A Model-Driven Engineering Approach for ROS using Ontological Semantics

This paper presents a novel ontology-driven software engineering approach for the development of industrial robotics control software. It introduces the ReApp architecture that synthesizes model-driven engineering with semantic technologies to facilitate the development and reuse of ROS-based components and applications. In ReApp, we show how different ontological classification systems for hardware, software, and capabilities help developers in discovering suitable software components for their tasks and in applying them correctly. The proposed model-driven tooling enables developers to work at higher abstraction levels and fosters automatic code generation. It is underpinned by ontologies to minimize discontinuities in the development workflow, with an integrated development environment presenting a seamless interface to the user. First results show the viability and synergy of the selected approach when searching for or developing software with reuse in mind.Comment: Presented at DSLRob 2015 (arXiv:1601.00877), Stefan Zander, Georg Heppner, Georg Neugschwandtner, Ramez Awad, Marc Essinger and Nadia Ahmed: A Model-Driven Engineering Approach for ROS using Ontological Semantic

Towards a new methodology for design, modelling, and verification of reconfigurable distributed control systems based on a new extension to the IEC 61499 standard

In order to meet user requirements and system environment changes, reconfigurable control systems must dynamically adapt their structure and behaviour without disrupting system operation. IEC 61499 standard provides limited support for the design and verification of such systems. In fact, handling different reconfiguration scenarios at runtime is difficult since function blocks in IEC 61499 cannot be changed at run-time. Hence, this thesis promotes an IEC 61499 extension called reconfigurable function block (RFB) that increases design readability and smoothly switches to the most appropriate behaviour when a reconfiguration event occurs. To ensure system feasibility after reconfiguration, in addition to the qualitative verification, quantitative verification based on probabilistic model checking is addressed in a new RFBA approach. The latter aims to transform the designed RFB model automatically into a generalised reconfigurable timed net condition/event system model (GRTNCES) using a newly developed environment called RFBTool. The GR-TNCES fits well with RFB and preserves its semantic. Using the probabilistic model checker PRISM, the generated GR-TNCES model is checked using defined properties specified in computation tree logic. As a result, an evaluation of system performance and an estimation of reconfiguration risks are obtained. The RFBA methodology is applied on a distributed power system case study.Dynamische Anforderungen und Umgebungen erfordern rekonfigurierbare Anlagen und Steuerungssysteme. Rekonfiguration ermöglicht es einem System, seine Struktur und sein Verhalten an interne oder externe Änderungen anzupassen. Die Norm IEC 61499 wurde entwickelt, um (verteilte) Steuerungssysteme auf Basis von Funktionsbausteinen zu entwickeln. Sie bietet jedoch wenig Unterstützung für Entwurf und Verifikation. Die Tatsache, dass eine Rekonfiguration das System-Ausführungsmodell verändert, erschwert die Entwicklung in IEC 61499 zusätzlich. Daher schlägt diese Dissertation rekonfigurierbare Funktionsbausteine (RFBs) als Erweiterung der Norm vor. Ein RFB verarbeitet über einen Master-Slave-Automaten Rekonfigurationsereignisse und löst das entsprechende Verhalten aus. Diese Hierarchie trennt das Rekonfigurationsmodell vom Steuerungsmodell und vereinfacht so den Entwurf. Die Funktionalität des Entwurfs muss verifiziert werden, damit die Ausführbarkeit des Systems nach einer Rekonfiguration gewährleistet ist. Hierzu wird das entworfene RFB-Modell automatisch in ein generalised reconfigurable timed net condition/event system übersetzt. Dieses wird mit dem Model-Checker PRISM auf qualitative und quantitative Eigenschaften überprüft. Somit wird eine Bewertung der Systemperformanz und eine Einschätzung der Rekonfigurationsrisiken erreicht. Die RFB-Methodik wurde in einem Softwarewerkzeug umgesetzt und in einer Fallstudie auf ein dezentrales Stromnetz angewendet

Standardization in cyber-physical systems: the ARUM case

Cyber-physical systems concept supports the realization of the Industrie 4.0 vision towards the computerization of traditional industries, aiming to achieve intelligent and reconfigurable factories. Standardization assumes a critical role in the industrial adoption of cyber-physical systems, namely in the integration of legacy systems as well as the smooth migration from existing running systems to the new ones. This paper analyses some existing standards in related fields and presents identified limitations and efforts for a wider acceptance of such systems by industry. A special attention is devoted to the efforts to develop a standard-compliant service-oriented multi-agent system solution within the ARUM project.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A review of architectures and concepts for intelligence in future electric energy system

Renewable energy sources are one key enabler to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and to cope with the anthropogenic climate change. Their intermittent behavior and limited storage capabilities present a new challenge to power system operators to maintain power quality and reliability. Additional technical complexity arises from the large number of small distributed generation units and their allocation within the power system. Market liberalization and changing regulatory framework lead to additional organizational complexity. As a result, the design and operation of the future electric energy system have to be redefined. Sophisticated information and communication architectures, automation concepts, and control approaches are necessary in order to manage the higher complexity of so-called smart grids. This paper provides an overview of the state of the art and recent developments enabling higher intelligence in future smart grids. The integration of renewable sources and storage systems into the power grids is analyzed. Energy management and demand response methods and important automation paradigms and domain standards are also reviewed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Semantic Interoperability Model Based on the IEEE 1451 Family of Standards Applied to the Industry 4.0

