DESIGNING INTEGRATED ENGINEERING ENVIRONMENTS - BLACKBOARD-BASED INTEGRATION OF DESIGN AND ANALYSIS TOOLS

Blackboard-based integration of multiple agents is a natural and viabl e technology for the implementation of concurrent-engineering (CE) env ironments. This article presents a blackboard architecture that has be en extended to support the integration of heterogeneous collaborative agents. The suitability of the architecture as an integration framewor k for CE applications is discussed, followed by a description of a pro totype CE application developed as part of Ford Motor Company's partic ipation in the RRM (Rapid Response Manufacturing) Consortium.(1) The p rototype is a mixed-initiative, multiuser, multiprocessing environment that integrates heterogeneous agents working on crankshaft design, an alysis, and manufacturing-feasibility assessment. The effectiveness of the RRM prototype and the ease and speed with which it was created de monstrates that blackboard-based integration technology is appropriate for building multiagent concurrent-engineering applications.