Information processing apparatus and method and information processing program recording medium

• US 6,915,326 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2003
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Hattori, Masanori, Irie, Yutaka, Nagai, Yasuo, Ohsuga, Akihiko, Honiden, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C.
• Application Number:
  US10/392,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20040003047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-203, 709/249, 709/223, 706/15, 706/46, 706/49, 714/1, 714/4, 714/26, 719316-318, 705/8, 705/9, 705/37, 718100-108
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A planning means generates a plan to be executed by agents on a node. In the case where the plan generated uses an uncertain knowledge required to be processed in other nodes, a judging means judges the communication line connecting the node and a network is low or high in reliability. In the case where the reliability of the communication line is low, an agent management unit moves the agent for executing the plan to another node for processing the uncertain knowledge. In the case where the reliability of the communication line is high, on the other hand, a cooperation protocol realization means requests an agent on another node to process the uncertain knowledge. An agent execution means executes the plan generated.

Claims

1. A multi-agent system in which a plurality of agents cooperate with each other over a distributed node network, comprising:

an client node including;

an agent generation unit configured to generate an agent in response to a request;

a planning unit configured to generate a plan that satisfies the request for the agent;

a determination unit configured to determine a reliability of a communication line when an uncertain knowledge is used to generate the plan by the planning unit, wherein the uncertain knowledge is processed by other nodes than the client node;

a selecting unit configured to select one of a processing of a movement of the agent and a processing based on a contract net protocol in accordance with the reliability; and

an execution unit configured to execute the plan after the processing of the uncertain knowledge by the other nodes,

wherein the client node is configured to perform the contract net protocol for an agent that has a task to be processed by another agent on any one of other nodes the contract net protocol broadcasting task information relating to the task, receiving tender information from a plurality of agents on other nodes, broadcasting a tender submission deadline message, determining a successful bidder agent from the plurality of agents on the other nodes, by evaluating the tender information, and wherein the client node requests the successful bidder agent to process the task.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the client node determines whether or not to perform the contract net protocol depending on whether a reliability of the network is high or low.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the tender information includes a tender submission indicative of an evaluation value of a task execution plan.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the task requires uncertain knowledge processing to be processed by another agent on any other node.

5. An information processing method implemented on a client node in a multi-agent system in which a plurality of agents cooperate with each other over a distributed node network, the method comprising:

generating an agent in response to a request;

generating a plan that satisfies the request for the agent;

determining a reliability of a communication line when an uncertain knowledge is used to generate the plan by the planning unit, wherein the uncertain knowledge is processed by other nodes than the client node;

selecting one of a processing of a movement of the agent and a processing based on a contract net protocol in accordance with the reliability;

performing the contract net protocol for the agent that has a task to be processed by another agent on any one of the other nodes, the control net protocol;

broadcasting task information relating to the task,

receiving tender information from a plurality of agents on other nodes,

broadcasting a tender submission deadline message,

determining a successful bidder agent from the plurality of agents on other nodes, by evaluating the tender information, and

requesting the successful bidder agent to process the task; and

executing the plan after the processing of the uncertain knowledge by the other nodes.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

determining whether or not to perform the contract net protocol depending on whether a reliability of the network is high or low.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the tender information includes a tender submission indicative of an evaluation value of a task execution plan.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the task requires uncertain knowledge processing to be processed by another agent on any other node.

9. An information processing apparatus connected to a distributed node network, which serves as a node in a multi-agent system in which a plurality of agents cooperate with each other over the distributed node network, comprising:

an agent generation unit configured to generate an agent in response to a request;

a planning unit configured to generate a plan that satisfies the request for the agent;

a determination unit configured to determine a reliability of a communication line when an uncertain knowledge is used to generate the plan by the planning unit, wherein the uncertain knowledge is processed by other nodes than the client node;

a selecting unit configured to select one of a processing of a movement of the agent and a processing based on a contract net protocol in accordance with the reliability;

an execution unit configured to execute the plan after the processing of the uncertain knowledge by the other nodes;

a client task manager configured to perform a contract net protocol for the agent that has a task to be processed by another agent on any one of other nodes, the contract net protocol broadcasting task information relating to the task, receiving tender information from a plurality of agents on other nodes, broadcasting a tender submission deadline message, determining a successful bidder agent from the plurality of agents on other nodes, by evaluating the tender information, and wherein the client task manager requests the successful bidder agent to process the task.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the client task manager determines whether or not to perform the contract net protocol depending on whether a reliability of the network is high or low.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the tender information includes a tender submission indicative of an evaluation value of a task execution plan.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the task requires uncertain knowledge processing to be processed by another agent on any one of other nodes.