Research On Module Expansion Of Product Modular Design

Modular design make enterprise has capability of offering diversified products to suit the changing market. However, in order to obtain more advantage in market competition, modular design process should be closer to customer. According to customer needs, modular design process will provide diversified products rapidly. Customer needs are dynamically and customer needs changes lead to model changes. When existed modules can’t meet new customer needs, module expansion is required to derive new modules and new products to meet changing customer needs. Module expansion is not isolated. How can integrate module expansion to modular design, how can determine the direction of module expansion and how can realize module expansion make new demands for modular design. To solve these problems, the key technologies of module expansion of modular product design are study in this dissertation. The main contents of the dissertation are presented as follows:1) A product organization model based on function block is proposed. In the background of complex product, the facing problems of product configuration, such as large number of modules, complex relationship between modules and so on, are researched. To address these issues, function block is proposed to form product organization model. Function block is established based on module sets formed by analyzing correspondences between customer needs and modules. Most modules’ relationships is limited in function block. There are only few or no modules’ relationships between function blocks. Thus, module expansion is limited in function block. By using formal description, the structure of function block and module is regulated to improve scalability of function sets and modules.2) A modular planning method based on Matrix is proposed. According to the customer needs and the association relations between modules, the Design Dependency Matrix(DDM) is established. Modules relationships are divided into strong correlation and weak correlation; Based on DDM clustering result, combine with the relationships between modules, the Design Structure Matrix(DSM) is established. By DSM clustering, modular planning schema is derived, which take both customer needs and geometric correlation of modules into account. In the modular planning schema, product modules are divided to several internal high coupling and external low coupling modules sets, which will support the establishment of function block.3) A product configuration model based on Polychromatic Sets(PS) is proposed. According to the correspondence between functions needs and product series, functions needs and modules, and capability needs and modules, multilayer polychromatic sets contour comprising matrices are established. On the basis of contour comprising matrices, multilayer polychromatic sets solving model of product configuration is derived. The solving model derives diversified product scheme meet customer needs rapidly. Boolean matrix is used to represent configuration information and logical relationships in the solving model. When new function blocks and modules are added to modular design and derived new configuration rules, just need adapt related Boolean matrix. Therefore, the configuration model has a strong adaptive capacity to function blocks changes and modules changes.4) An evolution model of product modules based on complex network brittleness theory is proposed. Product module network is established by using complex network theory in terms of modules usage in production. In addition, it presents unique phenomenon of modules uneven usage. On the basis of analyzing vulnerability and robustness of the network, together with taking into consideration factors such as arrival rate, completion rate, and use rate and so on, the product module network’s brittleness risk estimate function is established to evaluate the uncertainty of network’ stability. According to brittleness risk source, module evolution strategy is proposed to improve network’s stability. To guide the network change caused by module evolution, dynamic evolution model is built. Module evolution optimizes the organizational structure of product modules, develops new modules and deletes obsolete modules to support module expansion of modular product design.5) An adaptive module modeling method based on predicting change path is proposed. The graph theory is a basis to develop an Adjacency Matrix(Design Structure Matrix) to describe the relevance between different parameters. With analyzing clustered Design Structure Matrix, module’s potential changing paths will be forecasted. The paper organized changing paths and related information in structuring storage files to improve the changing paths’ and related information’s extendibility. Then the research integrated structuring information and fully constrained module to develop the self-adaption module. Based on the range of changing path, the tolerances of nodding parameters, arithmetic of nodding parameters, feasibility of changing path and scope of influences, the viable change path has been confirmed. For the different changing sources, the paper proposes a self-regulation algorithm for the self-adaption module. It is an effective method to realize module expansion.On the basis of the methods proposed in this dissertation, a prototype system referred to Scalable Modular Design Platform(SMDP) is developed to satisfy the module expansion of modular product design. SMDP provide functions of modular design resource management and establishment, such as function sets analyze, polychromatic sets entities matrix translate, product module network establish and analyze. In addition, it supports the increase of product configuration rules and adaptive module change.of multi freedom. Therefore, SDMP can satisfy the module expansion of modular product design.