Graph-based Data Model for Assembly-Specific Capability Description for Fully Automated Assembly Line Design

Assembly systems are an essential component of industrial production. However, due to a lack of tools for decision-making support, these systems are usually planned and designed manually or with a low degree of automation. In this paper, a data model and a fully automated system for the design of assembly lines in the context of Model-based System Engineering (MBSE) are presented. This system uses a graph-based description of the product and production capabilities, matches the product requirements to the available capabilities and resources, and enables an appropriate design generation using the Model-in-the-Loop and Software-in-the-Loop simulations. Explicit semantics and high flexibility of the graph-based data model allow a fine-grained description of the highly complex system. A particular focus is on the assembly-specific capability and product description, and generalizability of assembly systems through the use of the presented data model. For the data model evaluation, several scenarios are presented, where the production capabilities are being matched to a product description to form a logic assembly line structure.