Integrated information exchange management and control of design configurations

• US 9,311,053 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2014
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Baughman, Jason Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): LU, KUEN S
• Application Number:
  US14/265,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20150317128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 707/790
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/212 with details for data modelling support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An apparatus for managing data exchange between tools for multiple products in a product line is provided. The apparatus includes an application launcher configured to create a workspace to support a plurality of applications. The apparatus also includes an application manager configured to execute as a web service and load a first data and a second data associated with a first application and a second application, respectively, into the workspace. The apparatus also includes a concurrent engineering data service configured to capture data types associated with the first data and the second data and resolve differences in the data types wherein the data types comprise at least strings, doubles, and integers. The apparatus also includes a data storage and retrieval service configured to enforce integrity of and access rules associated with the first data and the second data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing data exchange between tools for multiple products in a product line, reducing access time of a memory, and speeding operation of a processor, the apparatus comprising:

the processor;

an application launcher configured to create a workspace to support a plurality of applications,

wherein the plurality of applications include a first application that uses first data having a first data type and a second application that uses second data having a second data type,

wherein the first application is disparate from the second application,

wherein the first data type is structurally disparate from and incompatible with the second data type,

wherein the first application is used by a first user and the second application is used by a second user different than the first user,

wherein the application launcher is configured to reduce the access time of the memory by being configured to allow independent work to occur in the first application and the second application before checking into a baseline configuration and by being configured to compare and merge multiple application assets into a single combined configuration, and

wherein the application launcher is further configured to speed operation of the processor by being configured to launch the first application and the second application in corresponding private, specific workspaces within the workspace;

an application manager configured to execute as a web service and load the first data and the second into the workspace;

a concurrent engineering data service configured to capture the first data type and the second data type and resolve structural differences between the first data type and the second data type,

wherein the first data type and the second data type comprise at least strings, doubles, and integers; and

a data storage and retrieval service configured to enforce integrity of and access rules associated with the first data and the second data, and to share at least one of the first data and the second data between the first application and the second application.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the concurrent engineering data service is further configured to cause the first application to process the second data and cause the second application to process the first data.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the application manager is further configured to publish the second data to the first application and publish the first data to the second application.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the concurrent engineering data service is further configured to manage product line engineering data across the multiple products.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the application launcher is further configured to launch the first application and the second application with prescribed configurations for each application matching particular products associated with the each application.

6. The apparatus claim 1, wherein the application manager is further configured to execute a plug-in integration enabling a third application to share a third data with the first data and the second data in the workspace.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the concurrent engineering data service is further configured to provide configurations specific to products from a common set of product line assets.

8. A computer-implemented method of reducing access time of a memory and speeding operation of a processor by managing data exchange between tools for multiple products in a product line, comprising:

executing, by a computer, an application launcher, the application launcher creating a workspace to support a plurality of applications, wherein the plurality of applications include a first application that uses first data having a first data type and a second application that uses second data having a second data type, wherein the first application is disparate from the second application, wherein the first data type is structurally disparate from and incompatible with the second data type, wherein the first application is being used by a first user and the second application is being used by a second user different than the first user, wherein the application launcher reduces the access time of the memory by allowing independent work to occur in the first application and the second application before checking into a baseline configuration and by comparing and merging multiple application assets into a single combined configuration, and speeding operation of the processor by launching the first application and the second application in corresponding private, specific workspaces within the workspace;

executing, using the computer, an application manager, the application manager executing as a web service and loading the first data and the second data into the workspace;

executing, using the computer, a concurrent data service, the concurrent data service capturing the first data type and the second data type and resolving structural differences between the first data type and the second data type, wherein the first data type and the second data type comprise at least strings, doubles, and integers; and

executing, using the computer, a data storage and retrieval service, the data storage and retrieval service enforcing integrity of and access rules associated with the first data and the second data, and sharing at least one of the first data and the second data between the first application and the second application.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the computer causing the first application to process the second data and causing the second application to process the first data.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the computer manages product line engineering data across the multiple products.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the computer launches the first application and the second application with prescribed configurations for each application matching particular products associated with the each application.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the computer publishes the second data to the first application and publishes the first data to the second application.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising the computer executing a plug-in integration enabling a third application to share a third data with the first data and the second data in the workspace.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising the computer providing configurations specific to products from a common set of product line assets.

15. A method of managing data exchange between tools for multiple products in a product line, comprising:

providing, by a computer, a real time interface between disparate applications in a multidisciplinary design, analysis, and optimization (MDAO) framework;

providing, using the computer, a concurrent data service, the concurrent data service creating a workspace for hosting the real time interface, the workspace supporting a plurality of applications, wherein the plurality of applications include a first application that uses first data having a first data type and a second application that uses second data having a second data type, wherein the first application is disparate from the second application, wherein the first data type is structurally disparate from and incompatible with the second data type, wherein the first application is being used by a first user and the second application is being used by a second user different than the first user, wherein the application launcher reduces the access time of the memory by allowing independent work to occur in the first application and the second application before checking into a baseline configuration and by comparing and merging multiple application assets into a single combined configuration, and speeding operation of the processor by launching the first application and the second application in corresponding private, specific workspaces within the workspace, the concurrent data service further resolving structural differences between the first data type and the second data type, and wherein the first data type and the second data type comprise at least strings, doubles, and integers; and

based on having resolved differences between the data types, sharing, using the computer, at least one of the first data and the second data between the first application and the second application.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the computer encapsulating metadata to provide contextual parameters about each item of data provided by the disparate applications.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the computer ensuring ownership and rights management on management data.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising the computer providing a mechanism for collective lock and lifecycle controls of configuration data.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising the computer activating responding to triggers based on occurrences of predetermined events at a discrete data level.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the computer provides the concurrent data service as a web service in a service oriented environment.