Kevin Otto, Katja Hölttä-Otto, Roozbeh Sanaei, Kristin L. Wood
J. Mech. Des. Apr 2020, 142(4): 041402

This paper considers systems with field constraints, when elements cannot be placed in special regions such as a high-temperature field, a high-pressure field, a high magnetic field, etc.  Fields place constraints on architectural modularity choices and provide creative opportunities for the design of complex systems. This paper develops practical design guidelines for modularity by considering field constraints and highlighting on a system block diagram which elements are within a high field region. The ideas are demonstrated on a medical contrast injector that must partially operate in magnetic and sterile fields. These field constraints are shown to be designer choices: by changing the design concept one can move functional elements into or out of fields. This approach provides opportunities for innovation through a focus on moving field boundaries to generate new product-system architecture concepts. For the medical contrast injector device, an exemplar innovation for higher accuracy dosage was moving the pump away from the motor into the magnetic field through an umbilical drive. Overall, field boundaries are inherent considerations in product architecture, and the techniques in this paper provide a foundational set of guidelines and a general approach for designing systems within such considerations. ​

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