From the perspective of the origin and current development of digital twins, its applications mainly focus on product design, operation and maintenance stages, but with the rapid spread and application of new generation of information and communication technology such as big data, Internet of Things, mobile Internet, and cloud computing, digital twin have gone beyond the traditional product design and operation phases.
Digital twin refers to the processes and methods for describing and modelling the characteristics, behaviour, formation process, and performance of physical objects using digital technology, and can also be referred to as digital twin technology. The digital twin model refers to a virtual model that completely corresponds to and is consistent with the physical entities in the real world and can simulate its behaviour and performances in a real-time environment in real time. It can be said that digital twin is techniques, processes, and methods, and that digital twin models are objects, models, and data. Digital twin technology is not only using human theory and knowledge to build virtual models but also can use virtual model simulation technology to explore and predict the unknown world, to find better ways and means, and constantly inspire human innovative thinking. The pursuit of optimization and progress, therefore, in digital twin technology provides new ideas and tools for current manufacturing innovation and development.
In the future, there will be a digital twin model in the virtual space that is exactly the same as the entity in the physical space. For example, the physical factory has a corresponding factory digital twin model in the virtual space, and the physical workshop has a corresponding workshop digital twin model in the virtual space. Physical production lines in the virtual space have corresponding production line digital twin model and so on. Digital twin is the foundation of the intelligent manufacturing system. The most important enlightening significance of digital twin is that it realizes the feedback from the physical system to the digital model of cyberspace.
Considering the evolution process and related explanations of the existing product digital twin model, the definition of the product digital twin model: the product digital twin model refers to the full-element reconstruction and digitized mapping of the physical entity’s working state and work progress in the information space, and is an integrated multiphysics, multiscale, hyperrealistic, dynamic probability simulation model that can be used for simulating, monitoring, diagnosing, predicting, and controlling the formation process, state, and behaviour of physical entities in the real world. Product digital twin model generated by the product model based on the product design stage, and during the next product manufacturing and service stage, with the product data and information interaction between physical entities, constantly improves their integrity and accuracy, finishing a complete and accurate description of product physical entity.
It can be seen from the definition of the product digital twin model that: (1) the product digital twin model is a simulation model in which product physical entities are integrated in the information space, a digital file of the entire lifecycle of product physical entities, and the integrated management of the product lifecycle data and full value chain data; (2) the product digital twin model is perfected by continuous data and information interaction with the physical entity of the product; (3) the final representation of the product digital twin models is a complete and accurate digital description of the physical entity of the product; and (4) product digital twin model can be used to simulate, monitor, diagnose, predict, and control the formation process and status of physical entities in a physical environment.
The product digital twin model is far beyond the category of digital prototype (or virtual prototype) and digital product definition. The product digital twin model includes not only the description of the product geometry, function and performance, but also the description of the formation process and state of the whole life cycle, such as product manufacturing or maintenance process. Digital prototype, also called virtual prototype, is a digital description of a mechanical product or a subsystem with independent functions. It not only reflects the geometric properties of the product object, but also reflects the function and performance of the product object in at least one domain. Digital prototype is formed in the stage of product design and can be applied to the whole lifecycle of products, including engineering design, manufacturing, assembly, inspection, sales, use, after-sale, recovery and other links. The definition of digital product refers to the activities of digitizing the function, performance and physical properties of mechanical products.
From the perspective of the small satellites management the current developments on the health management and asset status is based on State of Health Agent that monitors the heartbeats of all the Agents in the system, compiles their extra information, and logs it at regular intervals. The current practice is to retrieve data about the spacecraft status of each subsystem rather than model the operational status and health overall status. A more detailed status of the spacecraft is only possible with the Digital Twin implementation.
Stratosphere S.A. is a global provider of digital twin solutions.
bizdev@stratosphere-tech.com
