The aided decision processes are expected to improve the design tasks by the reduction of uncertainty, which is one of the principal aspects that interferes with designer choices. These methods can ...optimise the problem solution by the time reduction in the iterative decision-cycles that can be based on previous knowledge. This article is based in the utilisation of a knowledge based method in design heuristics, which are defined as a set of procedures that allows both, discovery and acquisition, of a solution for a particular problem by the implementation of a strategy, guided by knowledge derived from the experience. This is applied to design area by the extrapolation of technical or conceptual knowledge that has been previously applied and proven in similar problem-solving processes and providing reference points within designs processes as well. For this reason the research focuses on the development of a design case in order to evaluate the interaction between the user and the guided problem approach. The objective was the analysis between two different design processes by the comparison of the implementation of heuristics based method and conventional design techniques in a design case. The purpose was to compare the outcomes of both experiments, taking as a basis the following setup: The design case proposed was carried out by two different teams, where the first team was instructed to use conventional problem-solving approaches such as Pahl & Beitz and Ulrich & Eppinger and the second one was intended to use the heuristics based method. The design task given to both teams was the development of a methane production system by the use of organic waste with the incorporation of technologies to allow the variables control, in other words, an automated biodigester; this allows to have an outcome all teams easy to comparable between each other. Each team performed the task separately, in order to avoid external influence in the process. All of this to proof that with the aid of tools based on heuristic strategies might enhance the innovation and diversification in design alternatives and strengthens conceptual exploration by providing more detailed concepts in early stages of the process.
Solving a design problem requires the analysis of several factors from a large number of possible solutions. Determining the most suitable solution arising from the conceptual stage is a ...time-consuming and costly process. The knowledge data base should provide the designer with the necessary information and knowledge during the different stages of the design process in order to develop better products. The designer should then be able to select and extract the required information from a predefined knowledge data base, enabling him to take decisions at the architectural stage and thus solve design problems. Exploring the knowledge data base enables him to make the appropriate technological choices (components and their organisation) and produce behaviour models to validate these choices. Additionally, the designer should be able to define the problem using three different complementary approaches: functional, structural and physical. In this way he can produce alternative solutions and architectures as well as the decision criteria for any product optimisation. Adopting the converter (C), transmitter (T), operator (O), reference logic, and standard components were selected and their organisation determined, then by analysing their interactions the product architecture was developed. Using this procedure reduces the number of solutions and at the same time produces the most satisfying solutions. In this paper we present a methodology to reduce the number of possible solutions during the architectural stage. The general approach proposed will be applied to a specific case of a development of a wind turbine system. Selecting relevant information from the knowledge base shortens the decision-making time. Five stages are evaluated: systematic interaction analysis, arrangement of components, identification of interactions, selection of interactions and configuration analysis. Using this procedure reduces the number of possible architectures related to the design problem.
Population aging in recent years has increased the number of people needing orthoses to assist or rehabilitate a failing joint or limb. However, as these are a class 1 medical device, orthosis ...development is mainly based on companies’ empirical knowledge and this can often result in usage problems and consequently, in the most extreme cases, in the devices being abandoned. Additionally, since articular orthoses may enable a movement to be performed, this imposes additional development restrictions which should be considered during the conceptual design stage of product development. As there are limited design tools available for the conceptual design stage and existing design methods are not well adapted to the development of these demanding medical devices, the development of articular orthoses may lead to inaccurate and maladjusted concepts, ill-adapted to the user's needs, and consequently, a source of discomfort. The aim of the design method proposed here is to help the mechanical designer during the conceptual design stage by taking into account from the beginning of the development process the way articular orthoses are used in life situations and at significant moments. Additionally, based on the theory of mechanisms, concepts such as the number of components, degrees of freedom and degrees of hyperstatism can be considered. This provides an exhaustive list of possible concepts for the articular mechanism which are subsequently screened according to different criteria related to the specific limb anatomy and specific medical conditions of the user in order to optimize concept choice. On this basis, this study develops an exhaustive research method to reach a large number of possible articular mechanisms to perform the desired articular movement for a specific orthosis, also taking into account the specific human body part.
