Timothy Simpson - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Timothy Simpson

Research paper thumbnail of Assessing Functional and Shape Differentiation Within a Family of Products

Market differentiation strategies must identify competitive advantages when offering a line of pr... more Market differentiation strategies must identify competitive advantages when offering a line of products varying in features, price, quality, and/or aesthetics. Although this concept is well-known, many companies still have difficulties positioning their own products within their own product lines and against competitors. Few approaches combine two or more facets to answer the product differentiation problem. In this study, two novel indices are proposed to audit shape and functional differentiation within a family of products. The shape index appraises the shape similarity between the products upon digitization, while the functional assessment is based on functions characteristics of the product. Customers’ perception data is obtained experimentally and compared to these indices to validate the result. Pairs of products are evaluated, and the average scores are considered as the indices for a product family. A case study illustrates the usage of these two indices and performance of ...

Research paper thumbnail of Shape differentiation of freeform surfaces using a similarity measure based on an integral of Gaussian curvature

Computer-Aided Design

Freeform surfaces are popularly used to design and model complex 3D objects. These 3D models are ... more Freeform surfaces are popularly used to design and model complex 3D objects. These 3D models are stored as computerized models in databases. To facilitate data retrieval and shape matching, a major challenge lies in defining and computing the level of similarity between two or more freeform surfaces. In order to explore the useful 3D information associated with the surfaces, an integrated approach based on the integral of Gaussian curvature is proposed to develop the measures of similarity of freeform surfaces. Specifically, the integral of Gaussian curvature is mapped into the 2D space, and a shape-based measure is developed using statistical methods to compute the level of similarity. For smooth surfaces, a fast approximation algorithm is developed to calculate the curvature of individual subregions. In cases where the target surface has a complex topological structure or a smooth surface is not available, the integral of Gaussian curvature for the discrete surface is first calcul...

Research paper thumbnail of Teaching the global, economic, environmental, and societal foundations of engineering design through product archaeology

Research paper thumbnail of Visual Steering Commands and Test Problems to Support Research in Trade Space Exploration

12th AIAA/ISSMO Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization Conference, 2008

Designers can simulate thousands, if not millions, of design alternatives more cheaply and quickl... more Designers can simulate thousands, if not millions, of design alternatives more cheaply and quickly than ever before with today's computing power; however, the resulting data can overwhelm designers without proper tools to support multi-dimensional data visualization. In this paper, we discuss the use of a multi-dimensional data visualization tool and visual steering commands which allow designers to navigate multi-attribute trade spaces. The novelty in our work is providing designers with a set of visual steering commands to simultaneously explore the trade space and exploit new information and insights as they are gained. Specifically, designers can explore the entire design space (either sampled randomly or manually) or along the entire Pareto front using the Basic Sampler, Point Sampler, and/or Pareto Sampler. Alternatively, they can exploit information they have gained during the exploration process by searching near a specific point of interest or within a region of high preference using the Attractor, Preference Sampler, and/or Guided Pareto Sampler. Examples of each are included in this paper. Meanwhile, a suite of test problems is being formalized to support our trade space exploration -algorithmic development as well as empirical studies involving human decision-makers. This work supports our long-term goal of quantifying the benefits of putting humans back "in-the-loop" during design optimization.

Research paper thumbnail of Differentiating Bending From Folding in Origami Engineering Using Active Materials

Origami engineering – the use of origami principles in engineering applications – provides numero... more Origami engineering – the use of origami principles in engineering applications – provides numerous opportunities to revolutionize the way we design, manufacture, assemble, and package products and devices. By combining origami principles with active materials, we can create reconfigurable products and devices that can fold and unfold on demand. In origami, the folded medium is paper, yet many engineering applications require materials with finite thickness to provide the necessary strength and stiffness to achieve the desired functionality. In such applications, it is important to distinguish between bending and folding so that we understand the differences in material behavior when actuated. In this paper, we propose definitions for bending and folding for materials used in engineering applications. The literature is reviewed in detail to provide context and support for the proposed definitions, and examples from our own research with active materials, specifically, magneto-active...

