Manufacturing design and process analysis system
First Claim
1. An apparatus facilitating design, manufacturing, and other processes comprising:
- a processor;
a memory;
a software application, physically stored in the memory, comprising instructions operable to cause the processor and the apparatus to;
receive a plurality of article characteristic values associated with a set of articles having a range of variation as to a plurality of article characteristics;
select a predictor characteristic from the plurality of article characteristics;
determine the regression model between the predictor characteristic and a first remaining article characteristic in the plurality of article characteristics, wherein the regression model includes lower and upper prediction boundariesreceive lower and upper specification limits for the predictor characteristic and the first remaining article characteristic;
locate, relative to the regression model between the predictor characteristic and the first remaining article characteristic, the compliance area bounded by the upper and lower specification limits associated with the first remaining article characteristic and the predictor characteristic;
locate the bounded regression area for the first remaining characteristic defined by the upper and lower prediction boundaries of the regression model and the upper and lower specification limits for the predictor characteristic; and
identify the relationship between the bounded regression area and the compliance area.
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Abstract
Methods, apparatuses and systems that facilitate the design, production and/or measurement tasks associated with manufacturing and other processes. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to decision-making and logic structures, implemented in a computer software application, facilitating all phases of the design, development, tooling, pre-production, qualification, certification, and production process of any part or other article that is produced to specification. In one embodiment, the present invention provides knowledge of how the multiple characteristics of a given process output are related to each other, to specification limits and to pre-process inputs. This knowledge facilitates a reduction in measurement, analysis and reporting costs both prior to and during production. It also determines the changes needed to pre-process inputs in order to achieve production at design targets. It provides a prioritized order for relaxing design tolerances. It assesses the feasibility of producing parts that meet specification limits. It assesses the trade-off between performance and producibility and provides design targets that improve-producibility. It provides a determination of when process variability needs reduction. It facilitates material comparison and selection. It provides process engineers and operators with improved operating guidelines.
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Citations
76 Claims
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1. An apparatus facilitating design, manufacturing, and other processes comprising:
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a processor; a memory; a software application, physically stored in the memory, comprising instructions operable to cause the processor and the apparatus to; receive a plurality of article characteristic values associated with a set of articles having a range of variation as to a plurality of article characteristics; select a predictor characteristic from the plurality of article characteristics; determine the regression model between the predictor characteristic and a first remaining article characteristic in the plurality of article characteristics, wherein the regression model includes lower and upper prediction boundaries receive lower and upper specification limits for the predictor characteristic and the first remaining article characteristic; locate, relative to the regression model between the predictor characteristic and the first remaining article characteristic, the compliance area bounded by the upper and lower specification limits associated with the first remaining article characteristic and the predictor characteristic; locate the bounded regression area for the first remaining characteristic defined by the upper and lower prediction boundaries of the regression model and the upper and lower specification limits for the predictor characteristic; and identify the relationship between the bounded regression area and the compliance area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. An apparatus facilitating a determination of the magnitude and direction by which a pre-process characteristic would have to be adjusted to achieve a given design target comprising:
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a processor; a memory; a software application, physically stored in the memory, comprising instructions operable to cause the processor and the apparatus to; receive a plurality of article characteristic values associated with a set of articles having a range of variation as to a plurality of article characteristics; select a predictor characteristic from the plurality of article characteristics; determine the regression model between the predictor characteristic and a first remaining article characteristic in the plurality of article characteristics, receive the target values for the predictor characteristic and the first remaining article characteristic; compute, based on the regression model, the value of the first remaining article characteristic at the target value of the predictor characteristic; determine the magnitude and direction of the offset for the first remaining article characteristic by computing the difference between the computed value of the first remaining article characteristic and the target value of the first remaining article characteristic; store the magnitude and direction of the offset in a data structure in association with an identifier for the first remaining article characteristic; and repeat the computing, determining and storing operations for all desired remaining characteristics. - View Dependent Claims (35)
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36. An apparatus facilitating analysis of the achievable gains in operating range associated with relaxing design tolerances corresponding to at least one article characteristic, comprising
a processor; -
