Knowledge Representation for Conceptual Engineering Design

The current conceptual design process for complex electro-mechanical systems (CEMS) is a pipeline of tasks where information is continuously being transformed (e.g. from function to behavior to form). Each task has its own vocabulary and structure making it difficult to reuse information between tasks. The proposed knowledge representation (KR) schema in this paper, called CEMS-IFBC (Integrated FunctionBehavior-Construction), allows the definition of multiple vocabularies; such flexibility is necessary for the variety of tasks involved during conceptual design. The schema has a set of predefined valid relationships for the creation of structures. Relations between different structures are possible; creating interrelated, multilayered structures, particularly useful when tracing back (validating) the effect of a proposed change originated downstream in the design process.

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