A closed-loop engineering approach for modular design based on collaboration and optimization

Regarding to the lack of integration between modular product family¿s designing and specific product¿s synthesizing, a closed-loop modular design approach based on collaboration and optimization is presented. Aimed at improving the efficiency of specific design and the evolution of family structure, the framework of process and techniques is rebuilt, and two important links and their techniques are researched, including collaborating among modules and optimizing of modular scheme. To apply specification of product family and realize collaboration among modules in synthesizing phase, a multi-view correlated model is used to express modular family, and an integrated model is given to combine it with the counterpart process model. Besides, collaborative model and its strategies are built up. To obtain information of conflict to resolve it and optimize family structure, an intelligent model is constructed, and a resolution mechanism for conflicts is devised. Finally, a prototype system of software was developed and applied in design of diesel engine, which proved the effectiveness of this approach to support collaborative modular design and scheme¿s optimization iteratively.