On the Function-Behavior-Structure Model for Design

Abstract

There are many proposals regarding the design model which are related to such notions as function, behavior, and structure. They have created some confusion about and debates on which one should be the most appropriate one. Naturally, a question one may ask is whether they are actually the same thing but with different names or whether they have different scopes of applications for different design problems. In this paper, we evaluate these proposals and attempt to clean up the confusion and comment on the debates. As a result, we are able to conclude a unified and general one and to show how it can be shaped into specific ones, proposed by others in literature, which are applicable to specific design problems.

Function-Behavior-Structure Model of Design: An Alternative Approach

“…For example, "a power plant is an object which is observable by its properties, e.g., generating power." [9]. In FM, power is a flowthing, as shown in Fig.…”

“…Naturally, a question one may ask is whether they are actually the same thing but with different names or whether they have different scopes of applications for different design problems. [9] This paper suggests a viable alternative to the FBS model of design in terms of a diagrammatic language that is akin to specifications in software engineering. It then applies this alternative to the concepts of function, behavior, and structure.…”

“…Research has shown that the critical concepts of function and behavior have many different definitions [8]. "There are debates on the suitability of these notions to the design model, which have left much confusion" [9].…”

A Safety Monitoring Model for a Faulty Mobile Robot

“…Although the architecture considered in this paper is similar to the FCBPSS model, there is a clear distinction in the focus that leads to both ways of design. The FCBPSS seems to be design from top to bottom, meaning that the inspiration seems to go from the higher function that the system needs to perform, down to the hardware primitives [32]. The skill architecture considered here has a bottom-to-top approach, considering the primitives first, and building up bigger blocks (skills) until it has the necessary tools to perform different tasks.…”

Resilient Robots: Concept, Review, and Future Directions

“…In this paper, we employ a general system modeling tool named FCBPSS [17] to account for different views of the concept of resilience for a robotic system. The FCBPSS model has been used for the design of general products, and it provides a comprehensive approach to analyze and synthesize a system [18].…”