Abstracts of Magazine FUJITSU 2012-1 (VOL. 63, NO. 1)

Special Issue: Engineering Cloud

• Construction of General Design Development Environment and Its Deployment on Cloud

It is crucial for Japanese manufacturers in fierce competition with global vendors to continue providing products incorporating the functions, performance, quality and environmental resistance desired by customers faster and at lower costs while meeting the diversifying market needs. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to construct a global design and development environment that accelerates development while utilizing more than ever the "knowledge" existing in the sites of development and manufacturing. Fujitsu has launched and utilized a design and development environment for wide-ranging products including supercomputers, servers, network devices and mobile phone handsets as an in-house private cloud for general design. We also offer this environment to external customers through forms of clouds in line with the respective customer needs as a next-generation manufacturing infrastructure service. This paper presents the general development environment that Fujitsu established by developing and introducing advanced cloud technology to a design and development environment that contains Fujitsu's many years of manufacturing know-how. The overall picture, characteristics and future direction of this general development environment are described.

• Fujitsu's Engineering Cloud

Product design is currently facing some issues: higher development costs, increasingly complex products, a faster time to market, cooperation between enterprises, and business continuity including measures to deal with natural calamities. To solve these issues, it is important to have simulations, information sharing and use, and linkage between tools and sections. Of course, greater effects can be obtained by having deep mutual cooperation between them. For example, electrostatic or thermal fluid simulations are performed in order to detect at an early stage of design the possibility of a device being damaged by the heat generated within it or electrostatic discharge. However, in the distributed design environment, information on housing and printed circuit board design is collected and then work begins to transfer this information to the simulation environment. This gives rise to the issues of the effort needed to copy information and information management (security). To solve them, Fujitsu thinks that by shifting the engineering design environment to the cloud, the speed of simulations, information sharing and use, and linkage between tools and sections will be enhanced. It believes this will achieve product design that has a high design quality. This paper focuses on the issues in product development. As an approach to solving them, it introduces Fujitsu's Engineering Cloud, a tool that Fujitsu is working on now.

• Electrical Design Platform on Engineering Cloud

The conventional requirements of MONOZUKURI (manufacturing) included needs for high performance, miniaturization, low costs, and fast development. In addition to these, product development has come to require businesses to fulfill their social responsibilities in areas such as business continuity and consideration for the environment and safety. In order to respond to these changes in technologies and the business environment, it is essential to introduce development processes and a development environment that allow for effective governance of development overall. Fujitsu has integrated the know-how of MONOZUKURI cultivated over many years, and built a flexible technical computing platform (FTCP) as the development environment. It has provided it to customers in development sections, manufacturing sections and repair sections as "Engineering Cloud." This paper describes an overview of FTCP. It also covers the features of and linkage between CAD for designing printed circuit boards, a key component of the electrical design platform; a simulation environment for analyzing noise and such like; and a standard component database which supports them. Moreover, it also describes the merits of providing FTCP in a cloud environment by using Engineering Cloud, and the shift of customers' existing development environments to the cloud.

• Mechanical Design Platform on Engineering Cloud

The Fujitsu Group is always using leading-edge information and communications technology (ICT) and building a general design environment that is important for product design. Engineering Cloud is part of that process. It consists of many software and hardware components. In this paper, we concentrate on the mechanical design platform software in Engineering Cloud that is used particularly in product development. This mechanical design platform software is based on virtual product simulator (VPS) technology. VPS technology allows the user to quickly and easily use 3D data throughout the overall life cycle of a product. The platform combines the equivalent functions of conventional VPS and the functions necessary for preprocessing and postprocessing in the analysis and simulation fields. This paper introduces the platform's concept and its basic configuration. Then it describes the benefits that can be obtained by using a platform on Engineering Cloud and the future issues. It does this from the three viewpoints of resources for use in calculations, handling large amounts of data, and resources for use in visualization.

