Abstract Currently, inconsistent software versions lead to massive challenges for many car manufacturers. This is partly because within the product lifecycle management and the software engineering process, there is no correct handling of software versions for the “data entry” (installation of software on the ECU) of the vehicles. Furthermore, there are currently major challenges for many vehicle manufacturers to ensure transparency, integrity and full traceability of SW data status vis-à-vis the legislator. To counteract these challenges, new solutions in the field of vehicle engineering are to be developed based on a new platform called “CarEngChainNet” and Blockchain technology. On the basis of the “CarEngChainNet” platform, new main and sub-chain chains will be developed that allow tamper-proof SW data management (Peer to Peer and crypto technology) across the entire PLM chain with new methods such as model-based systems engineering of the requirement, function and integration of the SW components in different areas of vehicle development. The aim is to develop new transmission chains of vehicles with individually packaged software artefacts (e.g. ECU software) that can be securely transmitted from server to server into the vehicle.
Kwok-Bun Yue, Mark Guerra, Howard Wagner, Joses Sandeep Thamarai Selvan · 11 authors
View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2021-0093.vid A single Authoritative Source of Truth (AST) of digitalized models is core to Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), which enhances better understanding of the design changes, communicates design intents, analyzes design impacts, and enables automation and optimization. Important technical challenges of supporting MBSE projects include possible consortia of large numbers of organization participants, complex governance, rigorous compliance requirements, nuanced privacy rules, performance requirements, and integration with existing Systems Engineering Environments that are hybrid, complex, legacy, and potentially siloed. The ability of Blockchain Technology (BCT) for managing immutable, distributed ledgers of versatile transactions using smart contracts incited tremendous interests and activities in recent years. Although BCT can provide the foundation of an effective AST solution, very little work has been done on applying BCT on MBSE. Based on a pilot blockchain prototyping experiment on an aerospace MBSE project using Hyperledger’s Fabric, this paper examines the opportunities and challenges of applying BCT on MBSE. It summarizes the design and implementation of a prototype for exploring the opportunities and partially addressing some challenges, and provides pointers for future directions for industry and researchers.
Alexios Papacharalampopoulos, Harry Bikas, Christos K. Michail, Panagiotis Stavropoulos
Manufacturing process related functionalities, like optimization and control, are in general demanding in terms of data, computational time and efficiency. However, there are no generic certification or validation schemes that can be followed. In particular, only ISO application can verify the suitability of operations up to an extent. The current work utilizes an enhanced version of Blockchain so that functionalities at the process level can be certified as per a particular scheme. The concept of ledger is elaborated to this end, to manipulate knowledge and be able to handle it like an asset that is exchanged. Thus, a specific generic framework is proposed, herein, to reassure that the right kind of information has been exchanged during process control and optimization. Furthermore, expert distributed agents are utilized to turn knowledge into certified procedures. Encryption issues are also regarded, providing safety and security as extra characteristics. The case study of thermal process control is regarded in this sense to prove the complementary character of these concepts and the usability of the framework. Finally, the existence of additional features within this loop is discussed, like the validation of quantifying concepts like resource streams.
Open access
Flexible and Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems
Digital Transformation in Industry
Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) and Hardware Security
Michael Lechner, Philipp Frey, Maximilian Kreß, Marion Merklein · 6 authors
Moderne industrielle Fertigungsprozesse müssen stetig wachsende Anforderungen an Material- und Ressourceneffizienz, Qualität und Variantenvielfalt erfüllen. Die unternehmensübergreifende Zusammenführung integritätsgesicherter Daten ist hierbei Voraussetzung für die retrospektive Identifikation von Qualitätsproblemen, die Dokumentation der Einhaltung von Standards und die Allokation von Ressourcenverbräuchen entlang der Wertschöpfungskette. In diesem Beitrag wird am Beispiel eines Materialcharakterisierungsverfahrens für den hybriden Leichtbau diskutiert, wie mit der Blockchain-Technologie ein manipulationssicheres Speicherkonzept umgesetzt werden kann.   Modern industrial manufacturing processes have to meet ever-increasing requirements in terms of material and resource efficiency, quality and product variety. The cross-company consolidation of integrity-secured data is a prerequisite for the retrospective identification of quality problems, the documentation of compliance with standards and the allocation of resource consumption along the value chain. This paper uses the example of a material characterization process for hybrid lightweight construction processes to discuss how blockchain technology can be used to implement a tamper-proof storage concept.
