An Internet-based search formalism for design with modules

The modular design of products leads to a large number of different products by creating distinct combinations of modules and components. This can give each product distinctive functionality, features, and performance levels. The design of modular products is of considerable importance in enabling companies to respond rapidly to changes in the market environment. This paper is concerned with the area of design with modules (DwM), which involves selecting the module combination to best satisfy the given set of requirements. The aim of this paper is to develop an approach for DwM, to meet customer requirements, using modules that come from suppliers that may be geographically separated and on differing computer platforms. An object-oriented approach for DwM, termed object-oriented design with modules (OODwM), is proposed where modules are represented as objects. The main contributions of this paper are threefold. First, an object-oriented approach to DwM is described. Second, a formalism for DwM using this object-oriented approach is presented. Third, the use of this formalism is illustrated with an Internet-based implementation showing how the formalism can be used for a specific problem, and how objects can be readily exchanged. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.