Development of a Digital Twin Architecture Using MBSE Approach: Optimization of the Mechatronic Systems V-Model

In recent years, the development of digital twins has become an innovative activity for industrial companies, as a consequence of the digital transformation (Industry 4.0) in various fields such as automotive, aerospace, robotics, etc. This is because the digital twin has demonstrated its benefits by offering various types of services throughout the life cycle phases of developed systems. Indeed, the digital twin can be very useful for predicting failures/dysfunctions of the physical system during its operation. Additionally, it can be highly effective as a means of decision support for the specification and design of the physical system during the development phase. Until now, the digital twin does not have a clear definition in terms of design, services and connectivity with the real system. In this paper, two digital twin integration levels are considered, aiming to optimize the development process of mechatronic systems, in our case, the Business-Class aircraft seats. These digital twins are deployed independently in different phases of the physical system V- Model, while ensuring digital thread between them. The functional and physical architectures of these digital twins are proposed using the Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach due to its efficiency in terms of traceability throughout the life cycle of both the digital twin and the physical system. MBSE also contributes in managing the interfaces of the digital twin and its exchange with the environment (stakeholders and external systems, including the physical system).