Understanding Product Architecture for Efficient Design

1. These are the Skills You Need to Build a House – What’s Missing?

2. What You Need is the Architecture! Where does the plumbing go? What is the function of each room? How is the wiring laid out? What rooms should not be adjacent? What about the HVAC layout? What rooms should be clustered? What rooms should interconnect?

3. The Architecture Provides The Plan The architecture answers these questions: • How can the functions be grouped? • How should the groups be arranged? • What interconnections are necessary? • What isolations are necessary?

4. PRODUCT ARCHITECTURE Sources: Ulrich KT and Eppinger SD, Product Design and Development, 3rd ed., McGraw Hill, 2004 Reinertsen DG, Managing the Design Factory: A Product Developer’s Toolkit, Free Press, 1997

5. Elements of Products • Functional elements: individual operations and transformations that contribute to the overall performance of the product • often combined into modules • Physical elements: the parts, components, and sub-assemblies that ultimately implement the product’s functions.

6. Interface Module A Module B What is Product Architecture? • The scheme by which the functional elements of the product are arranged into physical chunks (modules) and by which the physical chunks interact (at interfaces).

7. Product Development Process Concept Development System-Level Design Detail Design Testing and Refinement Production Ramp-Up Planning Platform decision Concept decision Decomposition decision Product architecture is determined early in the development process.

8. Product Architecture: Definition The arrangement of functional elements into physical chunks which become the building blocks for the product or family of products. module module Product module module module module module module

9. Primary Types of Product Architecture • Modular • Nonmodular (Integral) Most products have some degree of modularity!

10. Modular Architecture • Chunks (modules) implement one or several elements • Interactions between chunks (at interfaces) • must be well-defined • fundamental to the primary functions of the product • Modular architecture - allows a design change in one chunk (module) without requiring changes to other chunks (other modules)

11. Swiss Army Knife Sony Walkman Modular Product Architectures • Characteristics: 1) Chunks (modules) implementing one or a few functions entirely, and 2) well-defined interactions between chunks (interfaces).

12. Examples • Video Games • Modular: gaming systems (e.g. GameCube) • Integrated: stand-alone arcade games • Power Supplies • Modular: power bricks • Integrated: on-board power converter

13. Types of Modularity • Slot- modular architecture • Bus- modular architecture • Sectional-modular architecture

14. Slot-Modular Architecture • each interface between chunks different - various chunks cannot be interchanged • example: automobile radio - implements exactly one function, but interface different from any other components in the vehicle

15. Bus-Modular Architecture • a common bus to which chunks connect via the same type of interface • examples: track-lighting, shelving system with rails, expansion card for PC

16. Sectional-Modular Architecture • all interfaces of same type, but no single element to which all other chunks attach • assembly built by connecting chunks to each other via identical interfaces • examples: piping systems, office partitions

17. Modular Architecture of the Sony Walkman

18. Trailer Example:Modular Architecture box protect cargo from weather hitch connect to vehicle fairing minimizeair drag bed support cargo loads springs suspendtrailer structure wheels transfer loadsto road A 1-to-1 correspondence between modules and functions.

19. Advantage of Modular Design:HP products are designed to be recycled. Recycling design features include: • Modular design to allow components to be removed, upgraded or replaced • Eliminating glues and adhesives, for example, by using snap-in features • Marking plastic parts weighing more than 25g according t ISO 11469 international standards, to speed up materials identification during recycling • Reducing the number and types of materials used • Using single plastic polymers • Using molded-in colors and finishes instead of paint, coatings or plating • Relying on modular designs for ease of disassembly of dissimilar recyclable materials http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/productdesign/endoflife.html

20. Integral Architecture (Nonmodular) • Functional elements of the product are implemented using more than one chunk • A single chunk implements many functional elements • Interactions between chunks ill-defined, may be incidental to the primary functions of the products • Used with products with highest possible performance in mind

21. Trailer Example:Integral (Nonmodular) Architecture upper half protect cargo from weather lower half connect to vehicle nose piece minimizeair drag cargo hangingstraps support cargo loads spring slot covers suspendtrailer structure wheels transfer loadsto road

22. What is this?

23. Nail Clippers?

24. Ford Taurus Integrated Control Panel

25. Other Examples • Modular architecture • Xerox copier • Personal computer • Residential AC units • Singular (nonmodular) architecture • Table knife • High-performance transmission • Precision-ground bearings

26. Integral Higher system performance Lower system cost (in large volume) Tightly coupled design teams Expensive Tooling Hard to change Modular Changeability Decoupled design teams Reduced performance Requires flexible manufacturing Cheaper at low volumes Integral vs. Modular

27. Establishing the Architecture To establish an architecture: • create a schematic of the product • cluster the elements of the schematic to achieve the types of product variety desired. • define the interfaces

28. The Concepts of Integral and Modular Apply at Several Levels • system • sub-system • component

29. Product Architecture = Decomposition + Interactions • Interactions within chunks • Interactions across chunks

30. Schematic For A Wristwatch Source: www.ulrich-eppinger.net

31. Schematic For A Telephone Base Source: www.ulrich-eppinger.net

32. Product Architecture Example:Hewlett-Packard DeskJet Printer

33. EnclosePrinter Print Cartridge Provide Structural Support Accept User Inputs Display Status Position Cartridge In X-Axis StoreOutput Position Paper In Y-Axis Control Printer Supply DC Power StoreBlankPaper “Pick” Paper Communicate with Host Command Printer Functional or Physical Elements Flow of forces or energy Flow of material Flow of signals or data Connect to Host DeskJet Printer Schematic

34. Cluster Elements into Chunks (Modules) Enclosure EnclosePrinter Print Cartridge User Interface Board Provide Structural Support Accept User Inputs Display Status Position Cartridge In X-Axis Chassis StoreOutput Position Paper In Y-Axis Control Printer Power Cord and “Brick” Supply DC Power StoreBlankPaper “Pick” Paper PrintMechanism Paper Tray Communicate with Host Command Printer Host Driver Software Functional or Physical Elements Chunks Connect to Host Logic Board

35. Geometric Layout The 3-D Schematic

36. Incidental Interactions Enclosure User Interface Board Styling Thermal Distortion Vibration Paper Tray Print Mechanism Logic Board Host Driver Software RF Interference Thermal Distortion RF Shielding Chassis Power Cord and “Brick”

37. Product Architecture Objectives • Product architecture can be optimized to achieve certain economic objectives • Development Expense • Unit Cost • Product Performance • Development Schedule

38. Using Product Architecture to Achieve Economic Objectives Three key factors to consider when using architecture to achieve economic objectives • How modular to make the product (if at all) • How to handle variability within the system • How to manage the internal interfaces

39. 1. Product Architecture and Modularity • Two economic objectives most affected by modularity: • Lower development expenses • Modules separated from each other except at the interfaces; internal workings immaterial • Modules can be reused (no new development, no new testing) • Lower development cycle time • Modularity permits concurrent development

40. The Dark Side of Modular Architecture • Cost • Interfaces don’t come for free • Usually require connectors, couplings, flanges, lines of code; may require special attention to tolerances and alignment • Performance • Interfaces are potential bottlenecks • Modular system performance is usually less than with a tightly coupled, nonmodular system • Mechanical systems: weak spot is usually the interface, not the components • Electrical systems: connectors often limit bandwidth or reliability

41. Product Architecture --The End