Optimization of product configuration design using functional requirements and constraints

In product design, concept selection for determining product configuration is a critical step because all subsequent detailed design and process design is based on decisions made at this stage. To reduce design iteration, engineers must select concepts with superior performance while maintaining minimal interaction between them. However, the existing concept selection methods evaluate product concepts based only on either performance criteria or functional coupling of concepts. To sufficiently consider the interaction of concepts caused by both constraints and functional coupling, a decision model for concept selection in configuration design is developed. With different types of design information and their relations modeled explicitly in relation matrices, functional coupling strength and coupling strength of concepts with respect to constraints are assessed quantitatively. In addition to considering coupling, the multi-criteria analysis on the performance of concepts also contributes to the selection of concepts. Based on the coupling strength of candidate product concepts and their performance ratings, a mathematical decision model selects concepts with maximal performance and minimal coupling with respect to both functions and constraints. An example of gear train configuration design is used to demonstrate the capabilities of the decision model.