A modeling approach for correlation´s evolution of modular product family

Modular design is a systematic design method, which needs modeling technology to prepare framework for construction and evolution of product system. In this paper, a multi-view modeling methodology is proposed to prepare such an structure for correlation´s evolution of product family based on relationship constraint network. According to evolutionary process of modular design, demands of modeling techniques are analysed firstly. Secondly, through comparing interface propagation in specific view with network, correlative information among elements is organized in the form of constraint network. In this way, correlative information of product is organized into a tri-view model, which includes the functional, the structural and the behavioral. Based on the tri-view model, model of product family is established by modular layouts, and provides a two-way channel for application and optimization of modular scheme. Finally, a case is presented to illustrate the application of the proposed approach, which proved the effectiveness of this approach.