Design work assistance apparatus

• US 7,062,495 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2003
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nemoto, Hiroyuki, Nishigaki, Ichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Greta
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US10/358,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20030195900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 707/8, 707/100, 707/102, 707/104.1, 707 1- 3, 707/10, 715/500, 715/964, 709/201, 709/203, 709/227, 706/919
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/964 CAD or CAM, e.g. interactive design tools

Abstract

A design work assistance apparatus, comprising: a design work guidance means for guiding along with a process template, which represents processing steps of design work process by unit work processes in a sequence thereof; a design work history accumulation means 107 for accumulating data of design work history, in particular information relating to failures in the past, by referring to a predetermined unit work process in parallel with the design work guidance; and a knowledge visualizing means 108 for transmitting information, which has high importance among the accumulated data of the design work history (for example, a failure case), to a design worker, thereby achieving the design work guidance with utilizing the cases of the past design works effectively.

Claims

1. A design work assistance computer, programmed to implement design work assistance functions comprising:

guiding design work, sequentially along a process template defining unit processes of the design work therein, and

accumulating a design work history when a worker selects a unit process other than a next unit process defined in the template, the design work history including;

a design document produced or referred in process of the design work up to just before the selection, and

a relationship of the design document to either one of the other and next unit processes, one of which is up stream from the other in the template sequence.

2. A design work computer, as in claim 1, comprising a knowledge visualizing means for displaying the design history information of the past, which is related to said selected unit process, when the user starts working of the selected unit process.

3. A design work assistance computer, programmed to implement design work assistance functions comprising:

guiding design work, sequentially along a process template defining unit processes of the design work therein, and

accumulating a design work history by;

producing a copy of a process template, which describes work history up to a unit process A therein, and

accumulating the copied process template, by relating the copied process template to a unit process B before the unit process A, when a process flow turns back to the unit process B from work on the unit process A.

4. A design work assistance computer, as in claim 3, wherein said design work history accumulating accumulates information relating to a reason and/or cause of turning back, when the process flow turns back to the unit process B before the unit process A, by relating the information to the unit process B.

5. A design work assistance computer, as in claim 4, comprising a knowledge visualizing means for displaying the design history information of the past, which is related to said unit process B, when the user starts working of the unit process B.

6. A design work computer, as in claim 3, comprising a knowledge visualizing means for displaying the design history information of the past, which is related to said unit process B, when the user starts working of the unit process B.

7. A design work assistance computer, programmed to implement design work assistance functions comprising:

guiding design work, sequentially along a process template defining unit processes of the design work therein, and

accumulating a design work history by;

producing a copy of a process template, which describes work history up to a unit process C therein, and

accumulating the copied process template, by relating the copied process template to a unit process A, when advancing to the unit process C by jumping over at least one unit process from work on unit process A.

8. A design work assistance computer, as in claim 7, wherein said design work history accumulating accumulates information relating to a reason and/or cause of omitting the unit processes up to the unit process C, when advancing to the unit process C by jumping over at least one unit process from the unit process A, by relating the information to the unit process A.

9. A design work computer, as in claim 8, comprising a knowledge visualizing means for displaying the design history information of the past, which is related to said unit process A, when the user starts working of the unit process A.

10. A design work assistance computer, as in claim 7, comprising a knowledge visualizing means for displaying the design history information of the past, which is related to said unit process A, when the user starts working of the unit process A.

11. A design work assistance computer, programmed to implement design work assistance functions comprising:

guiding design work, sequentially along a process template defining unit processes of the design work therein, and

accumulating a design work history by;

producing a copy of a process template, which describes work history up to a unit process A therein, and accumulating the process template copied up to unit process A, by relating the copied process template up to unit process A to a unit process B, when a process flow turns back to a unit process B before the unit process A from work on the unit process A, and

producing a copy of a process template, which describes work history up to a unit process C therein, and accumulating the process template copied up to unit process C, by relating the copied process template up to unit process C to the unit process A, when advancing to the unit process C by jumping over at least one unit process from work on the unit process A.

12. A design work assistance computer, as in claim 11, wherein said design work history accumulating:

accumulates information relating to a reason and/or cause of the turning back, when turning back to the unit process B before the unit process A, by relating the information to the unit process B, and

accumulates information relating to a reason and/or cause of omitting the unit processes up to the unit process C, when advancing to the unit process C by jumping over at least one unit process from the unit process under working, by relating the information relating to reason and/or cause of omitting unit processes to the unit process A.

13. A design work assistance apparatus, as described in the claim 12, comprising a knowledge visualizing means for displaying the design history information of the past, which is related to one of said unit processes, when the user starts working of the one unit process.

14. A design work computer, as in claim 11, comprising a knowledge visualizing means for displaying the design history information of the past, which is related to one of said unit processes, when the user starts working of the one unit process.