Aljosha Köcher, M.Sc.

Research Group Lead

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Projects:

• LaiLa – Labor für intelligente Leichtbauproduktion

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Research Area:

My research interests revolve around integration of semantic technologies in production & engineering. Within this area, my focus is on so-called “capabilities” and “skills” of machines. In this particular topic, I investigate approaches which can be used to design machines in a more modular way and create changeable production systems that are able to react quickly to changing customer requests. An essential condition to achieve changeable plants is a semantic description of the functionalities that each machine provides.

Thereby, the description of machine functionalities is separated into two aspects: On the one hand, the term “capability” describes which processes a machine can perform. On the other hand, “skills” are executable functions that can be used to automatically execute the processes described as capabilities. In my approaches I use formal models (i.e. ontologies) to describe machines and their skills. Algorithms can use these formal models, e.g., to determine suitable skills for a product request and to perform a listing of the skills. The following research questions are of particular interest to me:

• How should a formal model for describing capabilities and skills be structured to be suitable for both matching tasks with capabilities (can a product be manufactured with given capabilities?) as well as skill execution (with different technologies)?
• Creating formal models is complicated and causes additional efforts. How can this complexity and effort in model creation be simplified? Can models or parts of them be generated automatically?
• What are suitable mechanisms / algorithms for checking the manufacturability of products with given machines and their capabilities?
• How can automated production execution performed using skills? Which models and principles for the orchestration of skills can be considered?

In addition to these questions, I have been working with semantic modeling in the context of automated plants in general. In this more general context, I like to answer the questions above in a broader application context besides the description of skills and capabilities.

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Publications:

