Product design support system and method for simulating a prototype of a design object

Abstract

The invention relates to a product design support system for supporting product design business so as to design and develop a product in a short time. The system creates an L-row orthogonal table according to set design parameters, executes many times, for each of L sets of design parameter groups, a virtual prototyping operation by adjusting the dimensional tolerance of each part, processes averages and variances of L sets of evaluation indexes obtained by the virtual prototyping operations, to form a response surface and response surface model, makes a factorial effect diagram of design parameters for each evaluation index, examines the factorial effect diagram, forms optional combinations of design parameters sensitive to the evaluation indexes, applies the combinations to the response surface model, forms many design solutions by optionally combining all design parameters that may achieve design target values, conducts filtering to extract a maximum likelihood design solution candidate group that achieves specified evaluation index limit values out of the design solutions, selects a maximum likelihood design solution group from the solution candidate group, and presents the same to a user.