Computer-aided configuration of technical systems

Abstract

The invention provides a computerized method for configuring a technical system comprising a sequence (Pi) of system components (Si), wherein each sequence (Pi) of system components (Si) can be assigned to a sequence pattern and wherein the sequence comprises at least one system component (Si), wherein the method comprises the following steps: ‑ a user specifies a support threshold for the sequence pattern (M1), ‑ starting the configuration of the technical system by selecting a sequence of system components (Si) by the user (U), ‑ analyzing (M3) the selected sequence (Pi) of system components (Si) by an automation unit (A) and extracting the sequence pattern, and ‑ introducing (M4) at least one further system component (Si) by the automation unit (A) based on the extracted sequence pattern and depending on the support threshold. The invention further provides a computer program product and a computer-readable storage medium.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a computerized method for configuring a technical system comprising sequences of system components, wherein each sequence of system components can be assigned to a sequence pattern and wherein the sequence comprises at least one system component. The invention further specifies a computer program product and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Creating and configuring a technical system (e.g. in the form of a technical project, such as an engineering project) is a very complex and time-consuming task that requires a lot of domain-specific knowledge. Due to the sheer number of steps involved in configuring a typical technical system, the lack of training data, and the computational complexity, it is feasible to automate the entire process. However, it is possible to automate simple steps that are typically performed by engineers working on a particular type of technical system.

[0003] The process of configuring / designing a technical system for a given user within a given engineering tool would be greatly facilitated by a system for enabling the training of a personalized software component (which could be called an "assistant") which would take over the task of performing simple steps in the process. An example of a step that such an assistant could take over is the introduction of a specific programming block into a system (e.g. checking the air pressure of a pneumatic element) given certain prerequisites (e.g. the presence in the system of a pneumatic element).

[0004] There are two existing methods to achieve the proposed function:

[0005] a) Users can manually define every rule they want to apply throughout their technical project / technical system, which is a labor-intensive approach.

[0006] b) A recommendation engine maintained by the platform development team may be provided to the engineering platform of a technical project / technical system. In this case, the recommendations are not personalized and the user cannot control the quality of the recommendations. Summary of the invention

[0007] The object of the invention is to improve and facilitate the configuration of technical systems.

[0008] The invention is characterized by the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are provided in the dependent claims. Further features, application possibilities and advantages of the invention result from the following description.

[0009] According to the invention, this object is achieved by a method which automatically introduces system components of a technical system during configuration of the technical system based on a previous system configuration used to train the method. The method assists a user during configuration of the technical system.

[0010] The invention claims a computerized method for configuring the construction / creation of a technical system, or for designing a technical system comprising a sequence of system components, wherein the sequence of system components is assignable as a sequence pattern, and wherein the sequence of system components (Pi) comprises at least one system component.

[0011] The method comprises the following steps:

[0012] - user-specified support threshold for sequence patterns,

[0013] - starting the configuration of the technical system by selecting a sequence of system components by the user,

[0014] - analyzing the selected system component sequence and extracting sequence patterns by an automated unit, wherein analyzing the selected system component sequence includes a pattern mining process, and

[0015] - the automation unit introduces at least one further system component into the selected system component sequence based on the extracted sequence pattern and in accordance with a support threshold.

[0016] According to this embodiment, when in use, the automation unit is pre-trained by the following steps:

[0017] - configuration of a technical system by selection of a sequence of system components by the user,

[0018] - storing the selected system component sequence in a database, and

[0019] -Training the automation unit by using the sequences of the system components stored in the database.

[0020] An advantage of this embodiment of the method is the personalization to a given user within a given engineering tool for the configuration of a technical system.

[0021] Overall, the method supports a user in configuring the construction / creation of a technical system based on a selected sequence of system components and at least one further introduced system component.

[0022] The targeted approach has the advantage of automating simple steps that are typically performed by engineers / users working on the configuration and construction of a specific type of technical system / engineering project.

[0023] According to a further embodiment, the system components include technical operations and / or hardware units. An example of a step that the automation unit (or assistant) can take over is the introduction of a specific system component into the technical system in the form of a programming block (e.g. checking the air pressure of a pneumatic element) given certain prerequisites (e.g. presence in the system of a pneumatic element).

[0024] According to a further embodiment, at least one equivalence relation function between sequence patterns is specified by a user before starting the configuration of the technical system.

[0025] In the case where no equivalence relation function is specified, the method requires exact equivalence of sequences of system components for equality of sequence patterns. None of the specified equivalence relation functions are equal to the trivial equivalence relation function. In this case, the method requires exact equivalence of sequences of system components for equality of sequence patterns. This means that non-trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function specifications require that a common first system component is directly followed by a common second system component for equality of sequence patterns.

[0026] According to a further embodiment, the sequence pattern equivalence relation function specification is configured to require that at least one equal first system component is followed directly or indirectly by at least one equal second system component for the sequence patterns to be equal (non-trivial equivalence relation function).

