Search results

Graph products are extensively used in the analysis and design of regular structures. It is often thought that these products are only applicable to regular graphs. The main aim of this paper is develop new products which are applicable to regular as well and non‐regular structural models.

New graph products are defined with specified domains. In these products the logical operations of the graph products are only performable in specified domains, and therefore these products can produce configurations which do not need to be regular.

New graph products are defined and a general theorem is proved for the formation of their adjacency matrices.

The presented graph products overcome the difficulty of employing graph products in structural mechanics, and in particular in space structures. The general theorem of this paper can efficiently be used in the formation of adjacency matrices of the structural models.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a general equation for eigensolution. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors of graphs have many applications in combinatorial optimization and structural mechanics. Some important applications of graph products consist of nodal ordering and graph partitioning for structuring the structural matrices and finite element subdomaining, respectively.

In the existing methods for the eigensolution of Laplacian matrices, members have been added to the model of a graph product such that for its Laplacian matrix an algebraic relation between blocks become possible. These methods are categorized as topological approaches. Here, using concepts of linear algebra a general algebraic method is developed.

A new algebraic method is introduced for calculating the eigenvalues of Laplacian matrices in graph products.

The present method provides a simple tool for calculating the eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrices without using the configurational model and merely by using the Laplacian matrices. The developed formula for calculating the eigenvalues contains approximate terms which can be managed by the analyst.

Presents results concerning products, Cartesian products and direct products of general systems. The results are divided into three categories, according to input‐output property, connectedness, and embeddability. Discusses the application of products to building larger, and more useful, structures, giving examples and outstanding problems.

Undertakes a systems study, in the language of mathematics, of the concepts of “whole” and “part”. The concepts of linked systems, product systems, Cartesian product systems and inverse limit systems are used to study “wholeness”, and their factor systems are used and considered as “parts”. Discusses comparisons between models of “whole” and between “parts” and “whole”. Presents the application background and poses some open questions.

Since imprecision, vagueness and ambiguity are often innate in human semantics, a flexible and tolerant method is needed to decode the voice of customer (VoC), so that the essential customer requirements can be identified and duly addressed. Quality function deployment (QFD) is a well‐known methodology for projecting the customer requirements onto the relevant design and production requirements and actions plan. This paper proposes an intelligent approach which extends the applications of QFD beyond its conventional boundary. The fuzzy inference technique is adopted to accommodate the possible imprecision and vagueness during VoC interpretation. The resulting model maps the customer requirements onto the relevant product attributes, taking into consideration their relationships and correlation during the inference process. The sub‐conclusions drawn from the fuzzy inference process are aggregated and defuzzified to yield the crisp design targets which can be used to guide the downstream manufacturing planning and control activities.

This paper seeks to lay the computational and mathematical foundations for a “postmodern cybernetics” based on ancient Kabbalah. This new Kabbalistic cybernetics is introduced to act as an unifying science addressing simultaneously, in a common language and framework the triple nature of human, psychological, social, economic, financial, political, cultural systems and their present multi‐faceted crises and conflicts: cognitive objective level of attaining knowledge; subjective emotional level and physical action and behavioral level.

Feedback, hierarchical control and other system and control theoretic features in the Tree of Life (TL) of Kabbalah were identified. These were used to develop a general system theoretic framework of a new type to address human and societal system dynamics, evolution, interaction and feedback control by simultaneously taking into account their triple nature.

The postmodern cybernetics of the TL introduced here as a general system framework, exhibits feedback control with internal model principle, hierarchical control, system multi‐valued logic, category theory pullback and pushout mechanisms, advanced knowledge engineering to aggregate, learn, evolve and solve problems and crises in an integrated way.

“Kabbalistic postmodern cybernetics” proposed here for human and societal systems is the unified scientific framework to solve problems that led to or are just related to economic, financial, political, cultural, societal and human crises and conflicts by addressing their triple intertwined human nature.

Computational foundations for a postmodern cybernetics based on Kabbalah are introduced, where the cognitive, emotional and behavioral and physical action facets of human systems are dealt with in a unified integrated framework to address global problems and crises.

The current field of systems thinking consists of a variety of views, methods and a number of organisations involved with these views which suggests a state of confusion and fragmentation of the field which fundamentally is supposed to be a uniform view of structures or systems. This can be interpreted as a “crisis situation”. A resolution of the crisis in the form of a “new science of systems” is proposed. Assuming this new science becomes part of the field of systems thinking, a debate of the elements of the field is suggested with a view to consider its current state and future developments. “Crisis - resolution - debate” is the central theme of the paper.

