Product design system and design method thereof
The product design system, built through modular partitioning and rule base, automatically outputs design drawings and bills of materials, solving the problems of low efficiency, poor accuracy, and difficulty in standardization in existing technologies, and realizing the automation and standardization of product design.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202610063851.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-12
AI Technical Summary
Existing product design software is inefficient and inaccurate when processing personalized customer orders, lacks in-depth engineering rule verification, resulting in complex and difficult-to-standardize designs, and makes knowledge transfer difficult.
The product design system is built using modular partitioning, parameterized definition, and rule base. It includes a user interaction module, a configuration engine module, and an output generation module. It uses constraint solving algorithms to automatically output design drawings and bills of materials, and integrates with the production management system to achieve full-process automation.
It has enabled the automation and standardization of product design, shortened the design cycle, improved design efficiency and accuracy, reduced human error, and promoted the assetization of knowledge and supply chain management.
Smart Images
Figure CN122022138A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of information technology, and in particular to a product design system. Background Technology
[0002] In the design and production management of standard industrial products, personalized customer orders are currently mostly handled manually. Taking valves as an example, engineers need to manually search parts manuals based on customer requirements (such as nominal diameter DN, nominal pressure PN, material, and actuation method), select products, create models, draw assembly drawings in CAD or PLM systems, and finally compile a bill of materials (BOM). This process has the following significant problems: (1) Low efficiency: repetitive labor is heavy, the technical preparation cycle for orders is long, it is difficult to respond quickly to the market, and large-scale customization cannot be achieved.
[0003] (2) Poor accuracy: It relies heavily on the personal experience of engineers and is prone to problems such as design parameters not matching requirements and material selection errors (such as mismatched pressure levels and incompatible interfaces), leading to design rework or potential product quality hazards.
[0004] (3) Difficulty in knowledge transfer: The design experience of senior engineers (such as selection rules and verification logic) is mostly tacit knowledge, which is difficult to accumulate and reuse. Personnel turnover will lead to knowledge loss.
[0005] (4) Insufficient standardization: Design output varies from person to person, resulting in numerous product variations, which is not conducive to supply chain management and production cost control.
[0006] Some existing product configurators (or product design software) mainly focus on selection and quotation at the sales front end. Their output is only a preliminary list of materials, lacking in-depth engineering rule verification. They cannot automatically generate accurate design data that can be used to guide production (such as production-level BOM, processing drawings, etc.). In other words, product design still requires designers to do a lot of secondary design and verification work. Summary of the Invention
[0007] Given that existing product design software has low design depth, cannot automatically generate initial drafts that meet the needs of technical personnel, and cannot complete production drawings, it is necessary to propose a product design system and its design method to solve the problems of low efficiency, error-proneness, and difficulty in standardization caused by technical personnel designing single or small batch products.
[0008] A product design system establishes a model based on methods such as modular partitioning, parameterized definition, dimensional feature parameters, and rule base construction. The system can automatically output design drawings and Bill of Materials (BOM) for the product, achieving automated product design. It includes a user interaction module, a configuration engine module, a knowledge base module, and an output generation module. The user interaction module is used to receive market demand information or parameters input by the user; The configuration engine module is used to generate a material configuration scheme for the product to be manufactured based on the market demand information or parameters input by the user, using a constraint solving algorithm and a knowledge base module. The knowledge base module is used to store various types of information, including excellent design schemes and bills of materials (BOMs) of products produced in the past, design principles of similar products, material library, etc. The output generation module is used to generate the Bill of Materials (BOM) for the work-in-progress and other documents for the production of the work-in-progress. The other documents may include a list of drawings, derivative documents, and other design framework drawings for designers to use.
[0009] This invention enables automated design of the technical and process drawings of the product to be manufactured, reducing the workload of technical personnel and achieving standardized product design.
[0010] Furthermore, the user interaction module adopts a web configurator to provide a market demand information input interface. Users can directly fill in the required information or parameters in the corresponding columns. The user interaction module directly stores and records the information or parameters entered by the user, realizing the synchronization of input and storage.
[0011] Furthermore, the configuration engine module is the core processing unit of the product design system, and it is equipped with a constraint solving algorithm. The constraint solving algorithm is a rule engine used by the configuration engine module to process market demand information or parameters. The constraint solving algorithm automatically matches and combines all material configuration schemes that conform to the design principles of the product to be designed by retrieving, reasoning, calculating and optimizing the information in the knowledge base module, thus providing a material basis for the design of the product to be designed and greatly reducing the time and mental effort required by designers to select materials.