Luis A. Estrada-Jimenez, Terrin Pulikottil, Ricardo Silva Peres, Sanaz Nikghadam-Hojjati · 5 authors
The heterogeneity of the components of a Cyber-Physical Production System in addition to the high decentralization and autonomy required in Industry 4.0, introduces new levels of engineering complexity and dynamism that classical reductionists approaches are not able to solve. Within this context, novel solutions that rely on complexity sciences seem to be a good alternative to cope with these underline challenges. In this context, this paper presents a conceptual framework of complexity theory, self-organization and emergence and its subsequent relation to cyber manufacturing systems. Such analysis shows very promising ideas in the further development of complex, robust, adaptive and at least partial autonomous manufacturing systems.
L. Herrgos, Jacob Lohmer, Gerwulf Schneider, Rainer Lasch
Blockchain technology promises several benefits for operations management, but reported use cases, concepts and applications are rare. This contribution indicates the findings from a case study of analyzing the suitability of blockchain technology for semiconductor manufacturing at the 300 mm wafer frontend facility of Infineon Technologies in Dresden, Germany. This plant contains one of the most highly automated fabrication lines in the industry. Here, several different and isolated digital software tools are used to control manufacturing, all accessing centralized databases with different views and restrictions. We assess if and how a blockchain solution could and should be designed to enhance the analytic capabilities for this facility using the design science approach and evaluate the economic value of the designed application using the analytical hierarchy process.
Nowadays Smart Factory concept becomes a reality. We meet the greatest challenge of implementing autonomous manufacturing processes such as an organization of robots interaction in the framework of cyber-physical systems. This issue seems to be one of the most important, as it is considered as the basis of fully automated systems and provides mechanisms for self-organization and decentralized control. In this paper, we describe Informational Space and messages interaction models as the way for robots communication, considered under the Smart Factory environment. The main contributions of the work are the developed models and a software simulator of an adaptive production model, that responds to changing customer personalized needs. The performed case study showed that the developed software simulator, based on the presented theoretical models, can successfully imitate the autonomous production process.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Globalisation, shorter product life cycles, and increasing product varieties have led to complex \nsupply chains. At the same time, there is a growing interest by customers and governments in \nhaving a greater transparency of brands, manufacturers, and producers throughout the supply \nchain. Due to the complex structure of collaborative manufacturing networks, the increase in \nsupply chain transparency is a challenge for manufacturing companies. Distributed ledger \ntechnologies offer an innovative solution to increase the transparency, security, authenticity, \nand auditability of products. However, there are still uncertainties when applying the \ndistributed ledger technology to manufacturing scenarios and thus enable all stakeholders to \ntrace the audit history of each component of an assembled product. This research work \nproposes a framework to increase the transparency and auditability of products in collaborative \nmanufacturing networks by adopting the distributed ledger technology. The framework \nconsiders the challenges of manufacturing supply chains with the opportunities of distributed \nledger technologies and combines them in a conceptual implementation process of supply chain \nmanagement systems. In this context, each component of a product is represented by a unique \nvirtual identity generated by distributed ledger-based smart contracts. These virtual identities \ncan only be sent and merged if defined conditions specified in smart contracts are met. This \nenables all physical processes and their dependencies to be mapped in the distributed ledger. \nThe results, based on a practical implementation of the framework, show that a transparent \nauditability of assembled products and all the components they consist of can be achieved. \nApplications based on the proposed framework can currently only enable real-time tracking \nreliably in permissioned networks. The implementation on a permissionless network provides \nfull transparency for all stakeholders including the customer, while the implementation on a \npermissioned network only provides a restricted transparency for the customers.
