Functional descriptions used in computer support for qualitative scheme generation—“Schemebuilder”

Abstract

With increased pressures coming from global competition and requirements for greater innovation in product development, designers are hard pressed to deliver designs of higher quality and variety using a repertoire of technological options from different disciplines. This interdisciplinary product development approach has not only removed many of the traditional constraints to design but has now given designers a much wider freedom of choice as to the best solution to a design problem. The focus of this paper is a knowledge-based design environment called Schemebuilder, which is a comprehensive and integrated suite of software tools aimed at supporting the designer in the rapid development of product design models in the conceptual, through embodiment stages of design. Illustrated is the use of the software tools in the qualitative generation of alternative schemes, by application of stored working and decomposition principles in the development of a function-means tree-like information structure. With mechatronic product development as the main theme, this paper describes a closely integrated methodology that incorporates a bond graph approach to continuous-time energetic systems and high-level Petri nets for the rigorous description of discrete-time information systems. Additionally, a technique is suggested for the decomposition of free format statements of need into the rigorously defined design context and required functions, which form the starting point of the function-means development process.

Automated synthesis of electromechanical design configurations from empirical analysis of function to form mapping

“…The representation developed here aims to relate components in terms of their dynamic behavior, shape, and purpose. In this way, the research is similar to other dynamic simulation methodologies such as those presented in Paredis, et al (2001) and Bracewell et al (1996). In recent years, engineering researchers have discovered that graph grammars (Rozenberg, 1997) and shape grammars (Stiny, 1980) provide a flexible and yet structured approach to engineering design methods (Cagan, 2001).…”

A DSM-based framework for integrated function modelling: concept, application and evaluation

“…However, even within the mechanical engineering literature, a large diversity of alternative function modelling approaches can be found, such as the function-behaviourstructure framework (Gero 1990), structure-behaviourfunction model (Iwasaki et al 1993), Schemebuilder (Bracewell and Sharpe 1996), the function-behaviour-state model (Umeda and Tomiyama 1997), or the conglomerate approaches by Tjalve (1978) or Hubka and Eder (1988;Eder and Hosnedl 2008). The diversity increases tremendously when further disciplines are considered.…”

Designing creative artificial systems

“…For example, Chaplin et al (1994) and Bracewell and Sharpe (1996) describe an integrated design support tool called SchemeBuilder, aimed at supporting a multidisciplinary systems designer in the conceptual and embodiment stages of design. This tool provides guidance and suggestions, and allows the human designer to play a more active role in applying design judgements.…”