To extensively grasp the architectural concept of our product, a general understanding of identifying new products architecture is needed.

Product innovation is the formation and the resulting inauguration of either novel or improved goods and services. The Policy Studies Institute (1988) defines product innovation as the development of new products, changes in design of established products, or use of new materials or components in manufacture of established products. This fundamentally elucidates that for the business, the arrival of anything - be it categorized as original or enhanced, is considered to be innovation.

Novel goods and services are classified as a result of new product development. This process involves two coexisting methods - the first including idea generation, product design and detail engineering; while the second incorporates market research and marketing analysis. The second category of innovation involves improving existing products - a common technique used stretching out a products lifetime. for

Product architecture is defined by Ulrich (1995) as the arrangement of functional elements; the mapping from functional elements to physical components; and the specification of interfaces among interactive physical components. It involves the allocation of individual functions of a product into physical groups, dubbed as chunks. Furthermore, its overall intention is to classify these chunks with regard to what they do and and what their interfaces are to the rest of the device (Ulrich and Eppinger, 2012, p. 184). Our Product comprises of two main functional elements - the first detecting rain, and the second protecting clothes. The core physical interaction anchoring these functions is an electric circuit which reacts to one element while activating the other.

Product architecture can be divided into two basic types - modular and integral. These forms of architecture are derived from a products modularity. In modular architecture the functional elements directly connect to the physical elements - the aforementioned chunks each apply to single functional elements, and the interaction between these chunks is clearly expounded. Conversely, an integral architecture entails a much smaller number of chunks which, inevitably, have numerous functions. Ulrich and Tungs (1991) findings detail the costs and benefits of modular products. As a whole, the costs are accordingly the benefits derived from an integral architecture. Modular architecture has advantages in clarity and reusability, while integral architecture amplifies performance and condenses costs for specific product models. Elucidating the scope of product modularity allows us to hereafter clarify the architecture of our product as slot-modular. Ulrich and Eppinger (2012) define this type of modular architecture as incorporating interfaces which are all different from each other so as to not be interchanged. This applies to our product specifically in that the awning cannot exert influence on the rain sensor - only the other way around. Inputs and outputs explained

Establishing the architecture Geometric pictures of whole products Major Chunks Rain sensor Awning Interactions

References White, M., Braczyk, HJ., Ghobadian, A., Niebuhr, J. (1988) Small Firms Innovation: Why Regions Differ, Policy Studies Institute Ulrich, K, and Eppinger, S; 2012, Product Design and Development, 5th edn, McGraw-Hill Companies Incorporated. Ulrich, K. (1995) The role of product architecture in manufacturing firm, Research Policy, No. 24. Cutherell, D. 1996, "Chapter 16: Product Architecture,"The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, M.Rosenau Jr., et al., ed,. John Wiley and Sons, pp 218. Ulrich, K. and Tung,K., 1991, " Fundamentals of Product Modularity", 1991 , ASME Winter Annual Meeting Conference, DE Vol. 39, Atlanta, pp. 73-80. Salmi, A., and J. Ikonen, 2005: New piezoelectric Vaisala RAINCAP precipitation sensor. 19th Conf. of Hydrology, San Diego, Amer. Meteor. Soc., P2.6.