A Knowledge Sorting and Matrix Representation Approach for Developing Knowledge-Based Product Design Systems

Abstract

Knowledge acquisition plays a very important role in constructing a knowledge-based system. As the most time-consuming phase, it has been recognized as the bottleneck in developing a knowledge-based system (KBS). This paper presents a knowledge sorting and matrix representation approach to facilitate the effectiveness of knowledge acquisition in building a KBS. The proposed knowledge acquisition approach, which is based on the relationship sorting and matrix representation for different knowledge elements in product design, comprises four major consecutive steps for extracting rules. The procedure in each step is elaborated. A case study on solid circular power transmission shaft design is employed to illustrate how the proposed approach works.