vf-OS Virtual Factory Open Operating System

Virtual Factory Open Operating System

Summary

The primary outcomes of vf-OS are an:

Open Operating System (vf-OS) and Software Development Kit (OAK) for Factories of the Future that aims to be the reference system software for collaborative manufacturing and logistics processes including its associated resources and data
Open vf-OS Platform, including a Multi-sided application marketplace and development studio, that aims to become the Apps Store for Manufacturing industry.

The multi-sided marketplace will allow Manufacturing Users, Manufacturing Resource providers, Service Providers and Software Developers to cooperate and demand, build, select, and use vf-OS applications with the vf-OS exploiters, like classical App stores, having a business model based on taking a share of purchases of applications and services from the platform.

vf-OS is composed of a Virtual Factory System Kernel (vf-SK), a Virtual Factory Application Programming Interface (vf-API) and a Virtual Factory Middleware (vf-MW) for interoperable and secure collaboration among supply networks, enterprises, machines, data and objects. The Virtual Factory Platform (vf-P) will be a infrastructure, either in-cloud or on-premise, that supports the Manufacturing Apps Store and Virtual Machines. vf-OS especially addresses SMEs by providing a full functionality at affordable cost and with Cloud availability.

The Manufacturing Apps will be developed with an Open Applications Development Kit (vf-OAK), freely provided to software developers, for rapid and cost effective deployment of advanced industrial applications running over vf-OS, allowing fast time-to-market and world-wide base industrial clients.

More information

Web resources:	http://vf-os.eu https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/205550/factsheet/en
Start date:	01-10-2016
End date:	30-09-2019
Total budget - Public funding:	7 758 580,00 Euro - 7 758 580,00 Euro
Call topic:	Digital Automation - Novel architectures for factory automation based on CPS and IoT - Collaborative manufacturing and logistics (FoF.2016.11)

Cordis data

Original description

The primary outcomes of vf-OS are an:
- Open Operating System (vf-OS) and Software Development Kit (OAK) for Factories of the Future that aims to be the reference system software for collaborative manufacturing and logistics processes including its associated resources and data
- Open vf-OS Platform, including a Multi-sided application marketplace and development studio, that aims to become the Apps Store for Manufacturing industry
The multi-sided marketplace will allow Manufacturing Users, Manufacturing Resource providers, Service Providers and Software Developers to cooperate and demand, build, select, and use vf-OS applications with the vf-OS exploiters, like classical App stores, having a business model based on taking a share of purchases of applications and services from the platform.

vf-OS is composed of a Virtual Factory System Kernel (vf-SK), a Virtual Factory Application Programming Interface (vf-API) and a Virtual Factory Middleware (vf-MW) for interoperable and secure collaboration among supply networks, enterprises, machines, data and objects. The Virtual Factory Platform (vf-P) will be a infrastructure, either in-cloud or on-premise, that supports the Manufacturing Apps Store and Virtual Machines. vf-OS especially addresses SMEs by providing a full functionality at affordable cost and with Cloud availability.

The Manufacturing Apps will be developed with an Open Applications Development Kit (vf-OAK), freely provided to software developers, for rapid and cost effective deployment of advanced industrial applications running over vf-OS, allowing fast time-to-market and world-wide base industrial clients.

Status

CLOSED

Url

https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/723710

Call topic

FOF-11-2016

Update Date

07-11-2021

Location

More details

Project type - instrument - (1)
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Research & Innovation Action (RIA)

Significant innovations and lessons learned - (2)
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Significant innovations and achievements

Specific use case requirements

Significant innovations and achievements

Specific use case requirements

Results:

vfOS - ID1.2 - Users scenarios characterisation(M4)

Manufacturing performance characteristics - (7)
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Flexibility Economic sustainability Circular economy Occupational safety and health

Material efficiency Waste minimisation Increasing human achievements in manufacturing systems

Economic sustainability

Flexibility

Environmental sustainability

Material efficiency

Waste minimisation

Circular economy

Social sustainability

Increasing human achievements in manufacturing systems

Comment:

vf-OS as an operating system is addressed to be used by humans on stations, work centers and enterprises. Due to its collaborative nature and the app store nature, vf-OS platform will cover human interacting on a connected world of manufacturing and logistic enterprises.

Occupational safety and health

Technologies and enablers - (12)
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Advanced material processing technologies Integration of non-conventional technologies and conventiona... Information and communication technologies IoT - Internet of Things ICT solutions for next generation data storage and informati... Digital manufacturing platforms

Operating systems Data analytics FIWARE Data acquisition Data storage Data processing

Advanced material processing technologies

Integration of non-conventional technologies and conventional technologies

Information and communication technologies

Comment:

From a technological point of view, Open vf-OS Platform will provide elements covering the connected world, allowing the exchange and collaboration of information between companies on a value stream thanks to the cloud approach to be adopted (vf-Platform). The Open vf-OS covers from the control device level, where information from the systems (IoT, CPS, embedded systems) is gathered, processed and empowered.

