Communicating Conceptual Design of Mechatronic Systems

Abstract

Today's engineering designers must adapt to a changing model of product development. In the past, a single engineer could design, develop and deploy competitive systems --this is often no longer the case. Designing a mechanical system with integrated microprocessor control requires the collaboration of a cross-disciplinary team of engineers and, in many cases, no single member of the team understands the workings of the entire system. Consequently, as systems become increasingly complex, the ability to collaborate and reliably communicate design information becomes more and more crucial. Effective communication 1s particularly critical in conceptual design, where a poor decision has the highest potential cost. Efficiently exchanging conceptual design information requires a medium that can encapsulate complex, domain-specific concepts and yet be generically readable and concise. This thesis surveys recent work in the area of engineering design and the communication of conceptual design information. Research in these areas is contrasted with the current practices of Mechatronics Engineering, and potential gaps in the literature are identified. This work suggests that the integration of systems architecture and the mechatronic concept could provide an incremental step towards improving the design of mechatronic products.