Abstract
The purpose of this study is to observe an ideal design principle with the characteristics of generality, practicality and computability. In this study, the attention is paid to topology which has a metric space concept in itself and the design knowledge is organized in the metric space. In the previous paper, the mechanism of function operation is modeled mathematically. In this paper, a mathematical model of conceptual design process is deduced and convergence policy to generate the design solutions is discussed from the viewpoint of a metric in function space. And a methodology of generating the component structures which satisfy the required functions is deduced based on these mathematical models. This methodology is a kind of generate and test methods, but it is distinct by paying attention to the metrized function space in searching for the starting point and refining the hypothesis. This paper also describes a computer system developed and applied for mechanical field.