Research paper thumbnail of Metamodel-Driven Interfaces for Engineering Design: Impact of Delay and Problem Size on User Performance

46th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference, 2005

Page 1. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 1 Metamodel-Driven Interfaces for Engi... more Page 1. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 1 Metamodel-Driven Interfaces for Engineering Design: Impact of Delay and Problem Size on User Performance Timothy W. Simpson,* Parameshwaran S. Iyer,† Ling ...

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of response delay and training on user performance with text-based and graphical user interfaces for engineering design

Research in Engineering Design, 2007

With recent computer advances, visualization techniques are becoming more prevalently used as dec... more With recent computer advances, visualization techniques are becoming more prevalently used as decision support tools for parametric design and engineering optimization. Despite the apparent advantages of visualization techniques, we have found little evidence in the engineering design literature that assesses the impact of fast graphical design interfaces on the efficiency and effectiveness of engineering design decisions. In this paper, we present experimental results from an I-beam design problem where the importance of rapid feedback is investigated by incorporating time delays in the software response to ''mimic'' computationally expensive design analyses. Design efficiency is measured by recording the completion time for solving the design problem, and design effectiveness is measured by calculating the error between a submitted design and the known optimum. The impact of graphical feedback is examined by comparing user performance on three different design interfaces to determine if their functionality and graphical capabilities mediate the impact of response delays in the software or the amount of training needed. Experimental results indicate that, on average, error increased by 280% and completion time increased by 33% when a delay of 1.5 s was present, and the perceived workload significantly increased as well. Meanwhile, user performance improved and perceived workload decreased as the ''richness'' of the design interface increased. The combination of a rich interface with a fast response time, therefore, will lead to the ''best'' interface as one might surmise, but our work provides the first empirical evidence of the effect of response delay on user performance within a realistic engineering design setting. Implications for interface development for engineering design are explored within the context of our findings, as are suggestions for future work.

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating linear physical programming within collaborative optimization for multiobjective multidisciplinary design optimization

Multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) is a concurrent engineering design tool for large-sca... more Multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) is a concurrent engineering design tool for large-scale, complex systems design that can be affected through the optimal design of several smaller functional units or subsystems. Due to the multiobjective nature of most MDO problems, recent work has focused on formulating the MDO problem to resolve tradeoffs between multiple, conflicting objectives. In this paper, we describe the novel integration of linear physical programming within the collaborative optimization framework, which enables designers to formulate multiple system-level objectives in terms of physically meaningful parameters. The proposed formulation extends our previous multiobjective formulation of collaborative optimization, which uses goal programming at the system and subsystem levels to enable multiple objectives to be considered at both levels during optimization. The proposed framework is demonstrated using a racecar design example that consists of two subsystem level analyses -force and aerodynamics -and incorporates two system-level objectives:

Research paper thumbnail of Approximation methods in multidisciplinary analysis and optimization: a panel discussion

This paper summarizes the discussion at the Approximation Methods Panel that was held at the N. K... more This paper summarizes the discussion at the Approximation Methods Panel that was held at the N. Koch from Engineous Software, and Ren-Jye Yang from Ford Motor Company. Each panelist was asked to (1) describe the current state-of-the-art of the approximation methods used by his company, (2) give one or two brief examples of typical uses of these methods by his company, (3) describe the current challenges in the use and adoption of approximation methods within your company, and (4) identify future research directions in approximation methods. Common themes that arose from the discussion included differentiating between Design of Experiments and Design and Analysis of Computer Experiments, visualizing experimental results and data from approximation models, capturing uncertainty with approximation methods, handling problems with large numbers of variables, and educating engineers in using approximation methods.

Research paper thumbnail of The power of product platforms in mass customisation

International Journal of Mass Customisation, 2005

This paper serves as an extended editorial for this inaugural issue of the International Journal ... more This paper serves as an extended editorial for this inaugural issue of the International Journal of Mass Customisation. Its main objective is to give a brief overview of the recent developments in Mass Customisation (MC) research and practices, although more comprehensive reviews should be referred to existing review articles . For this new journal, more position papers have been planned to appear. Materials are mainly drawn from well-cited monographs, conference proceedings and articles published on various MC topics. This new journal aims to serve the MC community as a major forum to exchange substantial ideas and share experiences, complementing newsletters and resources maintained at various websites (e.g., www.mass-customisation.org/; www.mass-customization.de/; www.mcustomization.de/).

