Modular design

About: Modular design is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 32292 publications have been published within this topic receiving 461498 citations. The topic is also known as: design modularity & modularity in design.

The road to modularity

Abstract: A network of interactions is called modular if it is subdivided into relatively autonomous, internally highly connected components. Modularity has emerged as a rallying point for research in developmental and evolutionary biology (and specifically evo-devo), as well as in molecular systems biology. Here we review the evidence for modularity and models about its origin. Although there is an emerging agreement that organisms have a modular organization, the main open problem is the question of whether modules arise through the action of natural selection or because of biased mutational mechanisms.

Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robot Systems [Grand Challenges of Robotics]

Abstract: The field of modular self-reconfigurable robotic systems addresses the design, fabrication, motion planning, and control of autonomous kinematic machines with variable morphology. Modular self-reconfigurable systems have the promise of making significant technological advances to the field of robotics in general. Their promise of high versatility, high value, and high robustness may lead to a radical change in automation. Currently, a number of researchers have been addressing many of the challenges. While some progress has been made, it is clear that many challenges still exist. By illustrating several of the outstanding issues as grand challenges that have been collaboratively written by a large number of researchers in this field, this article has shown several of the key directions for the future of this growing field

Modulation, Losses, and Semiconductor Requirements of Modular Multilevel Converters

Abstract: This paper describes the operation of modular multilevel converter, an emerging and highly attractive topology for medium- and high-voltage applications. A new pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) scheme for an arbitrary number of voltage levels is introduced and evaluated. On the basis of this PWM scheme, the semiconductor losses are calculated, and the loss distribution is illustrated.

Modular Multilevel Converters for HVDC Applications: Review on Converter Cells and Functionalities

Abstract: In this paper, the principle of modularity is used to derive the different multilevel voltage and current source converter topologies. The paper is primarily focused on high-power applications and specifically on high-voltage dc systems. The derived converter cells are treated as building blocks and are contributing to the modularity of the system. By combining the different building blocks, i.e., the converter cells, a variety of voltage and current source modular multilevel converter topologies are derived and thoroughly discussed. Furthermore, by applying the modularity principle at the system level, various types of high-power converters are introduced. The modularity of the multilevel converters is studied in depth, and the challenges as well as the opportunities for high-power applications are illustrated.

Modularity from fluctuations in random graphs and complex networks.

Abstract: The mechanisms by which modularity emerges in complex networks are not well understood but recent reports have suggested that modularity may arise from evolutionary selection. We show that finding the modularity of a network is analogous to finding the ground-state energy of a spin system. Moreover, we demonstrate that, due to fluctuations, stochastic network models give rise to modular networks. Specifically, we show both numerically and analytically that random graphs and scale-free networks have modularity. We argue that this fact must be taken into consideration to define statistically significant modularity in complex networks.