Knowledge-Based Virtual Modeling and Simulation of Manufacturing Processes for Industry 4.0

Abstract

Industry 4.0 aims at providing a digital representation of a production landscape, but the challenges in building, maintaining, optimizing, and evolving digital models in inter-organizational production chains have not been identified yet in a systematic manner. In this paper, various Industry 4.0 research and technical challenges are addressed, and their present scenario is discussed. Moreover, in this article, the novel concept of developing experience-based virtual models of engineering entities, process, and the factory is presented. These models of production units, processes, and procedures are accomplished by virtual engineering object (VEO), virtual engineering process (VEP), and virtual engineering factory (VEF), using the knowledge representation technique of Decisional DNA. This blend of the virtual and physical domains permits monitoring of systems and analysis of data to foresee problems before they occur, develop new opportunities, prevent downtime, and even plan for the future by using simulations. Furthermore, the proposed virtual model concept not only has the capability of Query Processing and Data Integration for Industrial Data but also real-time visualization of data stream processing.     

A MATHEMATICAL THEORY OF DESIGN Modeling the Design Process (Part II)

Abstract

This study presents a Formal General Design Theory (FGDT), a mathematical theory of design. The scope and objectives of FGDT, as well as modeling design artifacts were examined in the first part of this study. Here, the entire design process (termed also idealized design process) is conceptualized by a single operator which has several properties that immanently characterize the design process. The concept of a generating set for the design solution space is also introduced, and its relation with the axiomatic model of the design process is explored. The FGDT will provide insight into design practice and guidelines for developing CAD systems.     

Principled Modeling and Automatic Classification for Enhancing the Reusability of Problem Solving Methods of Expert Systems

Software reuse is widely believed to be a key to improving software productivity and quality in conventional software. In expert systems, much of the knowledge has been compiled (i.e., compressed and restricted into effective procedures) and this makes reusability difficult. One of the issues in modeling expert systems for enhanced reusability is capturing explicity the underlying problem solving designs. Principled knowledge representation schemes have been used to model components of complex software systems. However, the potential for applying these principled modeling techniques for explicitly capturing the problem solving designs of expert systems has not been fully explored. To overcome this omission, we use an Artificial Intelligence knowledge representation scheme for developing an ontology of the software components to facilitate their classification and retrieval. The application of our ontological approach is of both theoretical and practical significance. This method facilitates the reuse of high-level design. We illustrate the application of principled domain modeling using two real world applications of knowledge-based systems.     

面向创新设计的电器设计知识处理方法

本文混合采用规则、框架、过程、语义网络等方法表达电器产品设计中的领域知识;同时以创新设计为目的,提出了电器产品设计对象知识的“框架式”组织和管理模式,并把多种知识表示方法融入到设计对象知识的建模中。     

基于本体的飞机设计知识组织模型

为了解决飞机设计中知识信息量大和表现形式多样的问题,提出了一种基于本体的知识组织模型构建方法.起初论述了知识组织和本体的有关概念,然后在此基础上提出基于本体的ABC反馈方法,并构造飞机设计知识模型来验证研究成果的正确性和有效性,同时描述了基于本体构建知识模型的优点.     

有效支持设计知识检索和重用的扩展的设计理性表示

设计理性是对产品设计过程的解释和记录,是一类重要的设计知识,其内容和表示对于有效支持设计知识的检索和重用起着关键作用.针对设计知识检索和重用的需要,提出一种基于本体的扩展的设计理性表示模型.通过分析需要检索和重用的设计知识,给出以IBIS表示为基础,结合FBS模型、产品层次模型和产品需求的设计理性扩展表示;并据此构建设计理性本体以及相关的语义规则,以有效地支持基于语义的设计知识的检索和重用.实验结果表明,文中模型具有良好的表达能力和可用性.     

