A Framework for Evaluating Product Architecture of Automation Production Facilities

Some interdisciplinary products are still designed with blinders. To develop automation systems, teams of each involved discipline can work on their particular subsystem (software, controller, electronic and mechanic hardware) independently by defining interfaces and requirements among the individual parts of the system. When it comes to a re-configuration of an existing subsystem, the impact on the other subsystems is ambiguous. Developers are not aware of the impact of their development decisions beyond the interfaces regarding modularization, changes in product architecture or re-shape of system borders. In this paper, we provide a framework to evaluate the impact of a re-modularization of a subsystem on the total system and give implications for further steps towards a holistic evaluation system for automation system architecture.      «

Some interdisciplinary products are still designed with blinders. To develop automation systems, teams of each involved discipline can work on their particular subsystem (software, controller, electronic and mechanic hardware) independently by defining interfaces and requirements among the individual parts of the system. When it comes to a re-configuration of an existing subsystem, the impact on the other subsystems is ambiguous. Developers are not aware of the impact of their development decisi...     »