Toward Improved Models of Mechanical Design Methology

本研究的目的是提高我们对机械设计过程的理解。这种理解将改进未来的计算机辅助设计工具。获得这种理解的方法将是进行一个实验，在这个实验中，设计师们被仔细地构造问题，并研究他们从规格到实现的创建设计的协议。使用来自人工智能领域的现有模型，协议将被形式化。这个研究项目的主要工作将是开发一种用于说明规范的正式语言，一种用于描述工件（对象、过程或系统）的正式语言，一种用于定性模拟和约束传播的系统，以及一个支持设计的智能数据库系统。在这些领域中的任何一个突破都将是设计理论的重大进步。

The goal of this research is to improve our understanding of the process of mechanical design. This understanding will improve future computer-aided design tools. The method for gaining this understanding will be to perform an experiment in which designers are given carefully constructed problems and to study their protocols for creating a design from specifications to implementation. Using existing models from the field of artificial intelligence, the protocols will be formalized. A major effort of this research project will be directed toward developing a formal language for stating specifications, a formal language for describing artifacts (objects, processes, or systems), a system for qualitative simulation and constraint propagation, and an intelligent database system to support design. A breakthrough in any of these areas would be a major advance for design theory.