Computer-implemented systems and methods using digital twins and graph-based structures

Abstract

To provide a computer-implemented system and implemented method for realizing cross-relations among data having different data endpoints of digital twins.SOLUTION: In a computer-implemented system 1, a graph-based structure 20 includes: a conceptual model which includes a plurality of concepts, and in which each concept represents a physical object, an attribute is given to the concept, and respective relations among concepts are defined; and a plurality of data instances that have data points of physical objects and are assigned to the respective concepts in the conceptual model. The graph-based structure receives data from an interface and integrates the received data into the conceptual model and / or the data instances. The computer-implemented system further comprises: a user interface that provides a query and / or definition to the graph-based structure on the basis of an input of a user and outputs a corresponding response; and a digital twin that acquires data from the graph-based structure and provides data to the graph-based structure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a computer-implemented system and a computer-implemented method for instantiating at least one digital twin. [Background technology]

[0002] Industrial environments contain large amounts of data that may have unstructured formats and representations and / or heterogeneous access methods. These data can reside in data lakes, various databases, and other data persistence structures. Furthermore, data may be dynamically emitted from machines, sensors, and other devices. To harness and reuse this diverse, changing, and heterogeneous data, two promising approaches are digital twins and graph-based structures. Both approaches are semantic technologies. Graph-based structures, such as knowledge graphs, elevate the data itself to a semantic level, enabling data engineers to answer random, complex questions with simple queries to the graph-based structures. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] However, graph-based structures are not a reliable data source for applications that require dynamic and repetitive data. In contrast, in digital twins, the data itself remains non-semantic, but is described by a semantic model that is part of it. However, it is difficult to provide correlations between data from different data endpoints of one or more digital twins. Currently, the two approaches cannot benefit from each other. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] A first aspect relates to a computer-implemented system including at least a first interface. The interface is configured to receive and transmit data from a physical object. The computer-implemented system further includes a graph-based structure including a conceptual model and a plurality of data instances. The conceptual model includes a plurality of concepts, each representing a physical object, with attributes attached to the concepts and defining interrelationships between the concepts. The data instances have data points of the physical objects and correspond to each concept in the conceptual model. The graph-based structure is configured to receive data from the interface and to integrate the received data into the conceptual model and / or the data instances. The computer-implemented system further includes a user interface configured to provide queries and / or definitions to the graph-based structure based on input from a user and output a corresponding response. The computer-implemented system further includes at least one digital twin configured to retrieve data from and / or provide data to the graph-based structure.

[0005] A second aspect relates to a computer-implemented method for instantiating at least one digital twin. The method includes providing at least a first interface configured to receive and transmit data from a physical object. The method further includes providing a graph-based structure including a conceptual model and a plurality of data instances. The conceptual model includes a plurality of concepts, each representing a physical object, with attributes attached to the concepts and defining interrelationships between the concepts. The data instances have data points of the physical objects and correspond to each concept in the conceptual model. The graph-based structure is configured to receive data from the interface and integrate the received data into the conceptual model and / or the data instances. The method further includes providing a user interface configured to provide queries and / or definitions to the graph-based structure based on input from a user and output a corresponding response. The method further includes generating at least one digital twin configured to retrieve data from and / or provide data to the graph-based structure.