[0012] Furthermore, the constraint solving algorithm is used to arrange and combine several material configuration schemes for product components that conform to the market demand for the finished product. The constraint solving algorithm includes a rule engine such as compatibility rules, performance rules, and business rules.
[0013] Furthermore, the knowledge base module includes modular sub-modules, parameterized sub-modules, data storage sub-modules, etc. The modular sub-module is used to break down the product into several independent component modules according to parts or functional components; The parameterization submodule is used to define the key feature parameters of each functional component module, and to select appropriate parts through the feature parameters of the functional component module. The data storage submodule is used to store information about the components required for the product, such as the component supplier, price, material, size, life cycle, and inventory status.
[0014] Furthermore, the output generation module is used to generate a Bill of Materials (BOM) for the finished product from the material configuration scheme of the parts or functional components to be manufactured, which has been reviewed by the designer, and at the same time output a list of process drawings based on the parts or functional components to be manufactured.
[0015] Furthermore, in order to improve the smooth connection between the product design system and the production process, the product design system can be integrated with the production management system (MES), the material management system (EPR), and the process design system (PLM) to realize the calling of information and the transmission of instructions between them, thereby achieving full-process management of design and production. This significantly reduces the time required to build the logistics bill of materials (BOM), improves design efficiency and accuracy, and promotes the standardization of product design.
[0016] A product design methodology, comprising, S01, the product demander inputs information or parameters related to the market demand of the product into the user interaction module; S02, the configuration engine module receives market demand information or parameters from the user interaction module, starts the constraint solving algorithm according to the market demand, retrieves, reasones, calculates and optimizes the model, specifications, etc. of the parts to be produced in the knowledge base module, and outputs the configuration scheme of all parts of the product to be produced. S03, the user confirms the configuration plan based on the market demand for the product to be manufactured; S04, the output generation module generates a Bill of Materials (BOM), a drawing list, and derivative documents for producing the finished product based on the confirmed configuration scheme of the parts to be produced. S05, the product design system sends the Bill of Materials (BOM) to the ERP system and the drawing list to the Process Design System (PLM) through the data transmission channel, realizing the automatic generation of the BOM for the work-in-process and the framework construction of the process design, effectively reducing the design workload of technical personnel on the work-in-process and improving the standardization of the design of the work-in-process.
[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: It enables the breakdown of the work-in-progress, selects materials based on the components, and forms a material configuration scheme. This achieves full automation and standardization of the material configuration scheme, reducing the workload of technical personnel in design and improving the standardization of material configuration. By storing general principles and previous product bills of materials (BOMs) in a knowledge base module, it provides experience and knowledge support for the automatic configuration of materials for the work-in-progress, reducing human involvement in the design process, improving design efficiency, and reducing design errors caused by human factors. Through the integration of various systems, it achieves full automation of the entire process from market demand to design to production for the work-in-progress. Attached Figure Description
[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the product design system framework; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the design methodology of a product design system. Detailed Implementation
[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the technical solution of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the following description is some typical embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other solutions can be obtained based on these embodiments without creative effort.
[0020] This embodiment uses valve design as an example to illustrate the application of the technical solution of the present invention in valve design.
[0021] In one embodiment, the product design system includes a user interaction module, a configuration engine module, a knowledge base module, and an output generation module. The user interaction module is used to receive market demand information or parameters input by the user. For example, the user can input market demand information for valve body components, including nominal diameter, nominal pressure, connection method, valve body material, flow channel type, etc.; or market demand parameters for internal control components, including valve disc type (such as gate, ball, butterfly, etc.), sealing material (such as PTFE, metal hard seal, etc.), valve stem material, etc.; or market demand information for operating components, including operating method (such as manual, electric, pneumatic, etc.), torque requirements, switching time, etc. The configuration engine module is used to generate a material configuration scheme for the product to be manufactured based on the market demand information or parameters input by the user, using a constraint solving algorithm and a knowledge base module. The knowledge base module is used to store various types of information, including excellent design schemes and bills of materials (BOMs) of previously produced products, design principles of similar products, and material libraries; such as BOMs of different types of valves, valve design principles, and raw material libraries required for valve production. The material library includes all parts and materials required for the production of various types of valves. The output generation module is used to generate the Bill of Materials (BOM) for the product to be manufactured and other documents for the production of the product. The other documents may include a list of drawings, derivative documents, and other design framework drawings for designers to use. Specifically, it can generate the BOM for valves and a list of drawings for different structural parts required by the valve, such as valve body drawings, internal parts drawings, and operating group drawings.
