Configurable Part Generation With Independent Groups
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Solution Overview
Problem
The exponential increase in the number of possible features of configurable products leads to a significant increase in the size and complexity of product databases, resulting in slower search results and inefficient presentation of matching products to customers.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method for generating and storing virtual families of independent groups, where each group includes part number positions that do not depend on other groups, and merging groups based on constraints to create new groups, allowing for real-time generation of part numbers and specifications without storing every possible configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the number of possible features of a configurable product increases, then the product can meet more specific customer requirements, but the size and complexity of the product database increases exponentially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the configurable product into multiple independent groups of features, where each group can be configured independently. This segmentation allows the database to store only the independent groups rather than every possible combination, reducing database complexity from exponential to linear while maintaining full product configurability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a hierarchical structure where virtual families contain independent groups, which in turn contain part number positions. This nested structure allows the system to organize and retrieve configuration data efficiently, maintaining adaptability while reducing the overall database size by storing only the essential independent components.
2Loss of information
If the product database includes all possible combinations of product features, then complete product information is available, but the search speed decreases and results cannot be returned quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the independent groups from the complete set of all possible product configurations. By storing only these independent groups in the database rather than every possible combination, the system maintains complete product information while dramatically reducing search time, as the database size is reduced from exponential to linear.
3Adaptability or versatility
If every possible configuration of a configurable product is stored in the database, then all product variations are available, but the database size increases exponentially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the product configuration into independent groups that can be combined in various ways. By storing only these independent groups rather than all possible combinations, the database size increases linearly with the number of modified products while still supporting all configuration options through virtual family generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The independent groups stored in the database serve multiple functions: they can be combined to generate any valid product configuration, they enable fast search operations, and they support the generation of virtual families. This multi-functionality allows the database to maintain small size while supporting full product configurability.
Data Source
AI summary
Certain example embodiments relate to techniques generating a database of virtual families for real-time generation of part numbers for configurable products. For instance, certain example embodiments may include receiving a search request for part numbers and determining virtual families including entities matching the search request. The number of matching products matching the search request and the part numbers may be determined based on the virtual families and the independent groups stored in the virtual families that match the search request. The part numbers may be determined based on allowed characters, number and/or symbols for the part number positions defined in the independent groups of the virtual families including the entities matching the one or more configurable properties of the user input search request. Facet counts for the configurable product may also be determined based on the results of the user input search request.