OPTIMIZING THE DESIGN OF PHYSICAL STRUCTURES/OBJECTS

• US 20140214370A1
• Filed: 01/23/2014
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: OLHOFER, Markus, AULIG, Nikola
• Granted Patent: US 10,853,528 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/06 Multi-objective optimisation, e.g. Pareto optimisation using simulated annealing [SA], ant colony algorithms or genetic algorithms [GA]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/08 Probabilistic or stochastic CAD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/23 using finite element methods [FEM] or finite difference methods [FDM]

Abstract

In one aspect, a computer-assisted method for the optimization of the design of physical bodies, such as land, air and see vehicles and robots and/or parts thereof, is provided comprising the steps of: representing the design to be optimized as a mesh, generating update signals to optimize the mesh representation, applying an optimization algorithm until a stop criterion has been reached, and outputting a signal representing the optimized design.

Claims

1. A computer-assisted method for the optimization of the topology of physical bodies, such as land, air and see vehicles and robots and/or parts thereof, comprising the steps of:

obtaining design parameters of a physical object,

representing the design parameters in a design space,

performing a topology optimization of the design parameters until a stop criterion is met, the topology optimization comprising the step of an iterative local redistribution of material, wherein the iterative redistribution of material is performed based on update strategies, the update strategies being optimized based on a further optimization, and

outputting a signal representing the optimized design.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the further optimization is a dual process comprising a first process, e.g. a machine learning or stochastic optimization, providing update strategies to a second optimization process, and the second optimization process, e.g. a topology optimization, which is initialized by the first optimization process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first process starts with an initial update strategy or an initial set of update strategies, or a set of update strategies which can be chosen randomly.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial update strategy or strategies are supplied to and used in the second optimization process for the iterative redistribution of material.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second optimization process is started on an initial physical object and/or an initial design of a physical object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a topology optimization is started on a physical object and/or design of a physical object utilizing the update strategy generated by the first optimization process.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second optimization process is started on a physical object and/or design of a physical object obtained from a preceding run of the second optimization process.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a structural analysis is performed using e.g. a finite element analysis on an optimized physical object.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second optimization process stops when a stop criterion is met.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the quality according to a quality function or physical properties needed to evaluate a quality value of the resulting optimized physical object resulting from the second optimization process is returned to the first optimization process.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, based on a quality function and/or predetermined constraints the performance of the optimized physical object is evaluated.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the optimized physical object satisfies boundary conditions, i.e. when an optimization objective is met, the second optimization process is stopped.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the results of the evaluation of the optimized physical object are used as feedback to evaluate the quality of the set of update strategies provided to evaluate a quality of the current update strategy set using the improvement of the design during the second optimization process.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein an improved set of update strategies is generated or the previous update strategy set is adapted using an further optimization and/or a learning scheme.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein an update strategies generated by an automatic process is utilized for the adaptation of design variables representing physical properties of the structure.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein an update strategies generated by an optimization or learning procedure is utilized for the adaptation of design variables representing physical properties of the structure.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the design variables represent the amount of material within the structure.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein a final resulting update strategy is utilized for the same or similar objective functions and constraints as has been used in the optimization of the update strategy, in particular with different boundary conditions of the design space.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired mass of the physical object and or the mass computed from the design of a physical object is fixed or not fixed initially.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical object is optimized in view of at least one of thermodynamic, aerodynamic (such as e.g. drag) or hydrodynamic parameters as well as weight and mechanical characteristics.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical object is a land, air and/or sea vehicle and/or a robot or a part and/or design thereof.

22. A system for the optimization of a design of physical bodies, such as land, air and sea vehicles and robots and/or parts thereof, comprising:

means for obtaining design parameters of a physical object,

means for representing the design parameters in a design space,

means for performing a topology optimization of a physical object until a stop criterion is met,

means for iteratively redistributing material, and

means for outputting a signal representing the optimized design, the system being designed to perform a method according to claim 1.