Semantic Web based innovative design knowledge modeling for collaborative design

This paper describes a study about how to use the Semantic Web technologies for innovative design knowledge modeling in a multi-agent distributed design environment. Semantic Web based knowledge modeling for innovative design is proposed as prelude to the meaningful agent communication and knowledge reuse for collaborative work among multidisciplinary organizations. A model for innovative design is proposed at first, based on which a knowledge schema is brought forward. For sharing the design knowledge among an internet-based or distributed work team, even globally, A RDF-based knowledge model is presented to realize its representation on Semantic Web. A Semantic Web based repository for innovative design and its API for topper Semantic Web applications have been also constructed. The proposed knowledge modeling extends traditional product modeling with capabilities of innovative design, knowledge sharing and distributed problem solving, and is employed as a content language within the messages in the proposed multi-agent system architecture. The proposed approach is viewed as a promising knowledge management method that facilitates the implementation of computer supported cooperative work in innovative design of Semantic Web applications.     

基于模糊综合评价的交互式产品设计应用与研究

交互式产品设计能给用户带来人和产品之间双向信息交流的体验,它除了实现产品本身的功能外,其交互设计能否最大限度地令用户对产品易用、乐用和高效应用是产品的重要评判标准。借用模糊数学中的模糊综合评价方法,综合考虑交互式产品设计各因素,结合用户体验,建立交互式产品设计评价的数学模型;按模糊矩阵的运算方法和最大隶属原则得到综合评价结果;实现从定性到定量,最终又回到定性的转化,为产品的决策提供可靠依据。     

A distributed and interactive system to integrated design and simulation for collaborative product development

The goal of applying collaborative product development in industry has raised the need to develop software tools supporting system integration and group collaboration. Current methods and tools mainly focus on the collaborative creation of design components and assemblies. However, few of them support the collaborative work in developing simulation models so that proposed design concepts and solutions can be evaluated by integrating expertise from several disciplines. The purpose of this research is to develop a distributed and interactive system on which designers and experts can work together to create, integrate and run simulations for engineering design. To develop such a system, a number of issues, e.g. effectiveness and efficiency of modeling work, the re-use of models, interaction and cooperation, accuracy of simulation, collaborative operation on models, etc., need to be addressed. This paper describes an open architecture to developing simulations for engineering design in a distributed and collaborative environment, identifies a set of key issues raised in this architecture, and presents the techniques employed in our solution.     

An ontology-based support for product conceptual design

The research presented in this paper is a follow-up of our prior work involving the development of a graphical modeling tool to support designers at the conceptual design stage. To close the loop for supporting designers in generating design concepts flexibly, fast, and easily, an ontology-based approach for knowledge management that works along with the graphical modeling tool is discussed. Ontology and databases for the tool are developed to promote the systematic capture of design knowledge and efficient reuse of the design knowledge selection. In order to locate the proper information and query the data from the databases, the relationship between the ontology and databases, the data analysis process, ontology enrichment, and the ontology-based query engine are built to offer users multiple design results according to users’ requirements. A tire design example is presented to demonstrate the proposed approach. The ontology-based method described in this paper can help retrieve and save the complex relations, support the reasoning, integrate heterogeneous data resources and offer users more accurate, proper and comprehensive data.     

Mereotopological assembly joint information representation for collaborative product design

In this paper we discuss an ontology-based representation method for differentiating assembly joints in collaborative and intelligent product design. As design becomes increasingly knowledge-intensive, intelligent, and collaborative, the need becomes more critical for computational frameworks that enable product development by effectively supporting the formal representation, capture, retrieval, and reuse of product knowledge. Joints are a key aspect of assembly models that are often ambiguous when model sharing takes place. Although various joints may have similar geometries and topologies, the physical implications of the selected joining processes may vary significantly. It is possible to attach notes and annotations to geometric entities in order to distinguish joints; however, such textual information does not readily prepare the model for downstream activities, such as simulation and analysis. As an illustration, analysts must read and interpret the annotations in order to develop the appropriate boundary conditions. In this work, we present an assembly design ontology that explicitly represents assembly constraints, including joining constraints, and infers any remaining implicit ones. By relating concepts through ontology technology rather than just defining data syntax, assembly and joining concepts can be captured in their entirety or extended as necessary. By using the knowledge captured by the ontology, similar looking joints can be differentiated. For this research, we used a mereotopology, which is a region-based theory for parts, and the Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) to represent the difference of joints and to define assembly design terms and their relationships. We also used SWRL so that the joining rules can be reasoned to differentiate assembly joints. Finally, by using an ontology, various geometrically and topologically similar joints are successfully differentiated in a standard and machine-interpretable manner.     

