Computerized prototyping system employing virtual system design enviroment

• US 5,754,738 A
• Filed: 06/07/1996
• Issued: 05/19/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Camc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Camc Corporation
• Inventors: Saucedo, Robert, Venugopal, Kootala P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz, Tariq R.
• Application Number:
  US08/660,379
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 395/22, 395/23, 395/229, 395/500, 395/10-12, 395/50-51, 364/468.03, 364/468, 364/148
• US Class Current: 706/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]

Abstract

In a computer prototyping system, a design is identified from a collection of alternative designs, the identified design best satisfying a set of conceptual level design specifications. One of these alternative designs is selected and their characteristic optimized based on the conceptual level design specifications. The specifications are modified interactively using graphical interfaces for re-evaluating and re-optimizing the designs. Simulation of functional as well as geometrical properties of the design and its components are effected on a computer using graphical design browsers. The performance is analyzed against a set of design specification and the user is allowed to interactively redesign by selecting one of the previous design operations through the graphical interfaces.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented prototyping method comprising the steps of:

identifying and selecting a design from a collection of alternate designs which best satisfies a set of conceptual level design specifications;

optimizing characteristics of the design based on the conceptual level design specifications;

modifying the specifications interactively using graphical interfaces for reevaluating and re-optimizing the designs;

simulating the functional and geometrical properties of the design and components of the design on a computer using graphical design browsers;

analyzing a performance of the design against a set of design specifications and effecting a redesign by interactively selecting one of the previous design operations through the graphical user interfaces;

wherein said identifying step includes;

using a knowledge base system including a user modifiable artificial intelligence based representation of a decision tree defined by an interconnected multi-level nodal hierarchy having a strength assigned to each of the interconnections between nodes in the hierarchy;

using a database including a stored database representation of the functional details of the design alternatives under consideration by the user, the database representation being consistent with the multi-level nodal hierarchy of the knowledge based system;

using a constraint solver implemented as a set of logic programs which evaluates the user specified constraints on the nodal variables in the nodal hierarchy against the functional details of the design alternatives represented in the database and computed nodal strengths during an evaluation process;

using a graphical user interface including a first edit window for designing, displaying and revising the decision tree in response to user input commands through a computer keyboard and mouse; and

a second edit window for displaying the database representation and revising the database representation in response to user input commands; and

a third edit window for displaying and revising the specifications against which the design are evaluated in response to user input commands; and

further including a set of graphics panels for displaying intermediate and final results of the evaluation process;

wherein the said optimization step includes;

using a neural network based representation of the nodal hierarchy with the interconnection strengths of the hierarchy implemented as weights in the neural networks and the user specifications represented as an objective function at the output layer of the neural network, and the input variables corresponding to the functional details of the design being optimized stored in the database;

using another graphical user interface including a front end for the user to specify the number of cycles through which the optimization is performed, and yet another graphical interface for specifying whether the optimization is performed on a single design or on a set of designs, and a set of colored graphics panels for displaying the intermediate and final results of the optimization, and another graphical interface to allow the user to revise design specifications and re-optimize the designs.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said simulation step includes:

solving a set of mathematical equations representing the functional behavior of the components, implemented using software programs residing in the computer memory, for design of components of the design;

incorporating components designed externally, without the help of software programs mentioned above, into the computer memory;

specifying the interrelationships of design components in terms of their functional properties as well as geometrical properties employing a set of matrix based databases and hierarchy graphs defined by a multi-level nodal hierarchy having each of the nodes representing a component of the design;

browsing the functionality and geometry of the design using a set of graphical interfaces in which the designs, its functional hierarchy, and its geometrical hierarchy are displayed;

in which the user can select any one of the components shown on the display and examine or revise corresponding hierarchy.

3. A computer-implemented prototyping method comprising the steps of:

identifying and selecting a design from a collection of alternate designs which best satisfies a set of conceptual level design specifications;

optimizing characteristics of the design based on the conceptual level design specifications;

modifying the specifications interactively using graphical interfaces for reevaluating and re-optimizing the designs;

simulating the functional and geometrical properties of the design and components of the design on a computer using graphical design browsers;

analyzing a performance of the design against a set of design specifications and effecting a redesign by interactively selecting one of the previous design operations through the graphical user interfaces;

wherein said simulation step includes;

solving a set of mathematical equations representing the functional behavior of the components, implemented using software programs residing in the computer memory, for design of components of the design;

incorporating components designed externally, without the help of said software programs, into the computer memory;

specifying the interrelationships of design components in terms of their functional properties as well as geometrical properties employing a set of matrix based databases and hierarchy graphs defined by a multi-level nodal hierarchy having each of the nodes representing a component of the design;

browsing the functionality and geometry of the design using a set of graphical interfaces in which the designs, its functional hierarchy, and its geometrical hierarchy are displayed;

in which the user can select any one of the components shown on the display and examine or revise a corresponding hierarchy.