[0006] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods including a graph-based structure and at least one digital twin, which can exist independently but benefit from each other. This allows for a higher degree of automation to be achieved by combining the advantages of both semantic technologies. Here, the graph-based structure serves as a layer for abstracting and integrating data underlying interfaces that generate machine data stored, for example, in a data lake or database. At least one digital twin can be built on top of the graph-based structure and retrieve data from and / or provide data to the graph-based structure. Here, applications can retrieve data having semantic descriptions based on requests from the at least one digital twin, facilitating the use and reuse of this data. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a computer-implemented system 1 with a first interface 10, a graph-based structure 20, a user interface 30, and at least one digital twin 40. [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a first portion of a computer-implemented method 100 for instantiating at least one digital twin 40. [Figure 2B] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second section of a computer-implemented method 100 for instantiating at least one digital twin 40. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a computer-implemented method 100 for instantiating at least one digital twin 40. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] As shown generally in FIG. 1, a first aspect relates to a computer-implemented system 1 including at least one first interface 10. In an embodiment, the at least one first interface 10 may be a sensor interface. The at least one first interface 10 is configured to receive and transmit data from a physical object. The physical object may be, for example, a machine or other technical device M (or a module of the machine or device) that includes sensors that can provide changing, heterogeneous, and dynamic data to the interface 10. Furthermore, the computer-implemented system 1 includes a graph-based structure 20 that includes a conceptual model and multiple data instances. The graph-based structure includes an ontology (or multiple ontologies), which in turn may include the conceptual model and the data instances. An ontology can describe a knowledge domain using standardized terms and relationships (and possibly derivation rules) between the terms defined therein. Thus, an ontology can be understood as an explicit, formal specification of a conceptualization. Here, an ontology can represent a network of information having logical relationships. The conceptual model includes multiple concepts, each representing a physical object. The concepts are assigned attributes and their interrelationships are defined. The concepts can be viewed as nodes, and the relationships between the concepts (or nodes) can be viewed as edges connecting the concepts (or nodes). The multiple concepts can be, for example, a machine M, a piece of equipment P, an error code, and / or a product type. The relationships between the concepts can be, for example, that the machine M produces a specific product type and / or that the machine M has an error code. The data instances include data points of the physical objects and correspond to each concept in the conceptual model. The data instances can include, for example, different data from the machine M. The graph-based structure 20 is configured to receive data from the interface 10 and integrate the received data into the conceptual model and / or the data instances.For example, the graph-based structure 20 may be configured to provide, from at least one interface 10, a database T containing all machines M in a facility P, which may then be represented in the graph-based structure 20 as concepts with their interrelationships, attributes, and data instances. Machine The computer-implemented system 1 may also receive queries and / or definitions from the graph-based structure 20 based on input from a user. The queries and / or definitions may be made against an ontology. For example, via the user interface 30, a user may query which machines M in a facility P have the most errors for a particular product type. Based on the graph-based structure 20, the computer-implemented system 1 may output an answer with the most error-prone machines. The computer-implemented system 1 may also include at least one digital twin 40 configured to retrieve data from and / or provide data in the graph-based structure 20. The system 1 may combine the digital twin 40 and the graph-based structure 20. The graph-based structure 20 may be used to integrate and abstract heterogeneous data from different interfaces, and the graph-based structure 20 may be used as a basis for processing data for the digital twin 40. The graph-based structure 20 and the digital twin 40 may be provided independently of each other but may benefit from each other. The data for the digital twin 40 may be generated using and derived from a graph-based structure 10, which may facilitate the use and further processing of the data. A high degree of automation may be achieved by the system 1.

[0009] The graph-based structure 20 may include at least one subgraph that includes concepts and relationships that are a subset of the graph-based structure 20. For example, the concept "error code" may be related to the concepts "timestamp" and "description (of the error)." Considering these three concepts (with their attributes) and their relationships in isolation, they may be defined as subgraphs of the graph-based structure 20.

[0010] The at least one first interface 10 may be a data interface. In an embodiment, the at least one first interface 10 may be a sensor interface. The at least one first interface 10 may be associated with at least one existing data source. In an embodiment, the at least one first interface 10 may interact with the at least one existing data source, and in particular, the at least one first interface 10 may receive and / or transmit data from the at least one first existing data source. In an embodiment, the at least one existing data source may include a data lake and / or a sensor interface and / or a database.

[0011] At least one digital twin 40 may be generated using the graph-based structure 20 based on queries and / or definitions in the user interface 30 in the graph-based structure 20. For example, a user may query via the user interface 30 in the graph-based structure 20 which machine M has the most error codes, where data about machine M, particularly the error codes, is useful for a certain application. A user may define via the user interface 30 in the graph-based structure 20 that a digital twin 40 may exist for a concept (e.g., "machine"), representing a relationship between the concept (e.g., the concept "machine") and a "digital twin" in the graph-based structure. The system may perform automated queries against the graph-based structure 20 for further concepts corresponding to the concept defined as a digital twin 40. For these concepts, the system may similarly create respective digital twins, particularly in an automated manner. In another embodiment that can be combined with the above-described embodiment, at least one digital twin 40 may be provided independently of the graph-based structure 20, but may receive data therefrom and / or provide data to the graph-based structure 20.

[0012] A digital twin 40 may include a technological apparatus for physics-based simulation and data analysis of a real physical object in a virtual environment, where in particular the real physical object may be one or more products and / or production equipment. For example, a digital twin of the concept "machine" may include the machine's blueprints, the machine's sensors (which generate data), and / or the machine's product data.