基于分层粒度对比网络的钢铁燃气调度知识获取与建模

对于钢铁燃气系统的实时有效调度是实现企业节能降耗的关键. 考虑燃气产消过程所包含的多工况特征, 提出了一种基于分层粒度对比网络的调度知识获取与建模方法. 鉴于深度对比学习对于语义信息的处理能力, 定义和描述了一系列信息粒度, 以建立能源数据的语义表示. 为初步提取多工况调度知识, 采用长短时记忆(Long and short-term memory, LSTM)网络学习具有时变特性的粒度变量特征. 在此基础上, 利用专家经验知识定性地划分对比学习样本, 建立基于粒度对比学习的知识表征网络. 为挖掘调度数据中所包含的深层次知识, 进一步提出了基于反馈机制的分层对比网络模型, 并通过网络输出层实现调度建模任务. 实验部分采用了国内某钢铁厂高炉煤气系统的实际数据进行了多组对比实验, 结果表明所提方法获得的知识表示能够有效提高燃气系统的建模精度, 帮助实现专家级别的调度表现.     

A Case-Based Framework for Interactive Capture and Reuse of Design Knowledge

Aerospace design is a complex task requiring access to large amounts of specialized information. Consequently, intelligent systems that support and amplify the abilities of human designers by capturing and presenting relevant information can profoundly affect the speed and reliability of design generation. This article describes research on supporting aerospace design by integrating a case-based design support framework with interactive tools for capturing expert design knowledge through concept mapping. In the integrated system, interactive concept mapping tools provide crucial functions for generating and examining design cases and navigating their hierarchical structure, while CBR techniques facilitate retrieval and aid interactive adaptation of designs. Our goal is both to provide a useful design aid and to develop general interactive techniques to facilitate case acquisition and adaptation. Experiments illuminate the performance of the system's context-sensitive retrieval during interactive case adaptation and the conditions under which it provides the most benefit.     

MRM: A matrix representation and mapping approach for knowledge acquisition

Knowledge acquisition plays a critical role in constructing a knowledge-based system (KBS). It is the most time-consuming phase and has been recognized as the bottleneck of KBS development. This paper presents a matrix representation and mapping (MRM) approach to facilitate the effectiveness of knowledge acquisition in building a KBS. The proposed MRM approach, which is based on matrix representation and mapping operations, comprises six consecutive steps for generating rules. The procedure in each step is elaborated. A case study on primarily diagnosing an automotive system is employed to illustrate how the MRM approach works.     

Selection of knowledge acquisition techniques based upon the problem domain characteristics of production and operations management expert systems

The application of expert systems to various problem domains in business has grown steadily since their introduction. Regardless of the chosen method of development, the most commonly cited problems in developing these systems are the unavailability of both the experts and knowledge engineers and difficulties with the process of acquiring knowledge from domain experts. Within the field of artificial intelligence, this has been called the 'knowledge acquisition' problem and has been identified as the greatest bottleneck in the expert system development process. Simply stated, the problem is how to acquire the specific knowledge for a well-defined problem domain efficiently from one or more experts and represent it in the appropriate computer format. Given the 'paradox of expertise', the experts have often proceduralized their knowledge to the point that they have difficulty in explaining exactly what they know and how they know it. However, empirical research in the field of expert systems reveals that certain knowledge acquisition techniques are significantly more efficient than others in helping to extract certain types of knowledge within specific problem domains. In this paper we present a mapping between these empirical studies and a generic taxonomy of expert system problem domains. In so doing, certain knowledge acquisition techniques can be prescribed based on the problem domain characteristics. With the production and operations management (P/OM) field as the pilot area for the current study, we first examine the range of problem domains and suggest a mapping of P/OM tasks to a generic taxonomy of problem domains. We then describe the most prominent knowledge acquisition techniques. Based on the examination of the existing empirical knowledge acquisition research, we present how the empirical work can be used to provide guidance to developers of expert systems in the field of P/OM.     

箭体结构设计知识管理平台研究

针对中国运载火箭技术研究院箭体结构设计的现状,研究并开发箭体结构设计知识管理平台。介绍平台实施的3个关键技术：显性知识挖掘技术、隐性知识挖掘技术和设计知识检索技术。提出平台的体系结构,阐述平台的功能模型。该平台在中国运载火箭技术研究院应用的效果显著,验证了该平台的可行性和有效性。     

Interweaving knowledge extracting,organizing and evaluating: A concrete design for preventing logic and structure bugs while interviewing experts

The process of constructing expert systems (ESs), programs that approximate how domain experts solve problems in their specialized fields, is not at all as systematic, efficient, and verifiable as it should be. A reason is that no rigorous error-prevention interviewing method exists for structuring and testing ESs while building them. Often domain experts do implicitly ask of themselves analytical questions such as ‘Is that claim of mine always true?’ Another kind of expert — one specializing in logic analysis — explicitates, collects, and systematizes the fund of generic questions, such as ‘Are these sub-goals sufficient steps to the pre-established goal-category?’ There is a great need to make a method of interviewing, interlaced with testing and organizing, available to all domain experts and ES programmers via an interactive program. This program, which can generically be called a LAP (Logic Aids Program), plays the role of a domain-independent logic-assistant.     