• SaaS and PaaS of Engineering Cloud

Fujitsu will provide Desktop as a Service (DaaS) (offers remote access from a thin client) as a cloud service that is specialized for engineering work. This service will allow engineers to manage and operate engineering data on the cloud. In addition, it will let them conduct 2D and 3D modeling and simulations using digital mock-up tools and help geographically disperse engineers to communicate. It will offer these benefits for a fixed monthly fee. These services will greatly improve the efficiency of global engineering, in ways including improving the linkage between our customers' global bases. At the same time, it is a solution that will help prevent information leaks when sharing data with collaborative partners. It will make it possible to start collaborative work faster.

• General Design Information Management System: PLEMIA

PLEMIA is a tool that realizes a management solution concept for Fujitsu's product life cycle management (PLM). A PLM solution is a general strategic solution to build a next-generation development design and fabrication environment from the planning stage of a product to its design, development, manufacturing spot, sale, support, disposal, and recycling. PLEMIA collectively manages product-related information of the whole life cycle of a product by using information and communications technology (ICT). It is a strong tool realizing a flexible manufacturing system which can adapt to changes in the market environment via support from the upstream areas of the design process. PLEMIA makes it possible to have design support from a product's concept phase via engineering data management, product configuration management via a bill of materials (BOM) system, and efficient process management. In addition, introducing PLEMIA brings the following merits: safe design teams, a general BOM system, and visibility of the processes conducted by designers and managers, effective use of information assets through diversified search functions, and document data that can be shared in the process flow. This paper describes PLEMIA's development policy and a plan to enhance it.

• Virtual Manufacturing Line Simulator: GP4

GP4 (Global Protocol for ...) is a tool which helps companies prepare for production by showing them a virtual manufacturing line that utilizes 3D data. Recently in various manufacturing industries in Japan, companies have been rebuilding their business strategies in a global market. Developed markets are maturing, emerging markets are expanding and there is increased competitiveness in manufacturing in Asian countries like South Korea and China. Therefore, in recent years, there have been rapid changes in the business environment surrounding the domestic manufacturing industry, and the situation is adverse. One of the major drivers of change in the manufacturing industry is the rapid localization of production bases with the globalization of markets. Furthermore, the strong yen and the Great East Japan Earthquake have added fuel to the fire, and the manufacturing industry has been forced to shift its production bases overseas at a faster pace. This rapid localization is leading to local personnel who have insufficient experience, and this in turn is causing delays in the start of mass production and higher costs in preparing for production. This major change and issues are concentrating on production preparation work that links design work and mass production. There is a pressing need for reform in this area. This paper describes the method of investigating the optimum production line without actual products, by utilizing GP4, because of the issues with global manufacturing, and the effects of GP4.

• Project Propulsion Platform: P3

In recent years, technologies that supported the IT society are advanced rapidly almost on a daily basis. Accompanied by the demands for greater functionality and higher performance in these technologies, complexity and scope of product design have been increased in the product development phase. Increasing the number of engineers to achieve shorter development periods and faster shipment boost the cost of information and knowledge sharing, and as a result, it raises the risk of project delay. To develop efficiently under such a strict environment, it is important to visualize a project status, issues/corresponding, reuse knowhow that developed while developing. The author reports about the platform, which facilitates information and knowledge sharing between engineers called "Project Propulsion Platform (P3)", the result and current issues after applying the platform to a development project and future plan.

• Simulation on Electrical Characteristics: SignalAdviser

The printed circuit boards (PCBs), multichip modules (MCMs), and systems in a package (SiPs) used in digital devices have come to have faster operating frequencies. In addition, large-scale integration (LSI) chips have come to have a low operating voltage. Accordingly, problems have arisen regarding electrical devices: the design time has become longer owing to noise problems such as signal integrity (waveform noise), power integrity (power-supply noise), and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC); and costs have increased. The Fujitsu Group solved these problems by developing an optimized design environment that used various simulations on electrical characteristics and applying it to the design of digital devices. This paper introduces Fujitsu's approach to developing an environment to simulate electrical characteristics. It also describes systems for analyzing signal integrity and power integrity and gives application examples.

