CESME aims to create a methodology to develop evolvable complex systems based on Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). Complex and advanced engineering systems become highly reconfigurable and evolvable when implemented by composite cyber-physical modules.
However, they need the methodology of Systems of Systems proposed by CESME to be effectively developed.
The overall concept is to study the opportunities for a common engineering approach for model-based, component based CPS systems applicable across multiple application domains.
The project will consider the required interoperable components and also the lifecycle engineering requirements.

Project Objectives

Four main project objectives have been defined:

1. Development of a System-of-Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering-methodology and service-based ecosystem for integrating different existing/new-developed tools to support the required engineering functions addressing the overall life-cycle phases.

2. Conceptualization and development of a set of reusable, while component-based, common models to represent structural and behavioural characteristics, enabling model-based approaches and prediction across different life-cycle phases.

3. Development of predictive algorithms to support different tasks in the various life-cycle phases of Systems of Industrial CPS applying simulation and self-learning approaches, to optimize overall system behaviour and update models.

4. Development of engineering functions that support the creation of System of CPS considering specific and key properties, using the developed models enabling model-based approaches and prediction across the whole life-cycle, taking into account connectivity and interoperability of CPS, providing trust between CPS and Humans in the loop, and implementing these functions in different tools alongside the life-cycle phases.

Highly reconfigurable and evolvable Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) fit perfectly to the implementation of an intelligent logistics. The reconfigurable, adaptable, local intelligence and evolution aspects which characterize these systems are fundamental factors. Their interaction or connection with intelligent production systems is a remarkable advantage for this type of systems.

CESME intends to demonstrate the application of the methodology and architecture based in Internet of Things (IoT) in a manufacturing environment.
The Systems of Systems methodology proposed is intended to the project of systems composed by Cyber-Physical entities which are not more than intelligent components (integral part of Internet of Things).

Modelling

The project integrates cross-domain CPS engineering by using a model-based approach. A model of a CPS is composed of models of physical processes as well as models of the software, computation platforms, and networks. Within the context of Industry 4.0, each asset (device, machine, package unit, but even software component, etc.) used related to production is having it's virtual representation, instantiated in a so called Asset Administration shell. So that there is a direct mapping between real and virtual world. Approaches have been investigated supporting mapping.
Modelling CPS needs to address these challenges: i) to integrate models with solver-dependent, non-determinate or zeno behaviour; ii) how-to keep model components consistent; iii) to prevent misconnected model components; iv) to model interactions of functionality and implementation, and; v) how to achieve distributed behaviours modelling, and; vi) model system heterogeneity by the integration of the resulting models to develop holistic views.
While exchanging models between different owners alongside the value chain aspects like IP protection for model contents and unified exchange format are becoming essential.

Simulation

A main aspect of each design tools is the ability to predict or determine the performance of the designed system based on specifications and properties of the designed units. For many existing applications, the state of the art of engineering include detailed models of the process allowing to simulate (predict) the performance of the system. This ability is the core of a simulation system used for design. The support by a simulation environment becomes more important as complexity of the designed system increases. For more complex systems simple design rules are not sufficient to guarantee the desired performance of the system to design under all disturbances interfering with the system. A careful and detailed analysis using a process simulation will be a powerful tool supporting the design procedure. For the lifetime long performance of a system of CPS components interacting via data (IoT connections) and interacting as well in a physical world create a new challenge regarding simulation/prediction methodologies. A simulation system suitable to support the design of a System of CPS components needs to provide models of all involved components describing the relevant aspects of the individual components regarding there intrinsic behaviour as well as all aspects important to describe the interactions evolving in a System of CPS systems connected via IoT technologies.

Prototype Development

1. System Architecture: This task will define the overarching architecture for the in the project. The first activity will be to formalise and disseminate the common vision of the architecture in the form of SADs (Software Architecture Documents). These will act as a common reference design for all developments in the project and inform the subsequent more detailed architecture developments for the prototypes. This join vision will be formalised with an explicit focus on the requirements. Since the design of individual software components will be developed in the respective actions where they are developed, this action will focus on documenting the relevant software modules with particular details on the interfaces amongst them.

2. CPS Development: The ecosystem architecture and core elements specified in the previous action will be implemented following the specification described in the previous tasks. The distribution of work on implementation will follow the distribution planned in previous task. The implementation will follow iterative approach and the result of this action is an early demonstration of the proposed solution.

3. System of System Prototype: This action must be responsible to receive the early implementation prepared in the previous action and prepare a fully industrial oriented demonstration, capable to demonstrate the functionalities and main advantages of the proposed solution. This result will be particularly important for the dissemination activities and must be used as a demonstrator during external events.

Assessment

This action will focus in the evaluation of the previous presented and developed prototypes, this talk will firstly be important to help during the developments and to assess the development ongoing, in the end this task will deliver a match of the indicators defined on task 2 with the developed prototypes. The results of this task will sustain the proposed advantages and functionalities and will be particularly important for dissemination purposes.