Integrated cooling (i-Cool) textile of heat conduction and sweat transportation for personal perspiration management

Perspiration evaporation plays an indispensable role in human body heat dissipation. However, conventional textiles tend to focus on sweat removal and pay little attention to the basic thermoregulation function of sweat, showing limited evaporation ability and cooling efficiency in moderate/profuse perspiration scenarios. Here, we propose an integrated cooling (i-Cool) textile with unique functional structure design for personal perspiration management. By integrating heat conductive pathways and water transport channels decently, i-Cool exhibits enhanced evaporation ability and high sweat evaporative cooling efficiency, not merely liquid sweat wicking function. In the steady-state evaporation test, compared to cotton, up to over 100% reduction in water mass gain ratio, and 3 times higher skin power density increment for every unit of sweat evaporation are demonstrated. Besides, i-Cool shows about 3 °C cooling effect with greatly reduced sweat consumption than cotton in the artificial sweating skin test. The practical application feasibility of i-Cool design principles is well validated based on commercial fabrics. Owing to its exceptional personal perspiration management performance, we expect the i-Cool concept can provide promising design guidelines for next-generation perspiration management textiles.

Computational Conceptual Design Using Space Matrix

Conceptual design is an early stage in the product design process, which has an essential effect on product innovation. This paper is devoted to computational conceptual design utilizing design synthesis. After the functional model was proposed, the physical parameter model was put forward. The integrated model of function repository and solution repository based on space matrix was built up. The computational conceptual design process based on space matrix was then proposed, including design synthesis algorithm based on space matrix, feature matching based on physical parameter, solutions constraints matching based on design catalog, functional structure design based on functional structure evolutionary model, and evaluation and selection approach based on design catalog. The conceptual design of new devices for decreasing resistance of amphibious vehicles is given as an example, which demonstrates that the methodology is helpful to produce valuable solutions for product innovation.

The Simulator for Teaching how to Drive a Car for People with Disabilities

This work presents ideas for a passenger car driving simulator for teaching the disabled. The functional structure, design assumptions, and the concept and operation of the proposed simulator are presented.

Functional Structure Design of English Learning Machine Based on Innovative Cognition

In terms of cognitive psychology and innovative psychology, this paper establishes the innovative cognitive process of English learning from input of information to output of language acquisition result. Then combined with the theory of cognitive linguistics, the paper analyzes the main impact that innovative cognition produced on English learning process, and proposes the related English learning strategies. Based on the above theory, functional structure of English learning machine, which is made up of the man-machine interaction interface, the core function layer and the hardware base layer, is presented. The method proposed here should be helpful for further research on the model of English learning machine.

Adaptive Synthesis of Hydraulic Circuits From Design Cases Based on Functional Structure

An adaptive synthesis method for hydraulic circuits is proposed by using case-based reasoning technique based on their functional structure. Since synthesis of hydraulic circuits is a typical problem of conceptual design and its property is expertise-oriented and combinatorial, it is difficult to declaratively represent useful design knowledge. In our design method, past design cases are afore-stored in the case base, and then a circuit is generated by arranging suitable past cases which are retrieved from the case base in accordance with the difference related to functional structure. In order to measure such functional structure, design specifications are represented with labels. Design cases are adaptively manipulated into a target design with three synthesis strategies, decomposition, series combination and parallel combination, based on surplus or deficit of labels. Moreover, arranged circuits are verified with a logical simulation method based on symbol manipulation. These synthesis and simulation methods are applied to some design problems in order to show their effectiveness and validity.