[0022] As a supplement to this embodiment, to facilitate the input and synchronous storage of market demand information or parameters for products to be manufactured, the user interaction module adopts a web configurator, providing an input interface for market demand information. Users can directly fill in the required information or parameters in the corresponding fields, and the user interaction module directly stores and records the information or parameters input by the user, achieving synchronization of input and storage. For example, users can directly input information or parameters related to the performance requirements of valves in the corresponding parameter fields, which can serve as a basis for design and material selection.
[0023] As a supplement to this embodiment, the configuration engine module is the core processing unit of the product design system, and is equipped with a constraint solving algorithm. The constraint solving algorithm is a rule engine used by the configuration engine module to process market demand information or parameters. The constraint solving algorithm automatically matches and combines all material configuration schemes that conform to the design principles of the product to be designed by retrieving, reasoning, calculating and optimizing the information in the knowledge base module, thus providing a material basis for the design of the product to be designed and greatly reducing the time and mental effort required by designers to select materials.
[0024] As a further supplement to this embodiment, the constraint solving algorithm is used to arrange and combine several material configuration schemes for product components that conform to the market demand for the finished product. The constraint solving algorithm includes a rule engine such as compatibility rules, performance rules, and business rules. Specifically, the compatibility rules require that the selection of valve components or functional parts be optimally matched with the overall performance of the product. For example, a valve body with a nominal pressure of PN40 must be matched with flanges and bonnets with a pressure rating ≥PN40. Similarly, pneumatic actuators can only be matched with rotary valves (ball valves, butterfly valves, etc.) and cannot be directly matched with lift valves (gate valves) (if matched, an additional conversion mechanism is required). Furthermore, large-diameter valves with a diameter of DN300 cannot be manually operated and must be matched with gearboxes or actuators, etc. The performance rules require that the performance of valve components or functional parts meet the usage requirements of the product. For example, when used with corrosive media, the valve body material and internal parts materials must be stainless steel (CF8) or a higher-grade alloy. Also, the required valve stem diameter and actuator torque must be calculated based on the nominal diameter (DN) and nominal pressure (PN). The business rules require that the design of the product meet the requirements of specifications and cost-effectiveness. For example, priority should be given to selecting domestic standard parts to reduce costs, and exported products are required to use flanges of a certain international standard.
[0025] As a supplement to this embodiment, the knowledge base module includes modular submodules, parameterized submodules, data storage submodules, etc. The modular submodule is used to break down the product into several independent component modules according to parts or functional components. In this embodiment, the modular submodule disassembles the valve into valve body components, internal control components, operating components, sealing components, and accessory components, and defines the interface standards between each component to realize the structural cooperation and information transmission between the components, thereby facilitating valve assembly. The parameterization submodule is used to define key characteristic parameters for each functional component module, and to select suitable components based on these parameters. In this embodiment, for the valve body assembly, the key characteristic parameters to be defined include nominal diameter (DN), nominal pressure (PN), connection method (flange standard / thread type), valve body material (WCB / CF8 / etc.), and flow path form (full bore / reduced bore). For the internal control component, the key characteristic parameters to be defined include valve disc type (gate / ball / butterfly / etc.), sealing material (PTFE / metal hard seal / etc.), and valve stem material. For the operating component, the key characteristic parameters to be defined include operating method (manual / electric / pneumatic), torque requirement, and switching time requirement. The data storage submodule is used to store information about the components required for the product, such as the component supplier, price, material, size, life cycle, and inventory status.
[0026] As a supplement to this embodiment, the output generation module is used to generate a Bill of Materials (BOM) for the finished product from the material configuration scheme of the parts or functional components to be manufactured, which has been reviewed by the designer. Simultaneously, it outputs a list of process drawings based on the parts or functional components. In this embodiment, based on the approved material configuration scheme of the valve and the standard format of the BOM set in the output generation module, the valve's BOM is output. Based on the split parts or functional components, a list of drawings requiring separate drafting is output, such as process drawing templates for different functional components like valve body components, internal control components, and operating components, for direct use by designers, significantly reducing design and drafting time. The automatically generated BOM can be directly sent to the ERP system for material allocation, and the list of drawings can be directly sent to the Process Design System (PLM) as a framework for designers' drafting.
