Digital Representation in Multicopter Design Along the Product Life-cycle

Abstract

This paper describes the formal representation approach used in the scope of a large-scale research project aiming at the holistic, completely digital representation and automated computability of the product life-cycle (PLC). The distinctive approach consists in the novel methodology of visual, graph-based design languages expressed in UML (Unified Modeling Language), which allow both the creation of new engineering models as well as the reuse of pre-existing engineering models and know-how. The tool-independent representation of the engineering design knowledge via the abstraction level in UML was originally developed by one of the project partners in prior work. The paper explains the methodology, modeling method and computational means as well as their integration along the product life-cycle including requirements, design, simulation as well as cost and energy analysis. The explanation is illustrated through a design language implementation for the automated design of novel light-weight multicopters.