The Boeing Company

Sean M Callahan

John Terry Monahan

Carl A Pearson

Kevin D Puterbaugh

A method and apparatus for managing variations in a product structure for a product. In one illustrative embodiment, a product management system for managing variations in a product structure for a product comprises a model. The model comprises a primary hierarchical organization and a number of optimized product variant structures. The primary hierarchical organization comprises a group of domain master objects. The number of optimized product variant structures comprises a group of domain configuration objects in which each domain configuration object in the group of domain configuration objects represents a configuration for a component represented by a corresponding domain master object in the group of domain master objects.

Model for managing variations in a product structure for a product

A method and apparatus for managing variations in a product structure for a product comprising a data manager and a visualizer. The data manager is configured to manage variations in the product structure using a model. The model includes a group of master objects having a primary hierarchical organization and a group of configuration objects having a number of secondary hierarchical organizations. Each secondary hierarchical organization in the number of secondary hierarchical organizations is associated with the primary hierarchical organization and configured to represent a variant of the product. A number of configuration objects in a secondary hierarchical organization represents a number of variations in the product structure for the product. The visualizer is configured to visually present, in a graphical user interface, information for an object selected from one of a master object in the group of master objects and a configuration object in the group of configuration objects.

User interface for presenting information about a product structure for a product

Methods and apparatus for information modeling, such as product modeling, are described. In one specific embodiment, a system for capturing product information includes a product definition tree representing permitted elements of a generalized product structure, a plurality of template trees and a plurality of configuration trees. Each template tree represents a product design structure variant which represents a subset of said product definition tree. Each configuration tree represents a particular design configuration, which is constrained to implement the structure of its associated template tree.

Methods and apparatus for creating and utilizing templates in connection with information modeling

Methods and apparatus for information modeling, such as product modeling, are described. In one specific embodiment, a system for capturing product information includes a plurality of product trees and a plurality of configuration trees. Each configuration tree is associated with one of the plurality of product trees. At least two of the configuration trees share at least one usage configuration node, and the at least two configuration trees are associated with a same product tree. The at least two configuration trees share at least one occurrence configuration node.

Methods and apparatus for information modeling

An apparatus and method for a logical hierarchical data model that facilitates sharing design data definitions within product families. The product data model is stored in a memory or a database and holds product information relating to components. The product data model comprises a plurality of component-usages for including a component in a higher-level-assembly and logical component-usages associated with the component-usages. Each logical component usage selects one of the component-usages that perform the same role within the context of its parent assembly. A generalized occurrence structure has nodes that represent the paths in a product data model of an assembly, from which simple occurrence structures representing each individual configuration can be derived.

Logical hierarchical data model for sharing product information across product families

A data model is provided for storing data related to multiple variants of assemblies in a computer-associated memory. A multivariant assembly data object functions as a container for component usages, logical component usages, and also for the assembly-components, each of which represents a variant of the corresponding product or assembly family. Component usages can be shared by multiple assembly-components all of which are members of the same multivariant assembly.

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Sean M Callahan