Research paper thumbnail of Toward an Interactive Visualization Environment for Architecting Microgrids in Ultra Low Energy Communities

Volume 3: 38th Design Automation Conference, Parts A and B, 2012

ABSTRACT In this paper we describe the development of an interactive visualization tool to suppor... more ABSTRACT In this paper we describe the development of an interactive visualization tool to support the design and evaluation of microgrid architectures in ultra low energy communities. The work is motivated by recent Department of Defense regulations to reduce energy costs at and increase energy conservation at military installations. Using two sets of energy analysis models derived from existing energy modeling software packages, we illustrate how such a design environment can be used to (1) run a fast, low fidelity model to support an initial trade space exploration, (2) understand key trends and relationships, (3) filter microgrid architectures based on desired constraints, (4) identify architectures of interest, (5) run high fidelity analyses for architectures of interest, and (6) select an architecture and use a map view to change device type locations. The process is demonstrated through a web-based design environment that we prototyped and applied to two design examples. In both cases, promising microgrid architectures are identified from an initial set of 500 randomly generated designs. Manual adjustments of the position and location of the device types were used to further improve system performance. The end result in each case was a microgrid architecture that offered low fixed and operating costs based on the assumed electrical and thermal loads. The prototype effectively illustrates how Visual Analysis might be performed during Steps 4 & 5 of the Army’s Real Property Master Planning Process. Future enhancements to support the design decision-making process are also discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of A Methodology for Product Family Ontology Development Using Formal Concept Analysis and Web Ontology Language

Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering, 2006

The use of ontologies for information sharing is well documented in the literature, but the lack ... more The use of ontologies for information sharing is well documented in the literature, but the lack of a comprehensive and systematic methodology for constructing product ontologies has limited the process of developing ontologies for design artifacts. In this paper we introduce the Product Family Ontology Development Methodology (PFODM), a novel methodology to develop formal product ontologies using the Semantic Web paradigm. Within PFODM, Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) is used first to identify similarities among a finite set of design artifacts based on their properties and then to develop and refine a product family ontology using Web Ontology Language (OWL). A family of seven one-time-use cameras is used to demonstrate the steps of the PFODM to construct such an ontology. The benefit of PFODM lies in providing a systematic and consistent methodology for constructing ontologies to support product family design. The resulting ontologies provide a hierarchical conceptual clustering of related design artifacts, which is particularly advantageous for product family design where parts, processes, and most important, information is intentionally shared and reused to reduce complexity, lead-time, and development costs. Potential uses of the resulting ontologies and FCA representations within product family design are also discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Product Family Commonality Selection Through Interactive Visualization

Volume 1: 34th Design Automation Conference, Parts A and B, 2008

ABSTRACT High dimensionality and computational complexity are curses typically associated with ma... more ABSTRACT High dimensionality and computational complexity are curses typically associated with many product family design problems. In this paper, we investigate interactive methods that combine two traditional technologies – optimization and visualization – to create new and powerful strategies to expedite high dimensional design space exploration and product family commonality selection. In particular, three different methods are compared and contrasted: (1) exhaustive search with visualization, (2) individual product optimization with visualization, and (3) product family optimization with visualization. Among these three, the individual product optimization with visualization methods appears to be the most suitable one for engineer designers, who do not have strong optimization background. This method allows designers to "shop" for the best designs iteratively, while gaining key insight into the tradeoff between commonality and individual performance. The study is conducted in the context of designing a UTC product using an in-house, system-level simulation tool. The challenges associated with (1) design space exploration involving mixed-type design variables and infeasibility, and those associated with (2) visualizing product family design spaces during commonality selection are addressed. Our findings indicate a positive impact on the company's current approach to product family design and commonality selection.

