A protocol for communication in a component-based modelling infrastructure

The concept-to-embodiment phase of the design process is one of the most im portant aspects of any machine system design activity. In this phase the de signer must populate/embody a design concept with actual components and oth er machine elements. Populating a design concept entails the sizing, specif ication and matching of engineering components in order to fulfil the perfo rmance requirements of the design specification. This is a time-consuming a nd complex task when undertaken manually. New technologies for component sp ecification, such as electronic catalogues and computational models, enable the designer to consider many more individual components in combination wi thin a shorter space of time. However, to enable more effective and optimal design with these tools, it is desirable for the assembly of components an d their associated representations to be considered as a whole during this process, rather than as separate software entities, as is the current pract ice. This paper describes the communication protocol for a modelling infras tructure that enables systems of components to be considered in an integrat ed and flexible manner during the embodiment phase of the design process. T his is achieved by the generation of a convention for the exchange of compo nent data within a system model. This convention enables the propagation of sufficient component interaction data to allow the concurrent execution of component selection procedures. For a mechanical systems model these proce dures may incorporate a range of component representations from a variety o f sources, such as electronic catalogues, parametric models or computationa l design algorithms. This approach enables individual components to be full y specified and the performance capabilities of the system to be assessed a s well as ensuring that embodied solutions are achievable configurations.