Method of establishing rules for a device which is intended to be able to be used for generating decision support

• US 20040193563A1
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saab AB
• Original Assignee: Saab AB
• Inventors: Hagelin, Hans-Ove
• Granted Patent: US 7,467,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/028 using expert systems only

Abstract

The invention concerns a method of establishing rules (14) for a specific device which is intended to be able to be used for generating decision support for decisions which determine the behaviour of an entity (44) and/or for controlling the behaviour of an entity (44). The device is, inter alia, arranged to present a decision support window which comprises at least one area (56) which represents a state (30), wherein this area (56) comprises names which identify different rules (14) which form part of the state (30). The method according to the invention comprises the steps:

that the device is run in a real or simulated version of said entity (44),

that said decision support window is presented to a user,

that the user makes decisions by inputting instructions,

that the decisions which have been made by the user are analysed, and

that the rules (14) for which the user has made decisions are determined or modified in accordance with the analysis which has been carried out.

Claims

1. A method of establishing rules for a device used for generating decision support for decisions which determine the behavior of an entity and/or for controlling the behavior of an entity, which device comprises:

a supervising unit arranged to handle a rule system for the behavior, wherein the supervising unit comprises at least one storage member in which a rule structure comprising a set of completely or partly ready-formulated rules for the behavior is stored,

a user interface comprising first means for presenting information to a user of the device and second means for inputting instructions to said supervising unit,

wherein the device is arranged such that said rule structure is such that a rule comprises one or more premises and one or more conclusions,

wherein the device is arranged such that the rule system is divided into a plurality of states for different parts of said behavior, wherein each state comprises one or more of said rules,

wherein the device is arranged to via said first means present a decision support window which comprises at least one area which represents one of said states, wherein this area comprises names which identify different rules which form part of the state,

wherein said method comprises the steps of;

running said device in a real or simulated version of said entity such that the entity goes through a behavior or a behavior scenario,

said decision support window to a user,

allowing the user to make decisions by, via said second means, inputting instructions which mean that one or more conclusions which form part of a certain rule, the name of which is currently shown in said area in the decision support window, shall be executed,

analyzing the decisions which have been made by the user, and

determining or modifying the rules for which the user has made decisions concerning that one or more conclusions shall be executed out in accordance with the analysis that has been carried out.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the device is arranged such that said premises shall be able to either be true or false and wherein said conclusions are predetermined and pre-programmed, and wherein the device is arranged such that said rule structure is such that each premise in the rule can be assigned an indicator which can indicate at least two different conditions, namely a first condition which means that the premise shall be true and a second condition which means that the premise shall be false, wherein at least one conclusion is intended to be executed if all of said premises fulfill the conditions set by the assigned indicators, and wherein said method is such that said rules which are determined or modified in accordance with the analysis which has been carried out are determined or modified in that the premises for these rules are determined or modified in accordance with the analysis which has been carried out.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said device is arranged such that said rule structure is such that each premise in the rule also can be assigned an indicator which can indicate a third condition which means that it does not matter whether the premise is true or false in order for said one or more conclusions to be intended to be executed.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein said device is arranged such that said rules are only partly ready-formulated such that at least a plurality of premises, which can be true or false, are defined for a plurality of said rules, but without these premises yet have been assigned any of said indicators which indicate some of said conditions, wherein when said device is run, it is registered whether said plurality of premises are true or false at the occasions when the user makes said decisions which mean that one or more conclusions which form part of a certain rule shall be executed.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising, after said registration has been done at one or more runs, statistically processing the obtained registrations, thereby establishing ready-formulated rules.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said device is arranged such that said rules comprise a plurality of premises which comprise at least one parameter which, when a value for this parameter has been determined, causes the premise to have a truth value such that the premise is true or false, wherein said rules are only partly ready-formulated such that at least a plurality of premises are defined without that a value of said parameter has been determined, wherein when said device is run, the value of said parameters are registered at the occasions when the user makes said decisions which mean that one or more conclusions which form part of a certain rule shall be executed.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising, after said registrations have been done at one or more runs, statistically processing the obtained registrations, thereby establishing suitable values for the parameters in the rules.

8. A method according to claim 2, wherein said device is arranged such that at least a plurality of said rules are ready-formulated in such a manner that at least a plurality of premises are defined for the rules such that the premises have a truth value such that the premises (22) are true or false and such that these premises have been assigned said indicators, wherein the device is arranged such that the user can make decisions which mean that one or more conclusions which form part of a certain rule shall be executed even if the ready-formulated rule in question does not say that the conclusion or conclusions shall be executed, wherein when said device is run, the user makes said decisions which mean that one or more conclusions which form part of a certain rule shall be executed, wherein registration takes place, at the occasions when the user makes said decisions, of whether the premises were true or false.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising making a comparison between said registrations at the run and said ready-formulated rules.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising reformulating said ready-formulated rules on the basis of said comparison.

11. A method according to claim 2, wherein said device is arranged such that the rule structure is such that each conclusion in a rule is assigned an indicator which can indicate two different cases, a first case which indicates that the conclusion shall be executed or a second case which indicates that the conclusion shall not be executed, wherein a conclusion is meant to be executed if all of said premises in the rule fulfil the conditions set by the assigned indicators and the indicator of the conclusion indicates said first case.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein said device is arranged such that the rule system is divided into a plurality of rule blocks, each of which comprises one or more rules, wherein each state comprises one or more rule blocks, wherein the rules within a certain rule block concern a certain aspect of the behaviour within the state in question and wherein the device is arranged such that said area in the decision support window also comprises the name of one or more rule blocks which form part of the state.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein said device is arranged such that said name of a rule which is shown in said area in the decision support window is shown within a marked area, wherein the device is arranged such that the user inputs said instructions, which mean that one or more conclusions which form part of a certain rule shall be executed, by inputting a command when a marker is at or on said marked area.