Computer based system for imaging and analyzing an engineering object system and indicating values of specific design changes

• US 6,056,428 A
• Filed: 03/21/1997
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IHS Global Incorporated (Markit Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Invention Machine Corporation (S&P Global Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsourikov, Valery, Litvin, Simon S., Koshevoy, Oleg E., Devoino, Igor G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kazimi, Hani M.
• Application Number:
  US08/822,314
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 364/468.01, 364/468.03, 364/468.04, 364/468.09, 364/488-489, 364/490, 364/491, 364/512, 364/578, 345/419, 345/440, 345/441, 345/426, 345/357
• US Class Current: 703/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30

Abstract

A software system includes an engineering analysis system (EAS) for analyzing an engineering object system and for recommending elimination of object system components. The EAS includes a functional model unit responsive to user entry for generating images of a functional model of the object system including its components, elements and products and representations of the interactions between the generated components, elements, and products. The functional model can be represented as a number of component/element boxes and harmful and useful interaction lines therebetween, or the functional model components, elements and products can be represented in matrix form with interactions identified in the intersections of the matrix. The EAS includes an advanced link analysis unit for prompting user entry, storing and displaying of (i) a parameter of at least one of said interactions, (ii) the actual and desired quantitative or qualitative values of said parameter, (iii) a time and space dependency of the parameter. A trimming unit responsive to functional model data and interaction evaluation data is provided for generating a trimming recommendation rank for each functional model component and displaying representations of the trimming recommendation rank on the screen as well as the trimmed functional model and the improvement results if the recommended trimming can be accomplished.

Claims

1. A computer program embodied on a computer readable storage medium comprising an engineering analysis system for analyzing an object system, said engineering analysis system comprising:

a functional model unit responsive to user entry for generating on the computer screen a visual representation of a functional model of the object system including said functional model components, environmental elements and products, and further responsive to user entry for generating on a computer screen representations of the interactions between the generated components, elements, and products, each interaction being designated for visual representation as either harmful or useful, and wherein

said functional model is represented on the screen,

said functional model unit including a link analysis unit which in response to user entry applies a visual designation of one of at least three characteristics to each interaction, and wherein

said link analysis unit includes an advanced link analysis unit for prompting user entry, storing, and displaying of (i) a parameter of at least one of said interactions, (ii) the actual and desired values of said parameter, (iii) a dependency of said parameter.

2. A computer program on a computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 wherein said functional model unit comprises a graphical representation unit responsive to user entry for generating component, environmental element, and product representative images in user determined locations on the screen and the interactions among components and elements being represented by lines extending between components and between components and elements.

3. A computer program on a computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 wherein said functional model unit comprises a matrix representation unit responsive to user entry for generating components, environmental elements, and product on each of the X and Y axes of a matrix representation and rows and columns of entry boxes, each component, environmental element, and product representation being entered in a row box and column box, said matrix representation unit displaying representation of useful interactions and harmful interactions, and

said matrix representation unit being responsive to user entry for displaying representations of one or more harmful and useful actions in each box representing at least one intersection of components, environmental elements, or product on the X axis with the components or elements in the Y axis.

4. A computer program embodied on a computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 wherein said dependency includes a time dependency and a space dependency.

5. A computer program embodied on a computer readable storage medium according to claim 4 wherein said time and space dependencies are represented in graphical representation.

6. A computer program embodied on a computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 wherein said actual and desired values comprise quantitative values with designated tolerances.

7. A computer program embodied on a computer readable storage medium comprising an engineering analysis system for analyzing an object system, said engineering analysis system comprising:

a functional model unit responsive to user entry functional model data for storing and displaying on the computer screen a functional model of the object system including components, environmental elements and products and useful and harmful interactions,

said functional model including a link analysis unit for responding to user entry for generating interaction data including desired and actual useful interaction data and desired and actual harmful interaction data,

a trimming unit responsive to functional model data and interaction data for generating a trimming recommendation rank for each functional model component and displaying representations of said trimming recommendation rank on the screen.

