A collaborative knowledge-based method for the interactive development of cabin systems in virtual reality

Progressive digitization in the development phase of systems is leading to shorter development times and lower costs. At the same time, the interactions in more complex systems are increasing and become more nested, which affects the understanding of system dependencies for humans as well as modeling these. This results in the challenge of digitizing the knowledge (rules, regulations, requirements, etc.) required to describe the system and its interrelationships. An example of such a system is the aircraft. In practice, usually, the technical design of the cabin and its systems is done separately from the preliminary aircraft design and the cabin results will be integrated late in the aircraft development process. In this paper, a proposal is given for a conceptual design method that enables a cabin systems layout based on preliminary aircraft design data (parameter set). Therefore, a central data model is developed that links cabin components to several disciplines to enable an automated layout. Here, knowledge is stored in an ontology. Linking the ontology with design rules and importing external parameters, missing information needed for preliminary design of cabin systems can be generated. The design rules are based on requirements, safety regulations as well as expert knowledge for design interpretation that has been collected and formalized. Using the ontology, an XML data structure can be instantiated which contains all information about properties, system relationships and requirements. So, the metadata and results of heterogenous domain-specific models and software tools are accessible for all experts of the layout process in a holistic manner and ensure data consistency. Using this XML data structure, a 3D virtual cabin mockup is created in which users have the possibility to interact with cabin modules and system components via controllers. This virtual development platform enables an interaction with complex product data sets like the XML file by visualizing metadata and analysis results along with the cabin geometry, making it even better comprehensible and processable for humans. So, various new cabin system designs can be iterated, evaluated, and optimized at low cost before the concepts are validated in a real prototype. For this, the virtual environment provides a platform that integrates all related disciplines, experts, research partners or the entire supply chain to improve communication among all stakeholders by directly participating and intervening in the evaluation and optimization process. Moreover, the use of VR is being investigated as a new technology in pre-design phase to exploit the potential of knowledge acquisition in immersive environments early in the development stage. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Automated summary

Progressive digitization in system development phase reduces development time and costs, but increases complexity and challenges in understanding and modeling system dependencies. This paper proposes a conceptual design method for cabin systems layout based on preliminary aircraft design data, utilizing a central data model and ontology to automate layout and generate missing information. The use of a virtual development platform and VR technology enables iterative, evaluative, and optimized cabin system designs at low cost.