Parametric Configurator for Automated Product Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing product configuration systems struggle with complex geometries and customer-specific designs, as they rely on pre-engineered features and rules-based approaches that are limited in expressive power and cannot handle undocumented features or complex optimizations effectively.
Innovation Solution
A parametric configuration method that enables the creation of optimized product designs based on geometric and physical characteristics, allowing for the selection of features and parts without pre-engineering, using a parametric configurator, language, data management system, and user interfaces to automate the design process and satisfy customer-specific constraints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a rules-based configurator is used for mass customization, then the process from sales quotes to bill of material generation can be automatically executed, but the system cannot handle undocumented features or complex geometries effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the configurator from a rules-based system to a parametric system that uses geometric and physical parameters to define product features. This allows the system to handle any geometry by defining it through parameters rather than pre-programmed rules, enabling both automation and adaptability to undocumented features.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical rules-based approach with a computational parametric modeling system. Instead of using rigid if-then rules, the system uses parametric equations and geometric constraints that can dynamically adapt to any input, substituting a flexible computational model for a rigid rule-based mechanism.
2Ease of manufacture
If pre-engineered features are used for mass customization, then additional engineering costs are avoided, but the system lacks expressive power for complex optimizations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary parametric modeling that defines the geometric and physical relationships of product features before actual configuration. This preliminary action creates a flexible framework that can handle complex optimizations without requiring pre-engineering of specific features, as the parametric model can adapt to any configuration needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the product configuration problem into independent parametric components that can be optimized separately and then assembled. This allows complex optimizations to be broken down into manageable parametric adjustments without requiring complete pre-engineering of the entire system.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the number of product configurations is increased to meet customer needs, then customer-specific designs are better satisfied, but the complexity of managing feature compatibility increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal parametric modeling framework that can represent any product configuration through a common set of geometric and physical parameters. This universal approach allows the system to handle unlimited configurations without increasing complexity, as all features are defined through the same parametric language rather than separate rules for each feature.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the configuration system from a discrete rules-based dimension to a continuous parametric dimension. Instead of managing compatibility rules for discrete features, the system uses continuous geometric and physical parameters that naturally enforce compatibility through mathematical constraints, reducing management complexity while enabling unlimited configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is a method and apparatus for automatically generating an optimal configuration of a product, using logic implemented on a digital computer processing system. A general configuration will be broken down into a hierarchy of subdesigns by a designer of an artifact type. A particular instance of the type must satisfy user-specified external parametric constraints. Constraints may take the form of a range of values for some performance characteristic or to satisfy laws or business requirements. Hierarchical decomposition facilitates solution of complex problems. Criteria for a best solution may be specified for a given subdesign, a collection of subdesigns, or globally. Tentative selection of a particular subdesign may impose internally generated constraints upon a subsequent subdesign. If no acceptable solution is found for a subdesign, the candidate overall configuration rolls back to the most complete viable partial collection of subdesigns. The method transforms constraints into a concrete design.