8. A software system according to claim 7, wherein said trimming unit comprises a Trimming parameter unit for prompting the user to enter for each component F, P, C data representing its respective function rank, problem rank and cost, and

an F, P, TS evaluation unit in response to F, P, C data, functional model data and interaction data for generating, storing and displaying the function rank, problem rank and task significance for each functional model component, and

an integrated component evaluation unit responsive in part to said function rank, problem rank and task significance for generating a trimming rank for each component and for displaying representation of the trimming ranks on the screen.

9. A software system according to claim 8, wherein said trimming unit comprises a trimming condition evaluation unit responsive in part to functional model data and the trimming rank of each component for generating trimmed components and interactions and transfer interaction to another component recommendation, and

a trimmed model data unit responsive to said trimmed unit component and transfer interaction to another component recommendation for generating a graphical representation of a trimmed functional model representing trimmed components and interactions differently from corresponding components and interactions in the displayed functional model and representing recommended transferred interactions between at least one component remaining after the recommended trimmed component is represented as being trimmed.

10. In a digital computer system, the method of analyzing an object system comprising:

generating and displaying on the computer monitor a visual representation of a functional model of the object system including functional model components, environmental elements, and products,

generating and displaying on the computer monitor representations of the interactions between the displayed components, environmental elements, and products and visually designating each interaction as harmful or useful,

said steps of generating and displaying the component, environmental element representations comprising being positioned in user determined locations on the computer monitor and the interactions among components and environmental elements and products being represented by lines extending between components and between components and environmental elements and products, and

link analyzing each interaction representation and designating and displaying one of at least three characteristics in association with each interaction line on the monitor, and

advanced link analyzing the interactions by storing and displaying (i) a parameter of a at least one of the interactions, (ii) the actual and desired values of said parameter, and (iii) a dependency of said parameter.

11. The method according to claim 10, further including generating and alternately displaying a matrix form functional model representation that comprises a matrix representation responsive to user entry for generating components and environmental elements on each of the X and Y axes of the matrix representation and rows and columns of entry boxes, each component or element representation being entered in a row box and column box, displaying in said matrix representation representations of useful interactions and harmful interactions, and

said matrix representation being responsive to user entry for displaying representations of or one or more harmful and useful actions in each box representing at least one intersection of components, environmental elements on the X axis with the components, environmental elements, and product in the Y axis, and wherein

said generating and displaying steps include the data entered in said matrix during said generating and alternately displaying step and the generating and alternately displaying step includes the data entered during said generating and displaying steps.

12. A method according to claim 10 wherein said dependency includes a time and a space dependency.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein said time and space dependencies are displayed in graphical representations.

14. A method according to claim 10 wherein said actual and desired values comprise quantitative values with designated tolerances.

15. In a digital computer system, the method of analyzing an object system comprising:

generating, responsive to user entry, functional model data and storing and displaying on the computer screen a functional model of the object system including components, environmental elements, and products and useful and harmful interactions,

generating, responsive to user entry, link analysis data for generating and displaying interaction data including desired and actual useful interaction data and desired and actual harmful interaction data, and

generating trimming data responsive to functional model data and interaction data and generating a trimming recommendation rank for each functional model component and displaying representations of said trimming recommendation rank on the screen.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said trimming data comprises trimming parameter data for prompting the user to enter for each component F, P, C data representing its respective function rank, problem rank and cost, and

evaluating the F, P, TS data in response to F, P, C data, functional model data and interaction data and generating, storing and displaying the function rank, problem rank and task significance for each functional model component, and

evaluating said function rank, problem rank and task significance data and partially in response thereto generating a trimming rank for each component and for displaying representation of the trimming ranks on the screen.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said trimming data comprises a trimming condition evaluation data responsive in part to functional model data and the trimming rank of each component and generating trimmed components and interactions and transfer interaction to another component recommendation, and

generating trimmed model data responsive to said trimmed data component and transfer interaction to another component recommendation and generating a graphical representation of a trimmed functional model representing trimmed components and interactions differently from corresponding components and interactions in the displayed functional model and representing recommended transferred interactions between at least one component remaining after the recommended trimmed component is represented as being trimmed.