Extend the CPS concept, remodel the company organization 扩展CPS概念，对企业信息系统进行重新建模

Based on the concept of CPS in i4.0 scope, I will try to explain a non-conventional model, to realize: provide internal and external human being, machine, software applications a unified, real-time information sharing and control over the physical assets of a company organization, unleash silos created by the legacy software applications.


Most readers should have experience with following described software:
1) A factory monitoring software, in the GUI, you can zoom in or out, to view the overall equipment status or click on a certain equipment, you can see some details like key temperature or pressure parameters or WIP info inside,
2) The logistic simulation software in planning phase of a factory, you can see the simulated material flow in the future production line,
3) CAD software, in the GUI you can chose explosive view the check the components 


These 3 software, to some extent, have already realized physical world to cyber-world mirroring.
What I’m going to do is extend this to a new level.


I will create a concept here -- CPS object.
The physical assets of a company organization, includes buildings, human, machine, material(raw material and products). According to the subordinate relationship and actual locations, looking from outside, it’s a multiple nested structure.
A CPS object is a perpetual running software instance for each physical assets and the nested structure of the company organization. It has full access and control over all the physical asset’s information and behavior. Every asset has an unique ID, with many different alias. 




Now let’s use a company with single site to explain, 
1.Site
Create an CPS object for the site, control following information:
1)Code and alias, the unique code can be the tax serial no or license, it can be used for applications. The alias are more dynamic, it can be defined according to group, organization chart or some use habits, for human-human and human-software interaction.
2)Location and size, it can be defined according to the construction design layout and in combine with GPS, coordinates or E-map. The exit/entrance, the roads inside can be defined. The positions can have other terms to describe, like No. X from left, or row X line Y, or on the left/right side of a certain item.
3)Input/Output for energy, water, and other supplies.
4)The service capability description, in this case it’s product or service portfolio
5)Current status
6)Current CPS contents, a site may have many building and facilities, each one of them is an CPS object. In together it becomes a list of CPS.
7)Historical database of above information if any


2.Buildings facility, include all the buildings, facilities, cargo loading port, even car parking zones.
Create a CPS object for each building facilities, control following information:
1）Code and alias, the code is unique in the site, and the alias can be department name, or other conventional name, like the building with unique code ABCXYZ003, it’s alias can be assemble fab or building 03, or say the alias of building with unique code ABCXYZ004 can be warehouse or building 04.
2）Location and size. 
3）Input/Output for energy, water, and other supplies.
4）Service capability description, the detail function.
5）Current status, like a unloading port, it can be idle or occupied.
6）Current CPS contents, the other CPS objects now physically inside of the physical item this CPS object stands for. Like material or product which is movable and installed machine which is not movable.
7）Historical database of above information if any.


3.Machines
Here I say machines, including the process equipment, the automated material transfer and handling units, all the supporting devices.
Create a CPS object for each item, control following information:
1)Code and alias
2)Location and size
3)Input/Output for energy, water, and other supplies.
4)Service capability description, the detail function.
5)Current status, like a unloading port, it can be idle or occupied.
6)Current CPS contents, like WIP inside, all the supporting tools and materials.
7)Historical database. All the product it produced, all the equipment status, process parameters, maintenance history.


4.Human
Create a CPS object for each human, control following information:
1)ID, name, RFID tag the description of role, responsibilities and user rights.
2)Current location and status, in office or factory or in warehouse.
3)Work plan
4)History, all the work been done.


