Modeling Business Process Variability

This master thesis presents research findings on business process variability modeling. Its main goal is to analyze inherent problems of business process variability and solve them simply, innovatively and effectively. To achieve this goal, process variability is defined by analyzing scientific literature, its main problems identified and is illustrated using a healthcare running example: process variability is classified into process variability within the domain space and over time. These two forms of process variability respectively lead to process variability modeling and process model evolution problems. After defining the main problems inherent to process variability, the focus of this research project is defined: solving process variability modeling problems. First current business process modeling languages are evaluated to assess the effectiveness of their respective modeling concepts when modeling process variability, using a newly created set of evaluation criteria and the healthcare running example. The following business process modeling languages are evaluated: Event driven process chains (EPC), the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) and Configurable EPC (C-EPC). Business process variability modeling and Software product line engineering have similar problems. Therefore the variability modeling concepts developed by software product line engineering are analyzed. Feature diagrams and software configuration management are the main variability management concepts provided by software product line engineering. To apply these variability management concepts to model process variability meant combining them with existing business modeling languages. Riebisch feature diagrams are combined with C-EPC to form Feature-EPC. Applying software configuration management, meant merging Change Oriented Versioning with basic EPC to create COV-EPC, and merging the Proteus Configuration Language with basic EPC to design PCL-EPC. Finally these newly created business process modeling languages are also evaluated using the newly designed evaluation criteria and the healthcare running example. EPC or BPMN are not suited to model business process variability within the domain space. C-EPC provide explicit means to model business process variability, however the process models tend to get big very fast. Furthermore the syntax, the contextual constraints and the semantics of the configuration requirements and guidelines used to configure the C-EPC process models are unclear. Feature-EPC improve C-EPC with domain modeling capability and clearly defined configuration rules: their syntax, contextual constraints and semantics have been clearly defined using a context free grammar in Backus-Naur form. Furthermore, consistent combinations of features and configuration rules are ensured using respectively constraints and a conflict resolution algorithm. However, Feature-EPC and C-EPC suffer from the same weakness: large configurable process models. In COV-EPC and PCL-EPC the problem of large configurable process models is solved. COV-EPC ensures consistent combinations of options and configuration rules using respectively validities and a conflict resolution algorithm. PCL-EPC guarantees consistent combinations of process fragments by means of a PCL specification

Towards Interoperable Research Infrastructures for Environmental and Earth Sciences

This open access book summarises the latest developments on data management in the EU H2020 ENVRIplus project, which brought together more than 20 environmental and Earth science research infrastructures into a single community. It provides readers with a systematic overview of the common challenges faced by research infrastructures and how a ‘reference model guided’ engineering approach can be used to achieve greater interoperability among such infrastructures in the environmental and earth sciences. The 20 contributions in this book are structured in 5 parts on the design, development, deployment, operation and use of research infrastructures. Part one provides an overview of the state of the art of research infrastructure and relevant e-Infrastructure technologies, part two discusses the reference model guided engineering approach, the third part presents the software and tools developed for common data management challenges, the fourth part demonstrates the software via several use cases, and the last part discusses the sustainability and future directions

Towards Interoperable Research Infrastructures for Environmental and Earth Sciences

This open access book summarises the latest developments on data management in the EU H2020 ENVRIplus project, which brought together more than 20 environmental and Earth science research infrastructures into a single community. It provides readers with a systematic overview of the common challenges faced by research infrastructures and how a ‘reference model guided’ engineering approach can be used to achieve greater interoperability among such infrastructures in the environmental and earth sciences. The 20 contributions in this book are structured in 5 parts on the design, development, deployment, operation and use of research infrastructures. Part one provides an overview of the state of the art of research infrastructure and relevant e-Infrastructure technologies, part two discusses the reference model guided engineering approach, the third part presents the software and tools developed for common data management challenges, the fourth part demonstrates the software via several use cases, and the last part discusses the sustainability and future directions

ASSESSING PRODUCT CONFIGURATOR CAPABILITIES FOR SUCCESSFUL MASS CUSTOMIZATION

Mass customization is becoming a competitive strategy for companies offering individualized products. Product configurators provide a platform for companies to do interactive product configuration which is essential for mass customization. Companies need to realize the degree of customization appreciated by the customers and the extent of customization that can be offered competitively. This research is an effort to develop an approach to ascertain the product configurator requirements to achieve mass customization. The frameworks developed for this research are validated with a case study

Two channel stepper motor controller

Cílem této práce je vývoj dvoukanálového kontroléru krokových motorů. V rámci práce je popsán jak vývoj elektroniky, tak vývoj příslušného software. Elektronika kontrolŕu je založena na mikrokontroléru STM32F405 a driverů krokových motorů vyráběných firmou Trinamic. Pro komunikaci s nadřazenými systémy je implementován protokol CANOpen a sběrnice I\textsuperscript{2}C a USB. Elektronika byla navržena v software KiCAD and využívá čtyřvrstvého plošného spoje a moderních výrobních technologií. Co se týká software, byl vyvinut jak firmware pro mikrokontrolér, tak software pro ovládání kontroléru. Obě části software využívají programovacího jazyka Rust, který se zaměřuje na bezpečnost práce s pamětí, rychlost a zero-cost abstrakce. Sekundárním cílem této práce je ukázat, jak lze tento programovací jazyk s výhodou použít pro programování nízkoúrovňového embedded software. Firmware kontroléru implementuje nezávislé řízení pohybu obou os kontroléru a to jak v rychlostním, tak v pozičním režimu a zároveň implementuje bezpečnostní funkce pro případy selhání komunikace. Výsledný kontrolér by měl být použit v rámcí výzkumné skupiny Robotiky a Umělé Inteligence a studenty na Ústavu Automatizace FEKT VUT.The goal of this thesis is the development of a dual-channel stepper motor controller. Both the development of electronics and software is described. The electronics of the controller is based on the STM32F405 microcontroller, and Trinamic manufactured stepper motor controller ICs. For communication with higher-level systems, the controller utilizes the CANOpen protocol, I\textsuperscript{2}C, and USB buses. The whole electronics was designed in the KiCAD EDA and utilizes a 4-layer PCB and contemporary manufacturing technologies. As for the software, both firmware and control software were developed. Both of these pieces of software utilize the Rust programming language, which focuses on memory safety, performance and provides useful zero-cost abstraction. The Secondary goal of this thesis is to show how the language can be utilized for low-level embedded software development. The firmware of the controller implements independent motion control for each of the axes with both velocity and position control and provides failsafe mechanisms for cases of communication failures. The controller is meant to be used by the Robotics and AI research group and by students of the DCI, FEEC BUT.

A method for the mechatronico analysis of parallel kinematics manipulators based on decoupling the dynamics of actuators and mechanism

287 p