An Open Distributed Architecture for Flexible Hybrid Assembly Systems: A Model Driven Engineering Approach

TL;DR

This paper introduces an open, model-driven distributed architecture for designing flexible, evolvable hybrid assembly systems, integrating cyber-physical, IoT, cloud, and big data technologies.

Contribution

It extends previous SOA-based frameworks to the assembly domain using a specialized SysML-view architecture for more adaptable manufacturing systems.

Findings

Framework supports reconfigurable assembly systems

Utilizes domain-specific meta models for engineering guidance

Enables integration of IoT, cloud, and big data technologies

Abstract

Assembly systems constitute one of the most important fields in today industry. In this paper we propose an open distributed architecture for the engineering of evolvable flexible hybrid assembly systems. The proposed architecture is based on the model driven development paradigm. Models are used to represent structure and behavior and a domain specific engineering tool is defined to facilitate the assembly system engineer in the engineering process of the assembly system. Specific meta models are defined to capture domain knowledge to guide the engineer in the construction of the models required to construct the assembly system. This work is a specialization of our previous work that defined a SOA based framework for embedded industrial automation systems. It adapts and extends, in the assembly systems domain, the 3+1 SysML-view model architecture defined for the engineering of mechatronics Manufacturing systems. The proposed architecture can be used to develop a framework for evolvable flexible and reconfigurable assembly systems that would exploit the benefits the Cyber Physical paradigm utilizing web technologies, the IoT, the Cloud computing and Big Data.