Patent ID: 6980939
Filing Date: 2005-12-27
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method for optimizing the design of a mechanical system comprising: (a) determining a plurality of design parameters, (b) determining a range of possible values for each of said design parameters, (c) determining a space-filling Latin Hypercube Sampling design of experiment matrix based upon said ranges of possible values for each of said design parameters, (d) creating a plurality of models of said mechanical system based upon said space-filling Latin Hypercube Sampling design of experiment matrix, (e) creating a simulation test, (f) simulating the performance of each of said plurality of models of said mechanical system with said simulation test, said simulating outputting a simulation result for each of said models, (g) determining if any of said simulation results is a faulty simulation result, (h) consolidating said simulation results into a simulation results summary, said consolidating comprising the step of discarding any said faulty simulation result, whereby said simulation results summary comprises a plurality of accurate simulation results, each of said plurality of accurate simulation results comprising a performance attribute result for each of a plurality of performance attributes, (i) creating a plurality of response surface models, each of said plurality of response surface models being related to all of said performance attribute results in said simulation results summary for one of said plurality of performance attributes, each of said plurality of response surface models being capable of modeling the performance of said one of said plurality of performance attributes over said range of possible values for each of said design parameters, (j) choosing a desired performance metric for each of said plurality of response surface models, and (k) optimizing the performance of at least one of said plurality of response surface models to achieve said desired performance metrics, whereby said optimizing outputs an optimal design parameter value from said range of possible values for each of said design parameters.