A constraint-driven conceptual design approach for product based on function-behavior-structure design process

Abstract

Conceptual design is an important part of new product development (NPD) since it relies on performance, quality, and cost restrictions from users during the design process, and it has a direct impact on downstream design activities. However, in the function-behavior-structure (FBS) design model, constraints are only frequently used in the scheme evaluation or detailed optimization stage, ignoring the influence of various constraints in the function solution process, which leads to repeated revisions of design schemes. In addition, the expression of constraints in NPD is focused on the abstraction of qualitative requirements, and there is no regular classification and definition. Aiming at the above defects, a constraint-driven product conceptual design model based on FBS model is proposed. First, a constraint-driven FBS conceptual design model is proposed as an important theoretical basis for subsequent design. Second, FBS mapping is driven by constraints, and function-behavior association matrix under functional constraints and behavior-structure association matrix under behavioral constraints are established to obtain feasible principle solutions. Third, the principle solutions are combined according to the compatibility constraints, and the constraint evaluation criteria are integrated with the technology for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) to obtain the optimal conceptual scheme (CS). To aid the design process, a prototype solving CSs based on design constraints system is developed to assist designers to manage constraints and improve evaluation efficiency. Finally, a case study of the high-speed blender scheme is used to validate the proposed approach and the optimal CS driving by constraint is solved, then the compared results and prototype system showed the applicability of the proposed approach.