Towards a Unifying Reference Model for Digital Twins of Cyber-Physical Systems

TL;DR

This paper develops a detailed unifying reference model for digital twins of cyber-physical systems, bridging the gap between abstract concepts and industrial implementations to improve understanding and engineering practices.

Contribution

It combines existing reference models into a comprehensive model, reducing the concept-implementation gap for digital twins in industry.

Findings

A detailed unifying reference model for digital twins

Improved understanding of digital twin concepts and relationships

Guidance for effective industrial implementation

Abstract

Digital twins are sophisticated software systems for the representation, monitoring, and control of cyber-physical systems, including automotive, avionics, smart manufacturing, and many more. Existing definitions and reference models of digital twins are overly abstract, impeding their comprehensive understanding and implementation guidance. Consequently, a significant gap emerges between abstract concepts and their industrial implementations. We analyze popular reference models for digital twins and combine these into a significantly detailed unifying reference model for digital twins that reduces the concept-implementation gap to facilitate their engineering in industrial practice. This enhances the understanding of the concepts of digital twins and their relationships and guides developers to implement digital twins effectively.