Transforming Multidisciplinary Customer Requirements to Product Design Specifications

With the increasing of complexity of complex mechatronic products, it is necessary to involve multidisciplinary design teams, thus, the traditional customer requirements modeling for a single discipline team becomes difficult to be applied in a multidisciplinary team and project since team members with various disciplinary backgrounds may have different interpretations of the customers’ requirements. A new synthesized multidisciplinary customer requirements modeling method is provided for obtaining and describing the common understanding of customer requirements (CRs) and more importantly transferring them into a detailed and accurate product design specifications (PDS) to interact with different team members effectively. A case study of designing a high speed train verifies the rationality and feasibility of the proposed multidisciplinary requirement modeling method for complex mechatronic product development. This proposed research offersthe instruction to realize the customer-driven personalized customization of complex mechatronic product

Design, modelling, simulation and integration of cyber physical systems: Methods and applications

The main drivers for the development and evolution of Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) are the reduction of development costs and time along with the enhancement of the designed products. The aim of this survey paper is to provide an overview of different types of system and the associated transition process from mechatronics to CPS and cloud-based (IoT) systems. It will further consider the requirement that methodologies for CPS-design should be part of a multi-disciplinary development process within which designers should focus not only on the separate physical and computational components, but also on their integration and interaction. Challenges related to CPS-design are therefore considered in the paper from the perspectives of the physical processes, computation and integration respectively. Illustrative case studies are selected from different system levels starting with the description of the overlaying concept of Cyber Physical Production Systems (CPPSs). The analysis and evaluation of the specific properties of a sub-system using a condition monitoring system, important for the maintenance purposes, is then given for a wind turbine

Supporting Multi-Domain Model Management

Model-driven engineering has been used in different domains such as software engineering, robotics, and automotive. This approach has models as the primary artifacts, and it is expected to improve quality of system specification and design, as well as the communication among the development team. Managing models that belong to the same domain might not be a complex task because of the features provided by the available development tools. However, managing interrelated models of different domains is challenging. A robot is an example of such a multi-domain system. To develop it one might need to combine models created by experts from mechanics, electronics and software domains. These models might be created using domain specific tools of each domain, and a change in one model of one domain might impact a model from a different domain causing inconsistency in the entire system. This thesis therefore aims to facilitate the evolution of the models in this multi-domain setting. It starts with a systematic literature review in order to identify the open issues, and strategies used to manage models from different domains. We identified that making explicit the relationship between models from different domains can support the models maintenance, making it easy to recognize affected models because of a change. The following step was to investigate ways of extracting information from different engineering models that were created using different modeling notations. For this goal, we required a uniform approach that would be independent from the peculiarities of the notations. This uniform approach can only be based on elements typically present in various modeling notations, i.e., text, boxes, and lines. Thus, we investigated the suitability of optical character recognition (OCR) for extracting textual elements from models from different domains. We also identified the common errors made by the off-the-shelf OCR services, and we proposed two approaches to correct one of these errors. After that, we used name matching techniques on the textual elements extracted by OCR to identify relationships between models from different domains. To conclude, we created an infrastructure that combines all the previous elements into one single tool that can also store the relationships in a structured manner making it easier to maintain the consistency of an entire system. We evaluated it by means of an observational study with a multidisciplinary team that builds autonomous robots designed to play football

A collaborative platform for integrating and optimising Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis requests

A Virtual Integration Platform (VIP) is described which provides support for the integration of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis tools into an environment that supports the use of these tools in a distributed collaborative manner. The VIP has evolved through previous EU research conducted within the VRShips-ROPAX 2000 (VRShips) project and the current version discussed here was developed predominantly within the VIRTUE project but also within the SAFEDOR project. The VIP is described with respect to the support it provides to designers and analysts in coordinating and optimising CFD analysis requests. Two case studies are provided that illustrate the application of the VIP within HSVA: the use of a panel code for the evaluation of geometry variations in order to improve propeller efficiency; and, the use of a dedicated maritime RANS code (FreSCo) to improve the wake distribution for the VIRTUE tanker. A discussion is included detailing the background, application and results from the use of the VIP within these two case studies as well as how the platform was of benefit during the development and a consideration of how it can benefit HSVA in the future

An approach to open virtual commissioning for component-based automation

Increasing market demands for highly customised products with shorter time-to-market and at lower prices are forcing manufacturing systems to be built and operated in a more efficient ways. In order to overcome some of the limitations in traditional methods of automation system engineering, this thesis focuses on the creation of a new approach to Virtual Commissioning (VC). In current VC approaches, virtual models are driven by pre-programmed PLC control software. These approaches are still time-consuming and heavily control expertise-reliant as the required programming and debugging activities are mainly performed by control engineers. Another current limitation is that virtual models validated during VC are difficult to reuse due to a lack of tool-independent data models. Therefore, in order to maximise the potential of VC, there is a need for new VC approaches and tools to address these limitations. The main contributions of this research are: (1) to develop a new approach and the related engineering tool functionality for directly deploying PLC control software based on component-based VC models and reusable components; and (2) to build tool-independent common data models for describing component-based virtual automation systems in order to enable data reusability. [Continues.

