Open architecture for product adaptability: challenges in design, evaluation and implementation

产品适应性的开放架构：设计、评估和实施方面的挑战

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-04173
• 负责人: Peng, Qingjin
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: University of Manitoba
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=612817
• 关键词: Open; architecture; product; adaptability; challenges

Market competition and the rapid progress of technology development have led to wider diversity and shorter lifespans for industrial and consumer products such as machine tools, cars and cell phones. It is a challenge to design a product that can continuously meet changing user needs throughout its lifespan. In contrast to existing products, an adaptable product would be one that can be upgraded to meet user needs during the lifetime of the product. The research proposed here will develop methods using open architecture to improve product adaptability. It is proposed that an adaptable product would consist of three types of functional modules: common modules that serve as product platforms, customized modules for users to select when purchasing a product, and personalized modules that allow users to upgrade functions during the lifetime of the product. Adaptable products will provide open interfaces for users to upgrade functions in response to their changing needs without having to replace the product entirely. This represents an innovative concept in product implementation. This research consists of three tasks. 1) The design of open interfaces to facilitate product upgrading. This task will develop methods in interface representation, design and analysis. Qualitative measures will be proposed to evaluate interface design and operational efficiency. 2) The development of human-centered decision-making methods to capture user requirements. This task will apply agent-based modeling in human decision making to capture changes in user needs through simulation of human-product interactions. 3) The development of a user-friendly tool to increase user involvement in product evaluation. This task will integrate design evaluation and virtual reality facilities to support non-expert users. A natural user interface will be developed that can accept multiple types of data inputs. User involvement will include selection, modification and manipulation of products. The tools will also simulate user operations during product upgrading to verify design solutions. Using open architecture to improve product adaptability is an emerging concept. The short term research goals are to develop cost-effective methods for design, evaluation and implementation of adaptable products, and test the methods in products that will include wheelchairs, electrical vehicles, and industrial painting machines, etc. The long-term goal is to continue developing and perfecting open architecture as the structure for a new generation of products. The proposed adaptable products will mark a potential breakthrough in product development by combining open interfaces, the capacity to consider changing user needs, and direct user involvement in product implementation. The research solutions will be transferred into hardware and software tools for application in the development of adaptable products.

市场竞争和技术发展的快速进步导致了工业和消费产品如机床、汽车和手机的更广泛的多样性和更短的寿命。设计一款能够在整个生命周期中不断满足不断变化的用户需求的产品是一项挑战。与现有产品相比，适应性强的产品可以在产品的生命周期内升级以满足用户需求。本文提出的研究将开发使用开放架构来提高产品适应性的方法。提出适应性强的产品由三种功能模块组成：作为产品平台的通用模块、供用户购买产品时选择的定制模块和供用户在产品生命周期内升级功能的个性化模块。适应性强的产品将为用户提供开放的接口，以根据他们不断变化的需求升级功能，而不必完全更换产品。这代表了产品实施中的创新概念。