5.Material and product. Obviously material and product should be track and traced in the most smallest granular.
Create a CPS object for each item, control following information:
1)Name and description
2)Lot, serial No. or RFID tag.
3)Future process route plan if any.
4)History of process, transportation, material merge and split


We can summarize the operations in a company organization as the interactions between different CPS objects, involves the merge and split of CPS objects. I give 2 examples to explain.
Case1, End product shipment
Site or building CPS object use CCTV, access badge, RFID technology to realize the monitoring and control over the activities of the CPS objects. The truck of 3PL check in at entrance of the site, then the site CPS object add this truck CPS objects into its content list. Control the driving route and using CCTV in combine with image recognition or other technology. When the truck arrives at the loading port of the warehouse, for say, through image recognition or RFID the warehouse CPS objects detected the truck, it adds the truck CPS object to its CPS content list and remove it from CPS object content list of the site. The site CPS object hands over the control right over the truck CPS object to the warehouse CPS objects. By accessing the information of the truck CPS object, like cargo need to load and volume, the warehouse CPS object provide instruction to automated material transferring CPS object. When loading, the product CPS info will be removed from the CPS content list of the warehouse, added to the CPS content list of the material transferring CPS object, then removed from the CPS content list of material transferring CPS object and added to the CPS content list of the truck CPS object. After the truck leaves the company site, the site CPS object will remove the truck CPS from its CPS content list.


Case2, Production 
Actually it’s the same with previous one. From commissioning, the material/WIP CPS object will be added to the CPS content list of the 1st process equipment, after each process, equipment CPS object will make some modifications to the WIP CPS object, like process parameters, test results. Later on when the WIP is moved to AGV, then the WIP CPS object will be removed to the CPS content list. While arriving at the next process equipment, the CPS object will be removed from AGV to the CPS content list of next process equipment. This scenario continue till finish.


The actual location/position of each item, the status, the inside operation details which is traceable, the interaction with other CPS objects, should be all controlled in the perpetual running CPS object.


Look back at the cases described before. Imagine you are the manager of a factory with ultimate control rights, you can see: a 3D view of the factory, zoom in you can see all the details of each item, the running production WIP flow inside of it, the parameters. Remember I emphasized about alias of each CPS object. As for human, we’re more used to think using alias instead of a long code which is designed more for machine or software. Based on this CPS object structure, we can realize the match of different description methods. Also the status, position description can have multiple methods. This way, a natural user interface can be realized easily. You can made instructions to user interface using natural language, for say, show the position of all the empty AGVs inside of Fab3. As the keyword Fab3 can be matched to the CPS object of Fab3, in its CPS content list there’s the list of AGV CPS objects. Each AGV CPS object knows its status and location, thus, the empty ones will report its position on request, which will be shown in the 3D GUI.


Previous discussion only include the physical activities and the correspondent information flow. There’s anther kind of flow -- financial information flow is not taken into consideration. Each CPS object should monitor and control its own financial information. Like an equipment, the purchase price, afterwards installation and maintenance cost, the depreciation after each production process. Or like material/WIP/product, the split/merge during each process step, and during transportation, its financial information will be changed too(I wrote a article before to discuss about a framework of real-time costing, you can refer to it). Thus, back to the previous imagination, as the manager with ultimate control, you can see in the 3D view, the financial information of each CPS objects in the granular as you want. According to the model I explained before, as each CPS object has its own financial information, on the presentation tier, it’s just a sum of the CPS content list and the maintenance of this dynamic list.


There’s more work to be done. For example, in order to finish a task, how to realize or solve these problem 
1) How can a CPS object decide the instructions it should give to other CPS objects
2) How to decide the work dispatch between CPS objects with same function 




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基于工业4.0 CPS的概念，我将阐述一个完全不一样的模型，期望这个模型可以实现如下的构想：为内部或外部的人、机器、软件应用，提供一个统一的，实时的基于权限管控的针对企业组织内实体资产的信息共享或控制，打破以往诸多应用软件壁垒对此的约束。


我想大多数本文的读者或多或少地有接触过下面几种软件的经验：
1）一个工厂监控软件，在界面上，你可以放大缩小视图，来查看一个车间整体的设备状态或者某个具体设备的状态，点击某个设备腔体，还可以看到具体的关键工艺参数譬如温度、压力或者在制品的状态；
2）在工厂规划阶段使用的物流规划模拟软件，你可以在软件界面上看到模拟出来的物料在产线上的流转；
3）CAD软件，在软件界面上，你可以用爆炸视图来查看组成产品的每一个零件


