A computer-aided design database integrated with a generic, formal design paradigm

The process of design is a multifaceted, multistage undertaking that, when done well, should produce an end-product that both meets the original design objectives and is acceptable to the client. The designer takes these high-level, and very often imprecise, design requirements and refines them into more-detailed sets of design specifications. This process of refining design goals, requirements, and specifications so that they are more detailed and specific continues throughout the design life cycle of the object. Design representation reflects the ability to represent an object through the various stages of design throughout the design life cycle, based on a formal, generic representation of design. Ideally, this should include the ability to represent the evolution of high-level design goals through requirements, specifications, detailed design and ultimately to actual, delivered product. Design representation is the focus of this research. Major contributions of this research include (1) the development of AutoCRAT, a generic design environment especially suited for refining early design goals into highly detailed design constraints, for documenting evidence used throughout the life cycle to increase the designer's confidence that constraints will be satisfied by the current design, and for capturing design decisions made throughout the design life cycle; (2) the development of a CAD database for the generic representation of design object components and configurations and to truly capture the essence of functional block diagrams; and (3) the integration of AutoCRAT with the CAD database, which will provide the design representation as the basis for a complete design environment. The integration of the database and its features with the power of AutoCRAT provides an environment that spans the design life-cycle from high-level, abstract requirements to actual, implemented design object. This environment also allows the user to trace design decisions made and to track the multidimensional set of constraints and requirements that arise in the process of designing.