Abstract: Function innovation is the process of optimization, update, and restructuring for function structure, which is a effective way to product front innovation. Function innovation research is still belongs to the initial stage of exploration. The key technologies to function innovation is researched, which are function evolution and prediction technology, function combination and configuration technology, function failure determination and eliminate technology. The decisive factors of function evolution is confirmed by dynamic analysis, the laws of function evolution are extracted by patent knowledge mining, the product function evolution can be predicted by function evolution laws, the functions are combined by classification of function and function relationship, the function structure is optimized by function matching design, the reliability of function structure is ensured by the process of function failure analysis and eliminate. Then the function innovation process model is constructed by integrating function innovation and function design process, further, the computer-aided functional design software system is developed. Finally, the design of a deposition source machine of CdTe thin film solar cell is taken as an example to validate the effectiveness of the model.

Key words: Function combination, Function evolution, Function failure, Function innovation, Process model