JP6379713B2 - Design support program, apparatus, and method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a design support program, a design support apparatus, and a design support method.

  When designing a new product, a detailed design process is generally performed through a concept design process. Conceptual design is a process that examines how to create a product with respect to the creation of technical data such as specifications, verification and design required for the product to be designed, and functions as a concept. The detailed design process is a process of designing a product mechanism and a component (a part included in a product, a module, or a product itself) constituting the product. For example, based on the information determined in the concept design, product information is constructed by a procedure for further adding information to the parts table for managing the detailed design. As a conventional technique related to the management of a bill of materials, for example, a technology has been proposed in which a derived bill of materials created based on a master bill of materials is managed and an influence range of a design change of a certain component is specified.

JP 2008-139994 A

  In general, the contents of the detailed design process are managed by the parts table system as described above. On the other hand, as for the contents of the concept design process, the designer in the concept design process often describes drawings, memos, and the like as electronic files using a general-purpose painting tool in paper or free format. For this reason, the contents of the concept design process are often stored in a file server in each department or the designer's personal terminal in the concept design process. That is, the concept design process information and the detailed design process information are not associated with each other. For this reason, various information on the concept design process is not carried over to the detailed design process, which may cause a problem.

  For example, in product development, most of the product quality and concept are determined in the concept design process, which is the upstream process of design work. However, when various pieces of information on the concept design process are not carried over to the detailed design process, the intention in the concept design process may not be reflected due to a change in the detailed design process that is a downstream process. In this case, the product may not be a product intended by the designer of the concept design process.

  In addition, when information on the concept design process is not carried over to the detailed design process, it takes time to search for information on the concept design when a problem occurs in the quality and cost of the product in the downstream process. There is a problem. In addition, if the information on the upstream process cannot be efficiently traced from the downstream process, the information about other products related as a concept for the problem that occurred in the downstream process is traced, that is, the problem is developed horizontally. There is also a problem that it is difficult.

  An object of the present invention is, as one aspect, to efficiently retrieve information on an upstream process from a downstream process of product design.

  As one aspect, a product design configuration showing a configuration including product design concept information including information associating a requirement required for a product and a function for satisfying the requirement, and a configuration item realizing the function Information is associated with each other and stored in the storage unit. When a designation for any of the configuration items included in the product is received, the concept information related to the designated configuration item and the function realized by the configuration including the designated configuration item are associated from the storage unit. Search for other products that require requirements.

  As one aspect, there is an effect that information on an upstream process can be efficiently searched from a downstream process of product design.

It is a functional block diagram of the design support apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of design information DB. It is the schematic of a requirement function matrix. It is a figure which shows an example of the list display of a structure plan. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of a structure summary. It is a figure for demonstrating the parent-child relationship of a component. It is a figure which shows an example of the function number acquired including the diversion destination and the diversion source. It is a figure for demonstrating the search of the requirement and function using a requirement function matrix. It is a figure for demonstrating the search of the requirement and function using a requirement function matrix. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the computer which functions as a design support apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a registration process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a reverse expansion process.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the design support apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes a registration unit 20 and a reverse expansion unit 30. The registration unit 20 registers various information generated in the design stage in the design information database (DB) 40. Further, the reverse expansion unit 30 searches the design information DB 40 based on the component item information that is the detailed information of the product, traces the information of the concept design process that is the upstream process, and the information on the concept design related to the component item. Is reversed. Note that, in the present embodiment, developing information from downstream to upstream is referred to as “reverse development”.

  The registration unit 20 further includes a storage control unit 21 and a display control unit 22. Further, the reverse expansion unit 30 further includes a designation receiving unit 31 and a search unit 32. As shown in FIG. 2, the design information DB 40 includes a project table 41, a requirement table 42, a function table 43, a requirement function relevance table 44, a configuration plan table 45, and a configuration item table 46. . Hereinafter, each part and each table included in the design information DB 40 will be described in detail.

  When a product design project is launched, the storage control unit 21 receives project information related to the project, and assigns a unique project number to the project information. The project information includes various attribute information such as the name and type of a product designed by the project, and information on the project number of another project that uses the information. The storage control unit 21 stores each piece of information included in the received project information and the assigned project number corresponding to each item of the project table 41 as shown in FIG. In the example of the project table 41 in FIG. 2, “project number”, “diversion source project number”, and a plurality of “attributes” items are included, and one record corresponds to one project.

