A CAD Methodology for Knowledge Assisted Design
Abstract
Modern computer-aided design (CAD) systems have developed into integral support tools for the product design and development process. Designers must, however, draw upon experiential engineering knowledge such as past experiences, specific design rules and procedures, and heuristic reasoning just as before the advent of CAD. This work develops a methodology for integrating experiential engineering knowledge in an interactive CAD environment that serves as a knowledgeable design assistant and supports a design process controlled by the designer. The knowledge assisted design environment is an object-oriented, domain independent framework based on a blackboard architecture that incorporates a feature-based design environment with multiple, autonomous knowledge sources. The system can be utilized for any domain for which a set of features and knowledge sources have been defined. The knowledge sources provide design assistance by reacting opportunistically to a developing design solution and by presenting advice interactively to the designer. The object-oriented knowledge and hierarchical, feature-based model representations are presented along with the design environment and its functionality. The methodology is applied to the industrial application of engine flywheel design.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 07, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA350929
Entities
People
- Paul A. Hey
Organizations
- Purdue University