A Fundamental Study on the Design Methodology of Upgradable Machines

本计画旨在探讨可拆卸机械设计方法之形式化可行性。本研究分以下三个步骤进行：1.识别升级设计的设计模式：通过对工业设计案例的分析，明确并识别出升级设计案例中出现的设计模式。确定了以下三种模式并用于构建可升级机器的设计方法：使功能结构隔离和独立，添加备用功能和可升级的设计过程。使功能结构隔离和独立是一种设计操作，使表现出感兴趣功能的组件被识别（和隔离）并独立于其他组件。通过这样做，这组组件可以被视为用于升级的单元。添加备用功能是一种设计操作，它将额外的备用功能添加到表现出感兴趣功能的现有组件中。需要可升级的设计过程来规划和嵌入可重构性在一系列的产品族中。升级规划方法的调查：我们确定了在制定产品系列升级计划时需要考虑的因素。特别是，我们确定了这样做的最关键因素之一是预测的不确定性。建立一个支持可重构设计的原型系统：我们实现了一个支持机械系统可重构设计的原型系统。因此，我们可以形式化一个由三个策略组成的可重构机器设计方法（即，在此基础上建立了一个设计支持系统。该报告通过可扩展性设计的示例说明了支持系统，这证明了可扩展性设计方法的强大功能。

The purpose of this project is to investigate the feasibility of formalizing design methodology of upgradable machines. The study was conducted in the following three steps.1 . Identification of design patterns for upgrading designs : By analyzing industrial design cases, we articulated and identified design patterns that appeared in upgrading design cases. The following three patterns were identified and were used to build the design methodology of upgradable machines : Making functional structures isolate and independent, Adding spare functions, and Upgradable design processes. Making functional structures isolate and independent is a design operation that makes components which exhibit the interested function identified (and isolated) and independent of other components. By doing so, this set of components can be regarded as a unit for upgrading. Adding spare functions is a design operation that adds extra, spare functions to the existing components that exhibit the interested function. Upgradable design processes are needed to plan and embed upgradability in a series of a product family.2. Investigation of planning methods for upgrading : We identified factors to be considered in building plans for upgrading a product series over generations. In particular, we identified one of the most critical factors in doing so is the uncertainty of prediction.3. Building a prototype system to support upgradable design : We implemented a prototype system to support upgradable design of mechanical systems.Consequently, we could formalize a design methodology of upgradable machines consisting of three strategies (i.e., Making functional structural components isolate and independent, Adding spare functions, and Upgradable design processes) based on which a design support system was built. The report illustrates the support system with an example of upgradable design and this demonstrates the power of the design methodology for upgradability.