Decision-Based Conceptual Design: Modeling and Navigating Heterogeneous Design Spaces

2005 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Wood ◽  
Alice M. Agogino
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Space ◽  
Evaluation Model ◽  
Value Theory ◽  
Information Value ◽  
Gaussian Kernel ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Critical Design ◽  
Main Components

Information gathering and refinement are critical activities in conceptual design. A decision-based framework is developed consisting of three main components: a flexible, extensible design space model based on a Gaussian kernel which synthesizes information from design instances; expected value decision-making which focuses the design process on the most promising subspaces within this model; and information value theory which identifies uncertainty in the design evaluation whose reduction could redirect the design process. Together, these components form a normative method for conceptual design around a key process—the co-evolution of a design and the evaluation model used to quantify its value. Formalizing conceptual design toward reducing arbitrary design decisions and focusing attention on the most critical design concerns holds the potential to substantially improve both the process and product of design. The proposed methodology is demonstrated through an example in the domain of electric motor selection.

A Prescription for Information Prospecting, Data Mining, and Design Refinement

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Wood ◽  
Alice M. Agogino
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Space ◽  
Mathematical Framework ◽  
Design Specification ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Overall Design ◽  
Critical Design ◽  
Downstream Processes

Abstract We present a prescriptive methodology for conceptual design based on a process of information gathering and refinement. While these activities are generic to conceptual design, a mathematical framework is developed toward structuring the design space, approximating the design space by generalizing design data, and formalizing the iterative process of narrowing the design space while refining the level detail in the design specification. As a prescription for conceptual design, this method formalizes the conceptual design process around a key tradeoff — the value to be gained by making design commitments balanced against the reduction in size of design space these commitments bring. Because conceptual design decisions carry tremendous leverage through to all downstream processes, formalizing conceptual design toward reducing arbitrary design decisions and focusing attention on the most critical design concerns holds the potential to improve greatly the ultimate product of the overall design process.

Forging a Geometric Link Between Function-Based Design and DfM

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manish Verma ◽  
Hui Dong ◽  
William H. Wood
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Direct Connection ◽  
Functional Modeling ◽  
Small Space ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Design For Manufacture ◽  
Part Geometry ◽  
Conceptual Design Stage

Design for Manufacture (DfM) tends to explore only a small space of possible designs toward improving manufacturability. By focusing primarily on detailed geometry, DfM tends to recommend incremental changes. This paper presents a methodology that begins at the conceptual design stage, applying functional modeling to the generation of design configurations. These functional abstractions are merged with real part geometry toward generating potentially manufacturable design skeletons. The direct connection from function to manufacturable form afforded by this method allows the designer to make better-informed design decisions at the earliest stages of the design process.

A Deep Learning Based Approach to Predict Sequential Design Decisions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molla Hafizur Rahman ◽  
Charles Xie ◽  
Zhenghui Sha
Keyword(s):  
Markov Chain ◽  
System Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Space ◽  
Markov Chain Model ◽  
Sequential Design ◽  
Chain Model ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Term Memory

Abstract During a design process, designers iteratively go back and forth between different design stages to explore the design space and search for the best design solution that satisfies all design constraints. For complex design problems, human has shown surprising capability in effectively reducing the dimensionality of design space and quickly converging it to a reasonable range for algorithms to step in and continue the search process. Therefore, modeling how human designers make decisions in such a sequential design process can help discover beneficial design patterns, strategies, and heuristics, which are important to the development of new algorithms embedded with human intelligence to augment computational design. In this paper, we develop a deep learning based approach to model and predict designers’ sequential decisions in a system design context. The core of this approach is an integration of the function-behavior-structure model for design process characterization and the long short term memory unit model for deep leaning. This approach is demonstrated in a solar energy system design case study, and its prediction accuracy is evaluated benchmarked on several commonly used models for sequential design decisions, such as Markov Chain model, Hidden Markov Chain model, and random sequence generation model. The results indicate that the proposed approach outperforms the other traditional models. This implies that during a system design task, designers are very likely to reply on both short-term and long-term memory of past design decisions in guiding their decision making in future design process. Our approach is general to be applied in many other design contexts as long as the sequential design action data is available.

Development of Product Recyclability Index Utilizing Design for Assembly and Disassembly Principles

2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darshan P. Yadav ◽  
Deep N. Patel ◽  
Beshoy W. Morkos
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Design Space ◽  
Design For Assembly ◽  
Time Estimate ◽  
Predictive Capability ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Design And Manufacturing

Designing products for recyclability is driven by environmental and economic goals. Several design for assembly (DFA) rules and parameters can be used to gauge the recyclability index of product designs. These indices can be used for comparative analysis of the recyclability of different products. This assists the designer in making design choices related to the product's end of life. However, many of the existing recyclability indices are only available after design and manufacturing decisions are made. If such design decisions could be made earlier in the design process, when the design space is less bound, recyclability could be considered earlier. A case study is performed to determine if DFA parameters could be utilized to determine product recyclability. The parameters were obtained from existing DFA time estimate tables. The results of the study indicated that the recyclability of the product, as defined by established recyclability metrics, could be predicted through DFA measures. A negative correlation was realized between recyclability and insertion time. Components that required greater time to mate during assembly adversely affected the recyclability of the product. Conversely, handing time was found to have no predictive capability on product recyclability. These findings are used to develop a recyclability index that utilizes the DFA measures, allowing designers and engineers to determine recyclability earlier in the design process.

scholarly journals Giving Meaning to Products Via a Conceptual Design Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1513-1522
Author(s):  
Naz Yaldız ◽  
Mark Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Search For Meaning ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Good Design ◽  
Fundamental Process ◽  
The Right ◽  
Solution Focused

AbstractAlthough the conceptual design is a fundamental process through which design decisions are made, its focus is on finding the right solution. Is finding the right solution enough for a good design? Defining the problem or applying a solution-focused process may not be enough to create the differences that must be present in today's variable conditions. This can be overcome through seeking meaning instead of seeking a solution. The purpose of this article is to develop an approach that focuses on seeking meaning for products by starting with a design-thinking approach to the conceptual design process in engineering design. Focusing on a search for meaning in engineering design will provide advantages, such as creating unique values and sustainable competition.