Research paper thumbnail of IME, Inc. - A New Course for Integrating Design, Manufacturing, and Production into the Engineering Curriculum

IME, Inc. is a new two-semester undergraduate course in which multidisciplinary student teams fir... more IME, Inc. is a new two-semester undergraduate course in which multidisciplinary student teams first design and prototype new products, and then produce them in volume. The objective in the course is to provide students with manufacturing and production experiences analogous to those obtained by an English student working on a student-run newspaper. The course integrates the traditional capstone design experience

Research paper thumbnail of Preference Construction, Sequential Decision Making, and Trade Space Exploration

Volume 3A: 39th Design Automation Conference, 2013

ABSTRACT This paper develops and explores the interface between two related concepts in design de... more ABSTRACT This paper develops and explores the interface between two related concepts in design decision making. First, design decision making is a process of simultaneously constructing one’s preferences while satisfying them. Second, design using computational models (e.g., simulation-based design and model-based design) is a sequential process that starts with low fidelity models for initial trades and progresses through models of increasing detail. Thus, decision making during design should be treated as a sequential decision process rather than as a single decision problem. This premise is supported by research from the domains of behavioral economics, psychology, judgment and decision making, neuroeconomics, marketing, and engineering design as reviewed herein. The premise is also substantiated by our own experience in conducting trade studies for numerous customers across engineering domains. The paper surveys the pertinent literature, presents supporting case studies and identifies use cases from our experiences, synthesizes a preliminary model of the sequential process, presents ongoing research in this area, and provides suggestions for future efforts.

Research paper thumbnail of The ARL Trade Space Visualizer: An Engineering Decision-Making Tool

10th AIAA/ISSMO Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization Conference, 2004

Research paper thumbnail of Multidimensional Visualization and Its Application to a Design by Shopping Paradigm

9th AIAA/ISSMO Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization, 2002

ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Wehave,developed ,a data visualization interface that facilitates a design by s... more ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Wehave,developed ,a data visualization interface that facilitates a design by shopping paradigm, allowing a decision-maker to form,a preference,by viewing,a rich set of good designs and use this preference to choose an optimal design. Design automation ,has allowed us to implement this paradigm, since a large number of designs can be synthesized ,in a short period of time. The interface allows users to visualize complex ,design spaces,by using ,multidimensional visualization techniques that include glyph plots, scattermatrices,and brushing. As is common with data mining tools, the user can arbitrarily assign variables to glyph ,attributes and specify upper and lower bounds ,to performance variables. Additionally, to help shape a decision- maker’s preferences, preference shading to visualize a user’s preference structure, along with algorithms to visualize the Pareto frontier, were incorporated into the

Research paper thumbnail of Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Testbed Based on Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Design

9th AIAA/ISSMO Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization, 2002

Research paper thumbnail of Visual Steering Commands for Trade Space Exploration: User-Guided Sampling With Example

Volume 6: 33rd Design Automation Conference, Parts A and B, 2007

Recent advancements in computing power and speed provide opportunities to revolutionize trade spa... more Recent advancements in computing power and speed provide opportunities to revolutionize trade space exploration, particularly for the design of complex systems such as automobiles, aircraft, and spacecraft. In this paper, we introduce three visual steering commands to support trade space exploration and demonstrate their use within a powerful data visualization tool that allows designers to explore multidimensional trade spaces using glyph, 1D and 2D histograms, 2D scatter, scatter matrix, and parallel coordinate plots, linked views, brushing, preference shading, and Pareto frontier display. In particular, we define three user-guided samplers that enable designers to explore (1) the entire design space, (2) near a point of interest, or (3) within a region of high preference. We illustrate these three samplers with a vehicle configuration model that evaluates the technical feasibility of new vehicle concepts. Future research is also discussed. to 130.203.244.28. Redistribution subject to ASME license or copyright; see http://www.asme.org/terms/Terms_Use.cfm Fig. 11 Selection of final vehicle design point: "a… brush/ preference controls for making final selection; "b… resulting glyph plot including mass contours

Research paper thumbnail of Requirements on MDO imposed by the undersea vehicle conceptual design problem

