A Model of Collaborative Design Decision Making Using Timed Petri-Net

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiqiang Chen ◽  
Zahed Siddique
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Petri Net ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Design Decision ◽  
Design Problems ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Improved Design

This paper presents a Petri-net process model that captures the dependency relationships of design decision making and information exchanges among multiple design problems in a distributed environment. The Model of Distributed Design (MDD) allows quantitative representation of a collaborative design process in which designers from multiple disciplines can effectively work together. The MDD is developed based on the Petri-net graph, which allows various performance analysis to be performed to evaluate and improve a collaborative design process. In this paper, the compromise Decision Support Problem (c-DSP) formulation is used to describe the design problems and the Petri-net is utilized to explicitly describe the propagation of shared design variables and the interactions. The applicability of the model is demonstrated through an example design problem that requires collaboration among four design disciplines. The design processes based on the example are modeled and then analyzed to obtain process features and performance evaluations. Based on the analysis results, an improved design process is given which shortens the design time.

Modeling Collaborative Engineering Design Process Using Petri-Net

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Zhao ◽  
Yan Jin
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Petri Net ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Process Model ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Collaborative Engineering ◽  
Routine Design ◽  
High Level

Abstract Collaborative engineering involves multiple engineers and managers working together to develop engineering products. As the engineering problems become more and more complicated, new technologies are required to achieve better effectiveness and efficiency. While process models management and technologies have been developed to support engineering design, most of them apply only to routine design tasks and do not explicitly deal with the change of processes during execution. Our research proposes a process-driven framework to support collaborative engineering. The framework is composed of a process model that captures both high level and low level activity dependencies, an agent network that monitors process execution and facilitates coordination among engineers, and a Petri-net based modeling tool to represent and analyze process features and predict the performance of engineering processes. In this paper, we first describe a simple collaborative design problem and our proposed ActivePROCESS collaborative engineering framework. After that we present our Petri-net based analytical model of collaborative design process and discuss the model along with a case example.

scholarly journals Integrating Value Considerations in the Decision Making for the Design of Biorefineries

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 2927-2955
Author(s):  
Mar Palmeros Parada ◽  
Lotte Asveld ◽  
Patricia Osseweijer ◽  
John Alexander Posada
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Complex Systems ◽  
Research And Development ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Decision ◽  
Value Sensitive Design ◽  
Design Practice ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Design Alternatives ◽  
Biobased Production

AbstractBiobased production has been promoted as a sustainable alternative to fossil resources. However, controversies over its impact on sustainability highlight societal concerns, value tensions and uncertainties that have not been taken into account during its development. In this work, the consideration of stakeholders’ values in a biorefinery design project is investigated. Value sensitive design (VSD) is a promising approach to the design of technologies with consideration of stakeholders’ values, however, it is not directly applicable for complex systems like biorefineries. Therefore, some elements of VSD, such as the identification of relevant values and their connection to a technology’s features, are brought into biorefinery design practice. Midstream modulation (MM), an approach to promoting the consideration of societal aspects during research and development activities, is applied to promote reflection and value considerations during the design decision making. As result, it is shown that MM interventions during the design process led to new design alternatives in support of stakeholders' values, and allowed to recognize and respond to emerging value tensions within the scope of the project. In this way, the present work shows a novel approach for the technical investigation of VSD, especially for biorefineries. Also, based on this work it is argued that not only reflection, but also flexibility and openness are important for the application of VSD in the context of biorefinery design.

Building an Expert System for Engineering Design Based on the Object-Oriented Knowledge Representation Concept

1988 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Akagi ◽  
K. Fujita
Keyword(s):  
Expert System ◽  
Knowledge Representation ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Model Building ◽  
Object Oriented ◽  
Design Model ◽  
Design Problems ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Effective Diagnosis

Abstract An expert system is developed for engineering design based on object-oriented knowledge representation concept. The design process is understood as determining design variables and their relationships which compose design model. The design model is represented as a network in the computer system using the object-oriented knowledge representation. The system built with the above concept provides the following abilities: 1) flexible model building and easy modification, 2) effective diagnosis of the design process, 3) supporting method for redesign, 4) a hybrid function with numerical computations and graphics, and 5) applicability for various design problems. Finally, it is applied to the basic design of a ship.

