General Framework for Configuration Design: Part 1— Methodology

Abstract

Configuration design is a type of conceptual design activity in which physical systems are synthesized from a set of predefined components that can be combined only in certain ways. A general framework for automated configuration of systems is presented in this paper. In this framework, design specifications are separated into functions, performance goals and constraints. Starting with design specifications, a skeletal design comprising essential functions is first configured. The process of mapping functions to physical devices is interleaved with the function decomposition process. The level at which a function is mapped to a physical device is directly related to the stringency of performance goals and constraints. Configuration design issues, such as function sharing, detail resolution of the building blocks and the possible explosion of the number of feasible permutations, are also discussed. This paper (Part 1) describes organization of the design knowledge and the design methodology. Based on the framework presented in this paper, a prototype knowledge-based design tool called HYSYN (hydraulics synthesizer) was developed, which automatically configures hydraulic systems. The implementation of this methodology in HYSYN is discusses in another paper (Part 2). A design example of systematic configuration of hydraulic systems is also presented in this other paper.

Development of a design support tool for fluid power system design

“…Several approaches to circuit con guration design have been developed using arti cial intelligence. Kota and Lee (1993a) describe a functional reasoning-based approach to the con guration of power transmission systems. The outcome of this work was the development of a knowledgebased system with seven functional modules required to represent the uid power domain: energy conversion, motion actuation, power distribution, power regulation, sensing, power storage, and contamination (Kota and Lee 1993b).…”

Application of multi-criteria material selection techniques to constituent refinement in biobased composites

“…Ecological assessments of new materials are typically not carried out until after material development [8] where their impact on the material decisions may be minimal. Studies have shown for example, that 70% of product life cycle costs result from design phase decisions, which are settled on early in product development [9]. Likewise, environmental impact could similarly become fixed as a result of early design phase decisions.…”

A dual-stage functional modelling framework with multi-level design knowledge for conceptual mechanical design

“…Because of this, function-to-structure mapping is also referred to as 'catalogue lookup approach' (Chandrasekaran 1990) or 'catalogue-driven approach' (Gui and Mäntylä 1994). For example, Kota and Lee (1993) have developed a function decomposition and function-to-structure mapping framework to design hydraulic systems. They use two building blocks for the mapping: Functional Building Block (FBB) and Structural Building Block (SBB).…”