16/09/2014
When designing an object (such as an electronic machinery, a biological enzyme or a building), the system could be designed by two broad ways. The first way would be to design the complete system using the known theories, and use the system, as it is designed, in the real conditions. An alternative way would be to design the different components of the system separately, and test each component in separate conditions. Modular design, or "modularity in design", is an approach that subdivides a system into smaller parts (modules or skids) that can be independently created and then used in different systems to drive multiple functionalities. A modular system can be characterized by the following:
(1) Functional partitioning into discrete scalable, reusable modules consisting of isolated, self-contained functional elements.
(2) Rigorous use of well-defined modular interfaces, including object-oriented descriptions of module functionality
(3) Ease of change to achieve technology transparency and, to the extent possible, make use of industry standards for key interfaces.[