[0013] The at least one digital twin 40 may include at least one first data endpoint (data endpoint) C. The at least one first data endpoint C may be generated and derived from the graph-based structure 20. The graph-based structure 20 may be used to integrate disparate data provided by the at least one first interface 10 and may serve as a base for generating and deriving the at least one first data endpoint C for the at least one digital twin 40. Furthermore, the at least one digital twin 40 may include a first semantic model 41; in particular, the first semantic model 41 may be generated and derived from the graph-based structure 20. The first semantic model 41 may be adapted to semantically describe the at least one first data endpoint C. A subgraph of the graph-based structure 20 may be projected from the graph-based structure 20 and assigned to the at least one data endpoint C. Thus, the at least one data endpoint C may have a semantic description that derives from the graph-based structure 20. Thus, an application 50 accessing at least one digital twin 40, particularly at least one first data endpoint C, can obtain data having a semantic description, thereby facilitating data utilization and further processing. For example, an error code / timestamp / description subgraph can be assigned and derived to a data endpoint C using the graph-based structure 20. Thus, error code data can be provided to machine M, with the error code data having a corresponding semantic description. Thus, the data endpoints do not need to be directly accessible to existing interfaces 10 and / or data sources. Instead of having a data endpoint for each existing interface 10 and / or data source (e.g., sensor interface), the graph-based structure 20 may serve as a coupled abstraction layer between at least one first interface 10 and at least one digital twin 40.Thus, the corresponding data endpoint C may obtain its data from the graph-based structure 20 rather than from the at least one first interface 10 itself. The generated data endpoint C may output data to the application 50 that may originate from multiple interfaces 10 consolidated and abstracted via the graph-based structure 20.

[0014] As described above, the graph-based structure 20 may have multiple concepts, each of which has a digital twin 40 assigned to it. Each of these multiple digital twins 40 may be assigned a data endpoint C, which may be associated with a semantic description derived from a subgraph from the graph-based structure 20. Based on a query to the system 1, data from all of the subgraphs may be selected for each digital twin 40 and associated with the data endpoint C. Each query to the system 1 may be consolidated into a separately responsive data endpoint C, and the association of each data endpoint with its respective digital twin 40 may be stored with the system 1.

[0015] The at least one digital twin 40 may include at least one second data endpoint B, and in particular, the at least one second data endpoint B may be generated and derived directly using data from the at least one second interface 11. The at least one second interface 11 may be a data interface. In an embodiment, the at least one second interface 11 may be a sensor interface. The at least one second interface 11 may be associated with at least one existing data source. In an embodiment, the at least one second interface 11 may interact with the at least one existing data source, and in particular, the at least one second interface 11 may receive and / or transmit data from the at least one existing data source. In an embodiment, the at least one existing data source may include a data lake and / or a sensor interface and / or a database.

[0016] At least one second data endpoint B may have a semantic description that can be generated and derived directly using data from at least one second interface 11. For example, at least one second interface 11 may include data from a warehouse W of facility P. For this warehouse W, a second data endpoint B may be created that receives data received from interface 11. The received data may then be manually semantically described for the second data endpoint B. The graph-based structure 20 may be configured to import data from at least one second data endpoint B; in particular, the semantic description of the second data endpoint B may be mapped to the graph-based structure 20, and the data may be associated with a data instance. The system 1 may combine data endpoints (e.g., data endpoint C) that have data obtained from the graph-based structure 20 with “normal” data endpoints (e.g., data endpoint B) that obtain data from interfaces not implemented via the graph-based structure. Data from “normal” endpoints may be integrated into the graph-based structure 20 even if the second interface 11 is not directly mapped to the graph-based structure 20.

[0017] The at least one digital twin 40 may include at least one third data endpoint A, and in particular, the at least one third data endpoint A may be generated and derived directly using data from the third interface 12. In this case, the at least one third data endpoint A may be provided independently of the first data endpoint C and / or the second data endpoint B. The at least one third interface 12 may be a data interface. In an embodiment, the at least one third interface 12 may be a sensor interface. The at least one third interface 12 may be associated with at least one existing data source. In an embodiment, the at least one third interface 12 may interact with the at least one existing data source, and in particular, the at least one third interface 12 may receive and / or transmit data from the at least one existing data source. In an embodiment, the at least one existing data source may include a data lake and / or a sensor interface and / or a database.

