Systems engineering in the development of digital twins

Part 1: Fundamentals

Abstract

“Digital twins” are a buzzword in the context of the digital transformation of industrial companies. Part 1 of this two-part article first examines the fundamentals and the use of (model-based) systems engineering methods for the development of a lifecyclespanning system model, which forms the information basis for a variety of digital twins. The connections between the system model and digital twins are shown and, based on this, a possible distinction between the two terms is presented. Different types
of digital twins are presented which use information from the lifecycle-spanning system model to fulfill different purposes. Part two of this article will focus on the application and added value of digital twins using the battery industry as an example.