This paper introduces an approach to a port-based functional modeling framework for product conceptual design. A port-based knowledge building process is described for functional modeling. This research proposes a method of creating and managing different ports. First, this paper describes port attributes and three port types -mechanical port, electrical port and configuration port, and gives port attributes of compatibility. Second, it presents a port-based modeling design process, that is divided into three main modules: the language of port description, port-based FBS representation and port knowledge management. Three knowledge layers are specialized for function, behavior and structural knowledge. They represent different abstraction levels of the product conceptualization. Each layer is represented with a description logic for convenient reasoning. We provide formal definitions of the framework to manage port knowledge. Finally, the process of port-based functional modeling is presented in a thermal bubble jet application to demonstrate the effectiveness of the research.

In today’s highly volatile global market, design activities become more and more important in the whole lifecycle of product. The process of different developments should adopt appropriate modeling approaches at each stage. Different modeling technologies exert a great impact on different design stages. Therefore, modeling design is crucial to achieve success in the process of product development. This paper presents an integrated modeling of design process for product development. Its objective is to realize concurrent design towards ever-growing demands of market that has already integrated design process and production activities. It can manage to develop product towards early design activities. Different design stage model relations and activities are presented for product development. At first, the characteristics of different development stages are analyzed. The performances and attributes of product are established through considering component, constraints and environment. Second, the process of product modeling is described in detail for early design, and the time interval between the two activities is evaluated for concurrent engineering during the design modeling. Third, a promising framework is given to describe the process of design. Finally, an application example and knowledge are presented to illustrate the process of product development.