An expert system for aided design of ship systems automation

The paper presents a structure and functions of an expert system for aided design of ship systems automation. The system was developed on basis of a detailed analysis of the design process of ship systems automation. The system includes: knowledge bases regarding methods and procedures of ship systems automation design, databases of automated objects, control devices and elements, requirements of classification societies, and a subsystem for simulation investigations co-operating with the Matlab Simulink package and a knowledge base. In the creation of the system the shell expert system Exsys Developer was used. This system is characterised by a rule-oriented representation of knowledge, backward and forward chaining inference methods, various confidence modes to handle uncertain reasoning including fuzzy logic, and possibility of co-operation with other software and databases. The databases were made using the MS Access software. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.