The Internet of Things (IoT) has been growing recently. It is a concept for connecting billions of smart devices through the Internet in different scenarios. One area being developed inside the IoT in industrial automation, which covers Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and industrial communications with an automatic process, emerging the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) concept. Inside the IIoT is developing the concept of Industry 4.0 (I4.0). That represents the fourth industrial revolution and addresses the use of Internet technologies to improve the production efficiency of intelligent services in smart factories. I4.0 is composed of a combination of objects from the physical world and the digital world that offers dedicated functionality and flexibility inside and outside of an I4.0 network. The I4.0 is composed mainly of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). The CPS is the integration of the physical world and its digital world, i.e., the Digital Twin (DT). It is responsible for realising the intelligent cross-link application, which operates in a self-organised and decentralised manner, used by smart factories for value creation. An area where the CPS can be implemented in manufacturing production is developing the Cyber-Physical Production System (CPPS) concept. CPPS is the implementation of Industry 4.0 and CPS in manufacturing and production, crossing all levels of production between the autonomous and cooperative elements and sub-systems. It is responsible for connecting the virtual space with the physical world, allowing the smart factories to be more intelligent, resulting in better and smart production conditions, increasing productivity, production efficiency, and product quality. The big issue is connecting smart devices with different standards and protocols. About 40% of the benefits of the IoT cannot be achieved without interoperability. This thesis is focused on promoting the interoperability of smart devices (sensors and actuators) inside the IIoT under the I4.0 context. The IEEE 1451 is a family of standards developed to manage transducers. This standard reaches the syntactic level of interoperability inside Industry 4.0. However, Industry 4.0 requires a semantic level of communication not to exchange data ambiguously. A new semantic layer is proposed in this thesis allowing the IEEE 1451 standard to be a complete framework for communication inside the Industry 4.0 to provide an interoperable network interface with users and applications to collect and share the data from the industry field.A Internet das Coisas tem vindo a crescer recentemente. É um conceito que permite conectar bilhões de dispositivos inteligentes através da Internet em diferentes cenários. Uma área que está sendo desenvolvida dentro da Internet das Coisas é a automação industrial, que abrange a comunicação máquina com máquina no processo industrial de forma automática. Essa interligação, representa o conceito da Internet das Coisas Industrial. Dentro da Internet das Coisas Industrial está a desenvolver o conceito de Indústria 4.0 (I4.0). Isso representa a quarta revolução industrial que aborda o uso de tecnologias utilizadas na Internet para melhorar a eficiência da produção de serviços em fábricas inteligentes. A Indústria 4.0 é composta por uma combinação de objetos do mundo físico e do mundo da digital que oferece funcionalidade dedicada e flexibilidade dentro e fora de uma rede da Indústria 4.0. O I4.0 é composto principalmente por Sistemas Ciberfísicos. Os Sistemas Ciberfísicos permitem a integração do mundo físico com seu representante no mundo digital, por meio do Gémeo Digital. Sistemas Ciberfísicos são responsáveis por realizar a aplicação inteligente da ligação cruzada, que opera de forma auto-organizada e descentralizada, utilizada por fábricas inteligentes para criação de valor. Uma área em que o Sistema Ciberfísicos pode ser implementado na produção manufatureira, isso representa o desenvolvimento do conceito Sistemas de Produção Ciberfísicos. Esse sistema é a implementação da Indústria 4.0 e Sistema Ciberfísicos na fabricação e produção. A cruzar todos os níveis desde a produção entre os elementos e subsistemas autónomos e cooperativos. Ele é responsável por conectar o espaço virtual com o mundo físico, permitindo que as fábricas inteligentes sejam mais inteligentes, resultando em condições de produção melhores e inteligentes, aumentando a produtividade, a eficiência da produção e a qualidade do produto. A grande questão é como conectar dispositivos inteligentes com diferentes normas e protocolos. Cerca de 40% dos benefícios da Internet das Coisas não podem ser alcançados sem interoperabilidade. Esta tese está focada em promover a interoperabilidade de dispositivos inteligentes (sensores e atuadores) dentro da Internet das Coisas Industrial no contexto da Indústria 4.0. O IEEE 1451 é uma família de normas desenvolvidos para gerenciar transdutores. Esta norma alcança o nível sintático de interoperabilidade dentro de uma indústria 4.0. No entanto, a Indústria 4.0 requer um nível semântico de comunicação para não haver a trocar dados de forma ambígua. Uma nova camada semântica é proposta nesta tese permitindo que a família de normas IEEE 1451 seja um framework completo para comunicação dentro da Indústria 4.0. Permitindo fornecer uma interface de rede interoperável com utilizadores e aplicações para recolher e compartilhar os dados dentro de um ambiente industrial.This thesis was developed at the Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory (IML) in the University of Beira Interior and supported by the portuguese project INDTECH 4.0 – Novas tecnologias para fabricação, que tem como objetivo geral a conceção e desenvolvimento de tecnologias inovadoras no contexto da Indústria 4.0/Factories of the Future (FoF), under the number POCI-01-0247-FEDER-026653