Behaviour of a Technical Device: An Ontological Perspective in Engineering

Stefano Borgo, Massimiliano Carrara, Pieter Vermaas and Pawel Garbacz

International Conference on Formal Ontology in Information Systems (FOIS 2006)
Baltimore, Maryland (USA), November 9-11, 2006

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Abstract

The term `behaviour' is used ubiquitously in engineering. Roughly speaking, it refers to the way technical devices `behave' in a given or hypothetical situation. Behaviour plays a pivotal role in a number of design methodologies since it allows connecting descriptions of the physical structure of technical devices to descriptions of their technical functions. Notwithstanding its central role, behaviour does not have a precise meaning: engineers use the term loosely and informally and when they attempt to pinpoint its meaning, they end up with incompatible characterizations.

In this paper we formalize the different notions underlying the engineering usage by providing a uniform framework in which they can be related. This framework lays also a conceptual basis for a precise characterization of the notion of technical function in engineering. Our approach develops within the {\dolce} ontology and introduces behaviour as a new type of individual quality that relates a technical device to the event to which it participates. Starting with this assumption, one can distinguish actual, possible and general behaviours of a device (token). We add a few more definitions to capture more specific aspects and show their role in capturing engineering usage.

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