[0018] The system may also include an application 50 configured to retrieve data having a semantic description, in particular from at least one of the data endpoints A, B, C, based on a request to the at least one digital twin 40. The application 50 may be, for example, computer software that can retrieve or request data related to an error code with a semantic description from at least one of the data endpoints A, B, C. The at least one digital twin 40 may be configured to provide information about the data endpoints and their semantic descriptions to the application 50. The data queried from at least one of the data endpoints A, B, C may be further utilized and / or processed by the application 50 according to the description.

[0019] As shown generally in FIGS. 2A and 2B , a second aspect relates to a computer-implemented method 100 for instantiating at least one digital twin 40. The method 100 includes providing at least a first interface 10 configured to receive and transmit data from a physical object. The method 100 further includes providing a graph-based structure 20 including a conceptual model and a plurality of data instances. The conceptual model is composed of a plurality of concepts, each of which represents a physical object, and each of which has attributes and defines interrelationships between the concepts. The method 100 may first provide the graph-based structure 20. The conceptual model of the graph-based structure 20 may be generated by a user, and data received from at least one interface or interface 10 may be mapped to and stored in the conceptual model. The data instances have data points of the physical object and are associated with each concept in the conceptual model. The graph-based structure 20 is configured to receive data from the interface 10 and integrate the received data into the conceptual model and / or the data instances. The method 100 further includes providing a user interface 30 configured to provide queries and / or definitions to the graph-based structure 20 and output corresponding responses based on input from a user. In step A of the method, a user may query the graph-based structure 20 via the user interface 30 to answer one or more analytical questions, and the graph-based structure 20 may answer the analytical questions. The method 100 also includes generating at least one digital twin 40 configured to retrieve data from and / or provide data to the graph-based structure 20. The method 100 can achieve a higher degree of automation and improved use and reuse of data.

[0020] The at least one first interface 10 may be a data interface. In an embodiment, the at least one first interface 10 may be a sensor interface. The at least one first interface 10 may be associated with at least one existing data source. In an embodiment, the at least one first interface 10 may interact with the at least one existing data source, and in particular, the at least one first interface 10 may receive and / or transmit data from the at least one first existing data source. In an embodiment, the at least one existing data source may include a data lake and / or a sensor interface and / or a database.

[0021] In step B of method 100, generating at least one digital twin 40 may include annotating and / or extending the graph-based structure 20, particularly by a user, based on queries and / or definitions in the user interface 30 for the graph-based structure 20. The graph-based structure 20 may include at least one subgraph including concepts and relationships that are a subset of the graph-based structure 20. Annotating and / or extending the graph-based structure 20 may further include, particularly by a user, defining at least one concept of the conceptual model as a digital twin 40 and associating at least one subgraph of the graph-based structure 20 with at least one first data endpoint C using the user interface 30. The annotation and / or extension may be performed, particularly by a user, on the conceptual model of the graph-based structure 20. In particular, concepts of the conceptual model may be referred to by the user as at least one digital twin 40, and a particular subgraph with data for a concept may be associated and defined as at least one first data endpoint C. This allows for determining which data and concepts are relevant to the application 50 and / or use case. Annotations and / or extensions of concepts of the graph-based structure 20 with respect to at least one digital twin 40 may be stored in the graph-based structure 20, particularly by the system 1. Instead of having a data endpoint for each existing interface 10, the graph-based structure 20 may act as a coupling abstraction layer between the at least one first interface 10 and the at least one digital twin 40. Thus, the data endpoints obtain their data from the graph-based structure 20, rather than from the at least one first interface 10 itself. The generated data endpoints, particularly the at least one first data endpoint C, may output data that may originate from multiple interfaces 10 that have been consolidated and abstracted via the graph-based structure 20.

[0022] In step C of method 100, generating at least one digital twin 40 may include identifying, in the graph-based structure 20, each occurrence of a concept defined as a digital twin in data received from the at least one first interface 10. Further, creating the at least one digital twin 40 may include creating a digital twin 40 for each identified concept. Creating the at least one digital twin 40 may refer to creating an entry for the at least one digital twin 40 in a system or configuring a standalone application representing the at least one digital twin 40. This may be done, for example, through an administration shell (e.g., an “Asset Administration Shell”).

[0023] Generating at least one digital twin 40 may further include, in step D of method 100, automatically generating a query against the graph-based structure 20 for each digital twin 40, selecting data for all subgraphs associated with at least one first data endpoint C. Each generated query may be consolidated into an individually responsive data endpoint C, and an association between each data endpoint C and the digital twin 40 for which the data endpoint C provides data may be stored. When such individually responsive data endpoint C is invoked by application 50, a query may be executed against the graph-based structure 20, and predetermined data for all subgraphs may be output.

