Information Processing Apparatus for Design Knowledge Extraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

In design tasks, developers face increased pressure for higher speed and lower costs, reducing the design margin and requiring broader knowledge or know-how, while existing systems struggle to efficiently derive and manage design knowledge or know-how from designers.

Innovation Solution

An information processing apparatus that generates and transmits questions about information lacking in target content, receives answers, and assigns these question-answer pairs to the content, utilizing a communication module, user interface module, content management module, and question management module to structure and link similar past data, facilitating design knowledge extraction and management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If developers are required to have broader knowledge and know-how to handle increased pressure for higher speed and lower costs, then design quality can be maintained, but the complexity and difficulty of the work increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedesign qualityVSAvoiddeveloper knowledge requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an information processing apparatus as an intermediary between developers and design knowledge. The apparatus automatically generates questions about target content, collects answers from developers, and structures this information into reusable knowledge pairs. This mediator handles the complexity of knowledge extraction and organization, allowing developers to contribute knowledge without bearing the full burden of systematic knowledge management complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service by automatically generating questions and structuring knowledge without requiring developers to manually document everything. The apparatus autonomously identifies what information is missing from target content and formulates appropriate questions, reducing the burden on developers while still capturing necessary knowledge

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Loss of information

If existing systems attempt to derive and manage design knowledge from designers, then knowledge can be captured, but the process becomes inefficient and difficult to manage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedesign knowledge captureVSAvoidknowledge management efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by presenting generated questions to developers and incorporating their answers back into the structured knowledge base. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures that the captured knowledge accurately reflects actual developer expertise while automatically organizing it into usable formats, improving both capture effectiveness and management efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The apparatus performs preliminary action by automatically generating questions before knowledge collection begins. This pre-structuring of the knowledge extraction process eliminates the need for ad-hoc knowledge gathering, streamlining the overall process and improving efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10489437B2Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and non-transitory computer readable medium
Publication Date: 2019.11.26 FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP
  • US10489437B2 patent drawing
  • US10489437B2 patent drawing
  • US10489437B2 patent drawing

AI summary

An information processing apparatus includes a generating unit, a transmitting unit, a receiving unit, and an assigning unit. The generating unit generates a question about information that does not exist in target content. The transmitting unit transmits the question to a user related to the content. The receiving unit receives an answer to the question. The assigning unit assigns a pair of the question and the answer to the content.