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.     

An integrated neuro-genetic approach incorporating the Taguchi method for product design

Product design is a multidisciplinary activity that requires the integration of concurrent engineering approaches into a design process that secures competitive advantages in product quality. In concurrent engineering, the Taguchi method has demonstrated an efficient design approach for product quality improvement. However, the Taguchi method intuitively uses parameters and levels in measuring the optimum combination of design parameter values, which might not guarantee that the final solution is the most optimal. This work proposes an integrated procedure that involves neural network training and genetic algorithm simulation within the Taguchi quality design process to aid in searching for the optimum solution with more precise design parameter values for improving the product development. The concept of fractals in computer graphics is also considered in the generation of product form alternatives to demonstrate its application in product design. The stages in the general approach of the proposed procedures include: (1) use of the Taguchi experimental design procedure, (2) analysis of the neural network and genetic algorithm process, and (3) generation of design alternatives. An electric fan design is used as an example to describe the development and explore the applicability of the proposed procedures. The results indicate that the proposed procedures could enhance the efficiency of product design efforts by approximately 7.8%. It is also expected that the proposed design procedure will provide designers with a more effective approach to product development.     

A knowledge system for integrated product design

This paper discusses the architecture and implementation issues for a knowledge system to assist in product design. The goals of the concurrent Design Advisor (CODA) are to enhance the quality of designs by 25 percent and the efficiency by a factor of 10. The improvement springs from the integration of diverse knowledge bases, ranging from customer needs to product evaluation, and from process configuration to production control. One source of efficiency is the automation of many routine tasks, thereby increasing user productivity. Another source is the increase in the quality of initial designs, which obviates the need for numerous iterations in the design process due to poor manufacturability. CODA is based on the general architecture of the Creativity Support System, an expert system for assisting users in specific domains requiring creative solutions. The bilevel structure of the system consists of a domain-independent module containing general tools and techniques for creative problem-solving, and a domain-dependent module incorporating knowledge specific to particular fields of application. The utility of this approach is illustrated in the realm of concurrent product design by demonstrating a CODA within the general architecture of the system.     

An integrated component design approach to the development of a design information system for customer-oriented product design

In product design, the designer must draw upon many different types of information including both product-user requirements and design developments in related fields. As each designer has his/her own subjective opinion, an appropriate link between the user requirements and design features must be carefully developed to generate the most suitable design recommendation.The objective of this research is to develop a component design approach for the generation and evaluation of feasible design alternatives to help designers make the most effective design decisions. The development of the approach is based on the concept of component design and interaction links between user requirements and design output parameter values so that the design alternatives can be generated. A confidence interval for order statistics is then used to determine if enough unique feasible design alternatives have been generated. The research is presented in conjunction with a ballpoint pen design to demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of this approach.The results should provide designers with a useful method for the development of a design information system that will efficiently generate and evaluate a set of feasible design alternatives in product design process.     

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.     

An integrated methodology for fixture design

In this paper, a methodology to perform fixture design as an integrated aspect of process planning is proposed. A three-phase methodology for the fixture design activity has been developed. The three phases include predesign analysis (phase I), functional analysis (phase II), and productivity improvement (phase III). In phase I, the product design information is studied, and initial fixture design aspects are developed. In phase II, the clamping and location aspects of fixture design are addressed for the given initial process sequence and product design information. Phase III involves studying ways to increase the productivity including using simultaneous machining approaches, multiclustering, use of specialized jigs, etc.     

Reverse innovative design — an integrated product design methodology

Today’s product designer is being asked to develop high quality, innovative products at an ever increasing pace. To meet this need, an intensive search is underway for advanced design methodologies that facilitate the acquisition of design knowledge and creative ideas for later reuse. Additionally, designers are embracing a wide range of 3D digital design applications, such as 3D digitization, 3D CAD and CAID, reverse engineering (RE), CAE analysis and rapid prototyping (RP). In this paper, we propose a reverse engineering innovative design methodology called Reverse Innovative Design (RID). The RID methodology facilitates design and knowledge reuse by leveraging 3D digital design applications. The core of our RID methodology is the definition and construction of feature-based parametric solid models from scanned data. The solid model is constructed with feature data to allow for design modification and iteration. Such a construction is well suited for downstream analysis and rapid prototyping. In this paper, we will review the commercial availability and technological developments of some relevant 3D digital design applications. We will then introduce three RE modelling strategies: an autosurfacing strategy for organic shapes; a solid modelling strategy with feature recognition and surface fitting for analytical models; and a curve-based modelling strategy for accurate reverse modelling. Freeform shapes are appearing with more frequency in product development. Since their “natural” parameters are hard to define and extract, we propose construction of a feature skeleton based upon industrial or regional standards or by user interaction. Global and local product definition parameters are then linked to the feature skeleton. Design modification is performed by solving a constrained optimization problem. A RID platform has been developed and the main RE strategies and core algorithms have been integrated into SolidWorks as an add-in product called ScanTo3D. We will use this system to demonstrate our RID methodology on a collection of innovative consumer product design examples.     