A model-based approach for supporting flexible automation production systems and an agent-based implementaction

158 p.En esta Tesis Doctoral se plantea una arquitectura de gestión genérica y personalizable, capaz de asegurar el cumplimiento de los requisitos de calidad de servicio (QoS) de un sistema de control industrial. Esta arquitectura permite la modificación de los mecanismos de detección y recuperación de los requisitos de QoS en función de diversos tipos de ésta. Como prueba de concepto, la arquitectura de gestión ha sido implementada mediante un middleware basado en sistemas multi-agente. Este middleware proporciona una serie de agentes distribuidos, los cuales se encargan de la monitorización y recuperación de las QoS en caso de su perdida.La incorporación de los mecanismos de reconfiguración incrementa la complejidad de los sistemas de control. Con el fin de facilitar el diseño de estos sistemas, se ha presentado un framework basado en modelos que guía y facilita el diseño de los sistemas de control reconfigurables. Este framework proporciona una serie de herramientas basadas en modelos que permiten la generación automática del código de control del sistema, así como de los mecanismos de monitorización y reconfiguración de los agentes del middleware.La implementación de la arquitectura ha sido validada mediante una serie de escenarios basados en una célula de montaje real

A component-based virtual engineering approach to PLC code generation for automation systems

In recent years, the automotive industry has been significantly affected by a number of challenges driven by globalisation, economic fluctuations, environmental awareness and rapid technological developments. As a consequence, product lifecycles are shortening and customer demands are becoming more diverse. To survive in such a business environment, manufacturers are striving to find a costeffective solution for fast and efficient development and reconfiguration of manufacturing systems to satisfy the needs of changing markets without losses in production. Production systems within automotive industry are vastly automated and heavily rely on PLC-based control systems. It has been established that one of the major obstacles in realising reconfigurable manufacturing systems is the fragmented engineering approach to implement control systems. Control engineering starts at a very late stage in the overall system engineering process and remains highly isolated from the mechanical design and build of the system. During this stage, control code is typically written manually in vendor-specific tools in a combination of IEC 61131-3 languages. Writing control code is a complex, time consuming and error-prone process. [Continues.

Tiv-Model : an empirically validated design methodology for complex space systems

In response to emergent space systems engineering industry challenges, this thesis explored work on the following; 1. The development of engineering design methodologies, following a design process and proposing a baseline of requirements for new methodologies called the “Methodology Requirements Document”. 2. A new design engineering methodology called the “Tiv-Model”, which combines novel academic research into a space systems engineering life cycle model that addresses the emergent challenges. 3. A procedure for verifying and validating design models, based on an existing technique called the “Validation Square”, incorporated to boost the waning confidence industry drivers have of academic models. Through literature research, the Methodology Requirements Document is formed, and the TivModel is created with the aim of optimising the development of space systems. Its novel aspects include a model-based verification technique (called multi-perspective modelling), a focus on teachability for novice engineers and incorporation of other new academic findings, to utilise useful research. The verification and validation of the Tiv-Model is used as an example to create a procedure for academics to validate their own models. A combination of comparative benchmark studies and a focus group was used to continuously improve the model and drive it through the design process. The Tiv-Model rated better in student projects than its benchmark (V-Model) in 13 out of 24 survey categories in a t-test study, and underwent changes requested by industry veterans to finalise the model.In response to emergent space systems engineering industry challenges, this thesis explored work on the following; 1. The development of engineering design methodologies, following a design process and proposing a baseline of requirements for new methodologies called the “Methodology Requirements Document”. 2. A new design engineering methodology called the “Tiv-Model”, which combines novel academic research into a space systems engineering life cycle model that addresses the emergent challenges. 3. A procedure for verifying and validating design models, based on an existing technique called the “Validation Square”, incorporated to boost the waning confidence industry drivers have of academic models. Through literature research, the Methodology Requirements Document is formed, and the TivModel is created with the aim of optimising the development of space systems. Its novel aspects include a model-based verification technique (called multi-perspective modelling), a focus on teachability for novice engineers and incorporation of other new academic findings, to utilise useful research. The verification and validation of the Tiv-Model is used as an example to create a procedure for academics to validate their own models. A combination of comparative benchmark studies and a focus group was used to continuously improve the model and drive it through the design process. The Tiv-Model rated better in student projects than its benchmark (V-Model) in 13 out of 24 survey categories in a t-test study, and underwent changes requested by industry veterans to finalise the model

An ontology-based approach for integrating engineering workflows for industrial assembly automation systems

Modern manufacturing organisations face a number of external challenges as the customer-base is more varied, more knowledgeable, and has a broader range of requirements. This has given rise to paradigms such as mass customisation and product personalisation. Internally, businesses must manage multidisciplinary teams that must work together to achieve a common goal despite spanning multiple domains, organisations, and due to improved communication technologies, countries. The motivation for this research is to therefore understand firstly how the multiplicity of stakeholders come together to realise the ever increasing and ever more complex number of product variants that manufacturing systems must now realise. The lack of integration of engineering tools and methods is identified to be one of the barriers to smooth engineering workflows and thus one of the key challenges faced in the current dynamic market. To address this problem, this research builds upon previous works that propose domain ontologies for representing knowledge in a way that is both machine and human readable, facilitating interoperability between engineering software. In addition to this, the research develops a novel Skill model that brings the domain ontologies into a practical, implementable framework that complements existing industrial workflows. The focus of this thesis is the domain of industrial assembly automation systems due to the role this stage of manufacturing plays in realising product variety. Therefore, the proposed ontological models and framework are applied to product assembly scenarios. The key contributions of this work are the consolidation of domain ontologies with a Skill model within the context of assembly systems engineering, development of a broader framework for the ontologies to sit within that complements existing workflows. In addition, the research demonstrates how the framework can be applied to connect assembly process planning activities with machine control logic to identify and rectify inconsistencies as new products are introduced. In summary, the thesis identifies the shortcomings of existing ontological models within the context of manufacturing, develops new models to address those shortcoming, and develops new, useful ways for ontological models to be used to address industrial problems by integrating them with virtual engineering tools