Framework of Rapid Product Cost Estimation Based on the Modular Product Family

By decomposing the product family into generic modules, the model of a modular product family is established, and the candidate modules which are nearest to the customer requirement can be retrieved by computing the similar degree of module case and the target module on the same module model quantitatively. For the search space is restricted within the generic modules, so it is helpful to reduce the search time and promote efficiency. And then, the cost structure of the different types of modules is analyzed, i.e., the basic module and customized module, and the different cost estimation approaches are applied to different types of modules. Finally, the cost of the customized product can be calculated quickly and accurately by accumulating the cost of modules in each level of the modular product family progressively.