[0027] Furthermore, the method allows for automatic detection of parts of the user workflow that can be automatically performed by the automation unit.

[0028] According to a further embodiment, the support threshold of a sequence pattern is a value indicating how frequent the sequence pattern must be in the database / how frequent the sequence pattern must be in the database in order for the automation unit (A) to introduce at least one further system component based on the analyzed sequence pattern, in order for the automation unit to introduce at least one further system component based on the analyzed sequence pattern.

[0029] Each system component sequence chosen by the user is stored in the database with its occurrence (during training, see above). The occurrence is used to check whether a support threshold is met. If the support threshold is met, the automation unit introduces the system component as a response to the sequence pattern chosen by the user.

[0030] With each new / undiscovered sequence pattern picked up by the user, the automation unit saves the new introduction. Optionally, the user may be precisely asked to verify the automatic introduction of system components in future configurations based on specific analyzed sequence patterns.

[0031] According to a further embodiment, a sequence pattern describes a series of subsequent system components.

[0032] According to a further embodiment, the database is organized in the form of a search tree. The search tree retains all discovered sequential patterns and their current support measures (number of occurrences). If a user creates a new engineering project for a new technical system, the method will not recalculate the entire search tree from scratch, but will update the existing search tree. The updating of the search tree includes the recalculation of the support measures for the sequential patterns that are already in the search tree and the further growing of the search tree. Depending on the choice of the equivalence relation function, the search tree may look different.

[0033] According to a further embodiment, the database stores system component sequences of one or more users. This means that the analysis of the system component sequence pattern selected by the user by the automation unit in conjunction with the database is based on database data of one (personalized) or more (similar) users.

[0034] If it is stored only for one user, this method has the advantage of being individualized to a given user within a given engineering tool for the configuration of a technical system.

[0035] If agreed, trained automation units can be shared between similar users, for example working on similar technical systems (projects, same application area, same business unit, etc.). This has the advantage that similarities between technical systems lead to synergy effects.

[0036] According to a further embodiment, the technical system is an engineering system, an automation system, a production system and / or an industrial system and / or comprises a technical item on a technical system.

[0037] The invention further claims a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the steps of the method of the invention.

[0038] The present invention further claims a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the steps of the method of the present invention.

[0039] The target method is substantially less labor-intensive than prior art techniques. Instead of requiring the user to manually define rules to be applied throughout future projects, the method automatically detects portions of the user's workflow that can be automated while the user continues to interact with the engineering software in a familiar manner.

[0040] Furthermore, prior art approaches involve recommender units trained on aggregated information from various users and thus provide general recommendations, whereas targeted approaches learn the steps that specific users are accustomed to.

[0041] In summary, the target method has the potential to reduce the time required to design / configure a technical project by automating simple and repetitive steps performed by the user and reduce the frustration caused by forming such repetitive steps. In addition, the target method can reduce the number of errors introduced into a technical project due to forgetfulness of the responsible engineer.

[0042] Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] Figure 1 A flowchart showing the target method is shown,

[0044] Figure 2 shows the sequence of system components,

[0045] Figure 3 shows the trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function specification,

[0046] Figure 4 shows the specification of the non-trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function,

[0047] Figure 5 shows the search tree resulting from sequential pattern mining, and

[0048] Figure 6 The overall workflow of the proposed method is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] Figure 1 A flow chart of a dedicated computerized method for configuring a technical system comprising sequences of system components is shown, wherein each sequence of system components can be assigned to a sequence pattern and wherein the sequence comprises at least one system component.

[0050] The method comprises the following steps:

[0051] - Method step M1: specifying by a user a support threshold of a sequence pattern and at least one equivalence relation function between sequence patterns,

[0052] - Method step M2: Starting the configuration of the technical system by selecting a sequence of system components by a user,

[0053] - Method step M3: analyzing the selected system component sequence by the automation unit and extracting sequence patterns, wherein analyzing (M3) the selected system component sequence includes a pattern mining process, and

[0054] Method step M4: Introducing, by the automation unit, at least one further system component based on the extracted sequence pattern and as a function of the support threshold and the equivalence relation function.

[0055] Each item in the configuration of a technical system can be represented as a sequence of operations to be performed in succession / a sequence of system components P1, P2 and P3 selected by the user (see Figure 2 ).

[0056] Figure 2 Exemplary system component sequences P1, P2 and P3 selected by a user (eg, an engineer) in the process of configuring an engineering project are shown. Each system component sequence P1, P2 and P3 has a plurality of system components S1 to S9. The shading of the circle indicates the type of system component / action selected by the user.

[0057] Figure 3 A trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function specification T is shown. The trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function specification T requests an exact equivalence of a sequence of system components of a sequence pattern for making the sequence patterns equal. This means that the trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function specification T requests a common first system component to be directly followed by a common second system component for making the sequence patterns equal. No system components are allowed between the first system component and the second system component. The trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function specification T can be used as a default.