A Cooperative-Collaborative Design System for Multi-Disciplinary Mechanical Design

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiqiang Chen ◽  
Zahed Siddique
Keyword(s):  
Product Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
System Level ◽  
Design System ◽  
Design Collaboration ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
Design Process Model

The emergence of computer and network technology has provided opportunities for researchers to construct and build systems to support dynamic, real-time, and collaborative engineering design in a concurrent manner. This paper provides an understanding of the product design in a distributed environment where designers are in different geographic locations and are required to be involved in the design process to ensure successful product design. A design process model that captures the major interactions among stakeholders is presented, based on the observation of cooperation and collaboration. The stakeholders’ interactions are divided into activity and system level to distinguish the interactions in group design activities and design perspective evolution. An initial computer implementation of the design model is presented. The design system consists of a set of tools associated with design and a management system to facilitate distributed designers to support various design activities, especially conceptual design. Our research emphasis of design collaboration in this paper is: (i) Model a Cooperative-collaborative design process; (ii) Support synchronized design activities; and (iii) Structure the complex relations of various design perspectives from engineering disciplines.

scholarly journals QoS Measurement of Workflow-Based Web Service Compositions Using Colored Petri Net

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Nematzadeh ◽  
Homayun Motameni ◽  
Radziah Mohamad ◽  
Zahra Nematzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Web Services ◽  
Web Service ◽  
Petri Net ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Service Oriented Architecture ◽  
Colored Petri Net ◽  
Service Oriented ◽  
Business Process Execution ◽  
And Performance

Workflow-based web service compositions (WB-WSCs) is one of the main composition categories in service oriented architecture (SOA). Eflow, polymorphic process model (PPM), and business process execution language (BPEL) are the main techniques of the category of WB-WSCs. Due to maturity of web services, measuring the quality of composite web services being developed by different techniques becomes one of the most important challenges in today’s web environments. Business should try to provide good quality regarding the customers’ requirements to a composed web service. Thus, quality of service (QoS) which refers to nonfunctional parameters is important to be measured since the quality degree of a certain web service composition could be achieved. This paper tried to find a deterministic analytical method for dependability and performance measurement using Colored Petri net (CPN) with explicit routing constructs and application of theory of probability. A computer tool called WSET was also developed for modeling and supporting QoS measurement through simulation.

A Multidisciplinary Framework to Model Complex Team-Based Product Development

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shun Takai
Keyword(s):  
Game Theory ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Product Development ◽  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Equilibrium Analysis ◽  
Design Decision ◽  
Behavioral Game Theory ◽  
Behavioral Game ◽  
Team Project

This paper investigates a multidisciplinary framework that simulates design decisions in a complex team-based product development in which engineers simultaneously work on a team project and individual projects. The proposed framework integrates collaborative design with (1) equilibrium analysis, (2) uncertainty modeling based on behavioral game-theory results, and (3) noncooperative decision making using decision analysis. In the proposed framework, noncooperative decision making is used to simulate engineers’ decisions about team-project commitment and to analyze potential free riding. Collaborative design is used to model design outcomes when engineers commit to the team project. Equilibrium analysis and behavioral game-theory results are used to infer uncertainty about other engineers’ decisions. Decision analysis is used to calculate expected values of decision alternatives. The proposed framework and the design decision making model are illustrated using a pressure vessel design as a team project conducted by two engineers: a design engineer and a materials engineer.

