Abstract—The complexity of mechatronic systems increases constantly due to market requirements. Traditional engineering approaches have troubles coping with the desired functionality. A major problem is the early and continuous integration and coordination of engineering disciplines (i.e. mechanic, electric, and software). To address this situation and to enable a concurrent engineering of participating disciplines, a model-based approach to early conception and subsequent refinement of mechatronic systems is proposed in this paper. This approach allows specifying a high-level mechatronic concept within a single editor and the refinement of this concept by integrating it with established engineering tools. In particular, the paper outlines the technical and methodical integration of discipline-specific tools such that refinement steps can be tested automatically and continuously. The suitability of the approach is shown along selected examples. Finally, the paper finishes with a reflection on the current state and an outlook on future research activities.
Index Terms—Model-based development, concurrent engineering, mechatronic systems engineering.
Georg Hackenberg is with the Chair IV: Software & Systems Engineering, Technische Universität München, 85748 Garching b. München, Germany (e-mail: hackenbe@ in.tum.de).
Christoph Richter is with the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology, 86153 Augsburg, Germany (e-mail: christoph.richter@iwu.fraunhofer.de).
Michael F. Zaeh is with the Institute for Maschine Tools and Industrial Management, Technische Universität München, 85748 Garching b. München, Germany (e-mail: michael.zaeh@iwb.tum.de).
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Cite: Georg Hackenberg, Christoph Richter, and Michael F. Zaeh, "From Conception to Refinement in Mechatronics Systems Engineering," International Journal of Materials, Mechanics and Manufacturing vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 66-73, 2016.
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