8th Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization, 2000

Research paper thumbnail of Assessing Functional and Shape Differentiation Within a Family of Products

Market differentiation strategies must identify competitive advantages when offering a line of pr... more Market differentiation strategies must identify competitive advantages when offering a line of products varying in features, price, quality, and/or aesthetics. Although this concept is well-known, many companies still have difficulties positioning their own products within their own product lines and against competitors. Few approaches combine two or more facets to answer the product differentiation problem. In this study, two novel indices are proposed to audit shape and functional differentiation within a family of products. The shape index appraises the shape similarity between the products upon digitization, while the functional assessment is based on functions characteristics of the product. Customers’ perception data is obtained experimentally and compared to these indices to validate the result. Pairs of products are evaluated, and the average scores are considered as the indices for a product family. A case study illustrates the usage of these two indices and performance of ...

Research paper thumbnail of Shape differentiation of freeform surfaces using a similarity measure based on an integral of Gaussian curvature

Computer-Aided Design

Freeform surfaces are popularly used to design and model complex 3D objects. These 3D models are ... more Freeform surfaces are popularly used to design and model complex 3D objects. These 3D models are stored as computerized models in databases. To facilitate data retrieval and shape matching, a major challenge lies in defining and computing the level of similarity between two or more freeform surfaces. In order to explore the useful 3D information associated with the surfaces, an integrated approach based on the integral of Gaussian curvature is proposed to develop the measures of similarity of freeform surfaces. Specifically, the integral of Gaussian curvature is mapped into the 2D space, and a shape-based measure is developed using statistical methods to compute the level of similarity. For smooth surfaces, a fast approximation algorithm is developed to calculate the curvature of individual subregions. In cases where the target surface has a complex topological structure or a smooth surface is not available, the integral of Gaussian curvature for the discrete surface is first calcul...

Research paper thumbnail of Teaching the global, economic, environmental, and societal foundations of engineering design through product archaeology

Research paper thumbnail of Visual Steering Commands and Test Problems to Support Research in Trade Space Exploration

12th AIAA/ISSMO Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization Conference, 2008

Designers can simulate thousands, if not millions, of design alternatives more cheaply and quickl... more Designers can simulate thousands, if not millions, of design alternatives more cheaply and quickly than ever before with today's computing power; however, the resulting data can overwhelm designers without proper tools to support multi-dimensional data visualization. In this paper, we discuss the use of a multi-dimensional data visualization tool and visual steering commands which allow designers to navigate multi-attribute trade spaces. The novelty in our work is providing designers with a set of visual steering commands to simultaneously explore the trade space and exploit new information and insights as they are gained. Specifically, designers can explore the entire design space (either sampled randomly or manually) or along the entire Pareto front using the Basic Sampler, Point Sampler, and/or Pareto Sampler. Alternatively, they can exploit information they have gained during the exploration process by searching near a specific point of interest or within a region of high preference using the Attractor, Preference Sampler, and/or Guided Pareto Sampler. Examples of each are included in this paper. Meanwhile, a suite of test problems is being formalized to support our trade space exploration -algorithmic development as well as empirical studies involving human decision-makers. This work supports our long-term goal of quantifying the benefits of putting humans back "in-the-loop" during design optimization.

Research paper thumbnail of Differentiating Bending From Folding in Origami Engineering Using Active Materials

Origami engineering – the use of origami principles in engineering applications – provides numero... more Origami engineering – the use of origami principles in engineering applications – provides numerous opportunities to revolutionize the way we design, manufacture, assemble, and package products and devices. By combining origami principles with active materials, we can create reconfigurable products and devices that can fold and unfold on demand. In origami, the folded medium is paper, yet many engineering applications require materials with finite thickness to provide the necessary strength and stiffness to achieve the desired functionality. In such applications, it is important to distinguish between bending and folding so that we understand the differences in material behavior when actuated. In this paper, we propose definitions for bending and folding for materials used in engineering applications. The literature is reviewed in detail to provide context and support for the proposed definitions, and examples from our own research with active materials, specifically, magneto-active...

