Method and system for analyzing a plurality of parts

• US 20040122860A1
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KPIT Infosystems incorporated
• Original Assignee: Akoya, Inc. (KPIT Infosystems incorporated)
• Inventors: Srinivasan, Syamala
• Granted Patent: US 7,657,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 Manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/30 Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing

Abstract

The present invention includes a method and system configured to analyze a plurality of parts, each of the parts having at least one part characteristic. The method includes the steps of establishing at least one repository of the part characteristics, establishing a relationship between at least a portion of the parts and a cost characteristic; and, analyzing the portion of the parts in response to the relationship.

Claims

1. A computer based method of analyzing a plurality of parts, each of the parts having at least one part characteristic, comprising;

establishing at least one repository of said part characteristics;

establishing a relationship between at least a portion of said parts and at least one of said part characteristics; and

analyzing said portion of said parts in response to said relationship.

2. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing said relationship further comprises:

establishing a part category;

associating at least a portion of said parts with said part category based upon at least one of said characteristics of said part; and

establishing said relationship between said associated parts and said cost characteristic.

3. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing said at least one part characteristic repository further comprises the step of receiving at least a portion of said part characteristics from a second repository.

4. A method, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said second repository is a repository of drawings.

5. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing said at least one part characteristic repository further comprises the step of receiving a first portion of said part characteristics from a first repository and a second portion of said part characteristics from a second repository.

6. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said part characteristics includes at least one of a cost, a weight, a material type, a finish type, and a volume.

7. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said part characteristics includes a volume characteristic associated with at least one time period.

8. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said part characteristics are associated with at least one time period and further comprising;

establishing at least one economic characteristic associated with said time period.

9. A method, as set forth in claim 8, wherein said part characteristic associated with said relationship is a cost characteristic, and wherein the step of establishing said relationship includes the step of establishing said relationship between at least a portion of said part characteristics, said cost characteristic, and said economic characteristic.

10. A method, as set forth in claim 8, wherein said at least one economic characteristic includes at least one of a labor cost characteristic, an inflation characteristic, a national economic index characteristic, and an industry economic index characteristic.

11. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing said relationship further comprises the steps of:

establishing a plurality of relationships between at least a portion of said parts and said cost characteristic;

establishing an accuracy characteristic for each of said plurality of relationships; and

establishing said relationship in response to said accuracy characteristics.

12. A method, as set forth in claim 11, further comprising the step of establishing at least one of said part characteristics of said portion of parts, as a cost driver, in response to said established relationship.

13. A method, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the step of analyzing said portion of said parts comprises:

establishing a future part, said future part having at least one part characteristic;

establishing a cost characteristic associated with said future part in response to said relationship and at least one of said characteristics of said future part.

14. A method, as set forth in claim 13, wherein the step of establishing said future part cost characteristics comprises the steps of:

establishing at least one cost driver associated with said future part in response to said relationship

establishing said future part cost characteristic in response to said relationship, and said at least one future part cost driver.

15. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cost driver is at least one of a supplier, a material type, a weight, a finish type, and a volume.

16. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing said relationship further comprises the step of:

automatically establishing an analysis technique; and

establishing said relationship in response to said analysis technique.

17. A method, as set forth in claim 16, wherein the step of automatically establishing said analysis technique further includes the step of automatically establishing said analysis in response to said part characteristics associated with said portion of said parts.

18. A method, as set forth in claim 16, wherein the step of automatically establishing said analysis technique further includes the step of automatically establishing said analysis technique in response to a parts analysis objective.

19. A method, as set forth in claim 18, wherein said parts analysis objective is one of a characteristic prediction and a relationship explanation.

20. A method, as set forth in claim 16, wherein said relationship includes a number of dependent variables, and further wherein the step of automatically establishing an analysis technique further comprises the step of:

automatically establishing said analysis technique to establish said relationship in response to said number of dependent variables.

21. A method, as set forth in claim 16, wherein said analysis technique is one of a classical technique, a Bayesian technique, and a machine learning technique.

22. A method, as set forth in claim 21, wherein the step of automatically establishing said analysis technique further includes the step of automatically establishing said analysis technique in response to a parts analysis objective.

