Multiagent Based Greenhouse Telecontrol System as a Tool for Distance Experimentation
Darko Stipaničev, Maja Štula, Lj. Bodrozic · 2005
A telecontrol system controls and monitors equipment in remote locations. The paper describes the development of multiagent system for telecontrol of dislocated laboratory greenhouse model, which also includes video telepresence and teleoperation of the camera’s pan and tilt unit. The system was developed as a part of distance control engineering education system and its aim was remote experimentation. The system was conceived as a multiagent system, because agent technology is the emerging technology for software cooperation, especially interesting for the net applications. The paper describes the developed multiagent system in details, including the formalization of used agents. Common ontology which defines vocabulary for exchanging queries and propositions among agents was discussed, too. Ontology is the explicit specification of knowledge conceptualization and very important in any agent based system. The experimental system was realized using JATLITE (Java Agent Template) and KAPI (KQML Application Programmer's Interface). Five different kind of agents was used and described – the user interface agent, the greenhouse agent, the greenhouse control executer agent, the video agent and the video control executer agent. These agents were responsible for all tasks, from the user – system communication to the telecontrol, video telepresence and teleoperation with camera’ s pan & tilt unit.