Synchronizing Digital Process Twins between virtual products and resources – A virtual design method

Abstract

Modern technologies, such as cyber-physical systems and the digital twin, are driving current developments in digital production and its virtual planning tools. Thus leads to specific need for consistent methods that can be used across projects, especially on the future production planning’s long term view. Existing approaches deal with the cross-sectoral, virtually supported integration of cyber-physical properties in production structures by using multiple software structures. However, the potential of current production-related simulation tools in the field of systems virtual validation in the planning phase has not yet been exhausted. Based on this, the present work deals with a method for model data enrichment within virtual model-based systems development process that is executed in front of systems’ virtual commissioning. The elaborated method presupposes the successful procurement of the necessary CAD data as geometrical information and is divided into four steps, starting from the analysis of the process parameters on the basis of the product to be produced. In the second step, a property determination of the existing and planned production structure is carried out. In order to transfer the findings to the virtual modeling process, the third step is to determine the modeling needs between the current state of production and the planned cyber-physical production. Finally, a data enrichment of the products and resources behavioral models takes place that causes possibility of the mutual production-technical influence for example, by synchronizing the process structure that is stored in virtual products and resources. The method is to be classified as a total consideration of products, processes and resources in simulation-based functional verification and physical property validation. In addition, the four steps will be verified, by using the automated car-underbody assembly demonstrator for the physical relief of workers in the final assembly area of ​​automobile production, including many variants.