Multiple Workstations Research Articles

Applications of a Regulator Theory for Discrete-Event Dynamic Systems

As the work on the control of Discrete Event Dynamic Systems (DEDS) matures, the need for concrete applications of DEDS theory, that could direct our research efforts and emphasize the importance of the work in this field, becomes more clear. In fact, the consensus at recent DEDS sessions of various conferences has been the need for such applications. This paper introduces two applications, one on the verification and synthesis of sequential circuits and the other on the control of flexible manufacturing systems, illustrating our work on the multi-level control of DEDS. The flexible manufacturing system example is a model of the floor of of a board manufacturing plant which consists of multiple workstations. The set of tasks expected to be performed by each workstation are characterized by sets of strings of events, and the coordination of the workstations through these sets of tasks is addressed. The sequential circuit example consists of a two-port memory system which is controlled by multiple state machines which communicate through shared events. Desired memory operations are analyzed and a controller is constructed using a multilevel approach.

Organization design - computational methods under vagueness

An organization network, or organization chart, describes the structure of the corresponding organization. Organization networks also indicate the interrelationships among the components of the organization. Many of such interrelationships are related to somewhat vague concepts, such as experience and motivation. We study organization networks with fuzzy attributes. With the increasing use of computers in manufacturing, many manual and mental tasks previously performed by operators are being automated. Consequently, each operator is asked to attend to multiple work stations, supervising a number of automated tasks. Such automated tasks range from simple mechanical movements to very complicated algorithmic computations. Moreover, the operator is often asked to assist a mixture of mental and manual tasks. Thus, the general empirical rules concerning span of supervision must be refined and improved to allow for more precision.

Using a global name space for parallel execution of UNIX tools

A parallel make utility that executes on multiple workstations and achieves a significant real-time speedup makes work with distributed computing easy to conduct.

The Computerized Laboratory Notebook concept for genetic toxicology experimentation and testing

We describe a microcomputer system utilizing the Computerized Laboratory Notebook (CLN) concept developed in our laboratory for the purpose of automating the Battery of Leukocyte Tests (BLT). The BLT was designed to evaluate blood specimens for toxic, immunotoxic, and genotoxic effects after in vivo exposure to putative mutagens. A system was developed with the advantages of low cost, limited spatial requirements, ease of use for personnel inexperienced with computers, and applicability to specific testing testing yet flexibility for experimentation. This system eliminates cumbersome record keeping and repetitive analysis inherent in genetic toxicology bioassays. Statistical analysis of the vast quantity of data produced by the BLT would not be feasible without a central database. Our central database is maintained by an integrated package which we have adapted to develop the CLN. The clonal assay of lymphocyte mutagenesis (CALM) section of the CLN is demonstrated. PC-Slaves expand the microcomputer to multiple workstations so that our computerized notebook can be used next to a hood while other work is done in an office and instrument room simultaneously. Communication with peripheral instruments is an indispensable part of many laboratory operations, and we present a representative program, written to acquire and analyze CALM data, for communicating with both a liquid scintillation counter and an ELISA plate reader. In conclusion we discuss how our computer system could easily be adapted to the needs of other laboratories.

Dialogue Management: Support for Dialogue Independence

Dialogue management involves the application of systems in the design and delivery of user-system dialogues. This article describes a dialogue management environment that is based on a concept of dialogue independence: the separation of dialogue definition form dialogue execution. In this environment, software facilities provide building blocks for design and delivery of dialogues that are consistent, efficient, shareable, and portable. The environment supports multiple workstation and communication protocol environments. This environment is compared to those emerging in homogeneous hardware environments such as HyperCard.

A concept for a GKS machine

General ideas for the creation of a very intelligent graphic terminal are presented; this terminal should know all GKS functionalities, including the future 3-D Standard as well. Multiple Workstation concept is maintained, and it is realized by linking it to a multiple context-frame handling.

Workstation Design Optimization Through a Simulation Model

A man-machine systems simulation model was developed as a cost-effective marketing tool for systems design in the retail sales environment. SAINT (Systems Analysis Integrated Network of Tasks) modeling technique was chosen because of its capabilities to simulate complex human engineering system performances. Tasks performed at the workstations ranged from an automated real-time inventory control device requiring a high degree of man-machine interactivity to social interactions between the operator and customer. Network parameters were defined from performances observed both in laboratory and field tests. The model included the capability to mix and simulate multiple workstations within a given environment. Work surface dimensions, operator ability levels, and processing strategies were manipulated to maximize productivity. This approach to workstation design proved to be an effective method of systematically reducing the number of alternative configurations. It also reduces the requirement of elaborate time-consuming laboratory experiments to verify a proposed design concept. A conversational interface was developed to encourage its utilization by the untrained user.

The workstation concept of GKS and the resulting conceptual differences to the GSPC core system

GKS has evolved from a long process of national /1,2,3,4/ and international /5,6/ discussion on standardization of graphical systems. One of the basic principles of the Graphical Kernel System GKS is the concept of workstations that are used to address a display terminal with several input devices. This is a basic conceptual difference to the GSPC core system /6/, which will be discussed in this paper. A workstation represents a collection of graphical devices that are operated in a coordinated fashion by an operator at a given site. The whole workstation is treated in GKS as one logical unit. GKS features two dimensional output to and input from single or multiple workstations. Besides basic line drawing primitives raster graphics primitives are supported. The coordinates are transformed in a two-stage transformation process where the first stage can be set for each primitive and the second can be set for each workstation. Furthermore the setting of a workstation specific pen and text table allows control of the appearance of all primitives on the corresponding workstation. A segment facility provides means for structuring a picture in subparts. Segments may be created and deleted, the segment attributes may be dynamically modified, and the segments may be transformed. They can be displayed simultaneously or alternatively on different workstations. A device independent segment storage serves for inserting segments into other segments.