[0024] The method 100 may further include, in step E, projecting subgraphs associated with the data endpoints C from the graph-based structure 20 and saving the projected subgraphs as semantic data endpoint descriptions for each generated data endpoint C.

[0025] The method 100 may further include using the at least one digital twin 40 in at least one application 50. Here, the method 100 may include providing the application 50 configured to request all digital twins 40 associated with the application 50 to read data from their respective data endpoints C having semantic descriptions. The application 50 may first request all digital twins associated with the application 50 or of the at least one digital twin 40 in the system 1, and the requested digital twins 40 may provide information about the data endpoints C and their semantic descriptions. The application 50 may select relevant data according to the semantic descriptions and invoke the required data endpoints C or at least one first data endpoint C. The application 50 may execute a query that unifies all the invoked data endpoints C and provide the corresponding results to the application 50. Using the at least one digital twin 40 in the application 50 may further include processing the queried data according to its meaning according to the semantic description of the at least one first data endpoint C.

[0026] Additionally, the method 100 may further include importing and mapping data of the graph-based structure 20 for at least one second data endpoint B. The at least one second data endpoint B may have a semantic description, and the graph-based structure 20 may be extended and / or annotated based on the semantic description. Here, the at least one second data endpoint B may obtain data from at least one second interface 11, which provides data independently of the graph-based structure 20 for the at least one second data endpoint B. The at least one second interface 11 may be a data interface. In an embodiment, the at least one second interface 11 may be a sensor interface. The at least one second interface 11 may be associated with at least one existing data source. In an embodiment, the at least one second interface 11 may interact with the at least one existing data source, and in particular, the at least one second interface 11 may receive and / or transmit data from the at least one existing data source. In embodiments, the at least one existing data source may include a data lake and / or a sensor interface and / or a database. In method 100, data endpoints having data derived from graph-based structure 20 (particularly, at least one data endpoint C) may be combined with "normal" data endpoints (particularly, at least one second data endpoint B) that obtain data from an interface not implemented or mapped through graph-based structure 20. Data from the normal data endpoints may be integrated into graph-based structure 20 even if the second interface 11 is not mapped to graph-based structure 20.

[0027] The described system 1 and method 100 for instantiating at least one digital twin 40 may include or be executable through a computer or a network of computers, the computer or network of computers including at least one processor and at least one memory. The described method logic may be provided in the form of executable code in at least one memory and executed by at least one processor. At least one first, second, and / or third interface 10, 11, 12 and / or graph-based structure 20 and / or user interface 30 and / or at least one digital twin 40 and / or application 50 may transmit data to and, optionally, receive instructions from, the at least one processor. This allows the processor to instruct the system 1 on user-initiated and / or automatically generated queries. The computer-implemented system 1 is not limited to a specific hardware environment. In this manner, distributed devices connected via a network may execute the techniques described herein. The present disclosure also includes electrical signals and computer-readable media that define instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the techniques described herein.

[0028] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an example method 100 for instantiating at least one digital twin 40, which may be performed using the system 1. In this example, a conceptual model may first be created by a user as part of the graph-based structure 20. As described above, the concepts “machine,” “equipment,” “error code,” and “product type” may first be mapped by the user in the conceptual model as part of the graph-based structure 20, connected to each other via relationships, and assigned attributes. Here, the created concepts may be based on mappings of corresponding existing interfaces 10, particularly sensor interfaces, such as the sensor interface “machine” and / or the sensor interface “error” shown in FIG. 3 . Data instances based on data from at least one interface 10 may be associated with each concept. After creating the graph-based structure in step A, the user may direct the following query to the graph-based structure 20 via the user interface 30: “Which machine in the facility generates the most errors, on average, during the production of product type K?” System 1, and in particular graph-based structure 20, can identify the machines most prone to errors in the production of a product, and a user can decide to develop and configure monitoring software to monitor those machines. Such software can repeatedly query the machines for errors and provide warnings or assistance to operators during production. This software can be thought of as application 50.

