System and method for determining a quantity mismatch report

• US 8,050,986 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2006
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Moeller, Thomas F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Refai; Ramsey
• Application Number:
  US11/482,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20080021797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,943 Days
• Field of Search: 705/29, 705/26.5, 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• 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 30/0621 Item configuration or customization

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program for determining a quantity mismatch report so that a plurality of configured quantities for a plurality of product variants can be compared. The method includes transforming a plurality of logical expressions. The method also includes detecting a quantity mismatch report from said transformed logical expressions. The method further includes determining at least one product variant from the quantity mismatch report.

Claims

1. A method of determining a quantity mismatch report in a data processing system so that a plurality of configured quantities for a plurality of product variants in a product lifecycle management system can be compared, comprising:

transforming a plurality of logical expressions by the data processing system, wherein the plurality of logical expressions relate a first plurality of quantity conditions from a first element of the product lifecycle management system to a second plurality of quantity conditions from a second element of the product lifecycle management system;

detecting a quantity mismatch report from the transformed logical expressions by the data processing system, wherein the quantity mismatch report indicates that whether a variant condition configuring a given instance quantity in a first product representation of a configuration is identical to a sum of instances in another product representation of the configuration; and

determining at least one product variant from the quantity mismatch report by the data processing system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transforming a plurality of logical expressions comprises subtracting a first logical expression from a second logical expression using a truth table, whereby a combination of lines in the truth table having a true expression is translated into a minterm table.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transforming a plurality of logical expressions further comprises minimizing the minterm table by calculating a plurality of prime implicants.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a quantity mismatch report utilizes a prime implicant table in positional cube notation to identify a plurality of equivalent primitives.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the prime implicant table in positional cube notation represents a full product variability.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transforming the plurality of logical expressions includes representing the logical expressions as a binary tree and recursively traversing the binary tree.

7. A non-transitory machine readable medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed, cause a data processing system to perform the steps of:

transforming a plurality of logical expressions, wherein the plurality of logical expressions relate a first plurality of quantity conditions from a first element of the product lifecycle management system to a second plurality of quantity conditions from a second element of the product lifecycle management system;

detecting a quantity mismatch report from the transformed logical expressions, wherein the quantity mismatch report indicates that whether a variant condition configuring a given instance quantity in a first product representation of a configuration is identical to a sum of instances in another product representation of the configuration; and

determining at least one product variant from the quantity mismatch report.

8. The machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions for transforming comprise instructions for subtracting a first logical expression from a second logical expression using a truth table, wherein a combination of lines in the truth table having a true expression is translated into a minterm table.

9. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions for transforming further comprise instructions for minimizing the minterm table by calculating a plurality of prime implicants.

10. The machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein the prime implicant table in positional cube notation represents a full product variability.

11. The machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions for detecting utilize a prime implicant table in positional cube notation to identify a plurality of equivalent primitives.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein transforming the plurality of logical expressions includes representing the logical expressions as a binary tree and recursively traversing the binary tree.

13. A data processing system, comprising:

a processor; and

an accessible memory, the data processing system configured to implement a method to determine a quantity mismatch report in a product lifecycle management system by performing the steps of;

transforming a plurality of logical expressions, wherein the plurality of logical expressions relate a first plurality of quantity conditions from a first element of the product lifecycle management system to a second plurality of quantity conditions from a second element of the product lifecycle management system;

detecting a quantity mismatch report from the transformed logical expressions, wherein the quantity mismatch report indicates that whether a variant condition configuring a given instance quantity in a first product representation of a configuration is identical to a sum of instances in another product representation of the configuration; and

determining at least one product variant from the quantity mismatch report.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein transforming the plurality of logical expressions includes representing the logical expressions as a binary tree and recursively traversing the binary tree.

15. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the process of detecting uses a prime implicant table in positional cube notation to identify a plurality of equivalent primitives.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the prime implicant table in positional cube notation represents a full product variability.

17. A method of determining a quantity mismatch report in a data processing system, comprising:

transforming a plurality of logical expressions by the data processing system, wherein the plurality of logical expressions relate a first plurality of quantity conditions from a first element of the product lifecycle management system to a second plurality of quantity conditions from a second element of the product lifecycle management system, by;

subtracting a first logical expression from a second logical expression using a truth table, whereby a combination of lines in the truth table having a true expression is translated into a minterm table, and

minimizing the minterm table by calculating a plurality of prime implicants;

detecting a quantity mismatch report from the transformed logical expressions using a prime implicant table in positional cube notation to identify a plurality of equivalent primitives, wherein the quantity mismatch report indicates that whether a variant condition configuring a given instance quantity in a first product representation of a configuration is identical to a sum of instances in another product representation of the configuration; and

determining at least one product variant from the quantity mismatch report.