An extended analytic network process method for optimal design of reconfigurable products considering dependency relations among descriptions of design/process candidates and evaluation criteria

A reconfigurable product serves as multiple products to deliver different functions through reconfiguration processes to change between product configurations. An optimization method was developed in our previous research to identify both the optimal design and the optimal reconfiguration processes. Because the generic design or process considering different candidates was modeled by an AND–OR tree or graph, importance weights were assigned to nodes with an AND or OR relation, such that the less-important nodes were pruned to improve the optimization efficiency. In this research, an extended analytic network process method is introduced to further improve the quality of the optimal reconfigurable product design approach when dependency relations among descriptions of design/process candidates and evaluation criteria are considered. In this method, the initial weights of the design/process nodes in the AND–OR tree or graph are adjusted based on the dependency relations such that the weights which truly reflect their contributions to the solutions are achieved. In addition, multiple evaluation criteria similar to the evaluation measures used in optimization are selected to identify the weights of the design/process nodes. A case study has been implemented to demonstrate effectiveness of the extended analytic network process for improving the quality of optimal reconfigurable product design.

A Function Based Approach for Product Integration

Reconfigurable and multifunctional products are breeds of products that cater to the increased diversification of customer needs. Unlike single-state static products which can perform only one primary function, these products cater to different customer needs by performing more than one function with or without changing their configuration. However, there is a lack of systematic methods to support the conceptual task of combining two existing single-state products into an integrated product that provides multiple functions. In this work, a function based approach is proposed which provides more rigorous support to assess the feasibility of integrating two products. The function structures of the existing products are combined to obtain the overall function structure of the reconfigurable product. Function sharing, based on quantified functional similarity, is proposed and applied to identify functions that can be shared by the same component. The information obtained from the function structure is then mapped to the components of two existing products to analyze their roles in the final reconfigurable product architecture. A case study illustrates the proposed approach by analyzing the integration of a power drill and a dust buster.

A Function Based Approach for Product Integration

Reconfigurable and multifunctional products are breeds of products that cater to the increased diversification of customer needs. Unlike single-state static products which can perform only one primary function, these products cater to different customer needs by performing more than one function with or without changing their configuration. However, there is a lack of systematic methods to support the conceptual task of combining two existing single-state products into an integrated product that provides multiple functions. In this paper, a function based approach is proposed which provides more rigorous support to assess the feasibility of integrating two products. The function structures of the existing products are combined to obtain the overall function structure of the reconfigurable product. Function sharing, based on quantified functional similarity, is proposed and applied to identify functions that can be shared by the same component. The information obtained from the function structure is then mapped to the components of two existing products to analyze their roles in the final reconfigurable product architecture. A case study illustrates the proposed approach by analyzing the integration of a power drill and a dust buster.

An Engineering Design Strategy for Reconfigurable Products That Support Poverty Alleviation

Reconfigurable products can adapt to new and changing customer needs. One potential, high-impact, area for product reconfiguration is in the design of income-generating products for poverty alleviation. Non-reconfigurable income-generating products such as manual irrigation pumps have helped millions of people sustainably escape poverty. However, millions of other impoverished people are unwilling to invest in these relatively costly products because of the high perceived and actual financial risk involved. As a result, these individuals do not benefit from such technologies. Alternatively, when income-generating products are designed to be reconfigurable, the window of affordability can be expanded to attract more individuals, while simultaneously making the product adaptable to the changing customer needs that accompany an increased income. The method provided in this paper significantly reduces the risks associated with purchasing income-generating products while simultaneously allowing the initial purchase to serve as a foundation for future increases in income. The method presented builds on principles of multiobjective optimization and Pareto optimality, by allowing the product to move from one location on the Pareto frontier to another through the addition of modules and reconfiguration. Elements of product family design are applied as each instantiation of the reconfigurable product is considered in the overall design optimization of the product. The design of a modular irrigation pump for developing nations demonstrates the methodology.

Reconfigurable Products and Their Means of Reconfiguration

Reconfigurable systems are able to meet the increasingly diverse needs of consumers. A reconfigurable system is able to change its configuration repeatedly and reversibly to match the customer’s needs or the surrounding environment, allowing the system to meet multiple requirements. In this paper, a sample of reconfigurable products was studied to better understand the methods used to achieve different configurations. Four methods of reconfiguration were discovered. This expands work previously done in a parallel field with products that transform where only three methods were identified. In order to support the findings of this paper, the variations were identified and example products were presented that clearly show the need for at least one additional method of reconfiguring. A case study is also provided to illustrate the benefits of incorporating four principles, as apposed to three, into the concept generation phase of new reconfigurable product development.