Developing Ontologies for Collaborative Engineering in Mechatronics

Abstract

Abstract.Creating a coherent set of ontologies to support a collaborative design process amongst different firms which develop mechatronic products is a challenge due to the semantic heterogeneity of the underlying domain models and the amount of domain knowledge that needs to be covered. We tackle the problem of semantic heterogeneity by employing the DOLCE foundational ontology and by aligning our models to it. We approach the problem of scale, i.e. the amount of knowledge modeled by keeping the models at a descriptive level which is still granular enough to connect them with domain and task specific engineering tools. In order to manage the complexity of the modeling task we separate the models into the foundational layer, the mechatronic layer consisting of three domain ontologies, one process model and one cross-domain model, and the collaborative application layer. For the development process, we employ a methodology for dynamic ontology creation, which moves from taxonomical structures to formal models.

Semantic reengineering of business processes

“…Mechatronic engineering is one of the most recent branches of engineering, which has increasing impact on many sectors of the economy and on the society overall [5]. The mechatronic engineering processes cover an interdisciplinary combination of different domains comprising of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and software engineering.…”

“…The ability to integrate various mechatronic knowledge models and to articulate business processes based on them are central key to effectively manipulating knowledge resources. Hence, the DOLCE foundational ontology has been chosen as the working hypothesis from which the modelling of the mechatronic domain and process ontologies started [5].…”

Analysis of Mechatronics Degree Evaluation Models

“…Indeed, these commonly used products offer a very wide spectrum of functional services. Mechatronics, on the other hand, is studied from several perspectives: Ontology development aspects for collaborative engineering are studied by (Damjanović et al, 2007) and also touch on transdisciplinary education (Pop and Măties, 2010), emphasizing the need for professional training throughout a mechatronics pathway and specific problem-solving methods as levers for success (Pop et al 2010). Connected objects, (Ajah et al, 2015) that integrate into physical systems also present an important part of the research as well as the reliability of mechatronic systems (Demri, 2009).…”

Evaluation Model of Mechatronizability

“…Indeed, these commonly used products offer a very wide spectrum of functional services. Mechatronics, on the other hand, is studied from several perspectives: Ontology development aspects for collaborative engineering are studied by (Damjanović et al, 2007) and also touch on transdisciplinary education (Pop and Măties, 2011), emphasizing the need for professional training throughout a mechatronics pathway and specific problem-solving methods as levers for success (Pop and Măties, 2010).…”