  In addition, the storage control unit 21 receives requirement information indicating requirements such as necessary conditions and specifications required for the product, and assigns a unique requirement number to the requirement information. The requirement information includes a project number for identifying the target product and a requirement number of other requirement information that uses the information. The storage control unit 21 stores each piece of information included in the received requirement information and the assigned requirement number corresponding to each item of the requirement table 42 as shown in FIG. The example of the requirement table 42 in FIG. 2 includes items of “requirement number”, “project number”, and “diversion source requirement number”, and one record corresponds to one requirement. The item “project number” in the requirement table 42 is associated with the item “project number” in the project table 41, and the item “required source requirement number” is the item “requirement number” in the requirement table 42. It is tied with.

  Further, the storage control unit 21 receives function information indicating a function for satisfying the requirement required for the product, and assigns a unique function number to the function information. The function information includes a project number for identifying the target product and a function number of other function information that uses the information. The storage control unit 21 stores each piece of information included in the received function information and the assigned function number, for example, corresponding to each item of the function table 43 as shown in FIG. The example of the function table 43 in FIG. 2 includes items of “function number”, “project number”, and “diversion source function number”, and one record corresponds to one function. The item “project number” in the function table 43 is associated with the item “project number” in the project table 41, and the item “diversion source function number” is the item “function number” in the function table 43. It is tied with.

  In addition, the storage control unit 21 receives requirement function relevance information indicating a relevance between a requirement and a function set by a requirement function matrix (details will be described later). The requirement function relevance information includes a requirement number and a function number indicating requirements and functions having relevance. In addition, the requirement function relevance information may include, as attribute information, a degree of relevance between the requirement and the function, a condition when there is a relevance conditionally, and the like. The storage control unit 21 stores each piece of information included in the received requirement function relevance information corresponding to each item of the requirement function relevance table 44 as shown in FIG. In the example of the requirement function relevance table 44 in FIG. 2, “requirement number”, “function number”, and a plurality of “attributes” items are included, and one record corresponds to the relevance between one requirement and a function. . The item “requirement number” in the requirement function relevance table 44 is linked to the item “requirement number” in the requirement table 42, and the item “function number” is the item “function number” in the function table 43. It is tied with.

  In addition, the storage control unit 21 receives configuration plan information indicating a configuration plan including at least one configuration item in order to realize the function for each function that satisfies the requirements required for the product. The component item refers to an element constituting the product such as a part, a module, or the product itself included in the product. The configuration plan information includes a function number indicating which configuration plan to realize, a configuration plan number of other configuration plan information that uses the information, and attribute information such as the quantity, useful life, and price for each configuration plan. . The configuration plan information includes a configuration item number indicating a configuration item included in the configuration plan and attribute information for each configuration item. The configuration item number may be an existing configuration item number for the same configuration item that is already registered in the design information DB 40, or may be a number that is newly assigned. When an existing component item number is used, it is possible to search for products with different projects in a search using the component item as a search key. Further, when a problem occurs in an existing component item, the design can be performed in consideration of the problem in the concept design process.

  The configuration plan information may include a plurality of configuration plans for one function. The storage control unit 21 assigns a unique configuration plan number to each configuration plan. The storage control unit 21 stores each piece of information included in the received configuration plan information and the assigned configuration plan number corresponding to each item of the configuration plan table 45 as shown in FIG. In the example of the configuration plan table 45 in FIG. 2, “function number”, “configuration plan number”, “diversion source configuration plan number”, and a plurality of “attributes” items are included, and one record is included in one configuration plan. Correspond. Note that the “diversion source function number” item in the configuration plan table 45 is associated with the “configuration plan number” item in the configuration plan table 45.

  Further, the storage control unit 21 receives configuration information related to the configuration adopted from the configuration proposal, and assigns a unique configuration item key to each configuration item included in the adopted configuration. Regarding the component item key, an accurate number such as the product number of the component item may be given in the detailed design process, and here, a temporary number assigned by the design support apparatus 10 may be given. When an accurate number is assigned in the detailed design process, it may be stored in association with a temporary number. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the load in terms of number management in the concept design process in which the concept creation is the main.

  The configuration information includes a configuration item number indicating a configuration item included in the adopted configuration, a function number indicating which function is realized, and attribute information for each configuration item included in the configuration. The storage control unit 21 stores each piece of information included in the received configuration information and the assigned configuration item key corresponding to each item of the configuration item table 46 as shown in FIG. 2, for example. In the example of the configuration item table 46 in FIG. 2, the items “configuration item key”, “configuration item number”, “configuration plan number”, and a plurality of “attributes” are included, and one record corresponds to one configuration item. To do. The item “configuration plan number” in the configuration item table 46 is linked to the item “configuration plan number” in the configuration plan table 45.

  In addition, the storage control unit 21 converts the project information, the function information, the configuration plan information, and the technical materials such as the materials examined and related to each of the configuration information, the project number, the function number, the configuration plan number, the configuration Each item key is associated with each item key and stored in a predetermined storage area. Thereby, the technical information examined at the time of concept design can be traced at the time of reverse deployment.