Data spaces

Digital manufacturing platforms

IoT - Internet of Things

Data collection, storage, analytics, processing and AI

Data acquisition

Results:

vfOS - ID5.1a - Data Infrastructure Middleware(M18)

Data analytics

Results:

vfOS - ID5.4a - Data Analytics(M18)

Data processing

Results:

vfOS - ID5.1a - Data Infrastructure Middleware(M18)

Data storage

Results:

vfOS - ID5.1a - Data Infrastructure Middleware(M18)

ICT solutions for next generation data storage and information mining

Operating systems

Comment: The Open Operating Sytem (vf-OS) for Factories of the Future aims to be the reference operating system software for collaborative manufacturing and logistics processes and therefore enabling potentially new businesses emerging from that collaboration.

Programming Frameworks – Software Development Kits (SDKs)

FIWARE

Results:

vfOS - ID3.1 - vf-OS Kernel and FI-WARE Framework(M10)

vfOS - ID3.2b - FI-WARE Generic Enablers(M18)

Manufacturing system levels - (11)
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Field Device Work station Enterprise - Factory Connected Enterprises - Factories Connecting factories from different enterprises Design/development

Production engineering of mftg equipment/techn Production of manufacturing equipment/technologies Integration/ configuration of manufacturing systems Use-phase of manufacturing system (producing products) After-use phase of manufacturing systems

Manufacturing system levels

Field Device

Work station

Enterprise - Factory

Connected Enterprises - Factories

Connecting factories from different enterprises

Digitalisation pathways - (4)
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Cybersecurity Connected IT and OT

Off-line Digital Manufacturing Process Optimisation on facto... Basic internal connectivity

Autonomous Smart Factories Pathway

Connected IT and OT

Off-line optimisation

Off-line Digital Manufacturing Process Optimisation on factory level

Hyperconnected Factories Pathway

Basic internal connectivity

ICT performance characteristics - (13)
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Cybersecurity Privacy Field Device Work station Enterprise - Factory Connected Enterprises - Factories AAA - Access, Authorisation and Authentication

User Acccess and Rights Management Modular Design and Deployment Approaches Open APIs and Communication Protocols Integration level interoperability APIs and Integration Protocols Semantic/information interoperability

Cybersecurity

Results:

vfOS - ID4.4a - Security & Data Access(M18)

Interoperability (ICT)

General interoperability framework

Application level interoperability

Modular Design and Deployment Approaches

Comment: Dockerised components to adapt a vf-OS Platform instance to the requirements of a specific tenant

Open APIs and Communication Protocols

Comment: Middleware providing messaging and Pub/Sub Services to all components. Virtual Factory Devices Drivers and Open APIs, a set of modules that provide interfaces to physical assets (eg, Sensors) and virtual assets (eg, ERP systems and data) and ease their use in vf-OS

Integration level interoperability

Comment: The vf-OS publish-subscribe middleware will provide the data infrastructure and will be fully compatible with major industry standards (i.e. JBI, SCA, BPEL or WSDL). IO Toolkit to implement connectors to devices or business software and specific implementations for OPC UA and MQTT. Other standards as ANSI/ISA-95 will be followed.

APIs and Integration Protocols

Comment: The IO Toolkit implements clients to the REST vf-OS kernel and middleware services facilitating the integration of virtually any technology

Semantic/information interoperability

Results:

vfOS - ID5.3a - Data Harmonisation(M18)

Platform level interoperability

AAA - Access, Authorisation and Authentication

Comment: Centralised token based security framework for REST APIs.

User Acccess and Rights Management

Comment: REST APIs for role based access management and security policy

Industrial Reference ICT Architectures

Reference Architectural Model Industrie 4.0 (RAMI 4.0)

RAMI 4.0 Hierarchy Axis

Field Device

Work station

Enterprise - Factory

Connected Enterprises - Factories

Privacy

Business model aspects - (3)
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From Product/Services Systems (product centric approach) to ... Virtualisation and digitalisation of the interrelation betwe...

Business ecosystems associated to digital platforms

Business ecosystems

Business ecosystems associated to digital platforms

Comment: The Open vf-OS Platform, includes a multi-sided application marketplace that aims to become the Apps Store for the manufacturing industry. The app store and the development studio empower the crosselling of solutions that a company has developed to solve their problems to other companies in the same sector. Developers will engage on this business digital model. Open vf-OS Platform ecosystem is composed of developers/technical providers, manufacturing users, manufacturing providers and service providers. Software Developers can develop and upload to the vf-OS marketplace device drivers and API Connectors for legacy platforms and services

Manufacturing strategies

From Product/Services Systems (product centric approach) to Services through Product (solution oriented approach)

Virtualisation and digitalisation of the interrelation between manufacturing and new business models

Standards and standardisation - (1)
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Standards

Comment: vf-OS will develop a concept for privacy and security handling, and will ensure that the concept is applicable to and followed by all vf-OS components. It will consider existing approaches (e.g. encryption), the specific requirements of the manufacturing domain, and the need for data security. The vf-OS publish-subscribe middleware will provide the data infrastructure and will be fully compatible with major industry standards (i.e. JBI, SCA, BPEL or WSDL). IO Toolkit to implement connectors to devices or business software and specific implementations for OPC UA and MQTT. Other standards as ANSI/ISA-95 will be followed.