[0029] For a user, the concepts of "machine" and "error code" may be important to the application 50 depending on the query. As shown in step B, the user may extend the graph-based structure 20 with the concept "digital twin" and define a relationship to the concept "machine". Furthermore, the user may define that the concept of "error code" and all concepts directly related to the concept of "error code", e.g., "timestamp", "description", etc., represent a subgraph, and define the subgraph as a description for a data endpoint C of the digital twin 40. The database derived from the interfaces 10, particularly sensor interfaces, mapped onto the graph-based structure 20 and that can be assigned to data instances in the graph-based structure 20 is a table T containing all machines M in the facility P. Maschine As shown in step C, the system 1 may Maschine Run automatically generated queries against each machine M in M Another data instance may be created in table T Fehler T may have a table that stores each error for each machine M of the system P and may include associated information such as a timestamp and description. Machine and T Fehler In step D, the system 1 creates a table T Machine For each machine M in M Generate a query with T Fehler Therefore, the system 1 can select all errors in M ​​from the data endpoint E M You will be able to create a data endpoint E. M The call to M and output an error that has occurred in the machine M. The system 1 may associate this at least one first data endpoint C with the digital twin digital twin M.

[0030] As mentioned above, the concepts of "error code", "timestamp" and "description" represent subgraphs of the graph-based structure 20 and are associated with descriptions of data endpoints in step B. This subgraph is projected from the graph-based structure 20 and assigned to a data endpoint EM, thereby creating a M can be associated with a semantic description. An application 50, for example a monitoring software, can read out the errors of each machine M with the associated semantic description.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system (1), comprising: at least one first interface (10) configured for receiving and transmitting data from a physical object; A graph-based structure (20) comprising: a conceptual model including a plurality of concepts, each representing a physical object, the concepts being assigned attributes, and relationships among the concepts being defined; a plurality of data instances having data points of physical objects and associated with each of the concepts of the conceptual model; a graph-based structure (20) configured to receive data from the interface (10) and integrate the received data into conceptual models and / or data instances; a user interface (30) configured to provide queries and / or definitions to the graph-based structure based on input from a user and to output corresponding responses; at least one digital twin (40) configured to obtain data from and / or provide data to the graph-based structure (20); Equipped with The at least one digital twin (40) includes at least one first data endpoint (C), and in particular, the at least one first data endpoint is generated and derived from the graph-based structure.

2. 2. The computer-implemented system (1) of claim 1, wherein the at least one first interface (10) may be associated with and / or exchange information with at least one existing data source, in particular the at least one first interface (10) is a sensor interface.

3. 3. The computer-implemented system (1) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one digital twin (40) is generated using the graph-based structure (20) based on queries and / or definitions of the user interface (30) in the graph-based structure (20).

4. 4. The computer-implemented system (1) of claim 1, wherein the digital twin (40) comprises a technical device for physics-based simulation and data analysis of real physical objects in a virtual environment, in particular the real physical objects being one or more products and / or production equipment.

5. 5. The computer-implemented system (1) of claim 1, wherein the at least one digital twin (40) comprises a first semantic model (41), in particular the first semantic model (41) is generated and derived from the graph-based structure (20), and optionally the first semantic model (41) is adapted to semantically describe the at least one first data endpoint (C).

6. 6. The computer-implemented system (1) of claim 1, wherein the at least one digital twin (40) comprises at least one second data endpoint (B), in particular the at least one second data endpoint (B) is generated and derived directly using data from a second interface (11), in particular a second sensor interface.

7. 7. The computer-implemented system (1) of claim 6, wherein the at least one second data endpoint (B) has a semantic description that is generated and derived directly using data of the at least one second interface (11).

8. 8. The computer-implemented system of claim 7, wherein the graph-based structure is configured to import data from the at least one second data endpoint, and in particular, the semantic description of the second data endpoint is mapped to the graph-based structure and data is associated with the data instances.

9. 9. The computer-implemented system (1) of claim 1, wherein the at least one digital twin (40) comprises at least one third data endpoint (A), in particular the at least one third data endpoint (A) being generated and derived directly using data from a third interface (12), in particular a third sensor interface.

10. 10. The computer-implemented system (1) of any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising an application (50) configured to retrieve data from the at least one first data endpoint (C) having a semantic description based on a request to the at least one digital twin (40).

11. A computer-implemented system (1) as described in any one of claims 6 to 8, further comprising an application (50) configured to retrieve data from the at least one second data endpoint (B) having a semantic description based on a request to the at least one digital twin (40).

12. The computer-implemented system (1) of claim 9, further comprising an application (50) configured to retrieve data from the at least one third data endpoint (A) having a semantic description based on a request to the at least one digital twin (40).

