INFORMATION-PROCESS FLOW-ANALYSIS (IPFA) FOR REENGINEERING MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

作     者：MANLEY, JH 

作者机构：Director Manufacturing Systems Engineering Program and Professor of Industrial Engineering 1044 Benedum Hall University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA (412) 624-9846 

出 版 物：《COMPUTERS & INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING》 (计算机与工业工程)

年 卷 期：1993年第25卷第1-4期

页      面：275-278页

核心收录：

学科分类：1201[管理学-管理科学与工程(可授管理学、工学学位)] 08[工学] 0812[工学-计算机科学与技术（可授工学、理学学位）] 

摘      要：Automated manufacturing lines, aircraft, nuclear power plants, and similar real-time intelligent or embedded systems contain three control elements: (1) embedded computers, (2) humans-in-the-loop, and (3) certain machines, i.e., mechanically, electrically, or electronically operated devices. Embedded system control elements are interconnected through accurate, precisely-timed, closed-loop information systems to provide high quality products and/or services from their parent systems, and in some cases to ensure human safety. Highly-reliable controlling computers and associated software embedded in time- and safety-critical systems that compensate for possible human and/or machine error are especially difficult to design and develop, or forward engineer. Reengineering embedded control elements in old systems is even more troublesome, especially when they require re-manufacturing, e.g., nuclear power plant refueling, aircraft avionics system upgrading, or manufacturing plant retooling. This paper describes how industrial engineers can assist in reengineering worn out, error prone, or obsolescent real-time manufacturing systems (embedded systems) by helping computer systems and communication engineers ensure that critical information control loops, both feed forward and feed back, are complete and efficient. Two conceptual models, the Embedded Computer System (ECS) physical model and the Object Transformation Process Model (OTPM) are used to guide a modified process flow analysis (PFA) of existing large-scale, complex embedded systems that takes into account process-supporting information. This modified PFA is called an Information Process Flow Analysis (IPFA).