Gordon Lemme, Diana Lemme, Kilian Armin Nölscher, Steffen Ihlenfeldt
In a global sales market with networked production steps and increasing complex machine tools, scaling service ecosystems for production provide an adequate solution for handling the generated data. The existing sensor equipment at current and the extension possibility by the System-of-Systems approach for existing machine tools can offer value-added services by the smart handling of production-related data. It is important to make these data validatable and exchangeable, taking into account to different protection goals. The trust of the individual actors in such a volatile value chain and the different (partly cross-border) value creation partners play an important role. The participation of a large number of these actors creates an attractive overall system (ecosystem) with lots of services and network effects. Concerning data security there are numerous aspects, which have not been adequately answered or taken into account in the use of a service ecosystem in the production environment. The paper discusses a distributed ecosystem for production on a distributed ledger-based service ecosystem, in which services can be mapped in the machine tool environment (e.g. calibration). This technology can be used for secure data exchange in order to discuss traceability and unchangeability of data while maintaining data sovereignty.
This thesis aims to add knowledge that contributes to answering the question of how digital transformation technologies can contribute to increasing customer value in logistics and supply chain management (L&SCM), and how manufacturing companies can mindfully use them. The output of the thesis is an architectural framework that proposes performance components, approaches and methodologies that can help in capturing this customer value. To build the basis for such a framework, this research first deduces and presents the underlying definition of digital transformation and describes its potential for, as well as current barriers for its application in, L&SCM. The study uses a systematic literature review to identify nine underlying digital transformation technology bundles. These are: auto-identification technologies; information and communication technologies; the cloud; cyber physical systems; analytics; distributed ledger; automation technologies; augmented and virtual reality; and additive manufacturing. These technologies served as inputs for a nominal group technique workshop aiming to conceptualize the dimensions of customer value based on the technologies. The derived dimensions are information disclosure, time, product/production, service/assistance, quality, choice options, and planning. Based on these findings, this thesis presents an impact assessment for customer-based L&SCM performance. The three-plus-one customer value propositions are availability, servitization, co-creation, and cognition as enhancement. Expert interviews provide the data for the architectural framework for capturing customer value based on digital transformation technologies in L&SCM. The six dimensions covered are the customer value proposition; the value portfolio; scope of collaboration; human resource management and organization; performance management; as well as the (re-)adjusting value assessment. The main scientific contribution lies in conceptualizing the customer value for L&SCM based on digital transformation technologies whereas the architectural framework constitutes the main practical contributions.
Under the guiding concept of a thinking skin, the research project examines the transferability of cyber-physical systems to the application field of façades. It thereby opens up potential increases in the performance of automated and adaptive façade systems and provides a conceptual framework for further research and development of intelligent building envelopes in the current age of digital transformation. The project is characterized by the influence of digital architectural design methods and the associated computational processing of information in the design process. The possible establishment of relationships and dependencies in an architecture understood as a system, in particular, are the starting point for the conducted investigation. With the available automation technologies, the possibility of movable building constructions, and existing computer-based control systems, the technical preconditions for the realisation of complex and active buildings exist today. Against this background, dynamic and responsive constructions that allow adaptations in the operation of the building are a current topic in architecture. In the application field of the building envelope, the need for such designs is evident, particularly with regards to the concrete field of adaptive façades. In its mediating role, the façade is confronted with the dynamic influences of the external microclimate of a building and the changing comfort demands of the indoor climate. The objective in the application of adaptive façades is to increase building efficiency by balancing dynamic influencing factors and requirements. Façade features are diverse and with the increasing integration of building services, both the scope of fulfilled façade functions and the complexity of today’s façades increase. One challenge is the coordination of adaptive functions to ensure effective reactions of the façade as a complete system. The ThinkingSkins research project identifies cyber-physical systems as a possible solution to this challenge. This involves the close integration of physical systems with their digital control. Important features are the decentralized organization of individual system constituents and their cooperation via an exchange of information. Developments in recent decades, such as the miniaturisation of computer technology and the availability of the Internet, have established the technical basis required for these developments. Cyber-physical systems are already employed in many fields of application. Examples are decentralized energy supply, or transportation systems with autonomous vehicles. The influence is particularly evident in the transformation of the industrial sector to Industry 4.0, where formerly mechatronic production plants are networked into intelligent technical systems with the aim of achieving higher and more flexible productivity. In