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

本研究的目的是通过将工程知识系统地组织成计算机兼容的形式，实现能够预测产品功能和可制造性的虚拟制造环境，并严格形式化受人类技术知识模糊和难以转移给他人影响的并行工程概念。为此目的，调查了下列项目。(1)虚拟制造与并行工程的组织通过调研行业实践，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。原型系统已经在设计和制造准备活动中实现了协同工作。(2)核心工程知识的提取和系统化基于物理原理的基础工程知识的提取和组织，如尺寸、公差、装配、行为等，并在数据库中进行组织。(3)集成工程知识库构建的通用方法利用符号数学、非标准逻辑和面向对象概念，构建了对工程知识复杂语义进行灵活描述的原型系统。(4)集成工程知识库的原型化描述了实际的工程知识，如复印机的光学元件和汽车发动机组件，并对其有用性进行了评估。研究了工程知识库的构建和产品与生产过程知识的组织方法。评估这些结果对并行工程的实际意义是未来的工作。

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.