A Methodology for Modeling and Optimizing Social Systems

Abstract

A system methodology for modeling and optimizing social systems is presented. It allows constructing dynamical models formulated stochastically, i.e., their results are given by confidence intervals. The models provide optimal intervention ways to reach the stated objectives. Two optimization methods are used: (1) to test strategies and scenarios and (2) to optimize with a genetic algorithm. The application case presented is a small nonformal education Spanish business. First, the model is validated in the 2008–2012 period, and subsequently, the optimal way to obtain a maximum profit in the 2013–2025 period is obtained using the two methods.     

Understanding the design of information technologies for knowledge management in organizations: a pragmatic perspective

Abstract.  Researchers report mixed findings on the successful application of information technologies (IT) for knowledge management (KM). The primary difficulty is argued to be the use of information management techniques and concepts to design and develop KM Tools. Also problematic is the existence of a multiplicity of KM technologies, the application and use of which differs across organizations. This paper argues that these problems stem, in part, from the information system field's over-reliance on design concepts from the functionalist paradigm. Hence, our contention that alternative perspectives, which bring into focus issues of ontology and epistemology, need to be brought to bear in order to understand the challenges involved in the design and deployment of IT artefacts in knowledge management systems (KMS). The philosophy of technology, with its emphasis on the primacy of praxis, and which incorporates ontological and epistemological concepts from phenomenology and hermeneutics, is applied to the findings of a participative action research study to illustrate how social actors interpret and understand worldly phenomena and subsequently share their knowledge of the life-world using IT. The outcome of this marriage of situated practical theory and philosophy is a set of design principles to guide the development of a core KM Tool for KMS.     

The Investigation of E-Learning System Design Quality on Usage Intention

ABSTRACT

A well-designed product increases customer value and leads to repeat usage. However, studies on the impact of website quality on customer usage fail to distinguish website competence from website capability, ignoring that website quality performance has impacts on other website quality attributes. We gather data from 314 undergraduate students and apply partial least square method to examine the design quality mechanisms and other factors that influence users’ experience. Our results indicate that offering personalized products or services is an important enabler toward enhancing users’ attitude and usage intention. Particularly, for IS education in the format of e-learning, our results suggest firms developing textbook technology platforms primarily focus on creating superior quality designs leading to capabilities that enhance user customization. The customization experience will lead to better satisfaction via both perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use.     

An application software for visualization and control configuration selection of interconnected processes

This paper presents a new application software for control configuration selection of interconnected industrial processes, called ProMoVis. Moreover, ProMoVis is able to visualize process models and process layout at the physical level together with the control system dynamics. The software consists of a builder part where the visual representation of the interconnected process is created and an analyzer part where the process is analyzed using different control configuration selection tools.The conceptual idea of the software is presented and the subsequent design and implementation of ProMoVis are discussed. The implemented analysis methods are briefly described including their usage and implementation aspects. The use of ProMoVis is demonstrated by an application study on the stock preparation process at SCA Obbola AB, Sweden. The results of this study are compared with the currently used control strategy.The study indicates that ProMoVis introduces a systematic and comprehensive way to perform control configuration selection. ProMoVis has been released under the Apache Open Source license.     

A knowledge base for indexing and retrieving disassembly plans

Disassembly has become an important issue recently, as people begin to be concerned about the environment and natural resources. Many methodologies have been used to tackle disassembly problems. Design for disassembly (DFD) and planning for disassembly (PFD) are the two main approaches to address such problems. The focus of this paper is on PFD. To assist planners to solve PFD problems, a system must have some heuristics and domain specific knowledge, which is related to the representation of the disassembly knowledge. In previous work, the authors proposed to use EMOPs (eposodic memory organization packet) for the knowledge representation of the PFD plan. This paper presents the implementation of the EMOP memory model. The model has been implemented in C++. Examples are presented to demonstrate the capabilities of the memory model.