The field of current systems thinking is described in terms of views, methods and organisations and is seen as the “problematic issue”. A “new science of systems” strongly rooted in natural language as its primary symbolism and consisting of three general principles of systems and linguistic modelling is outlined to be considered as the resolution of the crisis. A set of criteria is discussed for use of judging the quality of models and element of the field of systems thinking including the “new science of systems”. To demonstrate a preliminary use of these criteria, the same example is worked out using both, the “soft systems methodology” and “linguistic modelling” for comparison.

The universal view of parts of the world as structures or systems is inconsistent with the multiple methods basically pursuing the same purpose: modelling aspects of systems which prevail in current systems thinking. To try to resolve this anomaly an equally universally applicable approach, the “new science of systems” is proposed which can also serve as an aid to problem solving, in particular to an integrated systems and product design. This approach is to be part of the suggested debate of the field of systems thinking. In general, there is no alternative to the structural view.

The “new science of systems”, if found acceptable, can offer research opportunities in new applications of accepted branches of knowledge like logic, linguistics, mathematics of ordered pairs, uncertainties and in the philosophy of science. New teaching schemes can be developed at classroom level combined with engineering as creator of novelties with linguistics as the symbolism to supplement mathematics. Further considerations can be given to current methodologies of systems thinking as part of a debate with a view of future developments in exploring pioneering ideas. New software is needed for working out the dynamics of scenarios.

The debate, if it takes place, should result in new developments in the field of systems thinking such as concepts accepted as fundamental in the discipline of systems. Applications of the “new science of systems” to larger scale scenarios and organisations guided by the universal scheme in Figure 1 and linguistic modelling with software are needed for development of schemes for problem solving schemes “utilising” or “producing” products.

The “new science of systems” is rooted in accepted branches of knowledge; it is highly teachable at school and university levels and should lead to use by professionals and in everyday life activities once found acceptable. The use of the scheme in Figure 1 should help in clarifying confusing scenarios and to aid problem solving.

The suggestion of a debate is an original idea. The “new science of systems” consists of three general principles of systems implemented by linguistic modelling of static and dynamic states. Mathematics of uncertainty and topics from conventional science at the object level supplement the “new science” which together form the “scientific enterprise”. The notions of cognitive value and informative content of models are introduced for evaluating their cognitive worth.

The purpose of this paper is to present the ability of Z‐notation to formulate formal requirements specification of huge application software based on an example of the Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP II) Standard System. Z‐notation is using formal transformation approach to obtain operating software instead of traditional programming. The original MRP II software requirement specification possesses descriptive form extended by list of control questions. To make formal requirements specification, the original specification must be extending by some definition taken after APICS Dictionary. The definitions respect such concept as: item, item code, location, and order.

Writing schemas based on subsystem order of MRP II Standard System and treating the system as three level structures (user interface, business logic, and database), the schemas described business logic level only. As a conclusion was necessity to extend descriptive requirements specification by definitions. The limited size of the presentation contains few examples of formalization process only mainly limited to the main schemas as: item system (full definition), inventory system, bill of material, work centers and routings, generic order system, master production schedule, and material requirement planning.

As a result of the research, it can be said that Z‐notation apparatus is sufficient to build requirements specifications of big application systems like MRP II, enterprise resource planning, or customer relationship management.

Libraries of typical algorithms like MRP II designed through formal approach could replace traditional programming and open new prospects in the future development of broad computerization.

This paper aims to illustrate the growing role of robots in the electronics industries.

Following a short introduction, this paper discusses robotic applications and products in three sectors of the electronics industry: semiconductor processing, printed circuit manufacture and electronic product assembly. Finally, conclusions are drawn.

The major application in semiconductor manufacture is the handling of silicon wafers during both front- and back-end processes and products include cleanroom certified multi-axis robotic arms, some mounted on mobile platforms, and automated guided vehicles. Applications in printed circuit board production include component handling and insertion, soldering, inspection, testing and packing. These exploit Cartesian, SCARA and six-axis articulated robots and cobots play an important role where automated and manual processes operate in close proximity. Electronic product assembly applications include part handling, soldering, bonding and sealing, screw driving, test and inspection and packaging. Cobots offer the benefits of a small footprint which allows deployment in the often limited space and use in proximity to humans. As yet, robotic assembly of complex electronic products such as smartphones and computers has not been realised for technical reasons.

This study provides a detailed review of robotic products and applications in three key sectors of the electronics industries.

In order to represent, analyze, optimize, and manufacture a component made of multi‐heterogeneous materials for high‐tech applications, a computer model of the heterogeneous component needs to be built first. Heterogeneous materials include composite, functionally graded materials, and heterogeneous materials with a periodic microstructure. Current modeling techniques focus only on capturing the geometric information and cannot satisfy the requirements from modeling the components made of multi‐heterogeneous materials. This paper develops a modeling method, which can be implemented by employing the functions of current CAD graphic software and can obtain the model including both the material information (about its microstructures and constituent composition) and the geometry information without the problems arising from too many data.