Collaborative Design Knowledge Retrieval

Abstract

Knowledge retrieval in the collaborative design of modern products has become a major factor in improving the efficiency of collaborative design. In this chapter, three different levels of knowledge retrieval approaches are introduced. In the first level, the keyword-based retrieval method for the textual information is described with theories and methods from the IR (Information Retrieval) domain. In the second level, the retrieval of structured design knowledge is presented to improve the retrieval performance, which includes generating summaries for knowledge nodes and filtering retrieval results based on type and status information, finding groups of nodes to achieve better match, and using complex queries to enable users better express knowledge needs. In the third level, the semantic retrieval of design knowledge is illustrated, which aims to enable the system to understand the meanings and contexts of knowledge nodes, the intents behind a user’s queries, and the context in which a request for information is being made. As demonstrated in the evaluations of the prototype system, the retrieval methods developed are effective and achieve good performance in addition to the intelligent assistance offered by the Design Rationale editor tool.