Knowledge graph for manufacturing cost estimation of gear shafts - a case study on the availability of product and manufacturing information in practice

Growing cost pressure forces companies to actively manage their product costs to secure profitability. Here, manufacturing cost estimation within product development estimates manufacturing and material costs. As most products are developed in generations, needed product and manufacturing information can origin from reference system elements (RSE), for example similar components of prior product generations. Problematically, this product and manufacturing information as well as the knowledge of its interrelation is often stored in an unstructured way, document based or at least not machine-readable. This makes manufacturing cost estimation an effortful, time consuming and mainly manual activity with low traceability, where a wide manufacturing knowledge is required. Trends in production, like new manufacturing processes and production systems further increase the need for manufacturing information and knowledge. Knowledge graphs as semantic technologies can improve the findability and reusability of reference system elements and enable automatic information processing. Within this research, cost estimation of research and development of a large automotive supplier was used as research environment. Guided by the model of PGE an ontology for the manufacturing cost estimation domain was developed. Then, a knowledge graph was instantiated based on product and manufacturing information from gear shafts of electric axles. A case study was carried out to evaluate process-specific cycle time calculation as exemplary use case of the knowledge graph. Process-specific cycle times are generally effortful estimated based on detailed manufacturing information and then used together with machine hourly rates to estimate manufacturing costs. Here, the structured and machine-readable manufacturing information of identified reference system elements is extracted from the knowledge graph to reduce the effort, increase the traceability and enable future automation. The case study shows exemplary, how a knowledge graph can support manufacturing cost estimation of gear shafts where product and manufacturing information is automatically identified using reference system elements

An architecture and technology for Ambient Intelligence Node

The era of separate networks is over. The existing technology leaders are preparing a big change in recreation of environment around us. There are several faces for this change. Names like Ambient Intelligence, Ambient Network, IP Multimedia Subsystem and others were created all over the Globe. Regardless of which name is used the new network will combine three main functional principles---it will be: contextual aware, ubiquitous access and intelligent interfaces unified network. Within this thesis two major aspects are defined. First, the definition of the Ambient Intelligence Environment concept is presented. Secondly the architecture vectors for the technology are named. A short overview of the existing technology is followed by details for the chosen technology---FPGA. The overall specifications are incorporated in the design and demonstration of a basic Ambient Intelligence Node created in the System on the Chip (SoC) FPGA technology

A Case Study of the Architecture Business Cycle for an In-Vehicle Software Architecture

This paper presents the theoretical and practical benefits from a case study using a the Architecture Business Cycle to understand the management of software architecture at an automotive manufacturer. The study was done to prepare for architectural changes driven by new technology and in the automotive business environment. Our results show that the architecture business cycle worked well in defining the theoretical context for the study after some modifications; the architecture had to be precisely defined in the interview situation to gain more useful data rather than broad generalisations. Further contributions of the study were a deeper understanding of role of the architecture and it's position among other artefacts in the organisation, and an increased focus on architectural issues in management meetings. The study also indirectly affected a subsequent re-organisation

Engineering of Augmented Reality-Based Information Systems - Design and Implementation for Intralogistics Services

The development of augmented reality glasses is still ongoing and faces barriers in diffusion and concerns about their impact on users, organizations and society. The study aims to find sufficient solutions for this struggling digital innovation and to provide guidance for the implementation of augmented reality glasses in design-oriented projects. During a 3-year consortium research, acceptance and privacy have been identified as major phenomena that influence the adoption of augmented reality glasses in the logistics domain. To forge ahead digital innovation research, the focus of the presented research lies on the diffusion of this technology with design knowledge for the development of augmented reality glasses-based systems. Evidence and artifacts contribute to the still limited knowledge of system design based on augmented reality glasses from a domain-specific instantiation and an implementation framework

A Functional Classification of Text Annotations for Engineering Design

Describing and supplementing geometric shapes (parts) and layouts (assemblies) with relevant information is key for successful product design communication. 3D annotation tools are widely available in commercial systems, but they are generally used in the same manner as 2D annotations in traditional engineering drawings. The gap between technology and practices is particularly evident in plain text annotations. In this paper, we introduce a functional classification of text annotations to provide an information framework for shifting traditional annotation practices towards the Model-Based Definition (MBD) paradigm. In our view, the current classification of dimensions, tolerances, symbols, notes, and text does not stress the inherent properties of two broader categories: symbols and text. Symbol-based annotations use a symbolic language (mostly standardized) such as Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) to provide precise information about the implications of geometric imperfections in manufacturing, whereas notes and text are based on non-standardized and unstructured plain text, and can be used to convey design information. We advocate that text annotations can be characterized in four different functional types (objectives, requirements, rationale, and intent), which should be classified as such when annotations are added to a model. The identification and definition of a formalized structure and syntax can enable the management of the annotations as separate entities, thus leveraging their individual features, or as a group to gain a global and collective view of the design problem. The proposed classification was tested with a group of users in a redesign task that involved a series of geometric changes to an annotated assembly model

CRISTAL: A practical study in designing systems to cope with change

Software engineers frequently face the challenge of developing systems whose requirements are likely to change in order to adapt to organizational reconfigurations or other external pressures. Evolving requirements present difficulties, especially in environments in which business agility demands shorter development times and responsive prototyping. This paper uses a study from CERN in Geneva to address these research questions by employing a 'description-driven' approach that is responsive to changes in user requirements and that facilitates dynamic system reconfiguration. The study describes how handling descriptions of objects in practice alongside their instances (making the objects self-describing) can mediate the effects of evolving user requirements on system development. This paper reports on and draws lessons from the practical use of a description-driven system over time. It also identifies lessons that can be learned from adopting such a self-describing description-driven approach in future software development. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd

Definition, technology readiness, and development cost of the orbit transfer vehicle engine integrated control and health monitoring system elements

An Integrated Control and Health Monitoring (ICHM) system was conceived for use on a 20 Klb thrust baseline Orbit Transfer Vehicle (OTV) engine. Considered for space used, the ICHM was defined for reusability requirements for an OTV engine service free life of 20 missions, with 100 starts and a total engine operational time of 4 hours. Functions were derived by flowing down requirements from NASA guidelines, previous OTV engine or ICHM documents, and related contracts. The elements of an ICHM were identified and listed, and these elements were described in sufficient detail to allow estimation of their technology readiness levels. These elements were assessed in terms of technology readiness level, and supporting rationale for these assessments presented. The remaining cost for development of a minimal ICHM system to technology readiness level 6 was estimated. The estimates are within an accuracy range of minus/plus 20 percent. The cost estimates cover what is needed to prepare an ICHM system for use on a focussed testbed for an expander cycle engine, excluding support to the actual test firings

A NASA-wide approach toward cost-effective, high-quality software through reuse

NASA Langley Research Center sponsored the second Workshop on NASA Research in Software Reuse on May 5-6, 1992 at the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The workshop was hosted by the Research Triangle Institute. Participants came from the three NASA centers, four NASA contractor companies, two research institutes and the Air Force's Rome Laboratory. The purpose of the workshop was to exchange information on software reuse tool development, particularly with respect to tool needs, requirements, and effectiveness. The participants presented the software reuse activities and tools being developed and used by their individual centers and programs. These programs address a wide range of reuse issues. The group also developed a mission and goals for software reuse within NASA. This publication summarizes the presentations and the issues discussed during the workshop

From FPGA to ASIC: A RISC-V processor experience

This work document a correct design flow using these tools in the Lagarto RISC- V Processor and the RTL design considerations that must be taken into account, to move from a design for FPGA to design for ASIC