Computing Reviews
Today's Issue Hot Topics Search Browse Recommended My Account Log In
Review Help
Search
Multi-disciplinary engineering for cyber-physical production systems : data models and software solutions for handling complex engineering projects
Biffl S., Lüder A., Gerhard D., Springer International Publishing, New York, NY, 2017. 472 pp. Type: Book (978-3-319563-44-2)
Date Reviewed: May 4 2018

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are engines managed and monitored by computer algorithms in tight relation with information and communication technologies. Among the related topics and technologies are the Internet of Things, industrial Internet, smart cities, and other smart technologies. The main feature is the interdisciplinary approach to complex mechanisms, connecting physical and software components with various specific behaviors, interacting adaptively to suit a multitude of changing situations.

Cyber-physical production systems (CPPS) apply the CPS paradigm to the engineering of production systems, manufacturing, and industrial technology in close connection with information, data processing, and communication techniques.

The goal of the book is to discover the challenges of transdisciplinary engineering processes of complex industrial systems in the production sphere. The book is about engineering, production processes, production systems, and their correlations or contrasts. The work assumes the IEEE definition of engineering (1941) “as a process consisting of a sequence of activities that creatively apply scientific principles” to the processes of design and development of structures, machines, or manufacturing, all intended to accomplish a certain function, for instance, economic or in provision of services.

In this context, the authors introduce several research directions for methodologies of automation of engineering, commissioning and use of CPPS, and open related questions to be investigated. These challenges are viewed from several viewpoints. From the modeling perspective, the typical issues concern model-based methodologies, how they can be applied to address the specific multidisciplinary requirements for the specific behavior of CPPS, and the abilities of these methodologies to adapt during different life cycle phases for consistent information processing.

From the integration perspective, the relevant information should be constantly available for the life cycles of products or production systems. One task is to identify the technologies that support the accurate integration of information coming from heterogeneous data sources thorough the chain of activities of the production systems. Another research topic is how to establish digital links between engineering and operation phases and to guarantee the horizontal and vertical integration within production systems.

The quality assurance perspective concerns the quality of electronic information exchange and regards the discovery of technologies suitable to assure the value of information traffic.

The main guideline is to probe the essential capabilities of the CPPS. The most important question is whether the exploitation of CPPS is beneficial. In this respect, some aspects are explored, such as the power to link different disciplines with specific or maybe divergent views, for flexible and self-adaptable CPPS, which bring support to multidisciplinary work. Some nontrivial subjects are discussed such as the design of effective interfaces to be operated at engineering runtime or advanced capabilities like parameterization of function.

The book mainly addresses people involved in production systems engineering. First of all, it is recommended to decision makers such as industrial managers or business professionals to get a general up-to-date view on how to take advantage of the capabilities of CPPS. They will profit from the review of computer means able to ensure information representation and quality assurance.

Product engineers or product systems engineers will profit from this reading, becoming more aware of the challenges in designing and developing products and better understanding the viewpoints of different engineering disciplines. IT experts might become more open to the needs in the creation or supply of useful information for production systems.

The book also addresses researchers in the fields of product engineering, industrial product systems, and information modeling, and it will useful for computer or engineering students.

The book is closely connected to the concept of Industry 4.0. It discusses and develops some of the Industry 4.0 design principles, such as computerization of manufacturing; interoperability of machines, devices, and people; involvement of information systems in managing various data acquired from heterogeneous sources; technical assistance in making informed decisions; and promptly solving urgent issues.

The material is divided into three parts; each contains a collection of papers that try to account for the challenging issues identified by the authors.

The first part, “Product Design,” is concerned with modeling issues in the management of the product life cycle and engineering processes as well as services design and management. The authors propose, analyze, and discuss suitable approaches for different levels, aspects, and activities to discover their capabilities and limitations through a set of scenarios and use cases. These aspects concern requirements engineering and solution design, product life cycle management, or business modeling. Business model innovation, blue ocean, and business model canvas are evaluated, as well as their possible future developments. Chapter 4 discusses the benefits and possible evolutions of product life cycle management software toward product information management.

The second part, “Production System Engineering,” attempts to answer the research questions concerning information integration into CPPS and is closely interrelated with the Industry 4.0 project. It discovers the nine relevant layers of Industry 4.0 that are applicable in a production system. Subsequently, types of information relevant for the different layers of production hierarchy and applicable in the main three phases of the life cycle are identified.

The third part, “Information Modeling and Integration,” approaches the informatics perspective by reviewing concepts and software tools for data management appropriated for use in multidisciplinary cyber-physical production systems.

The work gives a valuable perspective on the tendencies of present and future multidisciplinary cyber-physical production systems; thus, it is theoretical to a great extent. It contains examples and use cases from diverse domains. It would be an important and useful reading for people at the top of the production process, at the decision making or design levels. They will find a range of important issues characterizing cyber-physical production systems, enabling them to keep searching for consistent solutions.

Reviewer:  Svetlana Segarceanu Review #: CR146018 (1807-0351)
Bookmark and Share
 
Real-Time And Embedded Systems (C.3 ... )
 
 
Data Models (H.2.1 ... )
 
 
Performance of Systems (C.4 )
 
Would you recommend this review?
yes
no
Other reviews under "Real-Time And Embedded Systems": Date
Real-time and systems programming for PCs
Vickery C., McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, NY, 1993. Type: Book (9780070674660)
Oct 1 1994
Manipulation of terrain data for a real-time display application
Vaughan J., Brookes G., Fletcher M., Wills D. Microprocessors & Microsystems 15(7): 347-353, 1991. Type: Article
Apr 1 1993
Parallel processing in industrial real-time applications
Lawson H., Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1992. Type: Book (9780136545187)
Jun 1 1994
more...

E-Mail This Printer-Friendly
Send Your Comments
Contact Us
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.   Copyright 1999-2024 ThinkLoud®
Terms of Use
| Privacy Policy