Engineering methods and tools for cyber–physical automation systems

Much has been published about potential benefits of the adoption of cyber–physical systems (CPSs) in manufacturing industry. However, less has been said about how such automation systems might be effectively configured and supported through their lifecycles and how application modeling, visualization, and reuse of such systems might be best achieved. It is vitally important to be able to incorporate support for engineering best practice while at the same time exploiting the potential that CPS has to offer in an automation systems setting. This paper considers the industrial context for the engineering of CPS. It reviews engineering approaches that have been proposed or adopted to date including Industry 4.0 and provides examples of engineering methods and tools that are currently available. The paper then focuses on the CPS engineering toolset being developed by the Automation Systems Group (ASG) in the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick, Coventry, U.K. and explains via an industrial case study how such a component-based engineering toolset can support an integrated approach to the virtual and physical engineering of automation systems through their lifecycle via a method that enables multiple vendors' equipment to be effectively integrated and provides support for the specification, validation, and use of such systems across the supply chain, e.g., between end users and system integrators

Design of a self-adjusting antenna feed for a homologous designed tiltable 20m-radio-telescope

Radioteleskope sind verschiedenartigen Umwelteinflüssen ausgesetzt. Dadurch hervorgerufene Verformungen der Reflektoroberfläche verändern deren geometrischen Eigenschaften und können die ursprüngliche Position und Form des Brennpunkts verändern. Eine Abweichung dieses Brennpunkt von der Lage der Primärantenne beeinflusst die Leistungsfähigkeit des Teleskops. Die vorliegende Arbeit zeigt eine Methode zur theoretischen Abschätzung der Verformung durch das Eigengewicht des Reflektors des INRAS RT–20. Jene nach der Idee des homologen Designs von Hoerners konstruierten Teleskopen weisen eine Stützstruktur auf, die die Reflektorfläche unabhängig vom Elevationswinkel in einer der ursprünglichen Form ähnlichen Gestalt halten. Somit kann die Verformung durch das Nachführen der Primärantenne ausgeglichen werden. Grundlage der Untersuchung ist ein vorhandenes Strukturmodell des RT–20–Teleskops. Zusammen mit den zugehörigen Geometriedaten und Materialparameten wird ein Finite-Element-Modell erstellt. Für dieses wird ein Belastungsfall mit dem Eigengewicht für verschiedene Elevationswinkel simuliert. Um die deformierte Reflektorfläche mathematisch zubeschreiben und den passenden Brennpunkt zu bestimmen wird eine parametrisierte Form eines Best-Fit-Paraboloids erörtert. Für die Ermittlung der Parameter werden drei Optimierungsalgorithmen in Matlab ausgeführt und miteinander verglichen. Daraus wird die Verschiebung des Brennpunkts (Defokussierung) ermittelt und der Bedarf einer Korrekturbewegung für die Primärantenne abgeschätzt. In einem Entwurfsprozess werden nach den Ideen der VDI2221–Norm technische Prinzipe für ein Aktuierungssystem entwickelt und bezüglich ausgewählter Kriterien gegeneinander abgewogen. Als Resultat dieses Bewertungsprozesses wird eines der Prinzipe erwählt und spezifiziert. Für die spätere Umsetzung werden Komponenten vorgeschlagen, Bauteile vorbereitend konstruiert und in einer CAD–Software zu einer funktionierenden Baugruppe zusammengefügt.Radio telescopes are exposed to various environmental conditions. These can produce deformations of the reflector surface that will have impact on its paraboloidal characteristics determining the position and shape of the focal point. A misalignment between the reflector focal point and the radiation–receiving primary antenna influences the performance of the telescope. The actual work presents a method to estimate theoretically the dead–weight induced deformation of the reflector surface for the INRAS PUCP RT–20 radio telescope. Such homologous designed telescopes consist of a backing structure supporting the reflector surface to retain a shape familiar to the original one and independent of the elevation angle. So it is possible to compensate the deformation by the adjustment of the primary antenna. The analysis of the deformation is done for an existing structural model of the RT–20. This model is meshed with the corresponding geometrical and material properties. In a finite–element software the load situation due to the telescope’s dead weight is simulated for different elevation angles. To describe the deformed reflector surface in a mathematical way an expression for a parametrized best-fitting paraboloid is derived. To determine the fit-parameters for the discrete point set, three optimization algorithms are executed in Matlab and their results compared. Based on this, the need of a re-alignment of the primary antenna is demonstrated. Thereupon a design process for an actuation system intended for the corrective movement is performed, following the ideas of the VDI2221–norm. Several mechanical concepts are presented and evaluated in relation to their suitability for the main needs. Based on this assessment, a parallel–kinematic mechanism is chosen as the most convenient concept. This is examined in more detail, including a deviation for the inverse kinematics. For this concept, a preliminary selection of specific components is done and assembled in a CAD–prototype.Tesi

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

Knowledge-based Engineering in Product Development Processes - Process, IT and Knowledge Management perspectives

