In this paper, two approaches for computing the topological information content of function models in mechanical engineering design are developed and compared. Previously, a metric for computing information content of functions and flows within function models was proposed. Here, this metric is evolved to include the information contained in the connections between flows and functions in a function model. The first approach is based on uniform unconditional probability of a flow connecting any two functions within the model. The second approach is based on additional knowledge that the functions and flows in a model have limited compatibility, thereby, reducing the choices for origin and destination functions for each flow. This additional knowledge is represented using a new graphical representation supported by syntactic grammar rules. Both approaches are then applied to an example function model. Comparison between the approaches shows that the inclusion of this additional knowledge increases the expressiveness by reducing the uncertainty associated with function models.
Issue Section:
Research Papers
1.
Dym
, C. L.
, 1994, “Representing Designed Artifacts: The Languages of Engineering Design
,” Arch. Comput. Methods Eng.
1134-3060, 1
, pp. 75
–108
.2.
Pahl
, G.
, Beitz
, W.
, Feldhusen
, J.
, and Grote
, K. H.
, 2007, Engineering Design: A Systematic Approach
, Springer-Verlag
, London, UK
.3.
Summers
, J. D.
, Vargas-Hernández
, N.
, Zhao
, Z.
, Shah
, J. J.
, and Lacroix
, Z.
, 2001, “Comparative Study of Representation Structures for Modeling Function and Behavior of Mechanical Devices
,” ASME
Paper No. CIE-21243.4.
Summers
, J. D.
, 2005, “Expressiveness of the Design Exemplar
,” ASME
Paper No. CIE-85135.5.
Luger
, G. F.
, 2002, Artificial Intelligence: Structures and Strategies for Complex Problem Solving
, Addison-Wesley
, Essex, UK
.6.
Winston
, P. H.
, 1992, Artificial Intelligence
, Addison-Wesley
, Reading, MA
.7.
Rich
, E.
, and Knight
, K.
, 1991, Artificial Intelligence
, McGraw-Hill
, New York, NY
.8.
Baader
, F.
, 1996, “A Formal Definition for the Expressive Power of Terminological Knowledge Representation Languages
,” Journal of Logic and Computation
, 6
(1
), pp. 33
–54
.9.
Woods
, W. A.
, 1983, “What’s Important About Knowledge Representation
,” Computer
0018-9162, 16
(10
), pp. 22
–26
.10.
Coste-Marquis
, S.
, Lang
, J.
, Liberatore
, P.
, and Marquis
, P.
, 2004, “Expressive Power and Succinctness of Propositional Languages for Preference Representation
,” Ninth International Conference on Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KR’04)
, Whistler, Canada, pp. 203
–212
.11.
Nebel
, B.
, 2000, “On the Compilability and Expressive Power of Propositional Planning Formalisms
,” J. Artif. Intell. Res.
1076-9757, 12
, pp. 271
–315
.12.
Panchal
, J. H.
, Paredis
, C. J. J.
, Allen
, J. K.
, and Mistree
, F.
, 2009, “Managing Design-Process Complexity: A Value-of-Information Based Approach for Scale and Decision Decoupling
,” ASME J. Comput. Inf. Sci. Eng.
1530-9827, 9
(2
), p. 021005
.13.
Sen
, C.
, Caldwell
, B. W.
, Summers
, J. D.
, and Mocko
, G. M.
, 2010, “Evaluation of the Functional Basis Using an Information Theoretic Approach
,” Artif. Intell. Eng. Des. Anal. Manuf.
0890-0604, 24
(1
), pp. 85
–103
.14.
Ullman
, D. G.
, 1992, The Mechanical Design Process
, McGraw-Hill
, New York
.15.
Otto
, K. N.
, and Wood
, K. L.
, 2001, Product Design Techniques in Reverse Engineering and New Product Development
, Prentice Hall
, Upper Saddle River, NJ
.16.
Collins
, J. A.
, Hagan
, B. T.
, and Bratt
, H. M.
, 1976, “Failure-Experience Matrix—A Useful Design Tool
,” ASME J. Eng. Ind.
0022-0817, 98
(3
), pp. 1074
–1079
.17.
Kirschman
, C. F.
, and Fadel
, G. M.
, 1998, “Classifying Functions for Mechanical Design
,” ASME J. Mech. Des.
0161-8458, 120
(3
), pp. 475
–482
.18.
Arunajadai
, S. G.
, Stone
, R. B.
, and Tumer
, I. Y.
, 2002, “A Framework for Creating a Function-Based Design Tool for Failure Mode Identification
,” ASME 2002 Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference
, Montreal, Canada, Sep. 29–Oct. 2.19.
Bohm
, M. R.
, and Stone
, R. B.
, 2004, “Product Design Support: Exploring a Design Repository System
,” ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress
, Anaheim, CA, Nov. 13–19.20.
Bohm
, M. R.
, and Stone
, R. B.
, 2004, “Representing Functionality to Support Reuse: Conceptual and Supporting Functions
,” ASME 2004 Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference
, Salt Lake City, UT, Sep. 28–Oct. 2.21.
Bohm
, M. R.
, Stone
, R. B.
, Simpson
, T. W.
, and Steva
, E. D.
, 2006, “Introduction of a Data Schema: The Inner Workings of a Design Repository
,” ASME 2006 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference
, Philadelphia, PA, Sep. 10–13.22.
Bohm
, M. R.
, Stone
, R. B.