23. A method, as set forth in claim 22, wherein said parts analysis objective is one of a characteristic prediction and a relationship explanation.

24. A method, as set forth in claim 23, wherein said classical technique is established in response to said objective being said relationship explanation.

25. A method, as set forth in claim 24, wherein said machine learning technique is established in response to said objective being said characteristic prediction

26. A method, as set forth in claim 25, wherein said portion of said parts include a plurality of relevant characteristics, further comprising the step of automatically establishing said relevant characteristics.

27. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing said relationship further comprises the step of automatically establishing a plurality of relationships using a plurality of analysis techniques.

28. A method, as set forth in claim 27, wherein the step of establishing said relationship further comprises the steps of:

establishing an accuracy of said relationships;

establishing said relationship in response to said relationship accuracy.

29. A method, as set forth in claim 28, wherein the step of establishing said relationship accuracy further comprises the step of automatically establishing an accuracy technique to establish said relationship accuracy.

30. A method, as set forth in claim 29, wherein the step of automatically establishing said accuracy technique further includes the step of automatically establishing said accuracy technique in response to a parts analysis objective.

31. A method, as set forth in claim 30, wherein said parts analysis objective is one of a characteristic prediction and a relationship explanation.

32. A method, as set forth in claim 31, wherein said portion of said parts include a plurality of relevant characteristics, further comprising the step of automatically establishing said relevant characteristics.

33. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing said relationship further comprises the step of establishing at least one cost driver in response to said relationship.

34. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing said relationship further comprises the step of establishing an anomaly in response to said relationship.

35. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing said relationship further comprises the step of establishing a normalized cost driver in response to said relationship.

36. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing said relationship further comprises the step of comparing a plurality of suppliers in response to said relationship.

37. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing said relationship further comprises the step of comparing a plurality of parts supplied by a supplier in response to said relationship.

38. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing said relationship further comprises the step of establishing a supplier strength in response to said relationship.

39. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing said relationship further comprises the step of establishing a supplier weakness in response to said relationship.

40. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing at least one repository further comprises the steps of:

establishing a part characteristic request; and

retrieving one or more parts from an external repository in response to said part characteristic request.

41. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing said at least one repository further comprises the steps of:

establishing a part characteristic request; and

retrieving one or more part characteristics from an external repository in response to said part characteristic request.

42. A system configured to analyze a plurality of parts, each of the parts having at least one part characteristics, comprising:

a repository of said part characteristics;

a processor configured to establish a relationship between a portion of said parts and at least one cost characteristic, and analyze said portion in response to said relationship.

43. A system, as set forth in claim 42, further comprising a user interface, said user interface enabling a user to graphically interact with said system.

44. A system, as set forth in claim 43, wherein said user interface is further configured to receive a parts analysis request from a user, and said processor is further configured to retrieve one or more of said part characteristics from an external repository.

45. A system, as set forth in claim 43, wherein said parts analysis request includes a part characteristics, and wherein said process is further configured to retrieve one or more parts from an external repository in response to said part characteristic.

46. A system, as set forth in claim 45, wherein said system repository includes an electronic connection to one or more external repositories.

47. A system, as set forth in claim 43, wherein said processor is further configured to automatically establish an analysis technique, said relationship being established in response to said analysis technique.

48. A system, as set forth in claim 47, wherein said user interface is further configured to receive a analysis objective from said user, and wherein said processor is further configured to automatically establish said analysis technique in response to said analysis objective.

49. A system, as set forth in claim 47, wherein said relationship includes a number of dependent variables, and further wherein said user interface is further configured to receive said number from said user, and wherein said processor is further configured to automatically establish said analysis technique in response to said number of dependent variables.

50. A system, as set forth in claim 43, wherein said user interface includes a display, and wherein said user interface is configured to receive a parts analysis request from said user, and wherein said processor is further configured to analyze said relationship in response to said parts analysis request.

51. A system, as set forth in claim 50, wherein said user interface is further configured to receive a display request, to display said relationship analysis in response to said display request.