Ubiquitous Integration and Temporal Synchronisation (UbilTS) framework : a solution for building complex multimodal data capture and interactive systems

Contemporary Data Capture and Interactive Systems (DCIS) systems are tied in with various technical complexities such as multimodal data types, diverse hardware and software components, time synchronisation issues and distributed deployment configurations. Building these systems is inherently difficult and requires addressing of these complexities before the intended and purposeful functionalities can be attained. The technical issues are often common and similar among diverse applications. This thesis presents the Ubiquitous Integration and Temporal Synchronisation (UbiITS) framework, a generic solution to address the technical complexities in building DCISs. The proposed solution is an abstract software framework that can be extended and customised to any application requirements. UbiITS includes all fundamental software components, techniques, system level layer abstractions and reference architecture as a collection to enable the systematic construction of complex DCISs. This work details four case studies to showcase the versatility and extensibility of UbiITS framework’s functionalities and demonstrate how it was employed to successfully solve a range of technical requirements. In each case UbiITS operated as the core element of each application. Additionally, these case studies are novel systems by themselves in each of their domains. Longstanding technical issues such as flexibly integrating and interoperating multimodal tools, precise time synchronisation, etc., were resolved in each application by employing UbiITS. The framework enabled establishing a functional system infrastructure in these cases, essentially opening up new lines of research in each discipline where these research approaches would not have been possible without the infrastructure provided by the framework. The thesis further presents a sample implementation of the framework on a device firmware exhibiting its capability to be directly implemented on a hardware platform. Summary metrics are also produced to establish the complexity, reusability, extendibility, implementation and maintainability characteristics of the framework.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) grants - EP/F02553X/1, 114433 and 11394

Capturing and analysing how designers use CAD software

Current Computer-Aided Design (CAD) packages support the storage of the final design models and solutions in different formats, and PLM software manages the high-level information about the design process, such as the versioning of the design solutions. However, the processes happening inside the CAD software are not being fully captured. Information such as the sequence of actions (create a sketch, set a distance constraint, remove a pocket, modify the diameter of a through hole, etc.), versioning of the created objects, etc. is missing. This information can be used to understand how a designer uses CAD software to generate geometric representations. In design companies, capturing this information during a product design project would help to evaluate the designer’s way of working with CAD software. In design education, collecting information on how design students generate geometric representations would allow teachers to identify the areas of misunderstanding, improve the education process by representing the optimal way of working, and help teachers to correctly evaluate their students’ performance in using CAD software. This paper proposes a framework to support an analysis of how designers use CAD software to generate geometric representations. This framework consists of structured models and an approach which guides the actor in capturing the design process. We use CATIA as a CAD software solution, but the proposed approach is generic and can be extended to any CAD software. The validity of the proposed approach is illustrated through a case study

Knowledge Capture in CMM Inspection Planning: Barriers and Challenges

Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM) have been widely used as a means of evaluating product quality and controlling quality manufacturing processes. Many techniques have been developed to facilitate the generation of CMM measurement plans. However, there are major gaps in the understanding of planning such strategies. This significant lack of explicitly available knowledge on how experts prepare plans and carry out measurements slows down the planning process, leading to the repetitive reinvention of new plans while preventing the automation or even semi-automation of the process. The objectives of this paper are twofold: (i) to provide a review of the existing inspection planning systems and discuss the barriers and challenges, especially from the aspect of knowledge capture and formalization; and (ii) to propose and demonstrate a novel digital engineering mixed reality paradigm which has the potential to facilitate the rapid capture of implicit inspection knowledge and explicitly represent this in a formalized way. An outline and the results of the development of an early stage prototype - which will form the foundation of a more complex system to address the aforementioned technological challenges identified in the literature survey - will be given

Collaborative geographic visualization

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia do Ambiente, perfil Gestão e Sistemas AmbientaisThe present document is a revision of essential references to take into account when developing ubiquitous Geographical Information Systems (GIS) with collaborative visualization purposes. Its chapters focus, respectively, on general principles of GIS, its multimedia components and ubiquitous practices; geo-referenced information visualization and its graphical components of virtual and augmented reality; collaborative environments, its technological requirements, architectural specificities, and models for collective information management; and some final considerations about the future and challenges of collaborative visualization of GIS in ubiquitous environment

Capturing and analysing how designers use CAD software

Current Computer-Aided Design (CAD) packages support the storage of the final design models and solutions in different formats, and PLM software manages the high-level information about the design process, such as the versioning of the design solutions. However, the processes happening inside the CAD software are not being fully captured. Information such as the sequence of actions (create a sketch, set a distance constraint, remove a pocket, modify the diameter of a through hole, etc.), versioning of the created objects, etc. is missing. This information can be used to understand how a designer uses CAD software to generate geometric representations. In design companies, capturing this information during a product design project would help to evaluate the designer’s way of working with CAD software. In design education, collecting information on how design students generate geometric representations would allow teachers to identify the areas of misunderstanding, improve the education process by representing the optimal way of working, and help teachers to correctly evaluate their students’ performance in using CAD software. This paper proposes a framework to support an analysis of how designers use CAD software to generate geometric representations. This framework consists of structured models and an approach which guides the actor in capturing the design process. We use CATIA as a CAD software solution, but the proposed approach is generic and can be extended to any CAD software. The validity of the proposed approach is illustrated through a case study

The challenges in computer supported conceptual engineering design

Computer Aided Engineering Design (CAED) supports the engineering design process during the detail design, but it is not commonly used in the conceptual design stage. This article explores through literature why this is and how the engineering design research community is responding through the development of new conceptual CAED systems and HCI (Human Computer Interface) prototypes. First the requirements and challenges for future conceptual CAED and HCI solutions to better support conceptual design are explored and categorised. Then the prototypes developed in both areas, since 2000, are discussed. Characteristics already considered and those required for future development of CAED systems and HCIs are proposed and discussed, one of the key ones being experience. The prototypes reviewed offer innovative solutions, but only address selected requirements of conceptual design, and are thus unlikely to not provide a solution which would fit the wider needs of the engineering design industry. More importantly, while the majority of prototypes show promising results they are of low maturity and require further development