Michael Weyrich

Reference Architectures for the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is about innovative functionality and better productivity by seamlessly connecting devices. But a major threat is the lack of architecture standards for the industrial Internet and connectivity in the IoT. This article reviews recent IoT architecture evolution and what it means for industry projects.

Machine-to-Machine Communication

Imagine a widespread manufacturing plant equipped with smart machinery and RFID-enabled technology. All machines are interconnected and communicate through their sensors and actuators as they work their way through the manufacturing process. Operators use wireless pads and connect to production systems for diagnostics and manufacturing oversight. Machine load, status, and diagnosis data are further aggregated in enterprise systems for resource planning and production optimization. The machines receive usage feedback to adjust production schemes and therefore optimize cost and quality. The machines also communicate with their own manufacturers to request repairs or order new parts to avoid costly outages. Agent-based systems allocate load to machines in a distributed, often global, production setup to optimize supply chain cost. This is a growing reality in what we call the smart factory. The smart factory of the future is far more agile than the approaches in todays flexible manufacturing. The smart factory connects the machines, devices, logistics, and humans to perform the necessary coordination ubiquitously and ad hoc.

Agentenbasierte dynamische Rekonfiguration von vernetzten intelligenten Produktionsanlagen – Evolution statt Revolution

Viele Unternehmen und Institute beschaftigen sich aktuell mit dem Begriff Industrie 4.0 und seiner genauen Auslegung. Daraus resultierend existieren viele verschiedene Vorstellungen daruber, was unter dem Begriff genau zu verstehen ist. Ein Kernthema ist die Auflosung der starren Strukturen und Hierarchien der Ebenen der Automatisierungspyramide in den Unternehmen und uber Unternehmensgrenzen hinweg. Realisiert wird dieses durch eine gesteigerte vertikale (uber die Ebenen der Automatisierung hinweg) und horizontale (unterschiedliche ITSysteme) Vernetzung (vgl. Beitrag Vogel-Heuser „Herausforderungen und Anforderungen aus Sicht der IT und der Automatisierungstechnik“).

Realistic 3D-visualisation of manufacturing systems based on data of a discrete event simulation

This paper presents a virtual reality (VR) system for the modular design and verification of manufacturing installations by means of 3D virtual simulation. It illustrates how advanced computer technology can by employed to simulate logistical processes and present the results in VR. A flexible robot welding cell for small batch production serves as an application example. The overall scenario is based on a manufacturing concept of a German industrial manufacturer. The company intends to extend their automated manufacturing facilities. However, before the costly installations can be set up the concept must be clearly proven. The result of this work is a VR system which serves as a platform for the verification of the industrial manufacturing facilities. The paper highlights the achievements, advantages and indicates limitations of the new technology employed.

Systematization approach for the adaptation of manufacturing machines

Existing production systems need to become more flexible and reconfigurable in order for manufacturing companies to stay competitive in nowadays highly dynamic markets. To achieve this goal, existing machines have to undergo various kinds of adaptation processes. As currently there is no standardized procedure, adaptations are mostly individually performed which results in a time-consuming and error-prone process. A systematization of the adaptation process could guide engineers through this complex task and may reduce errors and execution time. Thus, this paper is aimed at proposing a systematization approach for the adaptation of manufacturing machines. The application of the approach is illustrated by an adaptation scenario of a testing machine.

An adaptive image processing system based on incremental learning for industrial applications

Machine learning has been applied in image processing system for object recognition, inspection and measurement. It assumes that the provided training objects are representative enough to the real objects. However in real application, new (unlearned) objects always emerge over time, which may deviate from the trained (learned) objects. The conventional image processing system using machine learning is not able to learn and then recognize these new objects. In this paper, an incremental learning based image processing system is presented. The overall system consists of three layers: execution, learning and user. The conventional image processing system is constructed in execution layer. In learning layer, adviser and incremental learning are applied to generate a new classifier. The incremental learning is differentiated into different methodologies: data accumulation and ensemble learning. Through the adviser, a proper methodology can be recommended. User is able to interact with the system via user layer. Comparing to the conventional image processing system, the proposed system is robust in industrial applications, since it deals with the classification problems dynamically.

Evaluation Model for Assessment of Cyber-Physical Production Systems

Cyber-physical production systems based on technologies such as machine to machine communication, the Internet of Things and other cutting edge technologies are going to advance manufacturing automation and industrial production. Information technology seems once again to be the driving force for change in manufacturing automation. But what are the characteristics of such systems in comparison to the existing approaches? In this article we recommend an evaluation model for cyber-physical production systems is proposed based on a set of system characteristics, which defines specific abilities and performance indicators. Furthermore, an analysis and verification of that model is presented sketching the typical pattern and impact of cyber-physical production systems. As a result a refined evaluation model is available, suitable for the characterization of cyber-physical technologies and thereby enabling a technological assessment.

Agentenbasierte dynamische Rekonfiguration von vernetzten intelligenten Produktionsanlagen

Viele Unternehmen und Institute beschaftigen sich aktuell mit dem Begriff Industrie 4.0 und seiner genauen Auslegung. Daraus resultierend existieren viele verschiedene Vorstellungen daruber, was unter dem Begriff genau zu verstehen ist. Die Vernetzung von bisher getrennt betrachteten Geraten, Komponenten, Anlagen oder gesamten Unternehmen unter der Nutzung von Internettechnologien ermoglicht neue, automatisierte Ansatze zur Datenintegration und Datenauswertung. Der vorliegende Beitrag beschreibt Szenarien und Technologien, anhand derer die Potenziale von Industrie 4.0 aufgezeigt werden sollen.

Approach to interconnect existing industrial automation systems with the Industrial Internet

In this document we describe an approach to interconnect existing industrial automation systems with cooperation networks, like the internet of things, even if the industrial automation system uses a different communication protocol. To realize this, we have developed the concept of connector which provides system-dependent interfaces for different industrial automation and a universal interface for the cooperation network. Between these interfaces the messages are processed and translated by services, which act as a representation of the industrial automation system.

Reuse of modules for mechatronic modeling and evaluation of manufacturing systems in the conceptual design and basic engineering phase

Abstract In the engineering of automated manufacturing systems a lot of effort is spent on the conceptual design and basic engineering phase. In this paper a methodology of modeling and evaluation of system concepts, based on mechatronic modules to support and ensure the decisions made during these phases, is presented. This methodology facilitates the design of such a system by integrating the reusable mechatronic modules in the engineering and simulation process. Therefore, the adaptation of engineering modules for their reuse within the simulation is described. The reuse of modules aims at reducing the time of modeling and evaluation of the resulting blueprints by machine simulation.