Knowledge Base Repository
In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.
Factored Dependency Structure Matrix for Representation of Multi-Connection Systems
Heekun Roh (1), Lilly Etzenbach (1), Alexia Oltramare (1), Johannes Norheim (2), Olivier de Weck (1)
Type:
Year:
2025
Editor:
Ali A. Yassine, Christopher Langner, Matthias Kreimeyer, Tyson R. Browning, Steven D. Eppinger
Author:
Heekun Roh (1), Lilly Etzenbach (1), Alexia Oltramare (1), Johannes Norheim (2), Olivier de Weck (1)
Series:
DSM
Institution:
1: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of America; 2: University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom
Page(s):
31-40
DOI number:
Abstract:
The Dependency Structure Matrix (DSM) is a simple yet powerful tool in modeling the connectivity structure between system components. A plain DSM only assumes one-to-one connections between subsystems, which often prohibits its representation power. In order to alleviate such limits, we propose the use of the Factor DSM (FDSM), which expands the DSM into a network of variables and constraints. By such expansion, we allow multiple connections between several components to be modeled, expressed in constraint equations. We compare the FDSM with other types of augmented DSMs that target multi-connection modeling. Then, we demonstrate that the FDSM is a superset of the DSM, such that a DSM can be derived from an FDSM using merge and multiplication operations. Lastly, we show the utility of the FDSM on simple operational amplifier (opamp) feedback circuit examples, where a classic DSM struggles to represent the full system architecture and behavior.
Keywords:
