Antonym of 'Executive Controller'

Perhaps the decentralized controller literature has what you are looking for? Just a pure guess.

fred

Possible. I'll have to dig. That's a lot of material to dig through for just one nugget -- but if no one makes my life easier it's a suggestion I may take.

That's an interesting question. Without ever having given it much thought, I've referred to them collectively as "local" controllers, and specifically along the lines of "claw controller", "left knee controller", and other task-specific identifiers. Will that approach do?

Jerry

You wouldn't be referring to supervisory control and regulatory control, are you?

I've always found that the best approach with this is to come up with the most intuitively satisfying descriptions you can. That helps people remember, and there's always the chance that your 'invention' will capture the vernacular ('priceless' in the Mastercard ads).

Master/slave? Initiator / implementer? Don't think I've hit the spot. I'm sure to think about it over the next few days, I'll post again if something comes up.

What's wrong with "supervisory control"?

Bruce

Nothing. Tim wants a good term for the controllers in the system.

Jerry

I use that as a synonym of 'executive control', not the antonym.

Gee, Tim, this one is a little tough. I suppose you could call the lower level stuff a "device", with the idea that a device performs an action, while a regulator or controller controlls the device, and a supervisor controls the regulator.

On the humorous side, the opposite of "executive control" could be "functional control". Hmm. That looks like it works on a couple levels...

Lots of interesting responses from control theorists (with the field's terminology). I wonder what sort of an audience you are to confront? Maybe terms from *that* field of expertise would clarify matters, and be immediately recognized?

So, maybe, "auxiliary controller", "associated controller", "subservient controller", "effector", even "instantiating controller" (uggh!) if your audience comes from business, law, medicine, software etc.

Just a thought....

Geoff.

I second the question. This wouldn't be for a textbook on the subject, would it?

Michael

Tim Wescott wrote in news:d6Wdnfd-hfKg8sfZRVn- snipped-for-privacy@web-ster.com:

What about 'initiation controller' and 'action controller'?

What about the term I used above without noticing: task-specific controller?

Jerry

No. It's for a talk that accompanies a book signing for a text on the subject. The audience will probably be mostly software engineers with no control systems training, with a sprinkling of the general public and a few friends-and-relations. Ideally it'll read like a Scientific American article -- I have to assume some prior knowledge, but I can't assume any prior _control systems_ knowledge.

Tim Wescott wrote: It's for a talk that accompanies a book signing for a text on the

How 'bout, "blue collar", directed goal, slave or follower controller.

I like "blue collar" -- I think even if I name it 'dynamic controller' I will still explain that it's the carrying out the work.

I like it, because not only does it imply it is not concerned with the "big picture", it doesn't care what the big picture is.

That is someone else's job.

It just gets its job done, and collects its pay.