Construction of Integrated Engineering Knowledge Base for Concurrent Engineering based on Virtual Manufacturing

本研究的目的是实现一个虚拟制造环境，使预测产品的功能和可制造性，通过组织工程知识系统的计算机兼容的形式，并严格形式化的概念，并行工程已受到人类模糊的技术诀窍和难以转移给他人。为此，对以下项目进行了研究。(1)虚拟制造与并行工程的组织结合工业实践，研究了基于虚拟制造的并行工程先进制造系统的体系结构。原型系统已经实现了设计和制造准备活动的协同工作。(2)核心工程知识的提取与组织基于物理原理的基本工程知识被提取和组织，如尺寸、公差、装配、行为等，并已组织在数据库中。(3)集成工程知识库的一般构造方法利用符号数学、非标准逻辑和面向对象的概念，构造了一个工程知识库的原型系统，用于灵活地描述复杂的工程知识语义。(4)以复印机光学元件、汽车发动机组件等实际工程知识为例，研究了集成工程知识库的构建方法以及产品和生产工艺知识的组织。这是一个未来的工作，以评估这些结果的并行工程的实际意义。

The Objective of this research is to realize a virtual manufacturing environment which enables to predict product functionality and manufacturability by organizing engineering knowledge systematically in computer compatible form, and to rigorously formalize the concept of concurrent engineering which has been subject to human ambiguous technical know-how and difficult to be transferred to others. For this objective the following items have been investigated.(1) Organization of virtual manufacturing and concurrent engineeringBy surveying the practice of industry, architecture of advanced manufacturing systems has been investigated for concurrent engineering based on virtual manufacturing. Prototype systems have been implemented for collaborative work in design and manufacturing preparation activities.(2) Extraction and systematization of kernel engineering knowledgeBasic engineering knowledge based on physical principles has been extracted and organized, such as dimensions, tolerances, assembly, behavior, etc., and has been organized in database.(3) Generic methods for construction of integrated engineering knowledge basePrototype systems have been constructed for flexible description of complicated semantics of engineering knowledge by use of symbolic mathematics, non-standard logic and object oriented concept.(4) Prototyping of integrated engineering knowledge basePractical engineering knowledge has been described, such as optical components of copiers and automotive engine subassembly, and has been evaluated for its usefulness.A method of construction of engineering knowledge base and organization of product and production process knowledge have been investigated. It is a future work to evaluate practical implication of these results for concurrent engineering.