• A. Köcher, A. Belyaev, J. Hermann, J. Bock, K. Meixner, M. Volkmann, M. Winter, P. Zimmermann, S. Grimm and C. Diedrich (2023) A reference model for common understanding of capabilities and skills in manufacturing. at – Automatisierungstechnik, Vol. 71 (Issue 2), pp. 94-104. https://doi.org/10.1515/auto-2022-0117 . Open access, PDF available at https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/auto-2022-0117/pdf
• L. M. Vieira da Silva , R. Heesch, A. Köcher and A. Fay (2023) Transformation eines Fähigkeitsmodells in einen PDDL-Planungsansatz. at – Automatisierungstechnik, Vol. 71 (Issue 2), pp. 105-115. https://doi.org/10.1515/auto-2022-0112
• A. Köcher, L. Beers and A. Fay (2023) Vergleich und Modell-Transformation zwischen Module Type Package und einem Fähigkeitsmodell: Organisation der Wiederverwendung im Engineering von Produktionsystemen mit Capabilities und Skills. at – Automatisierungstechnik, Vol. 71 (Issue 2), pp. 127-140. https://doi.org/10.1515/auto-2022-0118
• L.M. Vieira da Silva, A. Köcher and A. Fay (2023) A capability and skill model for heterogeneous autonomous robots. at – Automatisierungstechnik, Vol. 71 (Issue 2), pp. 140-150. https://doi.org/10.1515/auto-2022-0122
• A. Köcher, A. Markaj, A. Fay: Toward a Generic Mapping Language for Transformations between RDF and Data Interchange Formats. In: 27th IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies And Factory Automation (ETFA 2022), September 06-09, 2022, Stuttgart, Germany. https://doi.org/10.1109/ETFA52439.2022.9921513.Preprint available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.11205
• A. Köcher, L. Beers, A. Fay: A Mapping Approach to Convert MTPs into a Capability and Skill Ontology. In: 27th IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies And Factory Automation (ETFA 2022), September 06-09, 2022, Stuttgart, Germany. https://doi.org/10.1109/ETFA52439.2022.9921639 .Preprint available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2205.01382
• R. Froschauer, A. Köcher, K. Meixner, S. Schmitt, F. Spitzer: Capabilities and Skills in Manufacturing: A Survey Over the Last Decade of ETFA. In: 27th IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies And Factory Automation (ETFA 2022), September 06-09, 2022, Stuttgart, Germany. https://doi.org/10.1109/ETFA52439.2022.9921560 .Preprint available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.12908
• A. Köcher, L.M. Vieira da Silva, A. Fay: Modeling and Executing Production Processes with Capabilities and Skills using Ontologies and BPMN. In: 27th IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies And Factory Automation (ETFA 2022), September 06-09, 2022, Stuttgart, Germany. https://doi.org/10.1109/ETFA52439.2022.9921564 Preprint available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.09472
• H. Nabizada, T. Jeleniewski, A. Köcher, A. Fay: Vorschlag für eine XML-Repräsentation der Formalisierten Prozessbeschreibung nach VDI/VDE 3682. In: 17. Fachtagung EKA – Entwurf komplexer Automatisierungssysteme, 23-24 June 2022, Magdeburg, Germany
• R. Heesch, N. Widulle, A. Köcher, A. Nordhausen, L.M. Vieira da Silva, J. Putzke, O. Niggemann: Methoden der künstlichen Intelligenz für die automatisierte Planung von modularen Produktionsprozessen. In: Automation 2022: 23. Leitkongress der Mess- und Automatisierungstechnik: automation creates sustainability: Baden-Baden, 28-29 June 2022. Düsseldorf: VDI Verlag (VDI-Berichte, 2399), S. 439–452, 2022.
• A. Köcher, R. Heesch, N. Widulle, A. Nordhausen, J. Putzke, A. Windmann, O. Niggemann: A Research Agenda for AI Planning in the Field of Flexible Production Systems. In: 2022 IEEE 5th International Conference on Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems (ICPS 2022), 24-26 May 2022, Coventry, UK (online). DOI: 10.1109/ICPS51978.2022.9816866 . Preprint available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2112.15484
• A. Köcher, A. Hayward, A. Fay: Model-Based Engineering of CPPS Functions and Code Generation for Skills. In: 2022 IEEE 5th International Conference on Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems (ICPS 2022), 24-26 May 2022, Coventry, UK (online). DOI: 10.1109/ICPS51978.2022.9816919 . Preprint available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.13290
• A. Köcher, T. Jeleniewski, A. Fay: A Method to Automatically Generate Semantic Skill Models from PLC Code. In: IECON 2021 – 47th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, 13-16 October 2021, Toronto, Canada (online). DOI: 10.1109/IECON48115.2021.9589674
• A. Köcher, L. M. Vieira da Silva, A. Fay: Constraint Checking of Skills using SHACL. In: 2021 IEEE 19th International Conference on Industrial Informatics (INDIN 2021), 21. – 23.07.2021, Palma de Mallorca, Spain (online).
• A. Köcher, C. Hildebrandt, B. Caesar, J. Bakakeu, J. Peschke, A. Scholz, A. Fay: Automating the Development of Machine Skills and their Semantic Description. In: 25th IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies And Factory Automation (ETFA 2020), September 08-11, 2020, Vienna, Austria. DOI: 10.1109/ETFA46521.2020.9211933
• A. Köcher, C. Hildebrandt, L. M. Vieira da Silva, A. Fay: A Formal Capability and Skill Model for Use in Plug and Produce Scenarios. In: 25th IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies And Factory Automation (ETFA 2020), September 08-11, 2020, Vienna, Austria. DOI: 10.1109/ETFA46521.2020.9211874
• C. Hildebrandt, A. Köcher, C. Küstner, C.M. Lopez-Enriquez, A.W. Müller, B. Caesar, C.S. Gundlach, A. Fay: Ontology Building for Cyber-Physical Systems: Application in the Manufacturing Domain. In: IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 1266-1282, July 2020, DOI: 10.1109/TASE.2020.2991777
• H. Nabizada, A. Köcher, C. Hildebrandt, A. Fay: Offenes, webbasiertes Werkzeug zur Informationsmodellierung mit Formalisierter Prozessbeschreibung. VDI-Automationskongress, 30.6.-1.7.2020. ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340949576_Offenes_webbasiertes_Werkzeug_zur_Informationsmodellierung_mit_Formalisierter_Prozessbeschreibung.
• B. Caesar, M. Nieke, A. Köcher, C. Hildebrandt, C. Seidl, A. Fay, I. Schaefer: Context-sensitive reconfiguration of collaborative manufacturing systems. In: 9th IFAC Conference on Manufacturing Modelling, Management and Control (MIM) 2019, Berlin, Germany, August 28-30, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2019.11.194
• T. Busert, A. Köcher, R. Julius, A. Fay: Automaton-on-Tag: An Approach for an RFID-driven production control with Mealy machines stored on an RFID tag. IFIP APMS 2017 International Conference Advances in Production Management Systems, Hamburg, 3.-7. September 2017. DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66923-6_21
• J. Ladiges, A. Köcher, P. Clement, H. Bloch, T. Holm, P. Altmann, A. Fay, L. Urbas: Entwurf, Modellierung und Verifikation von Serviceabhängigkeiten in Prozessmodulen. In: at – Automatisierungstechnik, 66(5), 418-437. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/auto-2017-0076
• J. Ladiges, A. Fay, A. Köcher, T. Holm, P. Altmann, L. Urbas: Engineering und Überprüfung der gegenseitigen Abhängigkeiten von Diensten eines automatisierten Moduls. In: Kongress Automation 2017, Baden-Baden, 27.-28. Juni 2017. ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348085296_Engineering_und_Uberprufung_der_gegenseitigen_Abhangigkeiten_von_Diensten_eines_automatisierten_Moduls.

