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Extensible multi-agent system for optimal design of complex systems using analytical target cascading

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Abstract

Analytical target cascading (ATC) has emerged as an integrated approach and methodology for optimal design of complex hierarchical systems with good convergence. It facilitates collaborative design problem solving and enables distributed computing to extend both the capability and capacity. ATC is very powerful yet requiring comprehensive understanding and efforts in setting up specific projects. This paper presents a generic and extensible information infrastructure called atcPortal in the form of a web portal where the ATC analyst defines the ATC problem using a special-purpose XML-based language called atcXML, conducts the ATC analysis, and obtains the analytical results. atcPortal not only reduces the overheads for analysts to set up the projects for practical applications, but also allows the researchers to experiment and extend the ATC methods under different system structures and/or different ATC strategies.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are most grateful to the Hong Kong University Committee on Research and Conference Grants, William Mong Engineering Fund and NSFC (Grant No: 70371023) for financial support that made this research possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China

    George Q. Huang & T. Qu

  2. Department of Computer Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China

    David W. L. Cheung

  3. Business School, University of Science and Technology of China, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China

    L. Liang

Authors
  1. George Q. Huang
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  2. T. Qu
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  3. David W. L. Cheung
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  4. L. Liang
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Correspondence to George Q. Huang.

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Huang, G.Q., Qu, T., Cheung, D.W.L. et al. Extensible multi-agent system for optimal design of complex systems using analytical target cascading. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 30, 917–926 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-005-0064-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-005-0064-3

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