Understanding the Utilization of Information Stimuli in Design Decision Making Using Eye Gaze Data

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youyi Bi ◽  
Murtuza Shergadwala ◽  
Tahira Reid ◽  
Jitesh H. Panchal
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Design Decision ◽  
Design Engineers ◽  
Cognitive Decision ◽  
Improved Design ◽  
Student Subjects ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Normative Models

Research on decision making in engineering design has focused primarily on how to make decisions using normative models given certain information. However, there exists a research gap on how diverse information stimuli are combined by designers in decision making. In this paper, we address the following question: how do designers weigh different information stimuli to make decisions in engineering design contexts? The answer to this question can provide insights on diverse cognitive models for decision making used by different individuals. We investigate the information gathering behavior of individuals using eye gaze data from a simulated engineering design task. The task involves optimizing an unknown function using an interface which provides two types of information stimuli, including a graph and a list area. These correspond to the graphical stimulus and numerical stimulus, respectively. The study was carried out using a set of student subjects. The results suggest that individuals weigh different forms of information stimuli differently. It is observed that graphical information stimulus assists the participants in optimizing the function with a higher accuracy. This study contributes to our understanding of how diverse information stimuli are utilized by design engineers to make decisions. The improved understanding of cognitive decision making models would also aid in improved design of decision support tools.

Investigating the Use of Reinforcement Learning for Multi-Fidelity Model Selection in the Context of Design Decision Making

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaskanwal P. S. Chhabra ◽  
Gordon P. Warn
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Model Selection ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Discriminatory Power ◽  
Design Decision ◽  
Formal Framework ◽  
Optimal Modeling

Engineers often employ, formally or informally, multi-fidelity computational models to aid design decision making. For example, recently the idea of viewing design as a Sequential Decision Process (SDP) provides a formal framework of sequencing multi-fidelity models to realize computational gains in the design process. Efficiency is achieved in the SDP because dominated designs are removed using less expensive (low-fidelity) models before using higher-fidelity models with the guarantee the antecedent model only removes design solutions that are dominated when analyzed using more detailed, higher-fidelity models. The set of multi-fidelity models and discrete decision states result in a combinatorial combination of modeling sequences, some of which require significantly fewer model evaluations than others. It is desirable to optimally sequence models; however, the optimal modeling policy can not be determined at the onset of SDP because the computational cost and discriminatory power of executing all models on all designs is unknown. In this study, the model selection problem is formulated as a Markov Decision Process and a classical reinforcement learning, namely Qlearning, is investigated to obtain and follow an approximately optimal modeling policy. The outcome is a methodology able to learn efficient sequencing of models by estimating their computational cost and discriminatory power while analyzing designs in the tradespace throughout the design process. Through application to a design example, the methodology is shown to: 1) effectively identify the approximate optimal modeling policy, and 2) efficiently converge upon a choice set.

Incorporating Stakeholder Perspectives into Collaborative Product Design

2010 ◽  
Vol 34-35 ◽  
pp. 864-868
Author(s):  
Zhi Jun Rong ◽  
Kui Sheng Chen ◽  
Bao Sheng Ying
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Product Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Multiple Criteria ◽  
Design Criteria ◽  
Stakeholder Perspectives ◽  
Single Person ◽  
Collaborative Product Design ◽  
And Control

Collaborative product design is a multiple criteria group decision making process bringing different and often controversial points of view together to create a solution among stakeholders. Collaborative design possesses more perspectives than any single person possesses because stakeholders have different perspectives. This work is based on new decision approach that includes creating shared understanding among various stakeholders, contextualizing design criteria and perspectives, and creating a multiple perspective and multiple criteria decision approach, our initial effort has focused on incorporating perspectives into design process. We then provide the approach to find the optimal design decisions for consideration of stakeholders’ perspectives. By analyzing the relationships between stakeholders’ perspectives and preferences of design criteria, multi-criteria decision making approach considering the stakeholders’ perspectives can be used to monitor and control the collaborative design process.

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