Management of integrated product and process models through automated decomposition

Abstract

A method is proposed to assist participants in the design of complex integrated models for engineering design. The approach builds on the DOME (Distributed Object-based Modeling and Evaluation) framework, which is intended to facilitate the creation of integrated models by allowing groups of designers to link services of models encapsulated by distributed objects. The aim is to provide a tool for users to understand dependencies between sub-models through the visualization and evaluation of the resulting integrated model structures. A tool is designed and implemented and is used to analyze DOME model networks and provide decomposition feedback for resource allocation during the design process. Integrated modeling concepts are introduced and an industrial case study is used to describe a service exchange network approach to system modeling. Then, decomposition methods are discussed and classified by dependency types as serial, functional, informational and intellectual. The need for decomposition support to create integrated models through the services of distributed objects, like those used in DOME, is evaluated and illustrates the need for decomposition tools.