Expert system for automically generating gear designs

A computer implemented method of generating a gear set design, said design being based on a problem specification which is input by the user and which includes a plurality of characteristics of the design as well as desired weighting of each of a plurality of design goals, said gear set design including a plurality of independent and dependent parameter values;

• said method comprising the steps of:
• a. selecting one of a plurality of design approaches based on the design specification;
• b. selecting at least one of said plurality of independent parameters of the gear set design based on the design approach;
• c. determining a range over which said selected independent parameter is to be varied based on the characteristics of the design and a default range for one or more of the unselected ones of said independent parameters,
• d. varying the selected independent parameter over said range to generate a gear design space including a plurality of gear set designs,
• e. limiting said design space to those designs which are within predetermined dependent parameter ranges,
• f. ranking the designs of step e. based on the design goal weights.
• g. repeating steps b-f for each of the remaining ones of said independent parameters.