Hierarchical case-based reasoning integrating case-based and decompositional problem-solving techniques for plant-control software design

Case-based reasoning (CBR) is an artificial intelligence technique that emp hasises the role of past experience during future problem solving. New prob lems are solved by retrieving and adapting the solutions to similar problem s, solutions that have been stored and indexed for future reuse as cases in a case-base. The power of CBR is severely curtailed if problem solving is limited to the retrieval and adaptation of a single case so most CBR system s dealing with complex problem solving tasks have to use multiple cases. Th is paper describes and evaluates the technique of hierarchical case-based r easoning, which allows complex problems to be solved by reusing multiple ca ses at various levels of abstraction. The technique is described in the con text of Deja Vu, a CBR system aimed at automating plant-control software de sign.