13. 1. A computer-implemented method (100) for instantiating at least one digital twin (40), comprising: a) providing at least one first interface (10) configured to receive and transmit data from a physical object; b) providing a graph-based structure (20) including a conceptual model including a plurality of concepts, each representing a physical object, the concepts having attributes and defining interrelationships between the concepts, and a plurality of data instances having data points of the physical objects and associated with each of the concepts in the conceptual model, the graph-based structure being configured to receive data from the interface (10) and to integrate the received data into the conceptual model and / or the data instances; c) providing a user interface configured to provide queries and / or definitions to said graph-based structure based on input from a user and to output corresponding responses; d) generating said at least one digital twin (40) configured to obtain data from and / or provide data to said graph-based structure (20), said at least one digital twin (40) including at least one first data endpoint (C), in particular said at least one first data endpoint being generated and derived from said graph-based structure; A computer-implemented method (100) comprising:

14. A computer-implemented method (100) for instantiating at least one digital twin (40), comprising: a) providing at least one first interface (10) configured to receive and transmit data from a physical object; b) providing a graph-based structure (20) including a conceptual model including a plurality of concepts, each representing a physical object, the concepts having attributes and defining interrelationships between the concepts, and a plurality of data instances having data points of the physical objects and associated with each of the concepts in the conceptual model, the graph-based structure being configured to receive data from the interface (10) and to integrate the received data into the conceptual model and / or the data instances; c) providing a user interface configured to provide queries and / or definitions to said graph-based structure based on input from a user and to output corresponding responses; d) generating said at least one digital twin (40) configured to obtain data from and / or provide data to said graph-based structure (20); Equipped with A computer-implemented method (100) in which generating the at least one digital twin (40) includes annotating and / or extending the graph-based structure (20) based on queries and / or definitions of the user interface (30) for the graph-based structure (20).

15. A computer-implemented method (100) for instantiating at least one digital twin (40), comprising: a) providing at least one first interface (10) configured to receive and transmit data from a physical object; b) providing a graph-based structure (20) including a conceptual model including a plurality of concepts, each representing a physical object, the concepts having attributes and defining interrelationships between the concepts, and a plurality of data instances having data points of the physical objects and associated with each of the concepts in the conceptual model, the graph-based structure being configured to receive data from the interface (10) and to integrate the received data into the conceptual model and / or the data instances; c) providing a user interface configured to provide queries and / or definitions to said graph-based structure based on input from a user and to output corresponding responses; d) generating said at least one digital twin (40) configured to obtain data from and / or provide data to said graph-based structure (20); Equipped with A computer-implemented method (100) in which the graph-based structure (20) includes at least one subgraph containing concepts and relations that are a subset of the graph-based structure (20).

16. 16. The computer-implemented method (100) of claim 15, wherein annotating and / or extending the graph-based structure (20) further comprises defining at least one concept of the conceptual model as a digital twin (40) and associating at least one subgraph of the graph-based structure (20) with at least one first data endpoint (C) using the user interface (30).

17. 17. The computer-implemented method (100) of claim 16, wherein generating the at least one digital twin (40) further comprises identifying, in the graph-based structure (20), each occurrence of a concept defined as a digital twin in data received from the interface (10), and creating a digital twin (40) for each identified concept.

18. 18. The computer-implemented method (100) of any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein generating at least one digital twin (40) further comprises automatically generating, for each digital twin (40), a query against the graph-based structure (20) that selects data of all subgraphs associated with at least one first data endpoint (C).

19. 20. The computer-implemented method (100) of claim 18, wherein each generated query is centralized to an individually responsive data endpoint (C), and a mapping of each data endpoint (C) to the digital twin (40) from which the at least one first data endpoint (C) provides data is stored.

20. 20. The computer-implemented method (100) of claim 18 or 19, further comprising the steps of projecting a subgraph associated with at least one first data endpoint (C) from the graph-based structure (20) and saving the projected subgraph as a semantic data endpoint description for each generated data endpoint (C).

21. A computer-implemented method (100) as described in any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein the at least one first interface (10) is associated with and / or exchanges information with at least one existing data source, and in particular the at least one first interface (10) is a sensor interface.

22. A computer-implemented method (100) as described in any one of claims 13 to 21, further comprising the step of providing an application (50) configured to request all digital twins associated with the application (50) to read data from individual responsive data endpoints (C) having a semantic description.

Images