Distributed Simulation Model Unification for Virtual Commissioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional engineering workflows for designing and testing industrial automation systems require separate tools for mechanical and control engineering, leading to difficulties in maintaining synchronization between mechanical and control designs, and the need for separate development of simulation-capable models for virtual commissioning.
Innovation Solution
An integrated CAD system that allows users to label mechanical CAD models with aspect metadata, transforming them into simulation-capable digital twins that can be exported for virtual commissioning, and a distributed simulation system that aggregates data from multiple processing nodes for a unified presentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate tools are used for mechanical and control engineering, then each discipline can be developed independently, but synchronization between mechanical and control designs becomes difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges mechanical and control engineering workflows into a single integrated CAD system. The unified platform allows both mechanical design and control logic development to occur within the same environment, with automatic bidirectional synchronization. When mechanical components are modified, the control design automatically updates to reflect changes, and vice versa, eliminating the synchronization problems that arise from using separate tools.
2Reliability
If separate development of simulation-capable models is performed, then virtual commissioning can be conducted, but the process becomes time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically generating simulation-capable digital twin models during the initial CAD design phase. As mechanical and control designs are developed in the integrated environment, the system continuously creates and updates the digital twin model with all necessary simulation parameters and relationships. This preliminary model generation eliminates the need for separate, time-consuming model creation processes later during virtual commissioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates digital twin models that are virtual copies of the physical system, replicating all mechanical components, control logic, and their interrelationships. These copied models can be directly used for virtual commissioning without requiring additional development time, as they are automatically generated from the CAD design data through the integrated system.
3Power
If distributed simulation across multiple processing nodes is implemented, then computational capacity is increased, but data aggregation and unified presentation become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a central server as an intermediary component that manages distributed simulation across multiple processing nodes. The server receives simulation data from all nodes, automatically aggregates the results, and presents a unified view of the entire system behavior. This intermediary layer simplifies the complexity of data aggregation by providing standardized interfaces and automated reconciliation of data from multiple sources.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system to generate a unified view of the distributed industrial simulation based on simulation and graphics data collected from the multiple processing nodes. In order to visualize an aggregated simulation, the system unities the distributed portions of the model into a presentation at a single node.