Product Models in Mechatronic Design: Literature Analysis on the Interdisciplinary Character of Product Models

Abstract

Mechatronic engineering is characterized by interaction of the three disciplines mechanical, electrical and software engineering. The ongoing shift in mechatronics towards a growing importance of information technology leads to increasing discipline interfaces and increasing product complexity. Here, product models are an important artefact to face these challenges and to coordinate the interdisciplinary development of mechatronic products. This contribution analyses product models in mechatronic design with special focus on their interdisciplinary character. The study and its results are based on a literature analysis. A selected collection of 55 industryrelevant product models are analyzed and categorized according to previously defined criteria. Statistical analyses of this data set are conducted to gain interesting insights about the state of the art of product models in mechatronics. First findings show a distinct overlapping in models between disciplines in certain areas. The models of different disciplines are compared among each other and analyzed according to the categorization criteria. In future research this data base and the findings are used to develop a method to systematically identify companies' currently used models and adapt their model portfolio regarding their future processes and products.