Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Skip to main content

Using Colored Petri Nets for Conversation Modeling

  • Chapter
Issues in Agent Communication

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 1916))

Abstract

Conversations are a useful means of structuring communicative interactions among agents. The value of a conversation-based approach is largely determined by the conversational model it uses. Finite State Machines, used heavily to date for this purpose, are not sufficient for complex agent interactions requiring a notion of concurrency. We propose the use of Colored Petri Nets as a model underlying a language for conversation specification. This carries the relative simplicity and graphical representation of the former approach, along with greater expressive power and support for concurrency. The construction of such a language, Protolingua, is currently being investigated within the framework of the Jackal agent development environment. In this paper, we explore the use of Colored Petri Nets in modeling agent communicative interaction.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Agerwala, T.: Putting Petri Nets to work. Computer 85–94 (December 1979)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Barbuceanu, M., Fox, M.S.: COOL: A language for describing coordination in multiagent systems. In: Lesser, V. (ed.) Proceedings of the First International Conference on Multi-Agent Systems, San Francisco, CA, pp. 17–25. MIT Press, Cambridge (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Billington, J., Farrington, M., Du., B.B.: Modelling and analysis of multi-agent communication protocols using CP-nets. In: Proceedings of the third Biennial Engineering Mathematics and Applications Conference (EMAC 1998), Adelaide, Australia, July 1998, pp. 119–122 (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Bradshaw, J.M.: KAoS: An open agent architecture supporting reuse, interoperability, and extensibility. In: Tenth Knowledge Acquisition for Knowledge-Based Systems Workshop (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Bradshaw, J.M., Dutfield, S., Benoit, P., Woolley, J.D.: KAoS: Toward an industrial-strength open agent architecture. In: Bradshaw, J.M. (ed.) Software Agents. AAAI/MIT Press (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Chauhan, D.: JAFMAS: A Java-based agent framework for multiagent systems development and implementation. Master’s thesis, ECECS Department, University of Cincinnati (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Chen, Y., Peng, Y., Finin, T., Labrou, Y., Cost, S.: A negotiation-based multi-agent system for supply chain management. In: Working Notes of the Agents 1999 Workshop on Agents for Electronic Commerce and Managing the Internet-Enabled Supply Chain., Seattle, WA (April 1999)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Cost, R.S., Finin, T., Labrou, Y., Luan, X., Peng, Y., Soboroff, I., Mayfield, J., Boughannam, A.: Jackal: A Java-based tool for agent development. In: Baxter, J., Logan, C.B. (eds.) Working Notes of the Workshop on Tools for Developing Agents, AAAI 1998, number WS-98-10 in AAAI Technical Reports, Minneapolis, Minnesota, July 1998, pp. 73–82. AAAI Press (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Department of Computer Science, University of Aarhus, Denmark. Design/CPN Occurrence Graph Manual, version 3.0 edition (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Dickenson, I.: Agent standards. Technical report, Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents (October 1997)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Elio, R., Haddadi, A.: On abstract task models and conversation policies. In: Working Notes of the Workshop on Specifying and Implementing Conversation Policies, pp. 89-98, Seattle, Washington (May 1999)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Fallah-Seghrouchni, A.E., Mazouzi, H.: A hierarchial model for interactions in multi-agent systems. In: Working Notes of the Workshop on Agent Communication Languages, IJCAI 1999 (August 1999)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Finin, T., Labrou, Y., Mayfield, J.: KQML as an agent communication language. In: Bradshaw, J. (ed.) Software Agents. MIT Press, Cambridge (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  14. FIPA. FIPA 97 specification part 2: Agent communication language. Technical report, FIPA - Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents (October 1997)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Holvoet, T., Keilmann, T.: Behavior specification of active objects in open generative communication environments. In: El-Rewini, H., Patt, Y.N. (eds.) Proceedings of the HICSS-30 Conference, Track on Coordination