Development of a product using a process control plan digital twin

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12461511-B2
Application number	US-202217658386-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2022
Priority date	May 14, 2021
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

A method of developing a product is provided that includes generating a digital system model (DSM) that describes the product and a manufacturing process for the product, and generating a digital twin (DTw) of an instance of a component of the manufacturing process, the DTw including a digital replica of the instance. The method includes receiving attribute data for attributes of process/process characteristics subject to sources of variation that affect product quality. The digital replica is executed with input of the attribute data, and thereby updating the DTw to replicate the instance of the component of the manufacturing process as performed. A data analysis of the manufacturing process is performed based on the DTw as updated, and the manufacturing process is modified based on the data analysis to reduce variability in one or more product characteristics. The DTws of multiple instances may be used to generate further improvement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for developing a product, the apparatus comprising:
a memory configured to store computer-readable program code; and processing circuitry configured to access the memory, and execute the computer-readable program code to cause the apparatus to at least:
generate a digital system model (DSM) of authoritative data that describes the product and a manufacturing process for producing the product, including machinery, materials, methods, facility and manpower used during the manufacturing process;
generate digital twins (DTws) of a plurality of respective instances of a component of the manufacturing process from the DSM, the DTws including digital replicas of the instances of the component of the manufacturing process including one or more of the machinery, materials, methods, facility or manpower used during the manufacturing process, wherein the component of the manufacturing process includes a control plan that identifies process characteristics and control methods for sources of variation to which the process characteristics are subject;
receive attribute data measured as multiple runs of the manufacturing process are performed to produce multiples of the product, the attribute data for attributes of the process characteristics identified by the control plan that are subject to the sources of variation of one or more of the machinery, materials, methods, facility or manpower that cause variation in product characteristics;
execute the digital replicas with input of the attribute data, and thereby update the DTws to replicate the respective instances of the component of the manufacturing process as performed, wherein updating the DTws comprises updating the plurality of respective instances of the control plan using the attribute data for the attributes of the process characteristics identified by the control plan;
perform a data analysis of the manufacturing process based on the DTws as updated by at least extracting a correlation of measurements of a plurality of manufacturing variables and quality metrics, wherein the manufacturing variables comprise environmental control data and machine attributes, and wherein the quality metrics comprise quality classifications of manufactured products; and
modify the product or the manufacturing process based on the data analysis to reduce variability in one or more of the product characteristics by at least encoding the correlation to generate a machine control dataset and feeding the machine control dataset to a machine that performs the manufacturing process.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control plan further identifies verification and validation methods for the attributes of the process characteristics, and
wherein the apparatus caused to generate the DTws of the plurality of respective instances of the component includes the apparatus caused to generate a DTw of an instance of the control plan, and the apparatus caused to modify the manufacturing process includes the apparatus caused to modify one or more of the control methods.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 further, wherein the apparatus is caused to establish a digital thread from the DTws that links the authoritative data of the DSM, and the attribute data measured as the manufacturing process is performed.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus caused to generate the DSM includes the apparatus caused to:
access a metamodel of the component of the manufacturing process that specifies a logical schema for the component; and encode the authoritative data for the component according to the logical schema.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the component of the manufacturing process further includes one or more of the machinery used during the manufacturing process, the one or more of the machinery expressed as computer models stored in a catalog, separate and distinct from the DSM and the DTws, and
wherein the apparatus caused to generate the DSM includes the apparatus caused to generate the DSM that calls out the computer models, and the apparatus caused to generate the DTws includes the apparatus caused to generate instances of the computer models stored in the catalog.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the component of the manufacturing process further includes one or more of the methods used during the manufacturing process, the one or more of the methods expressed as algorithms stored in a catalog, separate and distinct from the DSM and the DTws, and
wherein the apparatus caused to generate the DSM includes the apparatus caused to generate the DSM that calls out the methods, and the apparatus caused to generate the DTws includes the apparatus caused to generate instances of the algorithms stored in the catalog.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the component of the manufacturing process further includes one or more of the machinery and methods used during the manufacturing process, and the apparatus caused to generate the DTws includes the apparatus caused to:
identify the one or more of the machinery and methods from the DSM; and generate the DTws including instances of computer models and algorithms that express the one or more of the machinery and methods.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the apparatus caused to generate the DTws further includes the apparatus caused to configure the DTws in which the instances of the computer models and algorithms are connected with sources of the attribute data.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the apparatus caused to execute the digital replicas includes the apparatus caused to execute the computer models and algorithms, with input of the attribute data from the sources of the attribute data.

10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein performing the data analysis of the manufacturing process includes extracting a correlation of measurements of multiple manufacturing variables and quality metrics.

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the data analysis is performed based on the DTws as updated from execution of the digital replicas to replicate the multiple instances of the component, and
wherein the apparatus caused to modify the product or the manufacturing process includes the apparatus caused to modify the authoritative data of the DSM based on the data analysis of the multiple instances of the component.

12 . A method of developing a product, the method comprising:
generating a digital system model (DSM) of authoritative data that describes the product and a manufacturing process for producing the product, including machinery, materials, methods, facility and manpower used during the manufacturing process; generating digital twins (DTws) of a plurality of respective instances of a component of the manufacturing process from the DSM, the DTws including digital replicas of the instances of the component of the manufacturing process including one or more of the machinery, materials, methods, facility or manpower used during the manufacturing process, wherein the component of the manufacturing process includes a control plan that identifies process characteristics and control methods for sources of variation to which the process characteristics are subject; receiving attribute data measured as multiple runs of the manufacturing process are performed to produce multiples of the product, the attribute data for attributes of the process characteristics identified by the control plan that are subject to the sources of variation of one or more of the machinery, materials, methods, facility or manpower that cause variation in product characteristics; executing the digital replicas with input of the attribute data

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Wang Guijun
• Dvorak Joseph R
• Yue Lu
• Miller Jeff
• Li Edward
• Dumitrache Raluca M
• Matsuoka Christopher
• Sukumaran Priya
• Christian Michael J
• Mandal Tripti

Classifications

• G06Q50/04 Primary

  Manufacturing · CPC title

• G05B19/41885 Primary

  characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system · CPC title

• G05B19/4183

  characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification · CPC title

• G06F30/15

  Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design · CPC title

• G05B19/41865 Primary

  characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow · CPC title