynamics among autonomous decentralized problem solving processes. Third, the structural part is treated in a centralized logic based symbol processing subsystem which works concurrently and interactively with the autonomous subsystems for elastic parts. Fourth, this system architecture, is implemented on transputers by using Occam and is applied to scheduling and mechanical design problems showing the effectiveness of the approach