CyPhy Process for Rapid Product Design and Evaluation

该研究项目的总体目标是通过提供一种直接集成虚拟和物理原型的方法，从根本上改变工业工程设计过程。 为实现这一目标，将努力实现六个支持性研究目标。 第一个是对工业设计过程进行基准测试，以澄清关键的管理需求，并量化其周期时间，成本和产品质量权衡。 下一个目标是开发一种新的相似性方法，使可靠的功能测试与快速原型在广泛的产品领域。 第三个目标是在物理原型中嵌入仪器（传感器和互连），并通过物理测量来估计产品行为。 基于这些测量结果，将开发一个理论框架和算法来比较和整合虚拟模型和物理模型，然后通过设计、制造和热机械评估工业基准的原型产品来验证新工艺的目标。如果成功，该研究将显著缩短设计周期。 因此，在设计过程的早期，设计人员可以获得更多的信息，从而可能提高生产率和设计鲁棒性。 预计从研究中获得的特别好处包括：采用嵌入式传感器技术的新型固体自由成型制造工艺;使用聚合物材料的传感器模型;用于集成虚拟和物理模型的控制，信号处理和相似性分析技术。

The overall objective of this research project is to change, fundamentally, industrial engineering design processes by providing a means to integrate, directly, virtual and physical prototypes. Six supporting research objectives will be pursued to meet this goal. The first is to benchmark industrial design processes to clarify critical managerial needs, and quantify their cycle time, cost, and product quality tradeoffs. The next objective is to develop a new similarity method to enable reliable functional tests with rapid prototypes in broad product domains. A third objective is to embed instrumentation (sensors and interconnects) within physical prototypes, and to estimate product behavior through physical measurements. Based on these measurements, a theoretical framework and algortihms will be developed to compare and integrate virtual models with physical models, followed by the objective of validating the new process by designing, fabricating, and thermo-mechanically evaluating prototype products from industrial benchmarks.If successful, the research will significantly reduce design cycle times. As a consequence, more information will be available to the designer earlier in the design process, possibly increasing productivity and design robustness. Particular benefits expected from the research include: a novel solid freeform fabrication process with embedded sensor technology; sensor models using polymer materials; control, signal processing, and similitude analysis techniques for integrating virtual and physical models.