Requirement Graph Decomposition for Engineering Applications

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Solution Overview

Problem

Complex facilities and autonomous systems face challenges in identifying engineering requirements due to their dispersed nature across various business processes, workflows, and models, making it difficult to access and represent the most current versions using traditional technologies.

Innovation Solution

A system that analyzes requirements by decomposing words into sub-parts to generate requirement graph models, connecting these models with constraint graph models to form combined graph models, enabling analysis and identification of requirements across disparate sources.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional technologies and processes are used to identify engineering requirements, then the process is simple and familiar, but the requirements cannot be effectively identified due to their dispersed nature across various business processes, workflows, and models

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveeffectiveness of requirement identificationVSAvoidcomplexity of system architecture
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the dispersed requirement information from various business processes, workflows, and models into structured components. By breaking down the complex information landscape into manageable segments that can be individually processed and integrated, the system effectively identifies requirements that were previously hidden in disparate sources without requiring an overly complex monolithic architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary requirement decomposition system that acts as a mediator between the dispersed requirement sources and the analysis processes. This intermediary layer collects, standardizes, and structures requirement information from multiple sources, enabling effective identification without directly managing the complexity of all underlying systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If requirement information is collected from disparate sources, then the completeness of requirements improves, but the difficulty of accessing and representing current versions increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompleteness of requirement informationVSAvoiddifficulty of accessing current versions
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal requirement decomposition framework that can handle multiple sources of requirement information through a common interface and standardization process. This multi-functional system accepts inputs from various business processes, workflows, and models while representing them in a unified format, thereby improving completeness without proportionally increasing access difficulty.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms requirement information from disparate sources by changing its representation parameters into a standardized format. By converting diverse requirement data into a common structure with defined parameters and relationships, the system improves information completeness while making it more accessible and easier to track current versions through consistent representation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If graph models are used to represent requirements, then the analysis capability improves, but the time and effort required for decomposition and modeling increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprecision of requirement analysisVSAvoidengineering time and effort
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary decomposition of requirement information into structured components before graph model construction. By pre-processing and organizing requirement data into standardized elements with defined relationships, the system enables more precise analysis through graph models while reducing the time and effort required during the actual modeling phase, as the heavy lifting of decomposition is already completed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20220414485A1Requirements decomposition for engineering applications
Publication Date: 2022.12.29 CHEVRON USA INC
  • US20220414485A1 patent drawing
  • US20220414485A1 patent drawing
  • US20220414485A1 patent drawing

AI summary

Words in a requirement may be decomposed into sub-parts to dynamically generate a requirement graph model. The requirement graph model may include nodes for the sub-parts of the requirement. The requirement graph model may be connected to a constraint graph model based on one or more nodes of the requirement graph model. The connection of the requirement graph model to the constraint graph model may form a combined graph model, and analysis may be performed based on the combined graph model.