Aircraft Customization System Using Pre-Certified Design Options

Solution Overview

Problem

The current process of customizing aircraft is time-consuming and costly due to the need for repeated certification of new designs for each customer-selected option, leading to delays in delivery and increased manufacturing costs.

Innovation Solution

An aircraft customization system comprising an option database, configurator, and configuration generator that uses pre-certified engineering options to quickly generate final designs for customer-selected options, reducing the need for repeated certification by storing pre-certified designs for reuse.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a new design is generated for each customer-selected option, then the aircraft can be customized to customer requirements, but the certification process takes more time and increases manufacturing cost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomization capabilityVSAvoidcertification time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-certifying a library of engineering options before customer customization. The aircraft manufacturer creates and certifies a comprehensive library of pre-approved engineering options (designs, configurations, specifications) that meet regulatory requirements. When a customer places an order, the system retrieves pre-certified options from this library rather than creating and certifying new designs from scratch, thereby significantly reducing certification time while maintaining customization capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses copying by storing and reusing pre-certified design data. The system creates digital copies of certified engineering options in a database, allowing these verified designs to be replicated and assigned to multiple customer aircraft. This copying approach enables rapid configuration of customized aircraft using proven, certified designs rather than creating entirely new designs for each customer, thus reducing time loss during certification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Adaptability or versatility

If a new design is generated for each customer-selected option, then the aircraft can be customized to customer requirements, but the manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomization capabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-certifying a library of engineering options before customer customization. The aircraft manufacturer creates and certifies a comprehensive library of pre-approved engineering options (designs, configurations, specifications) that meet regulatory requirements. When a customer places an order, the system retrieves pre-certified options from this library rather than creating and certifying new designs from scratch, thereby significantly reducing certification time while maintaining customization capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses copying by storing and reusing pre-certified design data. The system creates digital copies of certified engineering options in a database, allowing these verified designs to be replicated and assigned to multiple customer aircraft. This copying approach enables rapid configuration of customized aircraft using proven, certified designs rather than creating entirely new designs for each customer, thus reducing time loss during certification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Reliability

If repeated certification processes are performed for each customer option, then airworthiness is ensured, but delivery delays occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveairworthiness certificationVSAvoiddelivery speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-certifying a library of engineering options before customer customization. The aircraft manufacturer creates and certifies a comprehensive library of pre-approved engineering options (designs, configurations, specifications) that meet regulatory requirements. When a customer places an order, the system retrieves pre-certified options from this library rather than creating and certifying new designs from scratch, thereby significantly reducing certification time while maintaining customization capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses copying by storing and reusing pre-certified design data. The system creates digital copies of certified engineering options in a database, allowing these verified designs to be replicated and assigned to multiple customer aircraft. This copying approach enables rapid configuration of customized aircraft using proven, certified designs rather than creating entirely new designs for each customer, thus reducing time loss during certification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS9058464B2Customer aircraft customization system

Publication Date: 2015.06.16 THE BOEING CO

AI summary

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.