An integrated decision-making method for product design scheme evaluation based on cloud model and EEG data

Selecting the optimal design scheme is a vital task in the product design area. It not only improves the performance of the product, but also leads to the greatest satisfaction of customers. However, existing methods express qualitative evaluation information roughly, and none of them has taken the implicit psychological states of customers into consideration. Therefore, an integrated decision-making method for product design scheme evaluation is proposed. This method applies the cloud model to facilitate the evaluation process of experts and uses the EEG data to reveal the psychological states of customers. Benefit from the probability theory and fuzzy set theory, the cloud model deals with the fuzziness and randomness simultaneously. It can decrease the cognitive discrepancy of experts and allow the information distortion to be neutralized to a great extent. Since the experts are not the final users of products, the evaluation results from experts cannot truly reflect the psychological states of customers when they use the product. An experiment is designed to collect the EEG data which can reveal the implicit psychological states of customers. The recorded data are segmented based on the operation process and tagged with the self-reported psychological states. Subsequently, the wavelet packet decomposition is applied and the sample entropy of each EEG frequency band is extracted as the feature. Taking advantage of the random forest classifier, the psychological states of customers can be classified with the average accuracy of 90.76%. This study can lead to a practical system for automatic assessment of psychological states in future applications. The evaluation process of elevator design schemes is conducted as a case study to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method.     

An attribute-based and object-oriented approach with system implementation for change impact analysis in variant product design

Variant product design is critical to the continued survival of a product in the demand-changing market. As variant product design involves numerous and concurrent attempts at requirement and product modification, a change impact analysis (CIA) becomes essential in order to capture both the potential and contextual impacts of a change proposal, and thereby ensure the consistency of the product’s integrated content throughout the process of carrying out any changes. In this regard, this paper presents an attribute-based, object-oriented approach for effectively and comprehensively performing the CIA tasks in variant product design. This approach models the integrated content of a product by characterizing its components and associated requirements with attributes and linkages. It then features an object-oriented change propagation design in order to handle the dynamic and recursive CIA loops. This approach is also able to show the collective impact when multiple changes are attempted. A computerized prototype, EPCII_EC, is implemented in order to realize the approach, and an illustrative product case with a comparative evaluation is provided in order to validate the work. Issues and limitations of this study are also discussed and suggestions are provided for future studies.     

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.     

An integrated CAD environment for low-power design

This CAD environment supports a high-level approach to power reduction, emphasizing optimizations at the algorithm and architecture levels of abstraction. An integrated set of analysis and optimization tools spans the design hierarchy, allowing the designer to make a systematic, top-down exploration and refinement of solutions in the area-time-power design space. In a case study-a low-power implementation of a digital bandpass filter-the CAD environment and tools yield more than an order of magnitude savings in power     

An integrated form-feature-based design system for manufacturing

Much of the knowledge that is applied in or communicated between design and manufacturing activities is primarily shape based or shape indexed. Previous attempts to acquire and organize shape knowledge have been mostly concentrated on feature recognition from solid models, group technology (GT) coding schemes, and feature-based modeling. This paper presents the development of an efficient form-feature-based modeling system, and addresses the important issue of utilizing feature information for manufacturing, which has not been extensively discussed by previous work. In this paper we first present a Euler operator-based approach for efficient and effective form-feature encoding and manipulation in a feature-based design environment. Subsequently, a hybrid representation scheme called enhanced CSG tree of feature (ECTOF), which integrates feature model with solid model in a tree structure, is discussed. A feature interference resolution methodology to maintain the correct and consistent feature information in an ECTOF is also deliberated. Finally, we present a machinability-checking module, which employs global accessibility criteria to analyze a feature's machinability on a three-axis machining center. By developing feature interference resolving and machinability testing techniques and integrating with an efficient feature-based design system, this research makes the development of an integrated feature-based design and manufacturing system possible.     

Methodbases and product models as bases for integrated design and manufacturing

Modelbases and product models are essential for integrated data processing in a company. Design data, process planning data and administrative data have to be put together to give a pool of information for one particular product. Therefore the existing CAD/CAM-systems have to be increased concerning their capabilities of storing and retrieving product information and their functional equipment and efficiency. The paper describes the concepts and first results of a methodbase system and the included product models.     

An integrated implementation framework for compile‐time metaprogramming

Compile‐time metaprograms are programs executed during the compilation of a source file, usually targeting to update its source code. Even though metaprograms are essentially programs, they are typically treated as exceptional cases without sharing common practices and development tools. Toward this direction, we identify a set of primary requirements related to language implementation, metaprogramming features, software engineering support, and programming environments and elaborate on addressing these requirements in the implementation of a metaprogramming language. In particular, we introduce the notion of integrated compile‐time metaprograms, as coherent programs assembled from specific metacode fragments present in the source code. We show the expressiveness of this programming model and illustrate its advantages through various metaprogram scenarios. Additionally, we present an integrated tool chain, supporting full‐scale build features and compile‐time metaprogram debugging. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

