Device-oriented qualitative reasoning for dynamic physical systems
Jane F. Macfarlane, Max Donath · asme · 1988
There are few tools to assist the engineer in the initial phase of a design and analysis of a dynamic system. This paper illustrates the utility of a device-oriented qualitative reasoning system as a tool for generating generalized system behavior information which is invaluable information to the designer. For the first time, a qualitative model is presented in terms of its underlying continuous representation. A phase plane analysis, an analysis tool which can only be automated if specific parameter information is defined, is presented for the continuous representation and a qualitative analysis is presented for the qualitative model. The phase plane and state transition diagram, the result of the qualitative analysis, are shown to capture equivalent information. This comparison highlights the ability of qualitative reasoning techniques to provide an automated approach to deriving general system behavior in the absence of specific parameter information. 9 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs.