Method for the analysis, control, automation and information management of life-cycle processes of technical products

• US 7,747,404 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2007
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 7layers GmbH (Bureau Veritas SA)
• Original Assignee: 7 Layers AG
• Inventors: Meckelburg, Hans-Jürgen
• Primary Examiner(s): TSAI, CAROL S W
• Application Number:
  US11/704,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20070220491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 702/81, 702/82, 702/84, 702/187, 434/107, 434/108, 434/365, 434/380, 705/1, 705/7, 705/10, 705/26, 705/27, 705/44, 705/4, 705/32, 705/29, 705/500, 715/705, 715/706, 715/707, 715/714, 715/715, 715/762, 715/708, 715/709, 709/217, 709/218
• US Class Current: 702/81
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management

Abstract

A method for the analysis, control, automation, and information management of life-cycle processes of technical products includes an engineering process, an analysis process, a test process, and accesses an information system. The engineering process, the analysis process and the test process, which includes a plurality of test modules, have connections for information exchange exclusively to the control process and information system. For every test of the test modules, the scope and form of the input and output values are determined by data stored in the information system. The data that are input into the engineering process and determined, and the specified values, are processed by the process control, which determines all of the tests to be carried out. The results are passed on to the process control. The analysis process determines if data and specified values input in the engineering process have been reached by a numerical or numerical/statistical calculation.

Claims

1. A method for the analysis, control, automation, and information management of life-cycle processes of technical products, in which method data are processed by a computer system, the method comprising:

carrying out an engineering process;

carrying out an analysis process;

carrying out a test process;

carrying out a control process;

accessing an information system; and

prototyping and manufacturing said technical products based on data obtained from the engineering, analysis, test and control processes;

wherein the engineering process, the analysis process, and the test process are connected exclusively to the control process and to the information system for information exchange, and are not directly connected with one another,

wherein the test process comprises a plurality of test modules that each carry out different tests, and a totality of possible tests is stored in the information system,

wherein a scope of the test and the form of input and output values of the test are clearly determined, for each test of the test modules that is provided, by means of data stored in the information system,

wherein the data that are input into the engineering process and determined, and specified values, are processed by the process control, which determines all of the tests to be carried out by the test modules of the test process, on the basis of the data stored in the information system,

wherein results obtained by the test modules during the test process are stored in the information system and used in the analysis process,

wherein the analysis process exclusively accesses data made available by the process control and by the information system, and determines whether the data and specified values input in the engineering process have been reached, by means of a numerical or numerical/statistical calculation, and

wherein scientific and technical formulas, specified values from industrial standards, as well as other expert knowledge are exclusively implemented as data of the information system and selection rules of the process control.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the computer system is built up of computer components that are connected via a network.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the computer components are connected, at least in part, by means of a local area network (LAN) or virtual private network (VPN).

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the computer components are connected, at least in part, via the Internet.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the Internet provides a connection to an external test module, or updating of the information system, as well as parts of the process control and the analysis process.

6. A method according claim 1, further comprising the step of providing an information process for outputting data to a user, wherein a type, representation, and amount of output data are predetermined by data of a reference database or selected by an input by the user.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the tests of the individual test modules to be carried out on a product are carried out, at least in part, by an operator, and a scope of the each test to be carried out, test parameters, and a form of input of results determined in the test by the operator are predetermined by the test module in the form of an input and output mask of a computer component of the computer system assigned to the test module.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the tests of individual test modules to be carried out on a product are carried out, at least in part, by a measurement or testing arrangement, which are directly controlled by the test process, and directly pass results determined on to the test process.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the tests of individual test modules to be carried out on a product are carried out, at least in part, by a measurement and testing arrangement, and an operator, and wherein part of the test parameters are passed on to the measurement and testing arrangement, and the other part of the test parameters to the operator, and wherein the results are passed on to the test process by the measurement or testing arrangement or the operator.