Product development as a field of practice and research has significantly changed due to the general trends of globalization changing the enterprise landscapes in which products are realized. The access to partners and suppliers with high technological specialization has also led to an increased specialization of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Furthermore, the products are becoming increasingly complex with a high functional and technological content and many variants. Combined with shorter lifecycles which require reuse of technologies and solutions, this has resulted in an overall increased knowledge intensity which necessitates a more explicit approach towards knowledge and knowledge management in product development. In parallel, methods and IT tools for managing knowledge have been developed and are more accessible and usable today. One such approach is knowledge-based engineering (KBE), a term that was coined in the mid-1980s as a label for applications which automate the design of rule-driven geometries. In this thesis the term KBE embraces the capture and application of engineering knowledge to automate engineering tasks, regardless of domain of application, and the thesis aims at contributing to a wider utilization of KBE in product development (PD). The thesis focuses on two perspectives of KBE; as a process improvement IT method and as a knowledge management (KM) method. In the first perspective, the lack of explicit regard for the constraints of the product lifecycle management (PLM) architecture, which governs the interaction of processes and IT in PD, has been identified to negatively affect the utilization of KBE in PD processes. In the second perspective, KM theories and models can complement existing methods for identifying potential for KBE applications.Regarding the first perspective, it is concluded that explicit regard for the PLM architecture decreases the need to develop and maintain software code related to hard coded redundant data and functions in the KBE application. The concept of service oriented architecture (SOA) has been found to enable an the explicit regard for the PLM architecture.. Regarding the second perspective, it is concluded that potential for KBE applications is indicated by: 1.) application of certain types of knowledge in PD processes 2.) high maturity and formalization of the applied knowledge 3.) a codification strategy for KM and 4.) an agreement and transparency regarding how the knowledge is applied, captured and transferred. It is also concluded that the formulation of explicit KM strategies in PD should be guided by knowledge application and its relation to strategic objectives focusing on types of knowledge, their role in the PD process and the methods and tools for their application. These, in turn, affect the methods and tools deployed for knowledge capture in order for it to integrate with the processes of knowledge origin. Finally, roles and processes for knowledge transfer have to be transparent to assure the motivation of individuals to engage in the KM strategy

Knowledge-based Engineering in Product Development Processes - Process, IT and Knowledge Management perspectives

Product development as a field of practice and research has significantly changed due to the general trends of globalization changing the enterprise landscapes in which products are realized. The access to partners and suppliers with high technological specialization has also led to an increased specialization of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Furthermore, the products are becoming increasingly complex with a high functional and technological content and many variants. Combined with shorter lifecycles which require reuse of technologies and solutions, this has resulted in an overall increased knowledge intensity which necessitates a more explicit approach towards knowledge and knowledge management in product development. In parallel, methods and IT tools for managing knowledge have been developed and are more accessible and usable today. One such approach is knowledge-based engineering (KBE), a term that was coined in the mid-1980s as a label for applications which automate the design of rule-driven geometries. In this thesis the term KBE embraces the capture and application of engineering knowledge to automate engineering tasks, regardless of domain of application, and the thesis aims at contributing to a wider utilization of KBE in product development (PD). The thesis focuses on two perspectives of KBE; as a process improvement IT method and as a knowledge management (KM) method. In the first perspective, the lack of explicit regard for the constraints of the product lifecycle management (PLM) architecture, which governs the interaction of processes and IT in PD, has been identified to negatively affect the utilization of KBE in PD processes. In the second perspective, KM theories and models can complement existing methods for identifying potential for KBE applications.Regarding the first perspective, it is concluded that explicit regard for the PLM architecture decreases the need to develop and maintain software code related to hard coded redundant data and functions in the KBE application. The concept of service oriented architecture (SOA) has been found to enable an the explicit regard for the PLM architecture.. Regarding the second perspective, it is concluded that potential for KBE applications is indicated by: 1.) application of certain types of knowledge in PD processes 2.) high maturity and formalization of the applied knowledge 3.) a codification strategy for KM and 4.) an agreement and transparency regarding how the knowledge is applied, captured and transferred. It is also concluded that the formulation of explicit KM strategies in PD should be guided by knowledge application and its relation to strategic objectives focusing on types of knowledge, their role in the PD process and the methods and tools for their application. These, in turn, affect the methods and tools deployed for knowledge capture in order for it to integrate with the processes of knowledge origin. Finally, roles and processes for knowledge transfer have to be transparent to assure the motivation of individuals to engage in the KM strategy

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.

Virtualization system for life science automation laboratory

The dissertation developed a Virtualization System to simulate experiment workflows in Life Science Automation (LSA) virtually. The system integrates technologies of process control technology, TCP/IP socket, database, Visual C#, Python Script, Visual Component 3DCreate and 3D modeling, etc. It mainly has four modules: Process Control System, Data Transfer System, Control System and Virtualization Module. The system supplies a vivid and flexible 4D virtualization on LSA experiment workflows for customers, and makes demonstrations for LSA laboratories more conveniently