the ThinkingSkins research project it is assumed that the implementation of cyber-physical systems based on the role model of cooperating production plants in IIndustry 4.0 can contribute to an increase in the performance of façades. Accordingly, the research work investigates a possible transfer of cyber-physical systems to the application field of building envelopes along the research question: How can cyber-physical systems be applied to façades, in order to enable coordinated adaptations of networked individual façade functions? To answer this question, four partial studies are carried out, which build upon each other. The first study is based on a literature review, in which the understanding and the state-of-the-art development of intelligent façade systems is examined in comparison to the exemplary field of application of cyber-physical systems in the manufacturing industry. In the following partial study, a second literature search identifies façade functions that can be considered as components of a cyber-physical façade due to their adaptive feasibility and their effect on the façade performance. For the evaluation of the adaptive capabilities, characteristics of their automated and adaptive implementation are assigned to the identified façade functions. The resulting superposition matrix serves as an organizational tool for the third investigation of the actual conditions in construction practice. In a multiple case study, realized façade projects in Germany are examined with regard to their degree of automation and adaptivity. The investigation includes interviews with experts involved in the projects as well as field studies on site. Finally, an experimental examination of the technical feasibility of cyber-physical façade systems is carried out through the development of a prototype. In the sense of an internet of façade functions, the automated adaptive façade functions ventilation, sun protection as well as heating and cooling are implemented in decentrally organized modules. They are connected to a digital twin and can exchange data with each other via a communication protocol. The research project shows that the application field of façades has not yet been exploited for the implementation of cyber-physical systems. With the automation technologies used in building practice, however, many technical preconditions for the development of cyber-physical façade systems already exist. Many features of such a system are successfully implemented within the study by the development of a prototype. The research project therefore comes to the conclusion that the application of cyber-physical systems to the façade is possible and offers a promising potential for the effective use of automation technologies. Due to the lack of artificial intelligence and machine learning strategies, the project does not achieve the goal of developing a façade in the sense of a true ThinkingSkin as the title indicates. A milestone is achieved by the close integration of the physical façade system with a decentralized and integrated control system. In this sense, the researched cyber-physical implementation of façades represents a conceptual framework for the realisation of corresponding systems in building practice, and a pioneer for further research of ThinkingSkins.
Christian P. Nielsen, Elias Ribeiro da Silva, Fei Yu
Digital Twins and Blockchain are key elements that when connected allow continuous data acquisition in the factory. As the connection between digital twins and blockchain is rather under-explored, the key contribution of this paper is the conceptual development of a digital twin prototype connected with an Ethereum-based blockchain. The outcome of the paper provides a concept to ensure the unique tokens represent the physical assets without being tampered with by applying digital twin technology. The paper includes a case study focused on Matrix-Structured Manufacturing Systems for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.
The planning and control of intralogistics systems in line with versatile production systems of smart factories requires new approaches and methods to cope with changing requirements within future factories. The planning of intralogistics can no longer follow a static, sequential approach as in the past since the planning assumptions are going to change in a high frequency. Reasons for these constant changes are amongst others external turbulences like rapidly changing market conditions, decreasing batch sizes down to customer-specific products with a batch size of one and on the other hand internal turbulences (like production and logistic resource breakdowns) affecting the production system. This paper gives an insight into research approaches and results how capabilities of intelligent logistical objects (intelligent bins, autonomous transport systems etc.) can be used to achieve a self-organized, cost and performance optimized intralogistics system with autonomously controlled process execution within versatile production environments. A first consistent method has been developed which has been validated and implemented within a scenario at the pilot factory Werk150 at the ESB Business School (Reutlingen University). Based on the incoming production orders, the method of the Extended Profitability Appraisal (EPA) covering the work system value to define the most effective work system for order fulfilment is applied. To derive the appropriate intralogistics processes, an autonomous control method involving principles of decentralized and target-oriented decision-making (e.g. intelligent bins are interacting with autonomously controlled transport systems to fulfil material orders of assembly workstations) has been developed and applied to achieve a target-optimized process execution. The results of the first stage research using predefined material sources and sinks described in this paper is going to set the basis for the further development of a self-organized and autonomously controlled method for intralogistics systems considering dynamic source and sink relations. By allowing dynamic shifts of production orders in the sense of dynamic source and sink relations the cost and performance aims of the intralogistics system can be directly aligned with the aims of the entire versatile production system in the sense of self-organized and autonomously controlled systems.