基于Petri网的机电产品概念设计功能模型研究

功能分析是概念设计中最重要的阶段,从黑箱法的理论出发,以流及其状态和功能为基本要素建立了基于Petri网的机电一体化产品概念设计功能模型,为产品概念设计过程的优化以及设计效率的提高打下了良好基础,为以后智能软件的开发提供了良好的模型.     

Chemical enterprise model and decision-making framework for sustainable chemical product design

The chemical product substitution process is undertaken by chemical industries for complying with regulations, like REACH in Europe. Initially devoted to chemists, chemicals substitution is nowadays a complex process involving corporate, business and engineering stakeholders across the chemical enterprise for orienting the search toward a sustainable solution. We formalize a decision making process framework dedicated to the sustainable chemical product design activity in an industrial context. The framework aims at improving the sharing of information and knowledge and at enabling a collaborative work across the chemical enterprise stakeholders at the strategic, tactical and operational levels. It is supported by information and communication technologies (ICT) and integrates a computer aided molecular design tool. During the initial intelligence phase, a systemic analysis of the needs and usages enables to define the product requirements. In the design phase, they are compiled with the help of a facilitator to generate the input file of a computer aided product design tool. This multiobjective tool is designed to find mixtures with molecular fragments issued from renewable raw materials, and is able to handle environment-health and safety related properties along with process physicochemical properties. The final choice phase discusses the solution relevancy and provides feedback, before launching the product manufacturing. The framework is illustrated by the search of a bio-sourced water–solvent mixture formulation for lithographic blanket wash used in printing industry. The sustainability of the solution is assessed by using the sustainability shades method.     

基于单张图像的三维人脸建模与表情动画

在人机交互、数字娱乐等领域,传统的表情合成技术难以稳定地生成具有真实感的个性化人脸表情动画.为此,提出一种基于单张图像的三维人脸建模和表情动画系统.自动检测人脸在图像中的位置,自动定位人脸上的关键点,基于这些关键点和形变模型重建个性化三维人脸模型,对重建的人脸模型进行扩展得到完整的人脸网格,采用稀疏关键点控制的动画数据映射方法来驱动重建的人脸模型生成动态表情动画.实验结果表明,该方法稳定性强、自动化程度高,人脸模型与表情动画比较逼真.     

A CSP approach for the network of product lifecycle constraints consistency in a collaborative design context

In this paper, we are considering that the design process can be modelled in the form of a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP). CSP modelling or resolution has proved its efficiency within the framework of single-designer design. We propose to extend the functions of CSP to the context of multi-concept design of the same artefact. We define CoCSP as cooperative constraint satisfaction problem including the actors of the design problem. We are presenting the operating principles of an algorithm for the real-time management of design decisions, based on a model described in the form of a CoCSP for the integration of supply-chain constraints. This algorithm enables the number of design decisions rejected at a given moment in design to be kept to a minimum. The algorithm forms the core of a prototype for an unsupervised, generic constraint-based collaborative design system. Our aim is to produce a platform centred on the notion of constraints that will enable a product design problem to be modelled and solved by integrating supply-chain constraints as far upstream as possible.     

基于Inventor API的家具三维造型设计

国内外家具业趋向于设计出不同系列风格的家具,同时又要求提高设计效率.为了能够满足这方面的需要,通过研究Inventor API的功能,关联Inventor与数据库Excel,运用Inventor的二次开发工具Autodesk Inventor Wizards,基于VB.NET实现了对话框界面的通讯机制,即实现人机交互界面以达到程序自动建模的功效.从已有的家具模版中自动地生成新的家具,并能够替换整体家具的零部件,大大地提高了设计效率,实现并给出了程序示例.快速、自动地新建家具模型的结果表明,基于Inventor API的技术在家具三维造型设计二次开发中具有重要的意义.     

