Yoshiki Shimomura

Proposal of Service CAD System - A Tool for Service Engineering -

Abstract To solve current industrial problems, manufacturers need to supply service rather than materialized products to consumers. We propose a novel engineering paradigm to deal with services, service engineering. We define services as a state change. A service model consists of three sub-models: scope model, view model and flow model. A computer-aided design tool, called Service Explorer, is developed to represent a network of the parameters and determines the influence weight one another. As the result, we verify the usefulness of the design tool.

Physical concept ontology for the knowledge intensive engineering framework

Knowledge intensive engineering aims at flexible applications of a variety of product life cycle knowledge, such as design, manufacturing, operations, maintenance, and recycling. Many engineering domain theories are organized and embedded within CAD and CAE tools and engineering activities can be formalized as modeling operations to them. Since most of domain theories deal with the physical world and can be associated with physical concepts, a physical concept ontology can form a common ontology to integrate engineering models that are formed based on domain theories. This paper reports a physical ontology-based support system for knowledge intensive engineering called Knowledge Intensive Engineering Framework (KIEF) to integrate multiple engineering models and to allow more flexible use of them. First, the paper describes the physical ontology as the core of KIEF and an ontology-based reasoning system, called a pluggable metamodel mechanism, to integrate and maintain relationships among these models. The pluggable metamodel mechanism uses a metamodel that represents the designers mental model about a design object as a concept network model. The designer builds and decomposes a functional hierarchy from functional specifications with an FBS (Function-Behavior-State) modeler. He/She then maps the functional hierarchy into a metamodel using physical features that are building blocks for conceptual design. Then, the pluggable metamodel mechanism enriches the information contained in the metamodel by using causal dependency knowledge about the physical world and by building and analyzing various engineering models. We demonstrate the power of KIEF by illustrating a design case performed on KIEF.

Service Modeling for Service Engineering

Intensification of service and knowledge contents within product life cycles is considered crucial for dematerialization, in particular, to design optimal product-service systems from the viewpoint of environmentally conscious design and manufacturing in advanced post industrial societies. In addition to the environmental limitations, we are facing social limitations which include limitations of markets to accept increasing numbers of mass-produced artifacts and such environmental and social limitations are restraining economic growth. To attack and remove these problems, we need to reconsider the current mass production paradigm and to make products have more added values largely from knowledge and service contents to compensate volume reduction under the concept of dematerialization. Namely, dematerialization of products needs to enrich service contents. However, service was mainly discussed within marketing and has been mostly neglected within traditional engineering. Therefore, we need new engineering methods to look at services, rather than just functions, called “Service Engineering.” To establish service engineering, this paper proposes a modeling technique of service.

A CAD system for service innovation: integrated representation of function, service activity, and product behaviour

Manufacturers are required to supply customers with services beyond material products. In this context, the engineering target that needs to be analysed and designed is shifting from simple products to product–service systems (PSS). Although there is considerable literature on PSS, design methodologies and computerised tools have not been introduced. We have been researching service/product engineering to develop PSS since 2002. This paper presents a computer-aided design (CAD) system for service innovation using engineering, management, and marketing disciplines. We describe our service model implemented on the CAD software and demonstrate through an example. We extend the service blueprint for the marketing field to include product behaviour by using physical features from the engineering field. The view model, which describes the functional structure of service for an RSP (Receiver State Parameter), works as a bridge between product behaviour and service activity. Our framework clearly illustrates the relationships between humanware, hardware, and software in services. Therefore, using our CAD tool, managers, marketers, and engineers can collaborate to improve existing services or to design a new service.

A Note on Service Design Methodology

Due to environmental focuses and pursuit for better economic performance, service and product-service systems are gaining interest. While there exist a variety of product design methodologies, there is no design methodology for service. This paper proposes a design methodology of service. First, service elements are discussed such as service environment, service provider, service receiver, service channel, service contents, service goal, and service quality. Then, service is given a formal definition that it is an activity that a service provider offers to a service receiver in a service environment and generates values for the service receiver. Second, service is classified into five different categories and servicification is discussed. Having identified these concepts of service, we then discuss service engineering as a method to increase added value of service. We then introduce three different ways to do so and they are service design methodologies; first to give best fit service, second to increase the service quality, and third to develop a new service. Finally, we illustrate an example of service design.Copyright

ABDUCTION FOR CREATIVE DESIGN

While abduction is considered crucial for design in general, this paper focuses on the role of abduction to integrate knowledge assuming that creative design can come from innovative combination of existing knowledge. Based on Schurz’s classification of abductive reasoning, the paper identifies that abduction for integrating theories can be performed by a special type of abduction called second order existential abduction. The paper then analyzes refrigerator design cases to understand how knowledge is used and shows that abduction is indeed central to design. It also discusses that knowledge structure is a key concept in abduction for integration.Copyright

Development of Self-Maintenance Photocopiers

The traditional reliability design methods are imperfect because the designed systems aim at fewer faults, but once a fault happens, the systems might hard fail. To solve this problem, we present a self-maintenance machine (SMM), one that can maintain its functions flexibly even though faults occur. To achieve the capabilities of diagnosing and repair planning, a model-based approach that uses qualitative physics was proposed. Regarding the repair-executing capability, control-type repair strategy was followed. A prototype of the SMM was developed, and it succeeded in maintaining its functions if the structure did not change. However, the prototype revealed the following problems when its reasoning system was used with a commercial product as embedded software: (1) poor performance of the reasoning system, (2) system size that was too large, (3) low adaptability to environmental changes, and (4) roughness of qualitative repair operations. To solve these problems, we proposed new reasoning method based on virtual cases and fuzzy qualitative values. This methodology is one of knowledge compilation, which gives better reasoning performance and can deal with real-world applications such as the SMM. By using this method, we finally developed a commercial photocopier that has self-maintainability and is more robust against faults. The commercial version has been supplied worldwide as a product of Mita Industrial Co., Ltd., since April 1994.

Applications of service engineering methods and tool to industries

The focus of this book is the consideration of environmental issues in engineering process and product design. It presents a selection of 30 papers ensuing from the 12th CIRP International seminar on Life Cycle Engineering. This book is of interest to academics, students and practitioners, specializing in environmental issues in mechanical engineering, design and manufacturing. This volume is recommended as a reference textbook for all researchers in the field.

Integrating function model and activity model for design of service

Manufacturing industry needs to supply services more than materialized products to customers recently. Early literature on service marketing lacks the perspective on functional meaning of service activities to the customer. This paper focuses on presenting a framework so that we comprehensively deal with customer value, function, and activity. In this paper, we describe service blueprint of activities by BPMN. The above method is implemented on a CAD system, and the followings are found through an example: separate function models are integrated through related activities; and interactions between the customer and the provider are incorporated.

SERVICE EXPLORER - A TOOL FOR SERVICE DESIGN -

ABSTRACT To design and develop services effectively and efficiently, a methodology of service design and a support by the computer system based on the methodology are needed. The authors are carrying out fundamental research in “service engineering,” which deals with services in an engineering manner, and have already proposed a methodology of service modeling. This paper proposes a “service CAD,” a computerized tool to support service design, which provides designers with a design environment equipped with knowledge about existing services. To do so, we developed the specifications of a prototype of service CAD and, based on these, a prototype system called Service Explorer. Lastly, the power of the prototype will be demonstrated for an example of hotel service.