Research paper thumbnail of Metamodel-Driven Interfaces for Engineering Design: Impact of Delay and Problem Size on User Performance

46th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference, 2005

Page 1. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 1 Metamodel-Driven Interfaces for Engi... more Page 1. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 1 Metamodel-Driven Interfaces for Engineering Design: Impact of Delay and Problem Size on User Performance Timothy W. Simpson,* Parameshwaran S. Iyer,† Ling ...

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of response delay and training on user performance with text-based and graphical user interfaces for engineering design

Research in Engineering Design, 2007

With recent computer advances, visualization techniques are becoming more prevalently used as dec... more With recent computer advances, visualization techniques are becoming more prevalently used as decision support tools for parametric design and engineering optimization. Despite the apparent advantages of visualization techniques, we have found little evidence in the engineering design literature that assesses the impact of fast graphical design interfaces on the efficiency and effectiveness of engineering design decisions. In this paper, we present experimental results from an I-beam design problem where the importance of rapid feedback is investigated by incorporating time delays in the software response to ''mimic'' computationally expensive design analyses. Design efficiency is measured by recording the completion time for solving the design problem, and design effectiveness is measured by calculating the error between a submitted design and the known optimum. The impact of graphical feedback is examined by comparing user performance on three different design interfaces to determine if their functionality and graphical capabilities mediate the impact of response delays in the software or the amount of training needed. Experimental results indicate that, on average, error increased by 280% and completion time increased by 33% when a delay of 1.5 s was present, and the perceived workload significantly increased as well. Meanwhile, user performance improved and perceived workload decreased as the ''richness'' of the design interface increased. The combination of a rich interface with a fast response time, therefore, will lead to the ''best'' interface as one might surmise, but our work provides the first empirical evidence of the effect of response delay on user performance within a realistic engineering design setting. Implications for interface development for engineering design are explored within the context of our findings, as are suggestions for future work.

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating linear physical programming within collaborative optimization for multiobjective multidisciplinary design optimization

Multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) is a concurrent engineering design tool for large-sca... more Multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) is a concurrent engineering design tool for large-scale, complex systems design that can be affected through the optimal design of several smaller functional units or subsystems. Due to the multiobjective nature of most MDO problems, recent work has focused on formulating the MDO problem to resolve tradeoffs between multiple, conflicting objectives. In this paper, we describe the novel integration of linear physical programming within the collaborative optimization framework, which enables designers to formulate multiple system-level objectives in terms of physically meaningful parameters. The proposed formulation extends our previous multiobjective formulation of collaborative optimization, which uses goal programming at the system and subsystem levels to enable multiple objectives to be considered at both levels during optimization. The proposed framework is demonstrated using a racecar design example that consists of two subsystem level analyses -force and aerodynamics -and incorporates two system-level objectives:

Research paper thumbnail of Approximation methods in multidisciplinary analysis and optimization: a panel discussion

This paper summarizes the discussion at the Approximation Methods Panel that was held at the N. K... more This paper summarizes the discussion at the Approximation Methods Panel that was held at the N. Koch from Engineous Software, and Ren-Jye Yang from Ford Motor Company. Each panelist was asked to (1) describe the current state-of-the-art of the approximation methods used by his company, (2) give one or two brief examples of typical uses of these methods by his company, (3) describe the current challenges in the use and adoption of approximation methods within your company, and (4) identify future research directions in approximation methods. Common themes that arose from the discussion included differentiating between Design of Experiments and Design and Analysis of Computer Experiments, visualizing experimental results and data from approximation models, capturing uncertainty with approximation methods, handling problems with large numbers of variables, and educating engineers in using approximation methods.

Research paper thumbnail of The power of product platforms in mass customisation

International Journal of Mass Customisation, 2005

This paper serves as an extended editorial for this inaugural issue of the International Journal ... more This paper serves as an extended editorial for this inaugural issue of the International Journal of Mass Customisation. Its main objective is to give a brief overview of the recent developments in Mass Customisation (MC) research and practices, although more comprehensive reviews should be referred to existing review articles . For this new journal, more position papers have been planned to appear. Materials are mainly drawn from well-cited monographs, conference proceedings and articles published on various MC topics. This new journal aims to serve the MC community as a major forum to exchange substantial ideas and share experiences, complementing newsletters and resources maintained at various websites (e.g., www.mass-customisation.org/; www.mass-customization.de/; www.mcustomization.de/).