a memory; a software application, physically stored in the memory, comprising instructions operable to cause the processor and the apparatus to; receive a plurality of article characteristic values associated with a set of articles having a range of variation as to a plurality of article characteristics; select a predictor characteristic from the plurality of article characteristics; determine the regression model between the predictor characteristic and a first remaining article characteristic in the plurality of article characteristics, wherein the regression model includes lower and upper prediction boundaries; receive lower and upper specification limits for the predictor characteristic and the first remaining article characteristic; compute, based on the regression model, the minimum and maximum predictor characteristic values at which the first remaining article characteristic remains within the lower and upper specification limits of the first remaining article characteristic; repeat the determining, receiving, and computing operations for all desired remaining article characteristics; create a most constraining minimum predictor characteristic list by ranking the remaining article characteristics by the respective minimum predictor characteristic values associated therewith; and starting with the remaining article characteristic associated with the greatest minimum predictor characteristic value; compute the individual gain in operating range achieved by relaxing the applicable specification limit of the remaining article characteristic to the value corresponding to the minimum predictor characteristic value associated with the next remaining article characteristic in the ranked list; compute the cumulative gain associated with relaxing the applicable specification limit of the corresponding article characteristic; and repeat the first and second computing operations for all desired remaining article characteristics. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38)
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39. A computer program product, physically stored on a machine-readable medium, for facilitating design, manufacturing, and other processes, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:
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receive a plurality of article characteristic values associated with a set of articles having a range of variation as to a plurality of article characteristics; select a predictor characteristic from the plurality of article characteristics; determine the regression model between the predictor characteristic and a first remaining article characteristic in the plurality of article characteristics, wherein the regression model includes lower and upper prediction boundaries receive lower and upper specification limits for the predictor characteristic and the first remaining article characteristic; locate, relative to the regression model between the predictor characteristic and the first remaining article characteristic, the compliance area bounded by the upper and lower specification limits associated with the first remaining article characteristic and the predictor characteristic; locate the bounded regression area for the first remaining characteristic defined by the upper and lower prediction boundaries of the regression model and the upper and lower specification limits for the predictor characteristic; and identify the relationship between the bounded regression area and the compliance area. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71)
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72. A computer program product, physically stored on a machine-readable medium, for facilitating a determination of the magnitude and direction by which a pre-process characteristic would have to be adjusted to achieve a given design target, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:
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receive a plurality of article characteristic values associated with a set of articles having a range of variation as to a plurality of article characteristics; select a predictor characteristic from the plurality of article characteristics; determine the regression model between the predictor characteristic and a first remaining article characteristic in the plurality of article characteristics, receive the target values for the predictor characteristic and the first remaining article characteristic; compute, based on the regression model, the value of the first remaining article characteristic at the target value of the predictor characteristic; determine the magnitude and direction of the offset for the first remaining article characteristic by computing the difference between the computed value of the first remaining article characteristic and the target value of the first remaining article characteristic; store the magnitude and direction of the offset in a data structure in association with an identifier for the first remaining article characteristic; and repeat the computing, determining and storing operations for all desired remaining characteristics. - View Dependent Claims (73)
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74. A computer program product, physically stored on a machine-readable medium, for facilitating analysis of the achievable gains in operating range associated with relaxing design tolerances corresponding to at least one article characteristic, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:
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receive a plurality of article characteristic values associated with a set of articles having a range of variation as to a plurality of article characteristics; select a predictor characteristic from the plurality of article characteristics; determine the regression model between the predictor characteristic and a first remaining article characteristic in the plurality of article characteristics, wherein the regression model includes lower and upper prediction boundaries; receive lower and upper specification limits for the predictor characteristic and the first remaining article characteristic; compute, based on the regression model, the minimum and maximum predictor characteristic values at which the first remaining article characteristic remains within the lower and upper specification limits of the first remaining article characteristic; repeat the determining, receiving, and computing operations for all desired remaining article characteristics; create a most constraining minimum predictor characteristic list by ranking the remaining article characteristics by the respective minimum predictor characteristic values associated therewith; and starting with the remaining article characteristic associated with the greatest minimum predictor characteristic value; compute the individual gain in operating range achieved by relaxing the applicable specification limit of the remaining article characteristic to the value corresponding to the minimum predictor characteristic value associated with the next remaining article characteristic in the ranked list; compute the cumulative gain associated with relaxing the applicable specification limit of the corresponding article characteristic; and repeat the first and second computing operations for all desired remaining article characteristics. - View Dependent Claims (75, 76)
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Specification