Multi-tier and multi-domain distributed rapid product configuration and design system

• US 7,725,299 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation (Purdue University)
• Original Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation (Purdue University)
• Inventors: Devanathan, Srikanth, Peters, Christopher, Cunningham, Robert Thomas Brent, Subramaniam, Jayanti, Ramani, Karthnik
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah; Kamini S
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, SHAMBHAVI K
• Application Number:
  US11/068,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20060020629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,912 Days
• Field of Search: 703/2, 703/1, 703/7, 703/14, 703/20, 700/97, 700/103, 702/22, 702/167, 705/26, 705/27, 707/10, 707/203
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/04 Constraint-based CAD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2117/08 HW-SW co-design, e.g. HW-SW partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/043 Optimisation of two dimensional placement, e.g. cutting of clothes or wood

Abstract

Techniques are presented for a multi-tier distributed frame work for mass configuration of products by design and synthesis. Products are represented as components having hierarchical relationships with one another. The components include form information, function information, behavioral information, and constraint information. Components may be created from scratch or retrieved from a plurality of sources over a network. In some embodiments, the components may include optimization constraints and derived from other components to meet the optimization constraints.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a computer-readable medium and executed by a computer for:

assembling, by the computer, components for a product design, wherein each component represents a graph identifying a portion of the product design;

representing, by the computer, the components as a data structure, wherein constraints between each component with respect to other ones of the components are represented in the data structure, and wherein the data structure is dynamically interacted with to assemble the product design or to build the product design from scratch by executing the constraints that are algorithmic from the data structure, and wherein the data structure is also a set that includes the components, the constraints, a concept graph, parameters, a form definition, and a process definition, wherein the form definition is another set defined by geometric features that represent a shape, and wherein the process definition represents a supply chain representation for the components and an evaluation procedure for analyzing the components, the supply chain representation is a system of resources, information, and technology for moving products or services from a supplier to a customer, the parameters are specific to the form and process definitions for the product, and wherein the concept graph includes a list of sub concepts and their connectivity to one another, the connectivity includes functional, operational, informational, and physical interactions between the sub concepts;

associating, by the computer, a graphical form with each of the components; and

indexing, by the computer, the product design, the components and the constraints of the data structure and the graphical forms in a database for subsequent search and retrieval from the database.

2. The method of claim 1 further including, associating, by the computer, at least one of a functional description with each component and a behavioral description with each component.

3. The method of claim 1 further including:

receiving, by the computer, at least one of a candidate product design and a candidate component as a search query; and

searching, by the computer, the database for substantial matches on the search query.

4. The method of claim 1 further including, publishing, by the computer, selective portions of the database as a catalogue.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein assembling further includes receiving the components from at least one of previous search results acquired from the data store, previous browsing selections made from the data store, and digital sketches supplied though an interface to the method.

6. The method of claim 1, further including associating, by the computer, one or more of the components as product designs for other products, wherein the one or more of the components are primitive graph data structures that are each associated with a piece of the product design and at the same time pieces of the other product designs.

7. A method implemented in a computer-readable medium and executed by a computer for:

receiving, by the computer, a search query associated with a component, wherein the search query includes a plurality of information associated with a product concept graph, and wherein the component is represented as a graph data structure for a portion of a particular product design, and wherein the search query either completely defines the component or partially defines the component, and wherein the plurality of information includes one or more of the following;

a partial graphical form for the component, a description for the component, a specification for the component, a function assigned to the component, and a behavior assigned to the component, and wherein the product concept graph includes the component and other components for the particular product design along with linkages representing constraints within the particular product design between the component and the other components, the constraints are algorithmic and executed from the graph data structure, the constraints included in the graph data structure, and wherein each component is a set that includes a particular concept graph, parameters, a form definition, and a process definition, wherein the form definition is another set defined by geometric features that represent a shape, and wherein the process definition represents a supply chain representation for the components and an evaluation procedure for analyzing the components, the supply chain representation is a system of resources, information, and technology for moving products or services from a supplier to a customer, the parameters are specific to the form and process definitions for the particular product design, and wherein the particular concept graph includes a list of sub concepts and their connectivity to one another, the connectivity includes functional, operational, informational, and physical interactions between the sub concepts; and

retrieving, by the computer, from a database search results for candidate components that substantially match the search query, wherein a substantial match occurs when a predefined percentage of the search query matches the candidate components.

8. The method of claim 7 further including, determining, by the computer, that at least some of the plurality of information does not exist in the database and represents new customer requirements for the component.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving further includes receiving at least some of the plurality of information as an optimization constraint for the component, wherein the optimization constraint defines a requirement that has to be met for achieving optimization.

10. The method of claim 7 further including, recognizing, by the computer, the component as a plurality of subcomponents.

11. The method of claim 7, further including highlighting, by the computer, selective constraints associated with the candidate components to bring attention of a designer to the selective constraints.