Research paper thumbnail of Toward an Interactive Visualization Environment for Architecting Microgrids in Ultra Low Energy Communities

Volume 3: 38th Design Automation Conference, Parts A and B, 2012

ABSTRACT In this paper we describe the development of an interactive visualization tool to suppor... more ABSTRACT In this paper we describe the development of an interactive visualization tool to support the design and evaluation of microgrid architectures in ultra low energy communities. The work is motivated by recent Department of Defense regulations to reduce energy costs at and increase energy conservation at military installations. Using two sets of energy analysis models derived from existing energy modeling software packages, we illustrate how such a design environment can be used to (1) run a fast, low fidelity model to support an initial trade space exploration, (2) understand key trends and relationships, (3) filter microgrid architectures based on desired constraints, (4) identify architectures of interest, (5) run high fidelity analyses for architectures of interest, and (6) select an architecture and use a map view to change device type locations. The process is demonstrated through a web-based design environment that we prototyped and applied to two design examples. In both cases, promising microgrid architectures are identified from an initial set of 500 randomly generated designs. Manual adjustments of the position and location of the device types were used to further improve system performance. The end result in each case was a microgrid architecture that offered low fixed and operating costs based on the assumed electrical and thermal loads. The prototype effectively illustrates how Visual Analysis might be performed during Steps 4 & 5 of the Army’s Real Property Master Planning Process. Future enhancements to support the design decision-making process are also discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of A Methodology for Product Family Ontology Development Using Formal Concept Analysis and Web Ontology Language

Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering, 2006

The use of ontologies for information sharing is well documented in the literature, but the lack ... more The use of ontologies for information sharing is well documented in the literature, but the lack of a comprehensive and systematic methodology for constructing product ontologies has limited the process of developing ontologies for design artifacts. In this paper we introduce the Product Family Ontology Development Methodology (PFODM), a novel methodology to develop formal product ontologies using the Semantic Web paradigm. Within PFODM, Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) is used first to identify similarities among a finite set of design artifacts based on their properties and then to develop and refine a product family ontology using Web Ontology Language (OWL). A family of seven one-time-use cameras is used to demonstrate the steps of the PFODM to construct such an ontology. The benefit of PFODM lies in providing a systematic and consistent methodology for constructing ontologies to support product family design. The resulting ontologies provide a hierarchical conceptual clustering of related design artifacts, which is particularly advantageous for product family design where parts, processes, and most important, information is intentionally shared and reused to reduce complexity, lead-time, and development costs. Potential uses of the resulting ontologies and FCA representations within product family design are also discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Product Family Commonality Selection Through Interactive Visualization

Volume 1: 34th Design Automation Conference, Parts A and B, 2008

ABSTRACT High dimensionality and computational complexity are curses typically associated with ma... more ABSTRACT High dimensionality and computational complexity are curses typically associated with many product family design problems. In this paper, we investigate interactive methods that combine two traditional technologies – optimization and visualization – to create new and powerful strategies to expedite high dimensional design space exploration and product family commonality selection. In particular, three different methods are compared and contrasted: (1) exhaustive search with visualization, (2) individual product optimization with visualization, and (3) product family optimization with visualization. Among these three, the individual product optimization with visualization methods appears to be the most suitable one for engineer designers, who do not have strong optimization background. This method allows designers to "shop" for the best designs iteratively, while gaining key insight into the tradeoff between commonality and individual performance. The study is conducted in the context of designing a UTC product using an in-house, system-level simulation tool. The challenges associated with (1) design space exploration involving mixed-type design variables and infeasibility, and those associated with (2) visualizing product family design spaces during commonality selection are addressed. Our findings indicate a positive impact on the company's current approach to product family design and commonality selection.

