Concept design What is a design concept? Clarifying functional requirements Generating design concepts Analyzing alternative designs Developing “product” alternatives Evaluating product alternatives Concept Design Review Information flow & storage Intellectual property protection

Info flow during formulation and concept design phases Customer Needs Customer requirements Importance weights House of Quality Eng. characteristics Eng. Design Spec’s Formulation Concept Design “Best” Alternative Concepts ?

What is an alternative concept design? For slowing and stopping a spinning shaft? Alternative Physical principle Abstract Embodiment 1 fluid friction fan blade on shaft 2 magnetic field re-generative brake 3 surface friction disk and caliper brake For fastening sheets of paper? Alternative Physical principle Abstract Embodiment 1 spring force paperclip 2 bent clamp staple 3 bendable clamp cotter pin 4 adhesion glue

Def. - the means by which some effect is caused Physical principle Def. - the means by which some effect is caused

“Working principle” of a disc brake (Pahl & Beitz, European community) Note: no sizes, only vague shape motion (rotation) physical principle (friction force caused by caliper clamping force) material (solid) surface (planar area) working geometry

Design concept Purposefully vague Definition: abstract embodiment of: physical principle, material, and geometry. Surfaces, motion

Inputs & outputs to decision making Formulation Customer Needs Customer requirements Importance weights House of Quality Eng. characteristics Eng. Design Spec’s Concept Design Abstract embodiment Physical principles Material Geometry ?

How do we proceed? Need lots of feasible design concepts (i.e. alternatives) Need to select the “best” one or two concepts Is there a process that we can follow? Can we use the overall design process to guide us through the concept design phase?

Design process during Concept design phase Generate Alternatives Clarify Functions Analyze Iteration Will not violate laws of nature Likely to satisfy “must” customer requirements Likely to satisfy company requirements Archives, People Internet, Creative methods Engineering Design Specification 1st order calculations Proof of concept tests Bench test, Pilot plant Feasible? Best Concept(s) Pugh’s Method Weighted Rating Method Evaluate Activity Analysis Decomposition Diagrams Function Structures Concept Design yes no

Customer activities Examine interaction between customer and product Use set up operate maintain repair Retire take down disassemble recycle dispose

Clarifying functional requirements - Activity analysis method

Clarifying functional requirements Function decomposition diagram method make coffee boil water brew warm coffee pot store water, filter, grounds convert electricity to heat drip water on coffee control electricity conduct electricity What functions are performed? Remove? Combine? Reorganize?

Some functions that products/parts perform

Why prepare function decomposition diagrams? To breakdown big functions into smaller basic subfunctions to improve our ability to “match” existing concepts to basic functions Fully understand customer requirements (use & retire) Disconnect function from form Identify system boundaries Increase the potential for new combinations

Function structure diagrams show all inputs and outputs Energy Material Signal State 1 State 2

Example

Example

How do we do generate alternative concept designs? Alternatives Clarify Functions Analyze Iteration Will not violate laws of nature Likely to satisfy “must” customer requirements Likely to satisfy company requirements Archives, People Internet, Creative methods Engineering Design Specification 1st order calculations Proof of concept tests Bench test, Pilot plant Feasible? Best Concept(s) Pugh’s Method Weighted Rating Method Evaluate Activity Analysis Decomposition Diagrams Function Structures Concept Design yes no How do we do generate alternative concept designs?

Generating alternative concepts e.g. fasten papers a) flexible clamp, paperclip b) bent clamp, staple c) adhesion, glue (Sub)Functional requirements Concept SF1 {C11, C12} SF2 {C21, C22, C23} “match” ? Generating = finding or creating “matches”

Finding or creating matches Archives libraries (university, public, corporate) literature (handbooks, monographs, trade mag.s, journals, encyclop.) People coworkers, faculty, vendors, consultants Internet US Patent office, vendors, professional societies, etc Existing products – similar or competitive products dissection, reverse engineering Creative methods Brainstorming Method 635 Synectics (analogies, fantasy, empathy, inversion) Checklists (Osborn: substitute, combine, adapt, magnify, put to other use, eliminate, rearrange, and reverse).

“Developing” generated concepts E.g. mini bike

Morphological matrices Developing combinations of concepts into alternative product concept designs Alternative Concept design 1 {C11, C22 , C31…Cm2} 2 {C12, C23, C33 …Cm3}

Systematic Combinations

How do we do we “analyze” concepts? Clarify Functions Generate Alternatives Analyze Iteration Will not violate laws of nature Likely to satisfy “must” customer requirements Likely to satisfy company requirements Archives, People Internet, Creative methods Engineering Design Specification 1st order calculations Proof of concept tests Bench test, Pilot plant Feasible? Best Concept(s) Pugh’s Method Weighted Rating Method Evaluate Activity Analysis Decomposition Diagrams Function Structures Concept Design yes no How do we do we “analyze” concepts?

