System and Method for Implementing a User Interface to a Multi-Agent Distributed Control System

A manufacturing control system, comprising:

• a plurality of autonomous control components, each component configured to
• implement a manufacturing process based on a control component ontology including a listing of functions, restrictions on functions, and interoperation of functions associated with the control component that define the potential operating characteristics of the control component, the potential operating characteristics including at least one manufacturing function related to the manufacture of a product and implemented by the control component and at least one relation function with at least one related control component, and
• store information describing a current state for the manufacturing control system in a knowledge base;
• and
• a processor configured to execute instructions loaded from the fixed medium of the memory instructing the processor to implement
• an interactive visualization interface generated based on a detected change in the number of control components or the functions of at least one control component of the manufacturing system, wherein the interactive visualization editor is generated prior to being displayed and illustrates control component information including relations between at least two control components for the manufacturing system based on information received from the control components including potential operating characteristics in the listing of parameters and relations of the control component from the control component ontology and the current state for the manufacturing control, system from the knowledge base and
• an electronic web server configured to display the interactive visualization interface in response to a received web page request, wherein interaction with the interactive visual interface is constrained by the potential operating characteristics.

A computer implemented visualization method implemented by a computer communicating with a memory to execute a stored program contained in a fixed medium of the memory to display information regarding control components in a manufacturing system, the method comprising:

• requesting control component information from one or more autonomous control components of the manufacturing system including
• 1) a control component ontology including a listing of functions, restrictions on functions, and interoperation of functions associated with the control component that define the potential operating characteristics of the control component, the potential operating characteristics including at least one manufacturing function related to the manufacture of a product and implemented by the control component and at least one relation function with at least one related control component, and
• 2) a knowledge base including a listing of current states for the parameters and relations of the control component defining the current operating characteristics;
• generating an interactive visualization interface based on a detected change in the number of control components or the functions of at least one control component of the manufacturing system, wherein the interactive visualization editor is representative of control component information for the manufacturing system including relations between at least two autonomous control components, the visualization interface generated prior to being displayed to a user using the potential operating characteristics of the control component from the control component ontology and the current states for the parameters and relations of the control component from the knowledge base and visually depicting the relations;
• and
• transmitting a web page including the interactive visualization interface in response to a received web page request, wherein interaction with the interactive visual interface is constrained by the potential operating characteristics.