Computer Aided Conceptual Design of Mechanical Product Using Polychromatic Sets

The conceptual design is currently recognized as the most important product development phase. This paper proposes a formal method of computer aided conceptual design for mechanical product. Based on polychromatic sets theory, computer aided conceptual design process is developed, which includes two stages, schemes reasoning and mechanisms innovation. The formal function model of conceptual design is established and it can be described and reasoned mathematically from function requirements to primitive products. The mechanism synthesis rules are advanced, and the entities and Cartesian products of polychromatic sets are obtained to generate all possible mechanism chains and graphs with the same numbers of members and joints as the initial mechanism. The conveying manipulator´s hand and its drive mechanism are provided for further explanation and validation of the above theories and methods. With the firm mathematical foundation, the proposed method provides the basis for implementing computer aided conceptual design and promotes selective schemes innovation and computerization