A product configuration analysis method for emotional design using a personal construct theory

Identifying emotion-related product attributes (perceived by consumers) is no easy task in the realm of emotional design. Conventionally, this process relies heavily on the researchers who conduct the Kansei experiments selecting product attributes such as color, form, and texture for Kansei studies. However, in so doing, other product attributes that also play a vital role in product-emotion associations might be neglected by the researchers. More importantly, the identification of product attributes should be based on consumer's point of view (and feelings). Accordingly, a personal construct theory based product configuration analysis method is proposed in this work. The method develops the customer's mind map for each Kansei tag in order to capture replications of candidate products. A means-value chain is used to generate targets which are later compared with candidate products by consumers. The comparison results could suggest product attributes that are relevant to the desired Kansei. The proposed approach is presented and illustrated using a case study of Graffiti designs on notebooks. Results obtained are discussed. It appears that the proposed method is promising in identifying product attributes with desired Kansei impacts.     

基于遗传算法优化神经网络的产品造型设计评价

为全面科学地评定、筛选最佳设计方案,借助遗传算法的全局寻优能力对BP神经网络进行优化,构建混合GA‐BP算法,并将其应用于笔记本产品造型设计评价中。在建立笔记本造型二级指标评价体系的基础上,利用18款设计方案中的15款对混合GA‐BP评价系统进行训练,利用其余3款设计方案对训练后的系统进行验证。验证结果表明,模拟值与实际值的相对误差分别为3?6％、－1?7％和2?8％,显示了较高的精度,反映了混合GA‐BP产品造型设计评价系统能对设计方案进行科学的评价。     

Modular and platform methods for product family design: literature analysis

After the industrial revolution, the literature has mentioned different principles to allow a better management of the production and product life cycle activities. For example the principle of standardization was first mentioned in the literature by an automobile engineer and placed in a real context by Henry Ford. Standardization has made possible the configuration of different products using a large set of common components. Another strategy called modularization was first mentioned in the literature in the 60s. The modularity proposed to group components of products in a module for practical production objectives. Today, modularity and standardization are promising tools in product family development because they allow to design a variety of products using the same modules of components called platforms. Using platforms allows important family design savings and easy manufacturing. In this paper we give a literature review of the platform concept with a special interest on the efficient product family development. This paper is organized as follows. Section 1 mentions the general context of modularity to develop product variety. Section 2 details the importance of product architectures in the literature for a modular design. Section 3 points on some important works that apply some modular and platform methodologies.This revised version was published in June 2005 with corrected page numbers.     

An integrated CSCW architecture for integrated product/process design and development

Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) is increasingly being used by engineering design teams to reach a consensus on a range of design issues. CSCW systems are designed to increase the effectiveness of decision-makers by facilitating information exchange, retrieval, sharing and use. They encourage interactive information exchange and have the potential to reduce diseconomies associated with design activities, member dominance, social pressure, inhibition of expression, and other difficulties encountered by project teams. The use of CSCW is expected to have a favorable impact on the group decision-making process and the quality of the resulting decision. In this paper, a general CSCW architecture has been developed to support integrated product/process design and development will be presented. The architecture has been tested extensively on a representative industrial problem. The case study and evaluation of the architecture will also be discussed in this paper. The integrated architecture will facilitate information access, sharing, and analysis among design teams members using the open World Wide Web platforms and resources to make product/process decisions.     

Realistic wrinkle generation for 3D face modeling based on automatically extracted curves and improved shape control functions

Realistic wrinkles are extremely important for enhancing the realism of three-dimensional (3D) virtual face models. This paper proposes an approach for generating realistic wrinkle on a 3D face model based on a face image. It includes image preprocessing, automatically extracting wrinkle curves and generating wrinkles on a 3D surface. For image preprocessing, we use a linear transform method to conduct a grayscale conversion. We then use a transfinite-pixel neighborhood averaging method to reduce the noise, and a high pass filter to sharpen the image. For the automatic extraction of wrinkle curves, an improved Canny edge detector is employed. For wrinkle generation on a 3D surface, a number of novel techniques are employed. Some feature points are firstly defined both on the face image and on the 3D face model. By aligning these feature points, the extracted wrinkle curves are then projected onto the 3D face model. Finally, three shape control functions are used to produce more realistic properties of the 3D wrinkles. They are the proposed cross-section shape control function (CSCF) to determine the cross-section shape and size, the depth attenuation function (DAF) and the width attenuation function (WAF) to control the depth and width amplitude variations of the wrinkles, respectively. For better results, an adaptive subdivision is applied to the predefined influence region to adjust the resolution around the wrinkle mesh. The experiment results of applying this method to individualized 3D human models demonstrate the ability of our method to generate more natural wrinkles.     

