A rational method for assessing the complexity of automatic machinery

Abstract

A. A Preobrazhenskiiand I. S. Mandel'blat UDC 622.232As automatic control of mining machinery becomes more and more sophisticated, the automatic systems are getting more and more complex, their structure is becoming more and more varied, and the number of control operations executed by a system and the number of elements in a system are increasing. We therefore have to take steps to increase the working reliability of the apparatus (by providing complete or partial reserve systems, using high-reliability elements, etc.).In assessing various automat/on schemes from the viewpoint of efficiency, together with other indices (rapidity and accuracy of action, cost, etc), we need a combined index which will provide an objective estimate of the constructional complexity of the apparatus, its structure, and its reliability, i.e., an index which will reflect the convenience of the apparatus in use. Naturally, multifunctional automation systems can reasonably be more complex than very simple systems which process a small number of control signals.