Bill of Materials Data Conversion for Engineering Reference
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Product Data Management (PDM) software-generated bills of materials contain irrelevant text content and present component data in an unordered and unsuitable format, making it difficult for engineers to reference capacitance or resistance data, requiring manual conversion.
Innovation Solution
A machine-implemented method that reads component data entries, acquires critical text sets, generates converted component values and ranges, and rearranges data for easier reference, using a macro software tool like Microsoft Excel to format and display the data in a more useful format.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If component data is presented in the format generated by current PDM software, then the data can be displayed by the software, but the text content becomes irrelevant and difficult for engineers to reference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the critical text sets (component values, tolerances, units) from the bill of materials entries, eliminating irrelevant text content. This extraction process transforms the data into a format that is both relevant and easy for engineers to reference, directly resolving the contradiction between information relevance and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the presentation parameters of component data by converting value ranges into engineered formats (e.g., transforming '0.0900-0.1100' into '90-110n'). This parameter transformation makes the data both relevant and easily operable for engineering purposes.
2Productivity
If component data entries are not arranged in a specific order, then the original data structure is maintained, but data look-up becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary sorting of component data entries based on converted component values before presentation. This preliminary organization action enables efficient data look-up during engineering reference, improving productivity without requiring complex data structures during the actual lookup operation.
3Ease of operation
If value ranges are converted using default software formatting, then the data is displayed, but the format becomes unsuitable for engineering reference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes to transform value ranges into engineering-appropriate formats. By converting numeric ranges and applying suitable units (e.g., n for nano, u for micro), the data achieves both manufacturing precision and ease of engineering reference simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A machine-implemented method for data conversion, which is adapted for converting a plurality of entries of component data in a bill of materials, includes the steps of: (a) reading the entries of the component data from the bill of materials; (b) acquiring a critical text set from each of the entries of the component data; (c) generating a converted component value and a converted component value range for the critical text set acquired from each of the entries of the component data; and (d) rearranging the entries of the component data in the bill of materials according to the converted component values, and displaying the rearranged entries of the component data together with the corresponding converted component values and the corresponding converted component value ranges.