, and Szykman
, S.
, 2003, “Enhancing Virtual Product Representations for Advanced Design Repository Systems
,” ASME 2003 Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference
, Chicago, IL, Sep. 2–6.23.
Bohm
, M. R.
, Stone
, R. B.
, and Szykman
, S.
, 2005, “Enhancing Virtual Product Representations for Advanced Design Repository Systems
,” ASME J. Comput. Inf. Sci. Eng.
1530-9827, 5
(4
), pp. 360
–72
.24.
Bryant
, C. R.
, McAdams
, D. A.
, and Stone
, R. B.
, 2006, “A Validation Study of an Automated Concept Generator Design Tool
,” ASME 2006 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference
, Philadelphia, PA, Sep. 10–13.25.
Caldwell
, B. W.
, and Mocko
, G. M.
, 2007, “Towards Rules for Functional Composition
,” ASME 2008 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference
, Brooklyn, NY, Aug. 3–6.26.
Caldwell
, B. W.
, Sen
, C.
, Mocko
, G. M.
, Summers
, J. D.
, and Fadel
, G. M.
, 2008, “Empirical Examination of the Functional Basis and Design Repository
,” Third International Conference on Design Computing and Cognition
, Atlanta, GA, Jun. 23–25.27.
Hirtz
, J.
, Stone
, R. B.
, McAdams
, D. A.
, Szykman
, S.
, and Wood
, K. L.
, 2002, “A Functional Basis for Engineering Design: Reconciling and Evolving Previous Efforts
,” Res. Eng. Des.
0934-9839, 13
(2
), pp. 65
–82
.28.
Kurtoglu
, T.
, Campbell
, M. I.
, Bryant
, C. R.
, Stone
, R. B.
, and McAdams
, D. A.
, 2005, “Deriving a Component Basis for Computational Functional Synthesis
,” International Conference on Engineering Design, ICED ’05
, Melbourne, Australia, Aug. 15–18.29.
Kurtoglu
, T.
, Campbell
, M. I.
, Gonzales
, J.
, Bryant
, C. R.
, and Stone
, R. B.
, 2005, “Capturing Empirically Derived Design Knowledge for Creating Conceptual Design Configurations
,” ASME 2005 International Design Engineering and Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference
, Long Beach, CA, Sep. 24–28.30.
McAdams
, D. A.
, and Wood
, K.
, 2002, “A Quantitative Similarity Metric for Design-by-Analogy
,” ASME J. Mech. Des.
0161-8458, 124
(2
), pp. 173
–182
.31.
Sen
, C.
, Caldwell
, B. W.
, Summers
, J. D.
, and Mocko
, G. M.
, 2009, “Topological Information Content and Expressiveness of Function Models in Mechanical Design
,” ASME 2009 Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference
, San Diego, CA, Aug. 30–Sep. 2.32.
Sridharan
, P.
, and Campbell
, M. I.
, 2004, “A Grammar for Function Structures
,” ASME 2004 Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference
, Salt Lake City, UT, Sep. 28–Oct. 2.33.
Sridharan
, P.
, and Campbell
, M. I.
, 2005, “A Study on the Grammatical Construction of Function Structures
,” Artif. Intell. Eng. Des. Anal. Manuf.
0890-0604, 19
(3
), pp. 139
–160
.34.
Stone
, R. B.
, Tumer
, I. Y.
, and Stock
, M. E.
, 2005, “Linking Product Functionality to Historic Failures to Improve Failure Analysis in Design
,” Res. Eng. Des.
0934-9839, 16
(1–2
), pp. 96
–108
.35.
Stone
, R. B.
, and Wood
, K. L.
, 2000, “Development of a Functional Basis for Design
,” ASME J. Mech. Des.
0161-8458, 122
(4
), pp. 359
–370
.36.
Shu
, L. H.
, Stone
, R. B.
, McAdams
, D. A.
, and Greer
, J. L.
, 2007, “Integrating Function-Based and Biomimetic Design for Automatic Concept Generation
,” International Conference on Engineering Design, (ICED’07)
, Paris, France, Aug. 28–31.37.
Cagan
, J.
, Campbell
, M. I.
, and Finger
, S.
, 2005, “A Framework for Computational Design Synthesis: Model and Applications
,” ASME J. Comput. Inf. Sci. Eng.
1530-9827, 5
(3
), pp. 171
–181
.38.
Shannon
, C. E.
, 1948, “A Mathematical Theory of Communication
,” Bell Syst. Tech. J.
0005-8580, 27
, pp. 379
–423
and 623–656.39.
Kruse
, R. L.
, and Ryba
, A. J.
, 1999, Data Structures and Program Design in C
, Prentice-Hall
, Upper Saddle River, NJ
.40.
Ameri
, F.
, Summers
, J. D.
, Mocko
, G. M.
, and Porter
, M.
, 2008, “Engineering Design Complexity: An Experimental Study of Methods and Measures
,” Res. Eng. Des.
0934-9839, 19
(2–3
), pp. 161
–179
.41.
Suh
, N. P.
, 1990, The Principles of Design
, Oxford University Press
, New York
.42.
Summers
, J. D.
, and Shah
, J. J.
, 2010, “Mechanical Engineering Design Complexity Metrics: Size, Coupling, and Solvability
,” ASME J. Mech. Des.
0161-8458, 132
(2
), p. 021004
.Copyright © 2010
by American Society of Mechanical Engineers
You do not currently have access to this content.