这些应用，其实已经部分地做到了物理和虚拟世界的映射，本文将沿着这个方向去展开。


先创建一个概念 --  CPS对象。
企业的实体资产，包括建筑、人、机器、物料(原辅料和产品)，按照实际的隶属结构和物理所在, 从外部看一个多重嵌套的结构。CPS对象则是对应于每项实体资产以及资产多重嵌套结构的一个永续运转的软件实例，其掌控所有该对象所对应的实体资产的所有信息与行为。


下面假设一个单厂区的企业开始逐级阐述。
1.企业厂区
创建一个CPS对象，管控如下信息，
1）编号和别名，该对象的唯一代号可以是企业的纳税编号或营业许可编号，这个编号主要供程序使用，而别名则用来进行群组、组织架构划分或习惯来定义，供人与人，人与程序交互所用。
2）位置与大小：比如可以企业建筑规划设计布局结合GPS坐标的电子地图方式，描述详细的出入口信息，厂区内的道路等等。位置属性也可以拥有很多种描述方式，除了坐标，还可以如左起第几个，或第几排第几列，或者说在某个物体的左边右边。
3）输入和输出接口，比如所有的能源、水、气体等等的接口
4）服务能力的描述列表，即产品组合，服务组合
5）当前状态的描述
6）当前内容物：企业内部现有的其他种类的CPS对象，所有的建筑、机器、人、物料等
7）过去状态的历史记录


2.建筑设施，包括厂区内的建筑、设施、卸货或装货口乃至停车位。
为每个建筑设施都创建一个CPS对象，管控如下信息，
1）编号和别名，同样的编号也是唯一的，而别名可以是部门名称，或者按习惯使用的名称，比如唯一编号为ABCXYZ003的建筑在的别名可以是装配车间或者03号楼，编号为ABCXYZ004的建筑的别名可以是仓库或者04号楼。                                                                                          
2）位置大小，同样，可以按GPS坐标的方式，楼层，高度等信息 
3）输入和输出接口，比如所有的能源、水、气体等等的接口
4）服务能力的描述列表，即该设施在企业内的功能描述
5）当前状态的描述，比如卸货口，已被占用或者空闲
6）当前内容物：本对象内部现有的其他种类的CPS对象，包括可移动的物料或不可移动的如安装好的设备。
7）过去状态的历史记录


3.接下来看机器。
这里提及机器，包括生产加工设备，自动化物料传输机构，各种辅助设备。为每个机器创建一个CPS对象。同样的，该对象将管控如下信息：
1）编号和别名
2）位置与大小
3）服务能力，加工能力描述
4）当前状态，空闲、运转中或维修
5）维护计划，一个日历式的维护计划
6）嵌套结构，如果该对象还包括多个组成部分，比如一个设备有多个腔体，则再进行嵌套划分。
7）当前内容物，即当前的WIP，同时包括各种辅助工具材料。
8）输入和输出接口，即所有的能源，和物料接口
9）历史记录，所有加工过的产品，过去所有的状态、参数历史，维修记录等等


4.接下来看人。
创建一个CPS对象来管控：
1）姓名ID，RFID tag, 职位职责,权限的描述
2）当前状态和位置，在办公室还是工厂或是在仓库
3）工作计划，
4）历史记录，所有做过的工作内容


