Abstract

vocabularies that are exchanged among agents. Namely, it is possible that the same word means different things (ambiguity), or different words mean the same thing (conflicts) in different agents [5]. This paper presents methods for controlling interactions among agents in a tightly coupled multiagent framework. In this framework, an agent is aware of what agents are available, which is able to solve a query, and how to contact them. This characteristic leads to the simplicity in controlling both local and remote interactions among agents. The form of the communication packet used in information exchange is predetermined and transparent to all agents. Agent interactions are described within the platform of MASCOT that is a tightly coupled multiagent system developed for the role of a computer secretary. Protocols for message exchange are presented, and a scenario is given to demonstrate how the communication mechanism controls agent interactions in MASCOT. Compared to this, we present a mechanism for controlling interactions among agents in a tightly coupled multiagent framework. In this framework, an agent is aware of what agents are available, which is able to solve a query, and how to contact them, albeit the heterogeneity still remains. In our viewpoint, a tightly coupled multiagent system is built in a top-down manner by disassembling a monolithic agent into a set of task-specific agents, as opposed to a loosely coupled system that is the bottom-up integration of separate agents which already exist or are newly built [7]. The main characteristics in the tightly coupled multiagent system are simplicity and efficiency in the control of both local and remote interactions among agents. The form of the communication packet used in information exchange is predetermined...

Citations