A Method for Function Dividing in Conceptual Design by Focusing on Linguistic Hierarchal Relations

In this study, we attempted to develop a method that applies the notion and technology of natural language processing for operating a function dividing process in conceptual design. We formulated a function dividing process from a linguistic viewpoint and constructed linguistic hierarchal structures in this process. This method is significant in identifying hierarchal relationships between the upper- and lower-level functions from the viewpoint of linguistic hierarchal relations. An experiment was carried out to confirm whether the proposed methods were feasible and whether the extracted relations were meaningful for supporting the function dividing process.