[0058] Figure 4 A non-trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function specification NT is shown. The non-trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function specification NT requires at least one equal first system component (in Figure 4 ) is followed directly or indirectly by at least one equivalent second system component (in the example of Figure 4 ) are used to make the sequence patterns equal.

[0059] exist Figure 4 In the example of , the user wants all sequence patterns that start with a specified first system component and end with a specified second system component step to be equivalent if they are separated by no more than 1 other system component. The support threshold is a value that indicates how frequent a sequence pattern must be in the project database in order for an automation unit to introduce a system component based on the analyzed sequence pattern. For example, if the user selects the trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function specification T( Figure 3 ),but Figure 3 The support measure (measure compared with the support threshold) of the pattern shown (indicated by shaded “-” → shaded “+”) is Figure 2 However, if the user selects a non-trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function specification NT ( Figure 4 ), then the support measure of the pattern is 1.

[0060] Figure 5A search tree ST generated from sequential pattern mining on a set of configurations of technical systems (projects) in a database DB is shown. The search tree has a plurality of levels L1 to L3. Each further level includes a further system component.

[0061] The method of the present invention monitors the continuously executed operation sequences / system component sequences selected by the user in the engineering software / tool ​​and actively maintains the search tree ST. The search tree ST maintains all discovered sequence patterns and their current support metrics (metrics compared with the support threshold). In the case where the user creates a new engineering project for a new technical system, the method of the present invention will not recalculate the entire search tree ST from scratch, but will update the existing search tree ST. The update of the search tree ST includes the recalculation of the support metrics for the sequence patterns already in the search tree ST and the further growth of the search tree ST. Depending on the selection of the equivalence relation function, the search tree ST may look different. For example, if the user selects the trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function specification ( Figure 3 ), then for example Figure 5 The right pattern in layer 2 L2 and the right pattern in layer 3 L3 in the method of the present invention will be considered as separate. However, if the user selects a non-trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function specification ( Figure 4 ), the method of the present invention will not include sorting the right pattern in layer 3 L3 in the search tree ST, because it is equivalent to the right pattern in layer 2 L2.

[0062] Figure 6 The overall workflow of training within the proposed method is shown. A user U works with the engineering software ES. The user selects / defines a new system component sequence / new project P for a new technical system. The selected system component sequence P is stored in a database DB. The database DB is used to train the automation unit A in a "training field" (= training algorithm) G. The trained automation unit A is then used from the engineering software ES to support the user U in configuring the technical system.

[0063] Reference Symbols List

[0064] A Automation Unit

[0065] DB database

[0066] ES Engineering Software

[0067] G. Training Ground

[0068] Li layer i ( )

[0069] Mi Method Step i ( )

[0070] NT Non-trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function specification

[0071] Si System Componentsi ( )

[0072] ST Search Tree

[0073] T trivial sequence pattern equivalence relation function specification

[0074] U User

[0075] P New sequence of system components for new technical systems / new projects

[0076] Pi system component sequence i ( ).

Claims

1. A computerized method for configuring a technical system comprising a sequence (Pi) of system components (Si), wherein the sequence (Pi) of system components (Si) is assignable to a sequence pattern and wherein the sequence (Pi) of system components (Si) comprises at least one system component (Si), The method comprises the following steps: - The support threshold (M1) of the sequence pattern is specified by the user, - starting the configuration (M2) of the technical system by selecting a sequence of system components (Si) by the user (U), wherein before starting the configuration of the technical system (M2), at least one equivalence relation function between the sequence patterns is specified by a user, wherein the equivalence relation function specification is configured to request that at least one equal first system component (S1) be directly or indirectly followed by at least one equal second system component (Si) for making the sequence patterns equal, - analyzing (M3) the selected sequence (Pi) of system components (Si) by the automation unit (A) and extracting sequence patterns, wherein the analyzing (M3) the selected sequence (Pi) of system components (Si) comprises a pattern mining process, and - introducing (M4) by the automation unit (A) at least one further system component (Si) into the selected sequence (Pi) of system components (Si) based on the extracted sequence pattern and according to a support threshold, The automation unit (A) is trained by the following steps: - configuration of a technical system by selection by a user (U) of a sequence (Pi) of system components (Si), - storing the selected sequence (Pi) of system components (Si) in a database (DB), and - Training (G) the automation unit (A) by using the sequences (Pi) of system components (Si) stored in a database (DB).

2. The method according to claim 1, System components (Si) include technical operations and / or hardware units.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The support threshold of a sequence pattern is a value which indicates how often a sequence pattern must occur in the database (DB) in order for the automation unit (A) to introduce at least one further system component (Si) based on the analyzed sequence pattern.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The sequence pattern describes a series of consecutive system components (Si).

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The database (DB) is organized in the form of a search tree (ST).

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The database (DB) stores the system component (Si) sequences (Pi) of one user (U) or multiple users (U).

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The technical system is an engineering system, an automation system, a production system and / or an industrial system, and / or includes technical items on the technical system.

8. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when said program is executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the steps of the method according to one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the steps of the method according to one of claims 1 to 7.

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