An agent-supported approach for the collaborative design of complex systems

A novel approach for partitioning and coordinating the collaborative design optimization of complex systems is described. A partitioning metric has been formulated to select the best partitioning solutions among the total possibilities of dividing the complex design optimization problem. Then, an agent-supported approach is used for the coordination of the collaborative design optimization. The approach has been applied to the case of a preliminary design of an electric vehicle, to demonstrate how various agents can effectively communicate with each other to provide support to the collaborative design optimization of complex systems.