Sustav za nagrađivanje korisnika koji dijele podatke namijenjen je demonstraciji Plasme kao jednog od predloženih rješenja za skaliranje platforme Ethereum. Plasma je skup pravila i najboljih praksi koje određuju način na koji se povezuju podlanci s glavnom lancem sustava Ethereum. Glavni lanac, u ovom slučaju, preuzima ulogu suca u svim sporovima koji se događaju na Plasma podlancu. Sustav za nagrađivanje odabran je kao primjer zato što generira vrlo veliku količinu transakcija u produkcijskoj okolini. U stvarnom svijetu, podatci generirani s korisničkih senzora stvorili bi konstantan tok podataka koji bi morao biti obrađen na pametnom ugovoru - aplikaciji koja se izvodi u raspodijeljenoj okolini sustava Ethereum. S obzirom na probleme propusnosti transakcija s kojima se sustav susreće, potrebno je rješenje koje će uvelike povećati kapacitet sustava u smislu količine obradivih transakcija u sekundi. Oslanjajući se na prakse definirane Plasma pravilima, sustav za nagrađivanje razvijen na podlancu omogućuje upravo to. Korisnicima je omogućeno konstantno dijeljenje podataka, za koje su nagrađeni od strane sustava koji validaciju vrši putem pametnog ugovora objavljenog na podlancu. Kako bi korisnici imali koristi od nagradnih tokena koje im dodijeli sustav, omogućeno im je sigurno i jednostavno prebacivanje sredstava s Plasma podlanca na glavni lanac sustava Ethereum. U okviru ovog rada je razvijen sustav u raspodijeljenoj okolini, s visokom propusnošću transakcija i visokom razinom sigurnosti koji garantira platforma Ethereum.
Conventional railway operations employ specialized software and hardware to ensure safe and secure train operations. Track occupation and signaling are governed by central control offices, while trains (and their drivers) receive instructions. To make this setup more dynamic, the train operations can be decentralized by enabling the trains to find routes and make decisions which are safeguarded and protocolled in an auditable manner. In this paper, we present the case study findings of a first-of-its-kind blockchain-based prototype implementation for railway control, based on decentralization but also ensuring that the overall system state remains conflict-free and safe. We also show how a blockchain-based approach simplifies usage billing and enables a train-to-train/machine-to-machine economy. Finally, first ideas addressing the use of blockchain technology as a life-cycle approach for condition-based monitoring and predictive maintenance in train operations are outlined.
Conventional railway operations employ specialized software and hardware to\nensure safe and secure train operations. Track occupation and signaling are\ngoverned by central control offices, while trains (and their drivers) receive\ninstructions. To make this setup more dynamic, the train operations can be\ndecentralized by enabling the trains to find routes and make decisions which\nare safeguarded and protocolled in an auditable manner. In this paper, we\npresent the findings of a first-of-its-kind blockchain-based prototype\nimplementation for railway control, based on decentralization but also ensuring\nthat the overall system state remains conflict-free and safe. We also show how\na blockchain-based approach simplifies usage billing and enables a\ntrain-to-train/machine-to-machine economy. Finally, first ideas addressing the\nuse of blockchain as a life-cycle approach for condition based monitoring and\npredictive maintenance in train operations are outlined.\n