System level thermal design-process modeling for functional/structure design using SysML and MDM

The conventional thermal design process for consumer electronics focusing exclusively on hardware is becoming insufficient for limiting thermal risk in the market. This study uses system modeling language (SysML) and a multipledomain matrix (MDM) to examine the thermal design process at the system level, which comprises both hardware and software. The entire thermal design process is visualized using an MDM comprising design structure matrices for the function, performance, and structure of a product and the correlations between them. It is demonstrated through the trade-off study of image processor selection and a machine design that our proposed thermal design process can lead better product specifications in terms of thermal performance and parts cost.