The Design Problem Solver, A System for Designing Equipment or Furniture Layouts

摘要

The Design Problem Solver (DPS) demonstrates that the computer can perform simple design tasks. In particular, it designs furniture and equipment layouts. This task was chosen because it is simple, well defined, and characteristic of many design tasks in architecture, engineering, urban planning, and natural resource management. These space planning tasks usually involve manipulating two-dimensional representations of objects, to create feasible or optimal solutions for problems involving topological and metric spatial constraints. DPS is a heuristic problem solver with a planning phase prefixed to it. It uses the planning process to give it a sense of direction, diagnostic procedures to locate difficulties, and remedial actions to recover from difficulties. It uses a convex polygon representation to accurately describe the objects and the layout. This representation allows topological and metric constraints to be tested and the design to be easily updated. (Author)