Scientific publications

When engineering complex cyber-physical systems, the interplay between Systems Engineering (SE) and Software Engineering (SWE) is often perceived as a practical challenge. Common symptoms include issues with emergent behavior and system qualities in (integrated) products, as well as errors, rework, and performance problems.

A broad spectrum of scientific software engineering research can benefit from the use of precise component descriptions. CommaSuite1 is an open-source research tool designed to support the specification and design of software interfaces and components (Kurtev et al., 2024). It utilizes DSLs (Domain Specific Languages) to model interface and component behavior in an implementation technology agnostic notation.

This report documents the second phase of the MBSE study conducted by TNO-ESI and its partners, focusing on the deployment and added value of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) in the Dutch high-tech equipment industry. MBSE is increasingly adopted as a means to improve systems engineering effectiveness.

Large Language Models (LLMs) have transformed code assistants by enabling personalization, interactivity, and higher abstraction. However, these assistants often struggle with a common limitation; they generate responses based on a limited set of relevant code snippets retrieved from the codebase using semantic similarity search.

This thesis addresses the Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problem (FJSP) with three extensions: Sequence-Dependent Setup Times (SDST), Blocking tasks and Alternative Process Plans (APPs). The research evaluates the efficacy of two distinct optimization paradigms: Constraint Programming (CP) and Multivalued Decision Diagrams (MDDs).

To assess the practical performance of a system, one needs to consider the system in its operating environment. This report presents an approach for analysing and optimising the performance of High-Mix Low-Volume (HMLV) automated production lines. The approach comprises three methods: (1) a method to specify a production line’s equipment, workload and allocation, (2) a method based on constraint graphs to compute the latency of a specified allocation, and (3) a method based on constraint programming to find the optimal allocation of a production line’s workload on its equipment.

Variability and evolution are key drivers of complexity in high-tech equipment. Every product has many variation points, resulting in a large number of unique system configurations. These systems must be maintained throughout their life-time, which may last several decades. During this time, digital technologies, e.

Performance is a key system level property. Performance, too, is affected by the myriad of decisions and choices in the development and configuration of both hardware and software components. This tutorial focuses on measuring and modeling system performance. We will discuss computer hardware architectures and execution architectures, the sofware design concepts for the dynamic behavior of the system.

This thesis considers extensions of the standard independent hidden Markov model approach previously used by TNO for modelling printer nozzles. These extensions introduce parametrised transition probabilities and incorporate interactions between neighbouring nozzles to better capture the real-world printing process.