9319409 Subramanian A new computational prototyping tool is proposed for conceptual design and simulation of opto-electromechanical devices. The primary objective is to improve the quality of designed products and to reduce the number of physical prototyping iterations by using this tool in early design. A compositional technique of constructing complex design topologies by putting together known design fragments in a systematic manner is used. This process is grounded in a set of primitive design fragments which are parameterized solutions to specialized sets of design constraints. The focus is on multi-domain designs, in particular designs with electrical, optical and mechanical components; instead of single domain designs. Constraints are a unifying representation in the design process. The behavior of multi-domain devices is specified as sets of constraints, the process of generating alternate conceptual designs is that of constraint solving, and the design tool as a whole is embedded in a constraint programming environment. The constraint-based unification achieves rapid generation of conceptual alternatives, and tight integration of design with fast simulation to verify behavior.