4. A computer-implemented prototyping method comprising the steps of:

identifying and selecting a design from a collection of alternate designs which best satisfies a set of conceptual level design specifications;

optimizing characteristics of the design based on the conceptual level design specifications;

modifying the specifications interactively using graphical interfaces for reevaluating and re-optimizing the designs;

simulating the functional and geometrical properties of the design and components of the design on a computer using graphical design browsers;

analyzing a performance of the design against a set of design specifications and effecting a redesign by interactively selecting one of the previous design operations through the graphical user interfaces;

wherein said identifying step includes;

using a knowledge base system including a user modifiable artificial intelligence based representation of a decision tree defined by an interconnected multi-level nodal hierarchy having a strength assigned to each of the interconnections between nodes in the hierarchy;

using a database including a stored database representation of the functional details of the design alternatives under consideration by the user, the database representation being consistent with the multi-level nodal hierarchy of the knowledge based system;

using a constraint solver implemented as a set of logic programs which evaluates the user specified constraints on the nodal variables in the nodal hierarchy against the functional details of the design alternatives represented in the database and computed nodal strengths during an evaluation process;

using a graphical user interface including a first edit window for designing, displaying and revising the decision tree in response to user input commands through a computer keyboard and mouse; and

a second edit window for displaying the database representation and revising the database representation in response to user input commands; and

a third edit window for displaying and revising the specifications against which the design are evaluated in response to user input commands; and

further including a set of graphics panels for displaying intermediate and final results of the evaluation process;

wherein said simulation step includes;

solving a set of mathematical equations representing the functional behavior of the components, implemented using software programs residing in the computer memory, for design of components of the design;

incorporating components designed externally, without the help of software programs mentioned above, into the computer memory;

specifying the interrelationships of design components in terms of their functional properties as well as geometrical properties employing a set of matrix based databases and hierarchy graphs defined by a multi-level nodal hierarchy having each of the nodes representing a component of the design;

browsing the functionality and geometry of the design using a set of graphical interfaces in which the designs, its functional hierarchy, and its geometrical hierarchy are displayed;

in which the user can select any one of the components shown on the display and examine or revise corresponding hierarchy.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the said analyzing step includes:

integrating the hierarchical representation of the properties with the knowledge base system and its decision tree hierarchy, implemented in the computer memory;

analyzing the sensitivity of each of the components against the design specifications represented through the knowledge base system, its nodal hierarchy, and against the user specified constraints;

visualizing the performance of the design graphically on the computer screen using multiple graphics panels, which capability for the user to interactively select each of the components of the design and visualize its functional as well a geometrical performance;

the user to stop the analysis process and store the conditions on to the computer memory, and graphically select any of said step, and revise associated specifications, nodal hierarchy, components hierarchy or the databases; and

independently perform each of the steps with the conditions stored in the computer memory.

6. A computerized prototyping system comprising:

identifying means for identifying and selecting a design from a collection of alternate designs which best satisfies a set of conceptual level design specifications;

optimizing means for optimizing characteristics of the design based on the conceptual level design specifications;

modifying means for modifying the specifications interactively using graphical interfaces for re-evaluating and re-optimizing the designs;

simulating means for simulating functional and geometrical properties of the design and components of the design on a computer using graphical design browsers;

analyzing means for analyzing a performance of the design against a set of design specifications and effecting a redesign by interactively selecting one of the previous design operations through the graphical user interfaces;

wherein said identifying means includes;

a knowledge base system including a user modifiable artificial intelligence based representation of a decision tree defined by an interconnected multi-level nodal hierarchy having a strength assigned to each of the interconnections between nodes in the hierarchy;

a database including a stored database representation of the functional details of design alternatives under consideration by the user, the database representation being consistent with the multi-level nodal hierarchy of the knowledge based system;

a constraint solver implemented as a set of logic programs which evaluates user specified constraints on nodal variables in the nodal hierarchy against the functional details of the design alternatives represented in the database and computed nodal strengths during an evaluation process; and

a graphical user interface including a first edit window for designing, displaying and revising the decision tree in response to user input commands through a computer keyboard and mouse; and

a second edit window for displaying the database representation and revising the database representation in response to the user input commands; and

a third edit window for displaying and revising the specifications against which the design are evaluated in response to the user input commands; and

further including a set of graphics panels for displaying the intermediate and final results of the evaluation;

wherein the said optimizing means includes;

a neural network based representation of the nodal hierarchy with the interconnection strengths of the hierarchy implemented as weights in the neural network and the user specifications represented as an objective function at the output layer of the neural network, and the input variables corresponding to the functional details of the design being optimized stored in the database;

another graphical user interface including a front end for the user to specify a number of cycles through which the optimization is performed, and yet another graphical interface for specifying whether the optimization is performed on a single design or on a set of designs, and a set of colored graphics panels for displaying the intermediate and final results of the optimization, and another graphical interface to allow the user to revise design specifications and re-optimize the designs.

7. A computerized prototyping system comprising:

a knowledge base system including a user modifiable artificial intelligence based representation of a decision tree defined by an interconnected multi-level nodal hierarchy having a strength assigned to each of the interconnections between nodes in the hierarchy;

a database including a stored database representation of the functional details of design alternatives under consideration by the user, the database representation being consistent with the multi-level nodal hierarchy of the knowledge based system;

a constraint solver implemented as a set of logic programs which evaluates user specified constraints on nodal variables in the nodal hierarchy against the functional details of the design alternatives represented in the database and computed nodal strengths during an evaluation process;

a graphical user interface including a first edit window for designing, displaying and revising the decision tree in response to user input commands through a computer keyboard and mouse; and

a second edit window for displaying the database representation and revising the database representation in response to the user input commands; and

a third edit window for displaying and revising the specifications against which the design are evaluated in response to the user input commands;

further including a set of graphics panels for displaying the intermediate and final results of the evaluation;

a neural network based representation of the nodal hierarchy with the interconnection strengths of the hierarchy implemented as weights in the neural network and the user specifications represented as an objective function at the output layer of the neural network, and the input variables corresponding to the functional details of the design being optimized stored in the database;

another graphical user interface including a front end for the user to specify the number of cycles through which the optimization is performed, and yet another graphical interface for specifying whether the optimization is performed on a single design or on a set of designs, and a set of colored graphics panels for displaying the intermediate and final results of the optimization, and another graphical interface to allow the user to revise design specifications and re-optimize the designs.