Content representation structure for product system modeling

Product model based engineering long history of which started with computer aided design, manufacturing, and engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE) solutions recently utilizes product model which represents product as a system. In this new generation of product model, parts and units of product are modeled on the physical level as formerly. However, this level is supported by three higher abstraction levels of product concept model. The physical and concept levels are typically organized in the requirements, functions, logical, and physical (RFLP) structure. In this way, high abstraction is available for enhanced and theoretically grounded engineering utilizing achievements from systems engineering (SE) and requirements engineering (RE). In this paper, three recent results are introduced from a long-term research in high abstraction based product definition at the Laboratory of Intelligent Engineering Systems (LIES), Óbuda University. These contributions are driving generation of RFLP elements, product features, model creation structures, and product realization model structures by organized contextual knowledge background in content structures, multilevel content structures in case of their pure contextual creation and application, and driving product model generation by restricted human initiative. Finally, placing of the proposed content structure processing units in PLM system is outlined.