Industry 4.0 (I4.0) revolutionen er en transformation af nuværendepraksis mod mere forbundet produktion, som pavirker produktion, ˚forbedringer og distribution af produkter. Virksomheder vil integreremere avancerede og alsidige robot- og automatiserede løsninger, sensorer og teknologier sasom ˚ Internet of Things (IoT), Cyber-physicalsystem (CPS), big data analytics, cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI) ogsimulering i deres produktionssystem. Det giver fleksibilitet og muligheder til at reagere og ændre produktionen, sa den imødekommer ˚mere fluktuerende kundebehov ved at forbinde alle disse heterogenesystemer. En dansk undersøgelse forudsiger en 20-50% reduktion i timeto-market, 30-50% reduktion af den samlede maskinnedetid, 20-50%reducerede omkostninger til lagerbeholdning, og kvalitetsomkostningerne reduceres med 10-20% ved at anvende I4.0. World EconomicForum (WEF) rapporterer, at en virksomhed reducerede sine omkostninger med 10.000 EURO pr. ar pr. maskine ved at adoptere ˚ I4.0, f.eksvia software som forbinder maskinerne og kan analysere maskiners data. Det anslas, at ˚ I4.0 vil føre til 20-30% produktivitetsforbedring. Derforer det værd at overveje software til at forbinde avanceret produktionsudstyr, sensorer og forskellige teknologier for at danne et intelligentproduktionsnetværk. En løsning til at forbinde heterogene systemerproblemfrit er gennem middleware, som vil være limen mellem systemer og lette informationsstrømme. Denne Ph. D. afhandling forsøgerat designe, udvikle og evaluere middleware Software architecture (SA)til fleksible produktionssystemer med fokus pa˚ Quality Attribute (QA)krav. For at gøre dette vil University of Southern Denmark (SDU) Industry 4.0 Laboratory (I4.0 Lab) blive brugt som rammen til at analysereproduktionsudstyr og teknologier og til at designe, udvikle og evalueremiddleware SA til et produktionssystem. I denne Ph. D. afhandlinger interoperabilitet og rekonfigurerbarhed blevet fundet vigtige for enmiddleware SA for at understøtte fleksibel produktion. Middleware interoperabilitet er en grundlæggende QA for at forsta, hvordan systemer ˚kan udveksle meningsfuld kommunikation og en driver til at udnyttepotentialet i andre teknologiske løsninger. Rekonfigurerbarhed er envæsentlig kvalitet for et fleksibelt produktionssystem til handtering ˚af effektiv omstilling af produktionsflowet og til at imødekomme ændringer i det fysiske miljø. Først er flere niveauer af interoperabilitetblevet analyseret ud fra et asset perspektiv og middleware SA perspektiv. Dernæst er en rekonfigurerbarheds definition blevet foreslaet s ˚ avel ˚som kapacitets- og konfigurationskoncepter. En rekonfigurerbar Quality Attribute Scenario (QAS) skabelon er blevet analyseret, udvikletog evalueret for at specificere QA krav til middleware SAs. Endeliger der angivet et rekonfigurerbar QA krav fra skabelonen, hvorfra enrekonfigurerbar middleware SA er designet, udviklet og evalueret pa˚produktionsudstyr i SDU I4.0 Lab . Ph. D. afhandlingen bidrager medat udvikle viden om interoperabilitetsniveauer for middleware SAsog en lovende QAS skabelon til at specificere rekonfigurerbarhed QAkrav til middleware SAs, samt en demonstration af en udviklet rekonfigurerbar middleware SA til understøttelse af yderligere udvikling affleksible produktionssystemer i en I4.0 kontekst.

The Industry 4.0 (I4.0) revolution is a transformation of current practices towards more connected production, impacting production, improvements, and distribution of products. Companies will integratemore advanced and versatile robotic and automated solutions, sensors,and technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Cyber-physicalsystem (CPS), big data analytics, cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI),and simulation in their production system. Connecting all these heterogenous systems provides flexibility and opportunities to react andchange production, accommodating more fluctuating customer needs.A danish survey predicts a 20-50% reduction in time to market, 30-50% reduction of total machine downtime, 20-50% reduced cost forinventory holding, and the quality cost is reduced by 10-20% by adopting I4.0. The World Economic Forum (WEF) reports that a companyreduced its cost by 10.000 EURO per year per machine by adoptingI4.0, e.g. by having software that connects to the machines and cananalyze the machines’ data. It is estimated that I4.0 will lead to 20-30%productivity improvement. Therefore it makes it compelling to consider software to connect advanced production equipment, sensors,and various technologies to form an intelligent production network.A solution to connect heterogeneous systems seamlessly is throughmiddleware software which will be the glue between systems and facilitate information flows. This Ph. D. thesis seeks to design, develop andevaluate middleware Software architecture (SA) for flexible productionsystems with a focus on Quality Attribute (QA) requirements. To doso, the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) Industry 4.0 Laboratory(I4.0 Lab) will be used as the frame to analyze production equipmentand technologies and to design, develop, and evaluate middlewareSA for a production system. In this Ph. D. thesis, interoperability andreconfigurability have been found to be important for a middleware SAto support flexible production. Middleware interoperability is a fundamental QA to understanding how systems can exchange meaningful communication and a driver to exploit the potential of other technology solutions. Reconfigurability is an essential quality to a flexibleproduction system to handle effective readjustment of the productionflow and to accommodate changes in the physical environment. First,multiple levels of interoperability have been analyzed from an assetand middleware SA perspective. Next, a reconfigurability definitionhas been proposed, which is based on capability and configurationconcepts that also have been defined. A reconfigurability Quality Attribute Scenario (QAS) template has been analyzed, developed, andevaluated to specify QA requirements for middleware SAs. Lastly, areconfigurability QA requirement has been stated from the templatefrom which a reconfigurable middleware SA is designed, developed,and evaluated on production equipment in the SDU I4.0 Lab. ThePh. D. thesis contributes to developing knowledge on interoperabilitylevels for middleware SAs and a promising QAS template to specifyreconfigurability QA requirements for middleware SAs, as well as ademonstration of a developed reconfigurable middleware SA to support further development of flexible production systems in the contextof I4.0.