A computational approach to the design of micromechanical hinged structures

We are investigating computational aspects of engineering design problems that are amenable to tractable algorithmic solution. The design process for an artifact can be viewed as a transformation through a series of abstraction spaces that characterize the artifact (Kannapan and Marshek 1991): Requirements, structure, parametrization, geometry, and manufacture space. Design automation aims at algorithmic solutions for these transformations. Our work focuses on the transition from parameter space to geometry space (parametric design) for algorithmically tractable subclasses of design problems. We are currently developing a theory for the design of micromechanical hinged structures. These devices (Pister et al. 1992) are particularly attractive to design automation, because of the highly specialized and automated production process, which constrains and guides geometric design, the possibly high number of devices produced simultaneously in one manufacturing process, and the rather simple geometry and functionality of the devices. In the following we brie y describe micromechanical hinged structures, and give an overview on our approach for design automation. This approach will use qualitative analysis of the kinematic states of the structure, and fast non-numerical simulation of its behavior. A more detailed description of this approach can be found in (B ohringer 1993).