5.物料和产品CPS对象，物料对象需在可追溯的最小粒度进行相关的管控。
1）名称
2）批次、序列或RFID tag
3）所有的加工、运输、拆分合并历史


我们可以将在企业内的生产经营活动是人归纳为如上所述各种CPS对象的内容物或CPS对象本身的互动，涉及到各种对象的组合和拆分。下面举两个例子。
1. 产品发货
企业和建筑CPS对象通过CCTV，各种门禁系统和RFID技术，来实现本CPS对象对内部所包含的其他CPS对象的监控。从第三方调派的货车在公司入口check in，则企业CPS对象在其内容物对象列表中添加该货车CPS对象，控制货车的行驶路径，并通过CCTV结合图像识别监控观察货车在厂内的驾驶路径。货车的到仓库的装货口，比如仓库CPS对象通过CCTV或RFID感知到货车，仓库对象在其CPS对象列表中添加该货车CPS对象。通过调取货车CPS对象中包含的信息比如需要装载的货品和数量，仓库CPS对象下达指令给物料搬送CPS对象，将指定的货品搬运装载到货车上，同时仓库CPS对象内容物对象列表中的货品对象信息则添加到了货车CPS对象的内容物列表中。装货完毕后货车驶出厂区并Check out，则厂区CPS对象将货车CPS对象从其内容物列表中移除。


2 .生产加工
其实类似上面的产品发货，从投料开始，物料或WIP CPS对象被添加到第一个生产加工设备的CPS对象内容物列表中，在每一步的加工完成后，设备CPS对物料或产品CPS对象进行一些拆分和组合，并改写相关WIP CPS对象的信息，比如说添加WIP的加工处理过程信息。接下来物料或产品在不同工艺阶段流转时，比如一个AGV小车从上游设备那里装载了WIP CPS对象，则WIP CPS对象被添加到物流小车CPS对象内容物列表中，在运送到下一个设备那里并卸载后，WIP CPS对象则从AGV的内容物列表中转移到了下一个设备CPS对象的内容物列表中，直至产品加工完成。


每个CPS对象实际的位置、状态、有关其内部运作且可追溯的细节，以及本对象与其他CPS对象的实际交互，通通都反映到其永续运转的CPS对象中。


回顾本文开头的几个场景，你可以想象一下，如果你是一个工厂的终极权限管理者，你可以看到：工厂的三维视图，点击各个区域，可以看到每一部分的细节。记起前面我提过的别名了么，对人来说，更习惯的是用别名而不是一串代号，对于机器或软件应用，则可以用唯一的CPS编号。基于CPS对象这个架构，我们可以实现多种描述方式的对应。对于CPS对象的指代，其状态、位置的多种描述方式，这样可以方便地实现自然用户界面，你可以给人机界面下达类似自然语言的指令，比如说，报告三号车间内所有AGV小车的位置和状态。由于关键字三号车间可以立刻对应到Fab3的CPS对象，在其CPS 内容物列表中有许多AGV CPS对象，每个AGV CPS对象都掌握自己的状态和位置信息。这样一来，空闲的AGV小车都会应要求来报告自身的位置，在3D用户界面上显示出来。


以上的讨论仅涉及到了实际的物理活动和相应的信息流。当然，还有一个更重要的，是财务信息。每个CPS对象亦应该维护管控自身的财务信息，比如说一个设备，买入价，后续的安装维护费用，每次加工处理后的折旧。又或者说物料/在制品/产品，在每次加工、运输时、拆分与合并时也伴随着自身对象财物价值信息的变更（我早些时候写的一个实时成本法的框架，读者有兴趣可以参考一下）这样一来，回到上面一段的想象中，你作为一个工厂的终极权限管理者，你可以看到的工厂三维视图里，以你关心的粒度去呈现出实时的各个部分的实体资产的财务信息。我前面描述的嵌套结构，内容物列表，可以满足这样的呈现要求，由于每个CPS对象都带有自身的财务价值信息，软件呈现上仅需要的是对CPS对象的内容物列表这个动态列表的维护和一个汇总。




我目前看到的还需要在进行探讨的有很多，比如，为了完成一个工作任务如何实现1）一个CPS对象判定应该给哪些其他对象进行哪些工作指令的下达 2）在能够提供同样功能的CPS对象中进行任务的调度。