Eco design and sustainable design are words with increasing relevance in the development of new products. One of the main reasons is the growing worry about the environmental issues that the planet ...is having nowadays, hence the demand for products with this aspect included. Now designers have the opportunity to adapt useful tools to estimate the environmental impact of a design concept in order to develop environmentally friendly products. However, it is only in the last stages of design process where design teams have enough information to calculate the impact of a proposal. This calculation is a tedious, expensive and demanding activity and involving a high level of knowledge about materials, manufacturing processes and eco-design strategies. For this reason, environmental impact estimations gain relevance in the early stages of the design process, where more risks can be taken with a lower cost. This article suggests a taxonomy to analyze product’s shape; in order to offer a structured and systematic way of performing a morphology classification, being able to integrate this subjective aspect to other necessary variables needed to estimate the environmental impact. It offers a way to understand how shape, material and Manufacturing process are key aspects to make environmental impact estimations of preliminary concepts during the Conceptual Design.
Heuristics-based design process Calle-Escobar, Manuela; Mejía-Gutiérrez, Ricardo; Nadeau, Jean-Pierre ...
International journal on interactive design and manufacturing,
11/2016, Letnik:
10, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
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This article explores the applicability of heuristic rules into the decision-making processes involved in design practices, with the aim of generating a strategic approach for the fixation, ...tangibilization and re-utilization of knowledge within organizations. For this purpose, the research focuses on the creation of a methodological approach and a support tool that seeks to facilitate the introduction of heuristics into particular stages of the design process, such as concept development and architecture definition. This is achieved by providing an initial analysis of the design problem, and the definition of specific problem solving actions based on heuristics. This means that, with the aid of tools specifically developed for the method, the process will help design engineers explore several solution principles with applications previously implemented in diverse domains, thus triggering creativity in problem solving activities. This will enable a more diverse concept generation and a more detailed product development process. In addition, it will allow organizations to work with tools and procedures for them to ensure that emerging knowledge can be integrated to the proposed approach and reused in the future.
Industrial designers have to design products that meet user requirements. User requirements are usually used as validation elements at the end of the product design process. Yet, at this stage in the ...product design process, many decisions have already been made. Decisions made by designers in the preliminary design phase account for 70% of total product development costs. Therefore, iterating a design process is very expensive. The objective of the approach presented in this paper is to integrate user requirements at the beginning of preliminary design. The general object of the approach is to find links between a sensory characterisation and a functional characterisation of a product. Using such links, designers will be able to evaluate the influence of design decisions on user sensations. We propose to identify a product's functionalities. On the one hand, we define and quantify sensory variables relating to a product's functionalities and on the other hand we identify and quantify criteria variables and design variables. Then we search for relations between sensory variables (SVs) and criteria variables (CV)/design variables (DV). Methodologies and process used are presented in this paper. The present approach is applied to the parabolic ski in basic turn. With this example, we study somesthesia which is the sensations set perceived within muscles and ligaments. We obtain links between SVs and DV. We can integrate user requirements into preliminary design.
The flash evaporation process uses pressure differences to cause instantaneous fluid cooling and concentration. It is thus used for shortened cooling time in the wine-making process. Although ...promising since it allows grape cooling and concentration in addition to improving wine quality with one single device, the development of this process remains limited because of the poor efficiency of the thermal exchanges and the important size of the installations. The preliminary design stage is one of the first steps of the design process. Often neglected, this stage is nevertheless important since decisions taken at this point, like gauging and choosing components, are of major importance in relation to global development costs.
In order to improve the system compactness and thermal efficiency and, to support the decision-making process, a multicriteria and multiphysics-oriented preliminary design of an innovative two-stage flash evaporation process for cooling in wine-making process was performed. Using a specific formalisation methodology that uses Constraint Satisfaction Problem techniques to enable taking into consideration different types of data, constraints related to the physical behaviour of the system and to manufacturing, encumbrance, eco-design and cost criteria are simultaneously included in the design model. The entire physical model, considering multiple coupled phenomena, was validated through an experimental analysis carried out on an instrumented pilot unit. Results are presented and discussed. Global results, considering physics, gauging, mass, costs and eco-design constraints are also presented and discussed. A detailed design flash evaporator specifically for industrial use is briefly described.
The integration of the environmental dimension is crucial in industrial activity. Designers should integrate the new environmental constraints to adapt their approaches and methodologies in the ...framework of eco-innovation of industrial products and consumer goods. This paper proposes a new method integrating ecological aspects into the innovation process. We analyze different tools proposed in the literature to determine the relevant parameters to consider for assuring an efficient methodology. Relevant parameters are related to different phases in the lifecycle of the product and it is proposed to link them to different impacts on the environment. Actions are set up to guide engineers in the early phase of concept generation for eco-innovation. The methodology is essentially based on functional analysis, energy analysis and physical analysis of products and problem solving tools stemming from Triz theory.
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