A formal functional representation methodology for conceptual design of material-flow processing devices. Issue 4 (4th October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Yong; Zhao, Meng; Liu, Ying; Xie, Youbai
• Editors: McMahon, Chris; Liu, Ying; McAdams, Daniel
• Is Part Of: AI EDAM. Volume 30:Issue 4(2016)
• Page Start: 353
• Page End: 366
• Publication Date: 2016-10-04
• Subjects: Conceptual Design, -- Function, -- Material-Flow Processing Devices, -- Solution Principle; Engineering design -- Data processing -- Periodicals; Artificial intelligence -- Periodicals; Expert systems (Computer science) -- Periodicals; 620.00420285
• DOI: 10.1017/S0890060416000342
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0890-0604

Abstract

Abstract: Although there has been considerable computer-aided conceptual design research, most of the proposed approaches are domain specific and can merely achieve conceptual design of energy flows-processing systems. Therefore, this research is devoted to the development of a general (i.e., domain-independent) and knowledge-based methodology that can search in a wide multidisciplinary solution space for suitable solution principles for desired material-flow processing functions without designers' biases toward familiar solution principles. It first proposes an ontology-based approach for representing desired material-flow processing functions in a formal and unambiguous manner. Then a rule-based approach is proposed to represent the functional knowledge of a known solution principle in a general and flexible manner. Thereafter, a simulation-based retrieval approach is developed, which can search for suitable solution principles for desired material-flow processing functions. The proposed approaches have been implemented as a computer-aided conceptual design system for test. The conceptual design of a coin-sorting device demonstrates that our functional representation methodology can make the proposed computer-aided conceptual design system to effectively and precisely retrieve suitable solution principles for a desired material-flow processing function.