Hybrid client-server architecture and control techniques for collaborative product development using haptic interfaces

In this paper, a collaborative product development and prototyping framework is proposed by using distributed haptic interfaces along with deformable objects modeling. Collaborative Virtual Environment (CVE) is a promising technique for industrial product development and virtual prototyping. Network control problems such as network traffic and network delay in communication have greatly limited collaborative virtual environment applications. The problems become more difficult when high-update-rate haptic interfaces and computation intensive deformable objects modeling are integrated into CVEs for intuitive manipulation and enhanced realism. A hybrid network architecture is proposed to balance the computational burden of haptic rendering and deformable object simulation. Adaptive artificial time compensation is used to reduce the time discrepancy between the server and the client. Interpolation and extrapolation approaches are used to synchronize graphic and haptic data transmitted over the network. The proposed techniques can be used for collaborative product development, virtual assembly, remote product simulation and other collaborative virtual environments where both haptic interfaces and deformable object models are involved.     

Ontology-based assembly design and information sharing for collaborative product development

To realize a truly collaborative product design and development process, effective communication among design collaborators is a must. In other words, the design intent that is imposed in a product design should be seized and interpreted properly; heterogeneous modeling terms should be semantically processed both by design collaborators and intelligent systems. Ontologies in the Semantic Web can explicitly represent semantics and promote integrated and consistent access to data and services. Thus, if an ontology is used in a heterogeneous and distributed design collaboration, it will explicitly and persistently represent engineering relations that are imposed in an assembly design. Design intent can be captured by reasoning, and, in turn, as reasoned facts, it can be propagated and shared with design collaborators. This paper presents a new paradigm of ontology-based assembly design. In the framework, an assembly design (AsD) ontology serves as a formal, explicit specification of assembly design so that it makes assembly knowledge both machine-interpretable and to be shared. An Assembly Relation Model (ARM) is enhanced using ontologies that represent engineering, spatial, assembly, and joining relations of assembly in a way that promotes collaborative assembly information-sharing environments. In the developed AsD ontology, implicit AsD constraints are explicitly represented using OWL (Web Ontology Language) and SWRL (Semantic Web Rule Language). This paper shows that the ability of the AsD ontology to be reasoned can capture both assembly and joining intents by a demonstration with a realistic mechanical assembly. Finally, this paper presents a new assembly design information-sharing framework and an assembly design browser for a collaborative product development.     

A multimodal approach for 3D face modeling and recognition using 3D deformable facial mask

We present a multimodal approach for face modeling and recognition. The algorithm uses three cameras to capture stereo images, two frontal and one profile, of the face. 2D facial features are extracted from one of the frontal images and a dense disparity map is computed from the two frontal images. Using the extracted 2D features and their corresponding disparities, we compute their 3D coordinates. We next align a low resolution 3D mesh model to the 3D features, re-project its vertices onto the frontal 2D image and adjust its profile silhouette vertices using the profile view image. We increase the resolution of the resulting 2D model at its center region to obtain a facial mask model covering distinctive features of the face. The 2D coordinates of the vertices, along with their disparities, result in a deformed 3D mask model specific to a given subject’s face. Our method integrates information from the extracted facial features from the 2D image modality with information from the 3D modality obtained from the stereo images. Application of the models in 3D face recognition, for 112 subjects, validates the algorithm with a 95% identification rate and 92% verification rate at 0.1% false acceptance rate.

Developing distributed applications for integrated product and process design

A heterogeneous computing environment characterizes today's manufacturing situation. This is a stumbling block for the efficient implementation of manufacturing concepts such as integrated product and process design (IPPD). A computing environment for IPPD would require the seamless integration of the various product and process design software systems. The exchange of information between these systems should be efficient, compatible and synchronous. This article presents an approach for developing distributed manufacturing applications that are compatible and synchronized and thus, able to support IPPD. The approach involves the use of a common manufacturing application ‘middleware’, which is distributed between a central geometric modelling server and application clients. The portability of the middleware is ensured through the use of Java for code portability and XML for data portability. The compatible product model problem is solved through the use of common data structures developed using reusable application client classes. Efficient transfer of product data is proposed using compressed model information embedded in a product data XML schema. Synchronization of design changes among all applications is achieved through the creation of relationships on an Application Relationship Manager.