Multistage Configuration Trees with Feature Bundles
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large commercial product line organizations, such as automotive manufacturers, the complexity and diversity of product options lead to errors and inefficiencies in creating and managing product option codes, which map to thousands of mechanical, electrical, and software parts, resulting in defective products and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
The use of multistage configuration trees with feature bundles simplifies the creation of product option codes by splitting the mapping into two parts: a primary mapping from product features to parts, which is reused across product families, and a secondary mapping for unique product option codes, significantly reducing the effort and errors involved.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complete mapping from product option codes to mechanical, electrical and software parts is created for each product family, then accurate product configuration is achieved, but the cost, time and effort increase dramatically
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the mapping process into two distinct parts: (1) a universal mapping from multistage configuration trees to parts that is created once and reused, and (2) a simplified mapping from product option codes to feature bundles that is specific to each product family. This segmentation eliminates the need to recreate the entire mapping for each product family, dramatically reducing time and effort while maintaining configuration accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by creating the comprehensive mapping from multistage configuration trees to parts in advance, before product family-specific mappings are needed. This pre-created universal mapping serves as a reusable foundation that eliminates redundant work when creating mappings for multiple product families, thereby reducing overall creation time and effort.
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate product option codes are created for each product family, then product-specific customization is achieved, but the complexity and error rate increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by creating a single multistage configuration tree structure that serves multiple product families. The universal mapping from this tree to parts can be reused across all product families, while product-specific customization is achieved through the feature bundles layer. This multi-functional approach allows one mapping structure to serve multiple purposes, reducing complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces feature bundles as an intermediary layer between product option codes and the universal configuration tree mapping. This intermediary structure allows product family-specific customizations to be expressed without directly modifying the universal mapping, thereby reducing management complexity and error rates while preserving customization capabilities.
3Manufacturing precision
If detailed mapping from product option codes to parts is maintained, then manufacturing accuracy is improved, but the cost and effort of creating and updating mappings increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the mapping into a detailed universal mapping from multistage configuration trees to parts (maintaining manufacturing precision) and a simplified product family-specific mapping to feature bundles (improving ease of manufacture). The detailed mapping is created once and reused, while the simplified mapping is easier to create and update for each product family.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by reusing the universal mapping from multistage configuration trees to parts across all product families. Instead of creating separate detailed mappings for each product family, the same verified mapping is copied and reused, ensuring manufacturing precision while dramatically reducing the effort required to create and maintain mappings.
Data Source
AI summary
A product line engineering (PLE) multistage configuration tree that supports the engineering, deployment and maintenance of complex product family trees is provided. Feature bundles which combine a group of feature decisions into a single bundled offering are inherited by the children of the node in the product family tree where they are defined. The children see only the smaller collection of bundled offerings rather than all the possible combinations of the multiple feature offerings that are encapsulated by the feature bundle.