A Requirements Driven Digital Twin Framework: Specification and Opportunities

Abstract

Among the tenets of Smart Manufacturing (SM) or Industry 4.0 (I4.0), digital twin (DT), which represents the capabilities of virtual representations of components and systems, has been cited as the biggest technology trend disrupting engineering and design today. DTs have been in use for years in areas such as model-based process control and predictive maintenance, however moving forward a framework is needed that will support the expected pervasiveness of DT technology in the evolution of SM or I4.0. A set of requirements for a DT framework has been derived from analysis of DT definitions, DTs in use today, expected DT applications in the near future, and longer-term DT trends and the DT vision in SM. These requirements include elements of re-usability, interoperability, interchangeability, maintainability, extensibility, and autonomy across the entire DT lifecycle. A baseline framework for DT technology has been developed that addresses many aspects of these requirements and enables the addressing of the requirements more fully through additional specification. The baseline framework includes a definition of a DT and an object-oriented (O-O) architecture for DTs that defines generalization, aggregation and instantiation of DT classes. Case studies using and extending the baseline framework illustrate its advantages in supporting DT solutions and trends in SM.

A Model for Predictive Maintenance Based on Asset Administration Shell

“…The requirements for (2) consist essentially of issues faced nowadays by CPS and DT in the context of Industry 4.0. As mentioned in Section 3.2, AAS implements the concept of DT in RAMI4.0 and it is confirmed by Moyne et al [23] who say that RAMI4.0 AAS satisfies some of the main requirements for DT proposed in their work. In particular, in the area of production automation, the intention of using AAS for future implementation of PdM solutions is confirmed in [24], where an appropriate infrastructure, consisting of components with uniform interfaces is of utmost importance for condition monitoring and PdM (see [25]).…”

Survey on Cloud Robotics Architecture and Model-Driven Reference Architecture for Decentralized Multicloud Heterogeneous-Robotics Platform

“…Moreover, as shown in previous studies, a digital twin is the next important factor behind autonomy [77], [78]. A digital twin is the virtual representation of physical components that allow for optimizing, monitoring, controlling, and real-time predicting improved decision making and failures via the data and simulators.…”

“…It is an important and emerging trend in many applications of the robotics domain. NASA, Boeing, and robotics involving various industries are rapidly employing a digital twin as a tool [78]. Therefore, we proposed a framework module for digital twin modeling, and simulation (DTMS).…”

A Methodology to Develop and Implement Digital Twin Solutions for Manufacturing Systems

“…Among the many tenets of SM and I4.0, "Digital Twin" (DT) technology offers a tremendous opportunity to realize the physical-digital convergence. A DT is a purpose driven virtual representation of a physical asset, system, process, product, service, or person, that acts as a mirror of the real world to provide the means to detect, predict, or prescribe some aspect of the desired performance in order to improve the mirrored physical environment [3]- [8]. In particular, DTs have been extensively investigated in manufacturing, allowing manufacturers to leverage existing and emerging technologies for improving the performance of manufacturing systems.…”

“…To address this issue, the contribution of this paper is a systematic methodology for practical DT solution development. This methodology uses the baseline requirements-driven framework proposed in [8] and extends it by taking into account specific manufacturing environment requirements.…”