Product information with enhanced background description for improved revision of decisions

Development of products has been organized around product lifecycle management (PLM) systems during the past decade in leading industries. In mechatronics, where product structures are very complex and inhomogeneous, it is urgent to apply high level information technology for engineering purposes. The new style of engineering, where engineers work in remote workplaces and communicate through sophisticated model of product is especially important for mechatronics. Communication among engineers through product model is one of the problem areas because the changed demands for product development can not be fulfilled by using of direct communication. Current product models describe product information. Information is not enough to understand, revise and change of earlier decisions by engineers who receive these product models. The problem is that current product models are not suitable for description of background of decisions on product information. As a contribution to establish a solution for this problem, this paper introduces a new modeling that uses human intent and other content of information in product model at the creation background description for decisions. The new modeling is proposed as an extension to current PLM systems. Main purpose of the proposed modeling is to enhance communication among engineers. The paper explains changed engineering activities in recent model based product development. Following this, the proposed new communication is detailed and discussed. Next, a concept for a new virtual space for products is introduced. Finally implementation of the proposed modeling in the form of extension to current modeling in PLM systems is explained and tasks for research in the proposed modeling for the next future are outlined. © 2008 IEEE.