Flexibility Despite Dependencies And Constraints: Product Family Design With Solution-Compensation Spaces

Optimization of components and commonality in a product family can be prohibitively expensive due to combinatorics. In a previously presented approach, numerical effort is significantly reduced by computing permissible intervals for design variables of each product variant. Components can be shared where intervals overlap. However, these intervals tend to be small and have little overlap. This paper introduces solution-compensation spaces into product family design. Permissible intervals are determined only for so-called early-decision variables that are relevant for commonality within the product family. All other variables are treated as so-called late-decision variables. They are adjusted for each component once a commonality pattern is established. They compensate for the choice of early-decision variables. This increases interval size and ensures greater flexibility to simultaneously design the components of the product family, while the dependency between the design variables is fully considered. The approach is applied to sensor design and positioning for automated vehicles.