An architecture for integrated automated quality control

Total quality management for the product lifecycle requires integrating quality control systems with product development, production, and support systems. Integrating automated inspection with advanced computer manufacturing systems components greatly enhances the improvement of products and processes. Presented is an approach to integrate inspection systems with automated manufacturing systems. This step completes the computer-integrated manufacturing loop. Described is an architecture to integrate quality considerations with conventional product characteristics. Elements of an operational environment for this approach are described, along with a framework and functional components that fit in the framework. The framework and the functional components form an architecture called the Expert Programming System-One (EPS-1). An example illustrates the operation and functioning characteristics of the EPS-1.