Fractal Visualization for Design of Experiments
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Solution Overview
Problem
In complex systems, identifying the specific combination of options or factors that lead to failures is challenging due to the difficulty in visualizing and analyzing multiple components and their interactions, especially when failures occur across multiple test cases.
Innovation Solution
A computer-program product is developed to display an interactive graphical user interface that allows manipulation of a representation of a factor in a graphical representation, using a fractal sequence with multiple axes, enabling the plotting of test cases and allowing for the identification of the most likely potential cause of failures by manipulating and analyzing the data within this interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If traditional test suite analysis methods are used, then the testing process is simple, but it becomes difficult to identify failure causes when multiple components and options are involved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the traditional tabular test suite representation into a multi-dimensional fractal visualization. Each factor is represented as an axis in a fractal sequence, allowing test cases to be visualized in multiple dimensions simultaneously. This dimensional transformation enables engineers to see patterns and relationships that are invisible in traditional two-dimensional tables, directly addressing the difficulty of identifying failure causes in complex systems with multiple components and options.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates visual copies of test case data in the fractal representation, where each factor level is represented as a geometric pattern. These visual copies allow engineers to manipulate and analyze the data graphically rather than working with raw tabular data. The fractal patterns serve as visual replicas that make it easier to spot anomalies and identify failure causes through graphical manipulation and interaction.
2Loss of information
If detailed test case data is displayed in traditional formats, then all information is available, but visualization and analysis of multiple components becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent organizes test case information along fractal axes representing different factors and their levels. This multi-dimensional arrangement preserves all test case data while making it visually accessible. Each test case can be located and analyzed by traversing the fractal structure, maintaining information completeness while dramatically improving visualizability and analytical ease compared to traditional flat tables.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the complex test suite data into hierarchical fractal components, where each axis represents a factor and each point on the axis represents a level. This segmentation breaks down the overwhelming complexity of multi-component test data into manageable geometric segments that can be individually analyzed and manipulated, yet collectively represent the complete test suite information.
3Productivity
If engineers manually analyze test case tables to identify failures, then no special tools are needed, but the process is time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates interactive graphical copies of test case data in the fractal representation, allowing engineers to manipulate the visualization directly to identify failures. This graphical copying transforms static tabular data into dynamic visual structures that can be explored interactively, dramatically accelerating the fault localization process compared to manual table analysis while preserving all underlying information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of manually scanning and analyzing test case tables with an interactive graphical system. Engineers can visually traverse the fractal structure, click on suspicious patterns, and immediately see related test cases and failure information, substituting manual mechanical analysis with an enhanced visual-interaction system that significantly reduces time while maintaining analytical depth.
Data Source
AI summary
The computing device receives information representing a design of an experiment. The design of the experiment comprises a plurality of test cases. Each element of a test case of the design is a test condition for testing one of factors for the experiment. The computing device generates a graphical representation based on the information. The graphical representation comprises a plurality of axes for respective ones of factors used in a fractal sequence. Each of the plurality of axes has two endpoints comprising a first endpoint that corresponds to a first level of a respective factor, and a second endpoint that corresponds to a second level of the respective factor. The computing device plots, on the graphical representation, data corresponding to one or more test cases of the plurality of test cases. The computing device displays an interactive graphical user interface comprising the graphical representation with the plotted data.