Automating the conceptual design process: “From black box to component selection”

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tolga Kurtoglu ◽  
Albert Swantner ◽  
Matthew I. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Problems ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Computational Tools ◽  
Component Selection ◽  
Design Generation ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Electromechanical Device ◽  
Alternative Solutions

AbstractConceptual design is a vital part of the design process during which designers first envision new ideas and then synthesize them into physical configurations that meet certain design specifications. In this research, a suite of computational tools is developed that assists the designers in performing this nontrivial task of navigating the design space for creating conceptual design solutions. The methodology is based on automating the function-based synthesis paradigm by combining various computational methods. Accordingly, three nested search algorithms are developed and integrated to capture different design decisions at various stages of conceptual design. The implemented system provides a method for automatically generating novel alternative solutions to real design problems. The application of the approach to the design of an electromechanical device shows the method's range of capabilities and how it serves as a comparison to human conceptual design generation and as a tool suite to complement the skills of a designer.

Will Love Tear Us Apart: Adapting the Lyrical to the Ludic

CounterText ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-235
Author(s):  
Gordon Calleja
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
The Core ◽  
Lyrical Poetry ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Made In

This paper gives an insight into the design process of a game adaptation of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart (1980). It outlines the challenges faced in attempting to reconcile the diverging qualities of lyrical poetry and digital games. In so doing, the paper examines the design decisions made in every segment of the game with a particular focus on the tension between the core concerns of the lyrical work being adapted and established tenets of game design.

scholarly journals Configuration Study of Electric Helicopters for Urban Air Mobility

Aerospace ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Julia A. Cole ◽  
Lauren Rajauski ◽  
Andrew Loughran ◽  
Alexander Karpowicz ◽  
Stefanie Salinger
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Design Space ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Urban Air ◽  
Main Rotor ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Compound Helicopter ◽  
Configuration Changes

There is currently interest in the design of small electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft to alleviate ground traffic and congestion in major urban areas. To support progress in this area, a conceptual design method for single-main-rotor and lift-augmented compound electric helicopters has been developed. The design method was used to investigate the feasible design space for electric helicopters based on varying mission profiles and technology assumptions. Within the feasible design space, it was found that a crossover boundary exists as a function of cruise distance and hover time where the most efficient configuration changes from a single-main-rotor helicopter to a lift-augmented compound helicopter. In general, for longer cruise distances and shorter hover times, the lift-augmented compound helicopter is the more efficient configuration. An additional study was conducted to investigate the potential benefits of decoupling the main rotor from the tail rotor. This study showed that decoupling the main rotor and tail rotor has the potential to reduce the total mission energy required in all cases, allowing for increases in mission distances and hover times on the order of 5% for a given battery size.

scholarly journals Conceptual Design of Electromechanical Actuation Systems for Large-Sized Directional Control Valves

Actuators ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Tobias Vonderbank ◽  
Katharina Schmitz
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Function Structure ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Conceptual Designs ◽  
Actuation Systems ◽  
Electromechanical Actuation ◽  
Function Structures ◽  
Valve Actuation

Increasing performance in modern hydraulics is achieved by a close investigation of possible enhancements of its components. Prior research has pointed out that electromechanical actuators can form suitable alternatives to hydraulically piloted control systems. Since the requirements at these actuation systems depend on the operating conditions of the system, each actuator can be optimized to the respective hydraulic system. Considering that many different conceptual designs are suitable, the phase of conceptual design plays a decisive role during the design process. Therefore, this paper focuses on the process of developing new conceptual designs for electromechanical valve actuation systems using the method of function structures. Aiming to identify special design features, which need to be considered during the design process of electromechanical actuation systems, an exemplary actuator was designed based on the derived function structure. To highlight the potential of function structures for the development of new electromechanical valve actuation systems, two principal concepts, which allow the reduction of the necessary forces, have been developed by extending the function structure. These concepts have been experimentally investigated to identify their advantages and disadvantages.

scholarly journals NOVICE DESIGNERS' USE OF PROTOTYPES AS COMMUNICATION TOOLS

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 2277-2286
Author(s):  
Sandeep Krishnakumar ◽  
Carlye Lauff ◽  
Christopher McComb ◽  
Catherine Berdanier ◽  
Jessica Menold
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Design Teams ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Communication Tools ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Critical Design ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Novice Designers ◽  
Future Work

AbstractPrototypes are critical design artifacts, and recent studies have established the ability of prototypes to facilitate communication. However, prior work suggests that novice designers often fail to perceive prototypes as effective communication tools, and struggle to rationalize design decisions made during prototyping tasks. To understand the interactions between communication and prototypes, design pitches from 40 undergraduate engineering design teams were collected and qualitatively analysed. Our findings suggest that students used prototypes to explain and persuade, aligning with prior studies of design practitioners. The results also suggest that students tend to use prototypes to justify design decisions and adverse outcomes. Future work will seek to understand novice designers’ use of prototypes as communication tools in further depth. Ultimately, this work will inform the creation of pedagogical strategies to provide students with the skills needed to effectively communicate design solutions and intent.

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