Research paper thumbnail of IME, Inc. - A New Course for Integrating Design, Manufacturing, and Production into the Engineering Curriculum

IME, Inc. is a new two-semester undergraduate course in which multidisciplinary student teams fir... more IME, Inc. is a new two-semester undergraduate course in which multidisciplinary student teams first design and prototype new products, and then produce them in volume. The objective in the course is to provide students with manufacturing and production experiences analogous to those obtained by an English student working on a student-run newspaper. The course integrates the traditional capstone design experience

Research paper thumbnail of Preference Construction, Sequential Decision Making, and Trade Space Exploration

Volume 3A: 39th Design Automation Conference, 2013

ABSTRACT This paper develops and explores the interface between two related concepts in design de... more ABSTRACT This paper develops and explores the interface between two related concepts in design decision making. First, design decision making is a process of simultaneously constructing one’s preferences while satisfying them. Second, design using computational models (e.g., simulation-based design and model-based design) is a sequential process that starts with low fidelity models for initial trades and progresses through models of increasing detail. Thus, decision making during design should be treated as a sequential decision process rather than as a single decision problem. This premise is supported by research from the domains of behavioral economics, psychology, judgment and decision making, neuroeconomics, marketing, and engineering design as reviewed herein. The premise is also substantiated by our own experience in conducting trade studies for numerous customers across engineering domains. The paper surveys the pertinent literature, presents supporting case studies and identifies use cases from our experiences, synthesizes a preliminary model of the sequential process, presents ongoing research in this area, and provides suggestions for future efforts.

Research paper thumbnail of The ARL Trade Space Visualizer: An Engineering Decision-Making Tool

10th AIAA/ISSMO Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization Conference, 2004

Research paper thumbnail of Multidimensional Visualization and Its Application to a Design by Shopping Paradigm

9th AIAA/ISSMO Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization, 2002

ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Wehave,developed ,a data visualization interface that facilitates a design by s... more ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Wehave,developed ,a data visualization interface that facilitates a design by shopping paradigm, allowing a decision-maker to form,a preference,by viewing,a rich set of good designs and use this preference to choose an optimal design. Design automation ,has allowed us to implement this paradigm, since a large number of designs can be synthesized ,in a short period of time. The interface allows users to visualize complex ,design spaces,by using ,multidimensional visualization techniques that include glyph plots, scattermatrices,and brushing. As is common with data mining tools, the user can arbitrarily assign variables to glyph ,attributes and specify upper and lower bounds ,to performance variables. Additionally, to help shape a decision- maker’s preferences, preference shading to visualize a user’s preference structure, along with algorithms to visualize the Pareto frontier, were incorporated into the

Research paper thumbnail of Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Testbed Based on Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Design

9th AIAA/ISSMO Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization, 2002

Research paper thumbnail of Visual Steering Commands for Trade Space Exploration: User-Guided Sampling With Example

Volume 6: 33rd Design Automation Conference, Parts A and B, 2007

Recent advancements in computing power and speed provide opportunities to revolutionize trade spa... more Recent advancements in computing power and speed provide opportunities to revolutionize trade space exploration, particularly for the design of complex systems such as automobiles, aircraft, and spacecraft. In this paper, we introduce three visual steering commands to support trade space exploration and demonstrate their use within a powerful data visualization tool that allows designers to explore multidimensional trade spaces using glyph, 1D and 2D histograms, 2D scatter, scatter matrix, and parallel coordinate plots, linked views, brushing, preference shading, and Pareto frontier display. In particular, we define three user-guided samplers that enable designers to explore (1) the entire design space, (2) near a point of interest, or (3) within a region of high preference. We illustrate these three samplers with a vehicle configuration model that evaluates the technical feasibility of new vehicle concepts. Future research is also discussed. to 130.203.244.28. Redistribution subject to ASME license or copyright; see http://www.asme.org/terms/Terms_Use.cfm Fig. 11 Selection of final vehicle design point: "a… brush/ preference controls for making final selection; "b… resulting glyph plot including mass contours

Research paper thumbnail of Requirements on MDO imposed by the undersea vehicle conceptual design problem

8th Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization, 2000