消费品质量安全影响因子评估系统设计与实现

主要研究了消费品质量安全影响因子评估系统的设计与实现。首先分析了消费品质量安全影响因子评估工作流程,从而确定了系统的功能需求。然后通过用例分析、静态行为建模、动态行为建模等UML分析工具对评估系统进行了功能设计和数据库设计。最后选取了VisualStudio开发平台根据三层架构理论对该系统进行了实现。该系统适用于所有消费品质量安全影响因子评估工作。     

Knowledge-based integrated product design framework towards sustainable low-carbon manufacturing

With a global challenge on the serious ecological problems, low-carbon manufacturing aiming to reduce carbon emission and resource consumption is gaining the ever-increasing attention. Due to the significant impact on the product lifecycle, low-carbon product design is considered as an effective and attractive approach to improve the eco-market trade-off of electromechanical products. Existing low-carbon product design approaches focus on solving specific low-carbon problems, and how to explore and navigate the integrative design space considering low-carbon and knowledge in a holistic perspective is rarely discussed. In response, this paper proposes a knowledge-based integrated product design framework to support low-carbon product development. An ontology-based knowledge modelling approach is put forward to represent the multidisciplinary design knowledge to facilitate knowledge sharing and integration. Subsequently, a function–structure synthesis approach based on case-based reasoning is presented to narrow down the design space to generate suitable design solutions for achieving desired functions. A multi-objective mathematical model is established, and the multi-objective particle swarm optimization is adopted to solve the low-carbon product optimization. Furthermore, a decision-making ranking approach based on the closeness degree is employed to prioritize the potential solutions from Pareto set. Finally, a case study of low-carbon product design of hydraulic machine is demonstrated to show the effectiveness.     

Machine learning and CBR integrated mechanical product design approach

Many works based on case-based reasoning (CBR) and rule-based reasoning (RBR) have been done to obtain a product concept intelligently, but researches on automatic and intelligent methods for the detailed design process are still lacking. To achieve the intelligent design of the whole process for mechanical product development, an approach based on cases and knowledge is proposed. First, considering that the actual product cases sample is small, correlations among product features and relationships between product features and requirements are evaluated based on design knowledge. According to these correlations and relationships, a design problem is decomposed into multiple parallel small-scale sub-problems not only to increase data samples but reduce data dimensions. Moreover, a hybrid method that combined Hamming distance with Euclidean distance is generated to retrieve similar cases, which can address both numerical and encoding factors. In addition, K-Nearest-Neighbor (KNN) algorithm and Linear regression are adopted to adapt the classification and numeric parameters, respectively, so that the detailed design process can be achieved without fixed knowledge template. Finally, a tool design software is developed based on Visual studio 2015 to verify the practicability of the proposed method.     

Overview of entity-based integrated design product and process models

The development of computer-integrated systems for engineering design requires models to describe and organize the information and activities involved in design. A product model describes the information created during the design process, and a process model describes the associated design activities. Product and process models can be integrated into a single model. An entity-based approach is one way to carry out this integration. An entity-based integrated model uses product entities and process entities to represent design information and design activities, respectively. The relationships among these entities include organizational, interaction and sequence relationships. Organizational relationships organize entities into hierarchies, interaction relationships characterize the nature of entity interactions, and sequence relationships identify the sequences in which process entities are initiated during the design process. This paper presents an overview of the product and process entities, and the organizational, interaction and sequence relationships of entity-based integrated design product and process models. Formal concepts and notation used to represent these entities and relationships are described using a simple design example. © 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Limited. All rights reserved.     

An optimum design selection approach for product customization development

Consumer preferences and information on product choice behavior can be of significant value in the development processes of innovative products. In this paper, product customization evaluation and selection model is introduced to support imprecision inherent of qualitative inputs from customers and designers in the decision making process. Focusing on customer utility generation, an optimum design selection approach based on fuzzy set decision-making is proposed, where design attributes priority is identified from customer preferences using an analytical hierarchy process. A multi-attribute analysis diagram is developed to visualize the preference of each attribute from the expert’s group decision. Conjoint analysis is used in the product customization to focus on customer utility generation in terms of multiple criteria. The use of the decision-making method is illustrated with a case example that highlights the utility of the proposed method.     

Design and implementation of an agent-based collaborative product design system

The evolution of computer science and technology has brought new opportunities for multidisciplinary designers and engineers to collaborate with each other in a concurrent and coordinated manner. The development of computational agents with unified data structures and software protocols contributes to the establishment of a new way of working in collaborative design, which is increasingly becoming an international practice. In this paper, based on the analysis of the dynamic nature of collaborative design process, a new framework for collaborative design is described. This framework adopts an agent-based approach and relocates designers, managers, systems, and the supporting agents in a unified knowledge representation scheme for product design. In order to model the constantly evolving design process and the rationales resulted from design collaboration, a Collaborative Product Data Model (CPDM) and a constraint-based Collaborative Design Process Model (CDPM) are proposed to facilitate the management and coordination of the collaborative design process as well as design knowledge management. A prototype system of the proposed framework is implemented and its feasibility is evaluated using a real design scenario whose objective is designing a set of dining table and chairs.