Conceptual design tool

• US 5,109,337 A
• Filed: 10/28/1987
• Issued: 04/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Witt, Phillip R., Ferriter, Kate M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baker, Stephen M.
• Application Number:
  US07/113,694
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 364/401, 364/464.01
• US Class Current: 705/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

A conceptual design tool uses a sketch sheet approach on a computer display to enter the functional design of a product, thereby encouraging the designer to use a top down approach to the design process. The user keys in part descriptions, and the system automatically draws a hierarchical tree structure on the computer display. The user is then prompted to consider, part by part, all of the parts in the product. A series of pop-up menus guide the user through manufacturing and planning for the part. Based on the data input by the user, the system then generates a qualified parts list and computes an estimated cost figure for the product using manufacturing information gathered by the conceptual design tool during product release planning.

Claims

1. A conceptual design tool method for implementation on a computer, said conceptual design tool method providing for the early manufacturing involvement information needed to aid and improve the total design planning and manufacturing effort to product a final product, comprising the steps of:

prompting a user on a functional product structure;

capturing product structure data input by the user in a database by entering components for each level of component detail in a table in the database;

generating a hierarchical structure of the product structure and displaying said hierarchical structure to the user as the product structure data is captured in the database;

prompting the user to input manufacturing details for each item in the functional product structure by selecting an item in the structure and displaying a screen for input of manufacturing details;

providing the user with an option to enter default manufacturing information of each item;

accessing a database to insert default manufacturing information in said screen from said database for similar items;

providing the user with an option to override default manufacturing information inserted in said screen;

accepting user manufacturing information input to said screen in place of the default manufacturing information;

generating an item number for each item and storing the manufacturing information input to said screen in a database indexed by said item number;

generating a parts list from the manufacturing details for each item in the functional product structure by accessing each item of each level in the table of the database;

prompting the user to input product assembly time; and

computing an estimated cost of the product based on the parts list and user input product assembly time.

2. The conceptual design tool recited in claim 1 wherein the step of computing an estimated cost comprises the steps of:

using the parts list, accessing quantity and cost for each item in the manufacturing information stored in the database;

multiplying the cost by the quantity accessed from the database for each item and temporarily storing the product;

multiplying the product assembly time by a predefined labor and burden cost and temporarily storing the product; and

summing the temporarily stored products and providing an output of the estimated cost of the final product under design based on the manufacturing information currently in the database.

3. A conceptual design tool method for implementation on a computer, said conceptual design tool method implementing a top-down functional approach to hardware product design, comprising the steps of:

prompting a user at the beginning of a design process to input a product name for a product to be designed;

capturing a product name input by the user in a database;

thereafter prompting a user to input a functional product structure of the product;

capturing functional product structure data input by the user in said data base under said product name;

generating a hierarchical structure of the product structure as the product structure is captured in the database;

displaying said hierarchical structure to the user as it is generated;

successively selecting items in the hierarchical structure;

prompting the user to input manufacturing details for each item selected on a display screen;

providing the user with an option to enter on said display screen default manufacturing information from said database for each selected item;

accessing said database to insert on said display screen default manufacturing information for similar items stored in said database;

providing the user with an option to override default manufacturing information inserted on said display screen from said database;

accepting user manufacturing information input on said display screen in place of said default manufacturing information;

receiving manufacturing information input on said display screen for each item selected; and

generating an item number for each item and storing the manufacturing information in said database indexed by said item number.

4. The conceptual design tool recited in claim 3 further comprising the step of generating a parts list from the manufacturing details for each item in the functional product structure.

5. The conceptual design tool recited in claim 4 further comprising the step of:

using the parts list, accessing quantity and cost for each item in the manufacturing data stored in the database;

multiplying the cost by the quantity accessed from the database for each item and temporarily storing the product;

multiplying the product assembly time by a predefined labor and burden cost and temporarily storing the product; and

summing the temporarily stored products and providing an output of the estimated cost of the final product under design based on the manufacturing information currently in the database.