Fig 5 - uploaded by Allan Shtofenmakher
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A higher-level descriptive digital twin architecture for space-based orbital debris detection, with a focus on the information exchanged among major entities, sub-entities, and functional entities.
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As interest in digital engineering within a variety of technical domains begins to accelerate, industries continue to encounter obstacles with regard to implementing—and benefiting from—digital twin technologies. One key challenge facing digital twin adoption in the aerospace industry, in particular, is a lack of standardized digital twin framework...
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... will serve as the foundation for the development of space-based debris detection digital twins with progressively more advanced functionalities-namely, diagnostic, predictive, prescriptive, and intelligent. Figure 5 seeks to capture the proposed descriptive process for space-based detection of sub-10-cm-class debris in a high-level digital twin architecture that emphasizes, as in Fig. 3, the major entities, their sub-entities, and the information exchanged among them through the various digital twin networks. As before, additional information concerning the FEs is provided in the next subsection. ...
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... is likewise worth noting that some network arrows from Fig. 3 are not relevant to Fig. 5. For example, in honor of the focus on space-based debris detection by sensors outside the purview of the SSN, the Observable RSO Data Collection Sub-Entity in Fig. 5 does not receive sensor tasking commands from the 18 SDS & 19 SDS, collect RSO position and velocity data from the Observable LEO RSOs, or transmit processed RSO position ...
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... is likewise worth noting that some network arrows from Fig. 3 are not relevant to Fig. 5. For example, in honor of the focus on space-based debris detection by sensors outside the purview of the SSN, the Observable RSO Data Collection Sub-Entity in Fig. 5 does not receive sensor tasking commands from the 18 SDS & 19 SDS, collect RSO position and velocity data from the Observable LEO RSOs, or transmit processed RSO position and velocity data to the Operation and Management Sub-Entity. As this strictly descriptive digital twin architecture does not include predictive or prescriptive ...
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... the CSE in this architecture operates in a capacity similar to the CSE from the prescriptive architecture discussed in Section III. Figure 6 offers a lower-level visualization of the individual FEs embedded within the major entities and sub-entities in Fig. 5. Given that Fig. 6 is effectively derived from-and shares a color scheme with- Fig. 4, the goal of this section is to identify key formal and functional differences among the FEs embedded within the two ...
Citations
... Moreover, the complexity of standards and the absence of practical tools to facilitate their adoption often hinder their implementation in real-world projects. For example, the ISO 23247 standard 3 , which offers a reference architecture for Digital Twins in manufacturing [14], has faced criticism for its limited applicability due to its domain-specific nature [15,16]. Additionally, it has been noted that the standard lacks critical components, such as those related to data management [17]. ...
... For instance, Ferko et al. [16] explored its application in battery systems. Similarly, Shtofenmakher et al. [15] attempted to tailor the standard for aerospace use, focusing on on-orbit collision avoidance. Despite these efforts, researchers have highlighted significant limitations in ISO 23247, including domain-specific constraints, perceived misalignments and lack of concrete tools supporting the instantiation of DTs. ...
Background. Digital Twins (DTs) are dynamic virtual representations of physical systems, enabled by seamless, bidirectional communication between the physical and digital realms. Among the challenges impeding the widespread adoption of DTs is the absence of a universally accepted definition and a standardized DT Reference Architecture (RA). Existing state-of-the-art architectures remain largely domain-specific, primarily emphasizing aspects like modeling and simulation. Furthermore, they often combine structural and dynamic elements into unified, all-in-one diagrams, which adds to the ambiguity and confusion surrounding the concept of Digital Twins. Objective. To address these challenges, this work aims to contribute a domain-independent, multi-view Digital Twin Reference Architecture that can help practitioners in architecting and engineering their DTs. Method. We adopted the design science methodology, structured into three cycles: (i) an initial investigation conducting a Systematic Literature Review to identify key architectural elements, (ii) preliminary design refined via feedback from practitioners, and (iii) final artifact development, integrating knowledge from widely adopted DT development platforms and validated through an expert survey of 20 participants. Results. The proposed Digital Twin Reference Architecture is named TwinArch. It is documented using the Views and Beyond methodology by the Software Engineering Institute. TwinArch website and replication package: https://alessandrasomma28.github.io/twinarch/ Conclusion. TwinArch offers practitioners practical artifacts that can be utilized for designing and developing new DT systems across various domains. It enables customization and tailoring to specific use cases while also supporting the documentation of existing DT systems.
... In recent research, the standard has been applied to the aerospace industry, where the objective is to develop a collision avoidance system by detecting small objects in space and taking corrective action in time. 30 However, its specifications at a medium-level guide building digital twins and are now increasingly being applied. ...
Digital twins are poised to improve the engineering, operation, and management of manufacturing facilities. However, implementing digital twins has been a challenge primarily due to a lack of resources and the absence of standardized digital twin frameworks and methods. This paper describes creating a digital twin of a robot workcell using available standards, tools, and methods. The workcell comprises collaborative robot arms, a computer numeric control (CNC) machine tool, and a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). The ISO 23247 standard provides a guideline for building the digital twin. Data are collected from physical devices and the MTConnect standard provides a format for communicating the data between the physical equipment and their digital counterparts. The machine components in the workcell are represented as models in the virtual world. This research shows that the above standards and methods support building a digital twin of a robot workcell. The data collected and communicated can be used to improve workcell functions such as quality management and predictive maintenance.