• Virtual Desktop Acceleration Technology: RVEC

Recently, virtual desktop services have been attracting attention from the perspective of serving as data security measures and reducing the operation and management costs of personal computers. A virtual desktop is a desktop environment virtualized in a cloud that can be accessed remotely and used in the same way as a usual terminal environment. It thereby eliminates the need to store information on a client terminal. As smartphones grow in sophistication and popularity, the need for using virtual desktop services in a mobile environment is increasing, and smooth operability is required as well. Fujitsu Laboratories has developed Remote Virtual Environment Computing (RVEC) technology that increases operational responsiveness for users of terminals. It has been achieved by reducing the data transfer rate for handling videos and high-definition images on a virtual desktop. Fujitsu has reduced the rate to one-tenth that offered by the conventional techniques. This technology allows virtual desktop services for handling graphics processing of computer-aided design (CAD) and such like to be used in a mobile environment with smartphones and other devices.

• Standard Component Information Database on Engineering Cloud

Fujitsu Group manages information on the general-purpose electron elements used in its products in the Standard Component Information Database (DB), and shares it within the Group as one component of Engineering Cloud. This database greatly helps to improve the quality of design and reduce the person-hours needed for design. It achieves this because it stores know-how on the standard components maintained every day, and this know-how can be used for real time design verification (DRC: Design Rule Check). This paper explains the database's role in supporting "MONOZUKURI". For example, it covers the positioning of this database's Engineering Cloud, and the linkage between (i) management information, related systems and standardized components and (ii) design verification. This paper also covers the good cycle of part standardization that has been established via linked operation of this standard component information, design criteria and DRC. It also mentions Fujitsu Group's efforts to accelerate efficient design.

• Application Example of Electromagnetic Analysis in Fujitsu

The printed circuit boards (PCBs), multichip modules (MCMs), and systems in a package (SiPs) used in digital devices such as high-performance, high-end servers have come to have faster operating frequencies. In addition, large-scale integration (LSI) chips have come to have a low operating voltage. Accordingly, it has become hard to implement measures to combat electromagnetic interference (EMI) that arises due to various noise sources such as signal transmission noise, ground bounce noise of power supplies, and simultaneous switching noise. In addition, it is hard to find countermeasures to the degradation of antenna receiver sensitivity. Fujitsu has developed a large-scale electromagnetic analysis system and built in it into the equipment design process. This system has made it possible to combat the above-mentioned noise problems at the design stage. Consequently, we have eliminated instances where designs had to be redone due to noise problems in various pieces of Fujitsu's equipment from the K computer to cell phones. This paper describes the features of this system and gives examples of its application in equipment design.

• Structural and Thermal Fluid Simulation and CAD System Cooperation

In order to improve quality, cost, and delivery (QCD) of products, it is important to apply accurate simulation technologies and rapidly output simulation results for the development and design of their structure and cooling. Fujitsu continues to develop simulation technology to shorten the processing time required for simulation modeling, calculations and results analysis. So, it has been promoting the application of simulations in technical computing environments. In this way, Fujitsu has accelerated its product development and design, and improved the quality of products that are in the manufacturing stage and that are being used by customers in the field. This paper introduces points to adjust when applying simulations in a technical computing environment, and the linkage of simulations with computer-aided design (CAD) systems. It goes on to describe examples of applying a variety of structural and thermal fluid simulations in the design of structures and cooling systems, and mentions their effects.

• Trial to Improve Design Quality for Car Electronics Based on Engineering Clouds at JTEKT Corporation

JTEKT Corporation is a manufacturer of automotive parts and machine tools. It sells items such as steering systems, bearing and driving products all over the world, and they help to improve car fuel economy. Electrification of these products has been accelerating in recent years. JTEKT has focused on promoting the development of technologies to further contribute to compact, lightweight, and high-efficiency vehicles to save even more energy. Electrification of products is steadily expanding also in emerging markets. In particular, there are urgent demands to overcome high-level technical challenges in developing car electronics. Such electronics need to operate in harsh conditions and be low-cost and ultralight. Thus, while ensuring a greater reliability than products conventionally had, JTEKT is working to quickly develop high-performance, highly functional car electronics. To achieve this, it has introduced Flexible Technical Computing Platform (FTCP), a general design and development environment that utilized Fujitsu's Engineering Cloud, and begun constructing a new development platform. This paper introduces a number of efforts made to improve the results in constructing this new platform for developing car electronics that utilized FTCP.