Partial Instance Creation for Dynamic Component Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing product configurator systems are inefficient and costly when dealing with dynamic components, as they often require recreating entire objects and re-running computations every time a dynamic attribute changes, lacking support for dynamic component definitions and configuration states.
Innovation Solution
A configuration system that allows for the creation of partial instances of dynamic components during configuration, associating these instances with configuration states, and reusing static attribute instances, enabling efficient recomputation of affected attributes and memory-efficient implementation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the configurator recreates the entire object instance every time a dynamic attribute changes, then the configuration state is maintained, but the computational overhead and processing time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the component instance into multiple partial instances, each representing a specific dynamic attribute value. Instead of recreating the entire component object when a dynamic attribute changes, the system creates only the necessary partial instance for the changed attribute, thereby maintaining configuration state integrity while significantly reducing computational overhead and processing time.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system uses tracking parameters or data objects to track dynamic aspects outside the component definition, then dynamic attributes can be tracked, but the device complexity and implementation cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the dynamic attribute tracking functionality directly into the component definition by creating partial instances that are intrinsic to the component. This eliminates the need for separate tracking parameters or data objects, thereby supporting dynamic attributes while reducing system complexity and implementation cost.
3Ease of operation
If component-like objects support dynamic attributes but do not maintain configuration state, then dynamic attributes can be specified, but the entire object must be recreated every time, increasing computational overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the component instance into partial instances that maintain configuration state for dynamic attributes. This allows dynamic attributes to be specified easily while preserving the configuration state, thereby eliminating the need to recreate the entire object and significantly reducing computational resource consumption.
4Reliability
If the configurator repeats all previous computations every time a dynamic attribute changes, then the configuration consistency is maintained, but the productivity and efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by recomputing only the specific attributes that are affected by the dynamic attribute change rather than repeating all previous computations. This maintains configuration consistency for affected attributes while significantly improving configuration efficiency and productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a configuration system, method, and software program for efficiently configuring products with dynamic components. Component definitions in the configuration system can include both static and dynamic attributes. Static attributes are fixed and are defined prior to the user configuring a product. Dynamic attributes are defined during a configuration session, and the values of dynamic attributes are unique to a configuration session. When an attribute of a dynamic component is specified or changed during the configuration process, the configurator creates only a partial instance of the component with the specified dynamic attribute, and it associates a state of the configuration process with such partial instance. When the configurator executes a constraint that involves a component with one or more dynamic attributes, the configurator uses, for each dynamic attribute, the most recent partial instance of the component with a value for that attribute.