A Computational Framework for Concept Generation and Exploration in Mechanical Design

This paper focuses on developing a computational tool for concept generation and exploration in mechanical design. This tool has the ability to provide a wide range of interesting concepts which would enhance a designer’s creative potential. To start with the tool, it requires a set of qualitative input and output characteristics, and by virtue of three steps of synthesis and screening, it provides a set of solution concepts in terms of 3D physical embodiments. The theoretical descriptions of this tool in terms of representation of concepts, reasoning procedures and the overall convergent-divergent approach for generating solution concepts are central to this paper.

[1]  Wolfgang Beitz,et al.  Engineering Design: A Systematic Approach , 1984 .

[2]  Leo Joskowicz,et al.  From Kinematics to Shape: An Approach to Innovative Design , 1988, AAAI.

[3]  James R. Rinderle,et al.  A synthesis strategy for mechanical devices , 1989 .

[4]  Warren P. Seering,et al.  Synthesis of schematic descriptions in mechanical design , 1989 .

[5]  J Rinderle,et al.  Automated modeling to support design , 1990 .

[6]  James R. Rinderle,et al.  A transformational approach to mechanical design using a bond graph grammer , 1990 .

[7]  Sridhar Kota,et al.  Conceptual design of mechanisms based on computational synthesis and simulation of kinematic building blocks , 1992 .

[8]  Yasushi Umeda,et al.  A CAD for Functional Design , 1993 .

[9]  Amaresh Chakrabarti,et al.  A Two-Step Approach to Conceptual Design of Mechanical Devices , 1994 .

[10]  John S. Gero,et al.  Artificial Intelligence in Design ’94 , 1994, Springer Netherlands.

[11]  B. Faltings,et al.  Supporting Creative Mechanical Design , 1994 .

[12]  D. Subramanian,et al.  Kinematic synthesis with configuration spaces , 1995 .

[13]  K. W. Chan,et al.  A qualitative and heuristic approach to the conceptual design of mechanisms , 1996 .

[14]  Amaresh Chakrabarti,et al.  Generating conceptual solutions on FuncSION: evolution of a functional synthesiser , 1996 .

[15]  John S. Gero,et al.  Function–behavior–structure paths and their role in analogy-based design , 1996, Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing.

[16]  Leo Joskowicz,et al.  A representation language for mechanical behavior , 1996, Artif. Intell. Eng..

[17]  Amaresh Chakrabarti,et al.  An approach to functional synthesis of mechanical design Concepts: Theory, applications, and emerging research issues , 1996, Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing.

[18]  Gerd Fricke,et al.  Successful individual approaches in engineering design , 1996 .

[19]  Rob H. Bracewell,et al.  Functional descriptions used in computer support for qualitative scheme generation—“Schemebuilder” , 1996, Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing.

[20]  Fay Sudweeks,et al.  Artificial Intelligence in Design ’96 , 1996, Springer Netherlands.

[21]  Tetsuo Tomiyama,et al.  Functional Reasoning in Design , 1997, IEEE Expert.

[22]  Tamotsu Murakami,et al.  Mechanism concept retrieval using configuration space , 1997 .

[23]  Amaresh Chakrabarti,et al.  Transforming Functional Solutions into Physical Solutions , 1999 .

[24]  Patrick Langdon,et al.  Browsing a large solution space in breadth and depth , 1999 .