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Opportunities for students (jobs, bachelor’s or master’s thesis):

Sie sind auf der Suche nach Seminar- oder Abschlussarbeiten und interessieren sich für Fragestellungen rund um semantische Technologien oder konkreter die oben beschriebenen “Fähigkeiten” und “Skills”? Dann melden Sie sich gerne bei mir, ich habe auf diesem Gebiet immer Fragestellungen, die sehr gut in einer studentischen Arbeit bearbeitet werden können!

Ich bin außerdem immer wieder auf der Suche nach studentischen Hilfskräften (SHKs). Falls Sie als SHK am oben beschriebenen Themenbereich mitwirken möchten, freue ich mich sehr über eine Mail von Ihnen! 

An der Professur für Automatisierungstechnik bieten wir SHKs einen Job in einem jungen Team und innovativen Themenbereich. Sie können Ihre Arbeit weitestgehend eigenverantwortlich organisieren und Aufgaben selbstständig von der Idee bis zur Lösung umsetzen. Dabei gibt es ausreichend Zeit, auch immer wieder Neues zu lernen – das ist sicher nicht bei jedem Werkstudenten-Job der Fall. Sie erhalten die Möglichkeit, sich in der Software-Entwicklung mit modernen Frameworks und Tools beschäftigen zu können so mit der Zeit vertiefte Kenntnisse in nachgefragten Technologien zu gewinnen. Für Studierende, die später etwas im Bereich von “Industrie 4.0” machen möchten, ist das sicherlich eine interessante Gelegenheit.

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Student Theses supervised:

Currently supervising

Development of a method for automated matching of required and offered capabilities of machines
(Master Thesis, 04/2021 – 10/2021)

Completed

Development of a methodology for automated generation of machine skills from PLC programs
(Master Thesis, completed 05/2021)

Development of a method for geometric manufacturability analysis of products by 3-axis milling
(Master Thesis, completed 04/2021)

Constraint checking of ontology-based capability descriptions
(Term Paper, completed 01/2021)

Development of a concept for modeling and executing skill processes
(Term Paper, completed 09/2020)

Development of a methodology to transform the services of a Module Type Package into a skill description using semantic technologies
(Master Thesis, completed 09/2020)

Automatic Generation of Control Code from a Formalized Process Description
(Master Thesis, completed 05/2020)

Development of a concept for ontology-based data access in automation engineering
(Master Thesis, completed 02/2020)

Automatic generation of a formal web service description for the execution of machine capabilities
(Bachelor Thesis, completed 02/2020)

Conception of a method for manufacturability testing of simple 3D geometries by drilling
(Term Paper, completed 03 /2019)

HSU

Letzte Änderung: 9. February 2023