Reflective control of attributed entities in feature-based CAD systems using a CARW system manager

Abstract

Requirements necessary to integrate intelligent computer aided design systems in future KAE/CAM systems aimed at supporting concurrent engineering and the handling of product data, propounding extensions and new developments of system architecture, data structures and functionality. Indispensable among these are an integrated and flexible formalization of the knowledge base and a modular system architecture which can be easily modified to suit current demands. Within our developed framework we propose a homogeneous representation of declarative, procedural, and control knowledge based on a conditional attributed rewriting system (CARW). Design, reasoning and computation are carried out in domains of typed attributed entities, which are replenished with reflective capabilities. Due to the rule-based approach, a high degree of flexibility and modularity can be achieved, while perpetuating the system's overall control in the form of a CARW manager. The objective of this study is to investigate how far our approach satisfies the requirements under consideration. Of major interest are-within the given scope-consistency aspects among attributed entities of different domains and the use of reflective techniques to support status evaluation of design features, their operators as well as design strategies.