Embedding design structures in engineering information

工程师使用设计结构，例如物料清单（bom），为特定的活动定制产品定义，包括形状。例如，工程BoM定义了已设计的产品，而制造BoM定义了同一产品的已构建状态，而服务BoM包含了关于如何维护产品的信息。所有这些bom都与相同的设计产品相关。然而，在实践中，由于当前计算机辅助设计技术和相关业务系统的限制，不同的bom通常与同一产品的不同数字定义有关。这就产生了严重的数据管理问题，增加了产品开发过程的成本、时间和返工。如果解决了，通过提高产品开发过程的效率和有效性，可以实现实质性的商业利益。工程师面临的主要挑战在于(1)了解给定产品的bom和其他设计结构的范围如何相互关联以及产品本身，以及(2)确保他们拥有针对特定任务的最佳设计结构。例如，BoM是部分-整体关系的层次结构，在需要产品分解结构时很有用，而工程设计任务通常需要设计结构，该结构捕获正在设计的部件与必须与之接口的部件之间的关系。在第二种[晶格]结构中，需要装配配合关系。这些和其他类型的连接关系与BoM的部分-整体关系有着根本的不同。嵌入允许将一个数学构造的实例叠加到另一个实例上[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embedding]]。自20世纪30年代以来，它就被记录在数学文献中。具体应用的描述不太常见，但确实出现在，例如，在形状计算文献中。如何使嵌入的鲁棒实现在实际应用中使用仍然是一个开放的研究问题。本项目将探索可用于在工程信息中嵌入设计结构的计算工具的可行性。如果成功，我们将展示工程师在需要时将多个设计结构与给定设计相关联的方法。在这样做的过程中，关键的工作领域将是：1)开发以用户为中心的案例研究，以便更好地理解嵌入的附加价值；2)创建用于展示这种潜力的软件原型。项目团队汇集了工程设计和相关信息系统、组织心理学、数学和计算方面的研究人员。我们将与工业和其他终端用户合作伙伴一起定义案例研究，并使用它们来支持如何实施和使用嵌入来增强现实世界的工程设计、制造和生命支持过程。

Engineers use design structures, such as Bills of Materials (BoMs), to tailor product definitions, including shape, for particular activities. For example, an engineering BoM defines the as-designed product whereas a manufacturing BoM defines the as-built state of the same product and a service BoM includes information on how the product has been maintained. All of these BoMs relate to the same designed product. However in practice, because of restrictions arising from current computer aided design technologies and associated business systems, different BoMs are usually related to separate digital definitions of the same product. This creates significant data management problems that add cost, time and rework into product development processes. If resolved, substantial business benefits, through improved efficiency and effectiveness of product development processes, could be achieved. Key challenges for engineers lie in (1) understanding how the range of BoMs and other design structures of a given product relate to each other and the product itself, and (2) in ensuring they have the best design structure(s) for specific tasks. For example, a BoM is a hierarchy of part-whole relationships that are useful when a product breakdown structure is needed whereas engineering design tasks typically need design structures that capture how the part being designed relates to the parts to which it must interface. In this second type of [lattice] structure, assembly mating relationships are needed. These and other kinds of connection relationship are fundamentally different to the part-whole relationships of a BoM. Embedding allows one instance of a mathematical construct to be superimposed on another [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embedding]. It has been documented since the 1930s in the mathematics literature. Descriptions of concrete applications are less common but do occur in, e.g., in the shape computation literature. Methods to enable the robust implementation of embedding for use in real-world applications remains an open research issue. This project will explore the feasibility of computational tools that can be used to embed design structures in engineering information. If successful we will demonstrate ways in which engineers can associate multiple design structures with a given design as and when such structures are needed. In doing so, key areas of work will be in 1) The development of user-focussed case studies where the added value of embedding can be better understood and 2) The creation of software prototypes for use in demonstrating this potential.The project team brings together researchers with track records in engineering design and associated information systems, organisational psychology, mathematics and computing. We will work with industrial and other end user partners to define case studies and use them to support demonstrations of how embedding might be implemented and used to enhance real-world engineering design, manufacturing and through life support processes.