Virtual Prototype Synchronization for Electronic Product Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the concept design stage of product development, especially for electric and electronic products, the ambiguity in representing and designing various product constituents such as software, circuit parts, and mechanical components leads to frequent rework and increased time and expense due to the need for physical mock-ups or prototypes, which complicates the evaluation of product feasibility and functionality.
Innovation Solution
A computer-based method that synchronizes and interlocks three types of design information: logical (logical blocks), physical (two-dimensional shapes), and geometrical (three-dimensional shapes) to provide a comprehensive and accurate representation of product components, allowing designers to visualize and interact with the design in real-time across these aspects without the need for physical prototypes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If physical mock-ups or prototypes are used to evaluate product feasibility in the concept design stage, then the accuracy of functionality evaluation is improved, but the time consumption and expense increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual prototype that copies the essential functional characteristics of the physical product. This virtual model allows designers to evaluate functionality, perform simulations, and conduct feasibility studies without manufacturing actual physical prototypes, thereby maintaining evaluation accuracy while dramatically reducing time and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical prototyping with a computer-based virtual simulation system. By substituting physical manufacturing and testing with digital modeling and simulation, the system eliminates the need for iterative physical mock-ups while preserving the ability to assess product functionality and feasibility.
2Reliability
If physical mock-ups or prototypes are used for trial production testing, then the reliability of test results is improved, but the cost and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual prototype serves as a digital copy that replicates the physical product's behavior and characteristics. This enables reliable trial production testing through simulation, allowing manufacturers to identify potential issues and optimize processes before committing to actual manufacturing, thereby maintaining test reliability while reducing material and production costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables preliminary testing and validation of manufacturing processes through virtual simulation before actual production begins. By performing trial production testing in the virtual environment, manufacturers can detect and correct potential problems in advance, ensuring reliable test results without incurring the full costs of physical trial production.
3Ease of operation
If manual graphics or simple graphic tools are used to express design contents, then the ease of operation is improved, but the precision and comprehensiveness of design information decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple design expression capabilities into a single unified system. The design support system can simultaneously handle logical block diagrams, physical layout representations, and detailed specifications, eliminating the need to switch between multiple separate tools while maintaining ease of operation and preventing information loss through comprehensive data integration.
Data Source
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AI summary
A designing support equipment for displaying design information on a display unit and designing a product so as to easily design the outline of a whole product and details of the constituent elements of the product. The equipment comprises a display unit having a first display displaying design information logically expressing the electrical operation of objects to be designed, a second display displaying design information expressing a physical two-dimensional shape of the objects, and a third display displaying design information expressing a physical three-dimensional shape of the objects, selecting means for selecting at least two displays from the first to third displays, and control means for allowing the display unit to display the selected display from the first to third displays about the same object and varying the displayed contents of the first to third displays displayed on the display unit so as to keep the matching.