Analyzing = “predicting” and “screening”) (Roughly) predict / estimate each alternative’s performance 1rst order calcs. (back of the envelope) Proof of concepts (physical principle “tests”) Bench top/pilot plant (subassembly/system tests) Next step?

Screen alternatives for feasibility likely function (i.e.not violate laws of nature)? likely satisfy customer requirements? likely satisfy company requirements?

Evaluating Engineering Design Specification Concept Design Generate Alternatives Analyze Iteration Will not violate laws of nature Likely to satisfy “must” customer requirements Likely to satisfy company requirements Archives, People Internet, Creative methods Engineering Design Specification 1st order calculations Proof of concept tests Bench test, Pilot plant Feasible? Best Concept(s) Pugh’s Method Weighted Rating Method Evaluate Activity Analysis Decomposition Diagrams Function Structures Concept Design yes no Clarify Functions Evaluating

What does it mean to “evaluate” feasible concept designs? 9 7 10 “evaluate” best alternative concept design However: e-“valu”-ate = values? whose?

Pugh’s evaluation method 1. Select criteria, 2. Establish datum column, 3. Rate alternatives (+, -, S) against datum 4. Select best, or better alternatives group discussion and decision

Modified Pugh’s method Add new column Modified Pugh’s method

Weighted Rating evaluation method best method

Concept Design Engineering Design Specification Activity Analysis Decomposition Diagrams Function Structures Clarify Functions Generate Alternatives Archives, People Internet, Creative methods Iteration 1st order calculations Proof of concept tests Bench test, Pilot plant Analyze no Will not violate laws of nature Likely to satisfy “must” customer requirements Likely to satisfy company requirements Feasible? yes Evaluate Pugh’s Method Weighted Rating Method Best Concept(s)

Information flow & storage · photocopies of archival matter, · printouts from the Internet, · vendor catalogs and data sheets, · preliminary test results, · first-order calculations, · patent abstracts, · minutes of meetings, · concept sketches, · concept screening sheets · concept evaluation matrices · expert interview notes Record? Manage? Protect? what? where ? who? when? why?

Design information protection? Is design “information” property? Whose property is it? Can it be protected?

Types of Property How can we protect each? Real property – land, buildings Personal property Tangible – trucks, machines, office equip. Intangible - contracts copyrights trademarks patents trade secrets How can we protect each?

Contracts

Copyrights

Trademarks

Trade Dress Trade Dress is a distinctive, nonfunctional feature, which distinguishes a merchant's or manufacturer's goods or services from those of another.  (appearance) The trade dress of a product involves the "total image" and can include the color of the packaging, the configuration of goods, etc...  Even the theme of a restaurant may be considered trade dress. Examples include the packaging for Wonder Bread, the tray configuration for Healthy Choice frozen dinners, and the color scheme of Subway sub shops.  (http://www.amerilawyer.com/trademark/tm_tradedress.htm)

Mc Donald’s happy meal- printed box Trade Dress Examples Mc Donald’s happy meal- printed box International House of Pancakes – blue roof Seven-eleven – red/green store sign What is a Trade Dress? Trade Dress is a distinctive, nonfunctional feature, which distinguishes a merchant's or manufacturer's goods or services from those of another.  The trade dress of a product involves the "total image" and can include the color of the packaging, the configuration of goods, etc...  Even the theme of a restaurant may be considered trade dress.  Examples include the packaging for Wonder Bread, the tray configuration for Healthy Choice frozen dinners, and the color scheme of Subway sub shops.  Such a broad and ambiguous definition makes trade dress very easy to manipulate.  Seeking protection against trade dress infringements can be vital to the survival of a business.                                                                                                                               Mc Donalds        Ihop   Seven Eleven  Wendys

Patents

Trade Secret

Protection Summary

How will you protect your company’s intellectual property? Contract Copyright Trademark Patent Trade secret

Summary Clarify functional requirements Activity analysis method Function decomposition diagram method Function/structure diagram method Generate alternatives (by finding/creating) Finding Archives, People, Internet, Existing Products Creating Brainstorming, Method 635, Synectics, Checklists Analyzing alternative designs Evaluate – Pugh’s, weighted rating methods Information flow & storage Intellectual property protection