Customer aircraft customization system

• US 9,058,464 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Song, Taiboo, Paulette, Lorene S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thangavelu, Kandasamy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johnson, Cedric D
• Application Number:
  US13/328,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20130158955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1, 703/6, 703/7, 703/8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/23 using finite element methods [FEM] or finite difference methods [FDM]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing options for an aircraft. A selected option for the aircraft is received. A number of engineering options is identified for the selected option. The number of engineering options is in an aircraft option database comprising engineering options for the options for the aircraft. An engineering option in the engineering options is a pre-certified design meeting a group of regulations pertaining to airworthiness of the pre-certified design in the aircraft. A final design including the number of engineering options associated with resources in which the final design is for building the selected option in the aircraft is generated using the number of engineering options identified in the aircraft option database for the selected option.

Claims

1. An aircraft customization system comprising:

a number of processors;

at least one memory;

an aircraft option database comprising engineering options that have been previously certified and are related to selectable options for an aircraft, the selectable options associated with a model, a version, and a zone, the selectable options selected from at least one of a galley, an attendant seat, a lavatory, a passenger seat, a landing gear, and an engine, wherein an engineering option in the engineering options is a pre-certified design in which the design for the engineering options is put through a process to obtain certification that the engineering option meets a group of regulations promulgated by an aviation administration pertaining to airworthiness of the pre-certified design in the aircraft, the engineering options including at least one three-dimensional model;

an aircraft configurator coupled to the aircraft option database and configured to receive a selected option of the selected options for the aircraft and identify a number of engineering options that have been previously certified from the engineering options in the aircraft option database for the selected option, to reuse said design that have been previously certified;

a verifier configured to ensure that all components needed for the aircraft are pre-certified components, based on designs selected by a product manager, which is configured to reuse designs that have been previously certified; and

a configuration generator coupled to the aircraft configurator and configured to generate a final design reusing previously generated designs including the number of engineering options associated with resources comprising at least one of physical attachment points, utilities, data and other suitable resources, in which the final design is used to build the selected option in the aircraft with the number of engineering options that have been previously certified and were identified in the aircraft option database by the aircraft configurator for the selected option, wherein the configuration generator generates documents needed to manufacture the aircraft which include a bill of materials.

2. The aircraft customization system of claim 1 further comprising:

an aircraft customizer configured to receive user input selecting an option for the aircraft to form the selected option and send the selected option to the aircraft configurator.

3. The aircraft customization system of claim 1, wherein the configuration generator is configured to generate a document for building the selected option in the aircraft using the number of engineering options identified in the aircraft option database by the aircraft configurator for the selected option, wherein the document is selected from one of a work statement, a manufacturing work statement, and assembly instructions.

4. The aircraft customization system of claim 1, wherein the engineering options are pre-certified designs for assemblies in the aircraft for the options.

5. The aircraft customization system of claim 1, wherein the selected option is selected by one of a customer of a manufacturer and the manufacturer.

6. The aircraft customization system of claim 1, wherein the number of engineering options is identified based on a zone in the zones in which the selected option is located.

7. The aircraft customization system of claim 1,

wherein to identify the number of engineering options that have been previously certified from the engineering options in the aircraft option database for the selected option, the aircraft configurator is configured to:

identify the model, the version, and the zone for the selected option to form criteria;

query the aircraft option database for the number of engineering options; and

identify the number of engineering options that meet the criteria from the query to the aircraft option database.

8. A vehicle customization system comprising:

a number of processors;

at least one memory;

a database comprising pre-certified designs for options for a vehicle, wherein the pre-certified designs in the database meet a group of regulations on use of the pre-certified designs in the vehicle;

a vehicle configurator configured to receive a selected option for the vehicle and identify a number of engineering options from engineering options that have been previously certified, include at least one three-dimensional model, and are in the database for the selected option, the selected option associated with a model, a version, and a zone, the selected option selected from at least one of a galley, an attendant seat, a lavatory, a passenger seat, a landing gear, and an engine;

a verifier configured to ensure that all components needed for the vehicle are pre-certified components, based on designs selected by a product manager, which is configured to reuse designs that have been previously certified; and

a configuration generator configured to generate a final design reusing previously generated designs including the number of engineering options associated with resources, comprises at least one of physical attachment points, utilities, data and other suitable resources, in which the final design is used to build the selected option in the vehicle with the number of pre-certified designs identified in the database for the selected option, wherein the configuration generator generates documents needed to manufacture the aircraft which include a bill of materials.

9. The vehicle customization system of claim 8 further comprising:

a vehicle customizer configured to receive user input selecting an option for the vehicle to form the selected option and send the selected option to the vehicle configurator.

10. The vehicle customization system of claim 8, wherein the configuration generator is configured to generate a document for building the selected option in the vehicle using the number of engineering options identified in the database by the vehicle configurator for the selected option and wherein the document is selected from one of a work statement, a manufacturing work statement, and assembly instructions.

11. The vehicle customization system of claim 8, wherein the engineering options are pre-certified designs for assemblies in the vehicle for the options.

12. The vehicle customization system of claim 8, wherein the number of engineering options is identified based on a zone in the zones in which the selected option is located.

13. A method for managing options for an aircraft, the method comprising:

receiving a selected option of selectable options for the aircraft;

identifying a number of engineering options that have been previously certified for the selected option, wherein the number of engineering options is in an aircraft option database comprising engineering options related to the selectable options for the aircraft, the selectable options associated with a model, a version, and a zone, the selectable options selected from at least one of a galley, an attendant seat, a lavatory, a passenger seat, a landing gear, and an engine, and an engineering option in the engineering options is a pre-certified design meeting a group of regulations pertaining to airworthiness of the pre-certified design in the aircraft, the engineering options including at least one three-dimensional model;

verifying that all components needed for the aircraft are pre-certified components, based on designs selected by a product manager, which is configured to reuse designs that have been previously certified;

generating a final design reusing previously generated designs including the number of engineering options associated with resources, comprising at least one of physical attachment points, utilities, data and other suitable resources, in which the final design is used to build the selected option in the aircraft with the number of engineering options that have been previously certified and were identified in the aircraft option database for the selected option; and

generating documents needed to manufacture the aircraft which include a bill of materials.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving user input selecting an option for the aircraft to form the selected option.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

generating a document for building the selected option in the aircraft using the number of engineering options identified in the aircraft option database for the selected option, wherein the document is selected from one of a work statement, a manufacturing work statement, and assembly instructions.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the engineering options are pre-certified designs for assemblies in the aircraft for the options.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the number of engineering options is identified based on a zone in the zones in which the selected option is located.