[0027] As a supplement to this embodiment, in order to improve the smoothness of the connection between the product design system and the production process, the product design system can also be integrated with the production management system (MES), the material management system (EPR), and the process design system (PLM) (that is, the various systems are electrically connected to realize the interconnection of information and data), so as to realize the calling of information and the transmission of instructions between them, and realize the full-process management of design and production, which greatly reduces the time for building the logistics bill of materials (BOM), improves design efficiency and accuracy, and also promotes the standardization of product design.
[0028] In another embodiment, to facilitate a detailed explanation of the design method of the product design system, the market demand information and parameters of the valve to be manufactured in this embodiment include the nominal diameter of the valve being DN80, the nominal pressure of the valve being PN16, the connection method being flange connection, the valve body material being WCB, the operation method being pneumatic, and the circulating medium being water.
[0029] In this embodiment, the design method of the product design system includes, S01, the product demander inputs information or parameters related to the market demand of the product into the user interaction module; specifically, the user inputs the parameters of the valve to be manufactured into the user interaction module, including the nominal diameter of the valve is DN80, the nominal pressure of the valve is PN16, the connection method is flange connection, the valve body material is WCB, the operation method is pneumatic, and the flowing medium is water. S02, the configuration engine module receives market demand information or parameters from the user interaction module, and starts the constraint solving algorithm according to the market demand. It retrieves, infers, calculates, and optimizes the model, specifications, etc. of the components to be manufactured in the knowledge base module, and outputs a configuration scheme for all components of the product to be manufactured. The constraint solving algorithm (rule engine) filters out components such as valve bodies, valve covers, and flanges that meet the functional component requirements from the knowledge base module based on the feature parameters DN80 and PN16. Then, based on the WCB material of the valve body and the water medium, it selects PTFE or NBR sealing materials, and matches internal control components and sealing components according to the selected key components. Based on the pneumatic operation method, it selects ball valves or butterfly valves as internal control components. Next, it calculates the torque value of the operating components based on DN80 and PN16, and matches pneumatic actuators based on the calculated torque value, such as a GT series double cylinder with a cylinder diameter of 100mm. Finally, it selects auxiliary components, such as solenoid valves and limit switches, based on the above key components, thereby configuring several sets of material configuration schemes for all components or functional components of the valve to be manufactured. S03, the user confirms the material configuration plan based on the market demand for the product to be manufactured; specifically, the user here is the technician, who checks the material configuration plan of the valve to be manufactured based on the market demand and selects the optimal material configuration plan from several sets of the material configuration plans. S04, the output generation module generates a Bill of Materials (BOM), a drawing list, and derivative documents for producing the product based on the confirmed configuration scheme of the parts to be produced. Specifically, based on the format template of the BOM set in the output generation module, the optimal material configuration scheme is generated as the BOM of the valve to be produced according to the format template, and a drawing list of each functional component is generated based on the split functional components, as well as derivative documents such as process assembly documents and work instructions to assist in the assembly of the valve to be produced. S05, the product design system sends the Bill of Materials (BOM) to the ERP system and the drawing list to the Process Design System (PLM) through the data transmission channel, realizing the automatic generation of the BOM for the work-in-process and the framework construction of the process design, effectively reducing the design workload of technical personnel on the work-in-process and improving the standardization of the design of the work-in-process.
[0030] As a supplement to this embodiment, in S02, when the constraint solving algorithm configures the materials of the product to be manufactured, if at least one material configuration scheme can be successfully configured according to the rule engine, then proceed to S03 to review the material configuration scheme; otherwise, issue an error warning and re-execute S02 until at least one material configuration scheme of the product to be manufactured is successfully configured.
[0031] As a supplement to this embodiment, the generated Bill of Materials (BOM) is a PDF file, and the generated drawing list consists of drawings of several different functional components in DWG format, which facilitates the ERP system and PLM system to directly call the generated data.
[0032] As a supplement to this embodiment, in this embodiment, the process assembly documents include the valve's general assembly drawing and non-standard parts drawings; the derivative documents include work instructions, etc.
[0033] Through the implementation of the technical solution of this invention, the product design system automatically generates derivative documents such as the Bill of Materials (BOM), process assembly documents, and work instructions in the valve design process. Designers only need to draw the drawings of each functional component in the generated drawing list, which greatly shortens the product design cycle, improves the standardization of product design, and reduces design errors caused by human factors.
[0034] Specifically, the technical solution of this invention has been achieved. (1) High efficiency and collaboration: The product design cycle has been shortened from days to minutes, enabling immediate response to market demands and greatly enhancing the company’s competitiveness.