Models, Languages and Systems, January 7-10, pp. 349–358. IEEE Computer Society Press, Los Alamitos (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Holvoet, T., Verbaeten, P.: Using petri nets for specifying active objects and generative communication. In: Agha, G., DeCindio, F. (eds.) Advances in Petri Nets on Object-Orientation. LNCS. Springer, Heidelberg (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Jensen, K.: Coloured Petri Nets. Basic Concepts, Analysis Methods and Practical Use. Basic Concepts of Monographs in Theoretical Computer Science, vol. 1. Springer, Heidelberg (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Jensen, K.: Coloured Petri Nets. Basic Concepts, Analysis Methods and Practical Use. Analysis Methods of Monographs in Theoretical Computer Science, vol. 2. Springer, Heidelberg (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Jensen, K.: Coloured Petri Nets. Basic Concepts, Analysis Methods and Practical Use. Practical Use of Monographs in Theoretical Computer Science, vol. 3. Springer, Heidelberg (1997)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  20. Kuwabara, K., Ishida, T., Osato, N.: AgenTalk: Describing multiagent coordination protocols with inheritance. In: Proceedings of the 7th IEEE International Conference on Tools with Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI 1995), pp. 460–465 (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Labrou, Y.: Semantics for an Agent Communication Language. PhD thesis, University of Maryland Baltimore County (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Lin, F., Norrie, D.H., Shen, W., Kremer, R.: Schema-based approach to specifying conversation policies. In: Working Notes of the Workshop on Specifying and Implementing Conversation Policies, Third International Conference on Autonomous Agents, Seattle, Washington, May 1999, pp. 71–78 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Moldt, D., Wienberg, F.: Multi-agent-systems based on coloured petri nets. In: Azéma, P., Balbo, G. (eds.) ICATPN 1997. LNCS, vol. 1248, pp. 82–101. Springer, Heidelberg (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Nodine, M.H., Unruh, A.: Facilitating open communication in agent systems: the InfoSleuth infrastructure. In: Rao, A., Singh, M.P., Wooldridge, M.J. (eds.) ATAL 1997. LNCS, vol. 1365, pp. 281–295. Springer, Heidelberg (1998)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  25. Van Dyke Parunak, H.: Visualizing agent conversations: Using enhanced dooley graphs for agent design and analysis. In: Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Multi-Agent Systems (ICMAS 1996) (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Peng, Y., Finin, T., Labrou, Y., Cost, R.S., Chu, B., Long, J., Tolone, W.J., Boughannam, A.: An agent-based approach for manufacturing integration - the CIIMPLEX experience. International Journal of Applied Artificial Intelligence 13(l–2), 39–64 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Pitt, J., Mamdani, A.: Communication protocols in multi-agent systems. In: Working Notes of the Workshop on Specifying and Implementing Conversation Policies, Seattle, Washington, May 1999, pp. 39–48 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Purvis, M., Cranefield, S.: Agent modelling with petri nets. In: Proceedings of the CESA 1996 (Computational Engineering in Systems Applications) Symposium on Discrete Events and Manufacturing Systems, Lille, France, July 1996, pp. 602–607. IMACS, IEEE-SMC (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Shoham, Y.: Agent-oriented programming. Artificial Intelligence 60, 51–92 (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  30. White, J.: Mobile agents. In: Bradshaw, J.M. (ed.) Software Agents. MIT Press, Cambridge (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Wienberg, F.: Multiagentensysteme auf def Basis gefärbter Petri-Netze. PhD thesis, Universitat Hamburg Fachbereich Informatik (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Winograd, T., Flores, F.: Understanding Computers and Cognition. Addison-Wesley, Reading (1986)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2000 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Cost, R.S., Chen, Y., Finin, T., Labrou, Y., Peng, Y. (2000). Using Colored Petri Nets for Conversation Modeling. In: Dignum, F., Greaves, M. (eds) Issues in Agent Communication. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 1916. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/10722777_12

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/10722777_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-41144-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-40028-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics