Space exploration with quantitative pruning and ranking system and method

A method comprising:

• by a computing system:
• accessing a functional model, wherein:
• the function model specifies functions that a system to be produced will carry out without specifying components that will carry out the functions;
• the functional model includes a plurality of functional model ports between the functions that the system to be produced will carry out;
• and
• the functional model includes behavior data that specifies functional requirements of the system to be produced;
• and
• performing a design space expansion to determine a collection of component model solutions for the functional model, wherein:
• each component model solution includes a plurality of simulated components;
• the design space expansion is performed by correlating ports types of the plurality of functional model ports in the functional model to component ports of the simulated components;
• and
• the collection of component model solutions includes some component model solutions that do not satisfy the functional requirements of the system to be produced;
• selecting a subset of the component model solutions from the collection, which have behaviors determined for each component model solution that satisfy the functional requirements of the system to be produced;
• determining a plurality of rankings for the component model solutions of the subset relative to each other based on a comparison of behaviors for each component model solution to each other and/or to the functional requirements included in the functional model;
• and
• causing a display device to output a visual representation of the component model solution having the highest ranking out of the plurality of rankings, wherein the visual representation visually depicts the simulated components that form the component model solution.

A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

• access a functional model, wherein:
• the function model specifies functions that a system to be produced will carry out without specifying components that will carry out the functions;
• the functional model includes a plurality of functional model ports between the functions that the system to be produced will carry out;
• and
• the functional model includes behavior data that specifies functional requirements of the system to be produced;
• and
• perform a design space expansion to determine a collection of component model solutions for the functional model, wherein:
• each component model solution includes a plurality of simulated components;
• the design space expansion is performed by correlating ports types of the plurality of functional model ports in the functional model to component ports of the simulated components;
• and
• the collection of component model solutions includes some component model solutions that do not satisfy the functional requirements of the system to be produced;
• select a subset of the component model solutions from the collection, which have behaviors determined for each component model solution that satisfy the functional requirements of the system to be produced;
• determine a plurality of rankings for the component model solutions of the subset relative to each other based on a comparison of behaviors for each component model solution to each other and/or to the functional requirements included in the functional model;
• and
• cause a display device to output a visual representation of the component model solution having the highest ranking out of the plurality of rankings, wherein the visual representation visually depicts the simulated components that form the component model solution.