[0035] (2) Fast and accurate: Through the hard constraints of the rule engine, design errors and compatibility issues caused by human negligence are eliminated, ensuring 100% accuracy of the output results.
[0036] (3) Knowledge assetization: The implicit experience and design standards of engineers are precipitated into a reusable digital rule base and parameterized model base, which become the core knowledge assets of the enterprise and are not affected by personnel turnover.
[0037] (4) Promote standardization and cost reduction: Mandating the adoption of modular design reduces unnecessary part variations from the source, thereby reducing supply chain complexity and procurement, warehousing and management costs.
[0038] (5) Seamless integration and automation: It realizes the full-process digital connection from sales (CRM), to design (PLM / CAD) and then to production (ERP / MES).
[0039] The above embodiments are merely descriptions of a typical application of the technical solution of the present invention. Reasonable extensions can be made without requiring creative effort.
Claims
1. A product design system, characterized in that, It includes a user interaction module, a configuration engine module, a knowledge base module, and an output generation module; The user interaction module is used to receive market demand information or parameters input by the user; The configuration engine module is used to generate a material configuration scheme for the product to be manufactured based on the market demand information or parameters input by the user, using a constraint solving algorithm and a knowledge base module. The knowledge base module is used to store various types of information; The output generation module is used to generate the Bill of Materials (BOM) for the work-in-progress and other documents for the production of the work-in-progress.
2. The product design system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The user interaction module uses a web configurator to provide an input interface for market demand information. Users can directly fill in the required information or parameters in the corresponding columns. The user interaction module directly stores and records the information or parameters entered by the user, thus achieving synchronization between input and storage.
3. The product design system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The configuration engine module is the core processing unit of the product design system. It is equipped with a constraint solving algorithm. The constraint solving algorithm is a rule engine used by the configuration engine module to process market demand information or parameters. The constraint solving algorithm automatically matches and combines all material configuration schemes that conform to the design principles of the product to be manufactured by retrieving, reasoning, calculating and optimizing the information in the knowledge base module.
4. The product design system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The constraint solving algorithm includes rule engines such as compatibility rules, performance rules, and business rules; The compatibility rules require that the selection of valve components or functional parts be optimally matched with the overall performance of the product to be manufactured. The performance rules require that the performance of valve components or functional parts meet the usage requirements of the product being manufactured. The business rules require that the design of the workpiece should meet the requirements of specifications and cost-effectiveness.
5. The product design system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The knowledge base module includes a modular submodule, a parameterized submodule, and a data storage submodule. The modular sub-module is used to break down the product into several independent component modules according to parts or functional components; The parameterization submodule is used to define the key feature parameters of each functional component module, and to select appropriate parts through the feature parameters of the functional component module. The data storage submodule is used to store information about the components required for the product.
6. The product design system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The output generation module is used to generate a Bill of Materials (BOM) for the finished product from the material configuration scheme of the parts or functional components to be manufactured, which has been reviewed by the designer, and at the same time, output a list of process drawings based on the parts or functional components to be manufactured.
7. The product design system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The product design system is integrated with the production management system (MES), the material management system (EPR), and the process design system (PLM) to enable information retrieval and instruction transmission between them.
8. The design method of the product design system as described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, include, S01, the product demander inputs information or parameters related to the market demand of the product into the user interaction module; S02, the configuration engine module receives market demand information or parameters from the user interaction module, starts the constraint solving algorithm according to the market demand, retrieves, reasones, calculates and optimizes the parts of the product to be produced in the knowledge base module, and outputs the configuration scheme of all parts of the product to be produced. S03, The user confirms the material configuration plan based on the market demand for the finished products; S04, the output generation module generates a Bill of Materials (BOM), a drawing list, and derivative documents for producing the finished product based on the confirmed configuration scheme of the parts to be produced.
9. The design method of the product design system as described in claim 8, characterized in that, It also includes, S05, the product design system sends the Bill of Materials (BOM) to the ERP system and the List of Drawings to the Process Design System (PLM) through the data transmission channel.
10. The design method of the product design system as described in claim 8, characterized in that, In S02, when the constraint solving algorithm configures the materials of the work to be produced, if at least one material configuration scheme can be successfully configured according to the rule engine, then proceed to S03 for review of the material configuration scheme. Otherwise, an error warning will be issued, and S02 will be re-executed until at least one material configuration scheme for the work-in-progress is successfully configured.