  The display control unit 22 controls the requirement function matrix for setting the requirement function relevance information to be displayed on the display device used by the designer. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the requirement function matrix is a matrix in which each requirement registered in the requirement table 42 is associated with each column, and each function registered in the function table 43 is associated with each row. Can do. The designer inputs a mark (“◯” in the example of FIG. 3) in a cell where the relevant requirement and function intersect. As described above, the relevance between the requirement and the function can have an attribute such as a degree of relevance and a condition when there is a conditional relevance. In this case, an attribute may be input to the corresponding cell instead of the mark. The display control unit 22 creates requirement function relevance information including a requirement number and a function number indicating a requirement and a function corresponding to a cell to which a mark or an attribute is input, and an attribute when the attribute is input. To the storage control unit 21.

  The display control unit 22 controls the display of a list of configuration plans on a display device used by the designer in order to support selection of the configuration plan to be adopted. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the list of configuration plans represents the configuration plan for each function of the project (product) and the configuration items included in the configuration plan in a tree structure, and corresponds to each of the configuration plan and the configuration item. , It is possible to display the attribute information together. The display control unit 22 acquires information to be displayed in the list of configuration plans from information registered in each table in the design information DB 40 and determines a tree structure according to items linked between the tables. . By displaying a list of such configuration proposals, it is possible to select a configuration to be adopted after grasping the concept in the upstream process. Further, by selecting each node of the tree structure, it may be linked to the technical data stored in a predetermined area in association with the project, function, configuration plan, etc. indicated by the node. In this case, it becomes easier to grasp the concept in the upstream process.

  In the example of FIG. 4, it is required for a product to be designed in the project indicated by the project number AAA (hereinafter, “... indicated by the number X” is expressed as “... X”). The function AA and the function BB are included as functions that satisfy the requirements. Further, the configuration plan for realizing the function AA includes the configuration plan A1 and the configuration plan A2, and the configuration plan for realizing the function BB includes the configuration plan B1 and the configuration plan B2. . Further, the configuration plan B1 includes the configuration item B11, and the configuration plan B2 indicates that the configuration item B21 and the configuration item B22 are included.

  In addition, when one of the configuration plans is selected by the designer from the displayed list of configuration plans, the display control unit 22 can identify the selected configuration plan and the unselected configuration plan. , Change the display. In the example of FIG. 4, a selected configuration plan is indicated by a solid line, and a configuration plan that is not selected is indicated by a broken line. Further, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the display control unit 22 adds the item of the configuration summary 47 that summarizes the selected configuration plan to the tree structure and attribute list. Thereby, it becomes easy to grasp the adopted configuration. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the display of the configuration plan associated with the functions AA and BB having the tree structure shown in FIG. 4 is folded. The display control unit 22 passes the configuration information represented by the configuration summary to the storage control unit 21.

  The designation accepting unit 31 accepts designation of a component item key indicating a component item to be reversely expanded and passes it to the search unit 32. In addition, in the detailed design process, when the relationship between the configuration items is managed by the parts table or the like, the designation receiving unit 31 is configured to indicate the configuration item related to the configuration item indicated by the designated configuration item key. The item key is also acquired and transferred to the search unit 32. In this case, the information in the concept design process of the product including each of the constituent items related to the designated constituent item can be compared. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, in the case where the parent-child relationship between the configuration items a configuration item a having the configuration item aa as a child and a configuration item aa having the configuration item aaa as a child is managed in the BOM, the configuration item Assume that the designation of aaa is accepted. In this case, the designation receiving unit 31 may trace the parent component item in order from the designated component item key, and acquire the component item key held by each traced component item.

  The search unit 32 searches the configuration item table 46 for a record in which the item “configuration item key” matches the configuration item key delivered from the designation receiving unit 31, and the item “configuration plan number” of the record. Get the configuration plan number from The search unit 32 searches the configuration plan table 45 for a record in which the item “configuration plan number” or “diversion source configuration plan number” matches the configuration plan number acquired from the configuration item table 46, and A function number is acquired from the item of “function number”. Further, the search unit 32 searches the function table 43 for a record in which the item “function number” or “diversion source function number” matches the function number acquired from the configuration plan table 45, and displays the “reuse source” of the record. A function number is acquired from “function number” or “function number”.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the function number acquired based on the component item key delivered from the designation receiving unit 31. In the example of FIG. 7, it is assumed that the configuration plan including the configuration item indicated by the delivered configuration item key is the configuration plan 11. In this case, the function 1 associated with the configuration plan 11, the function 2 associated with the configuration plan 21 that is the diversion source of the configuration plan 11, and the function 3 associated with the configuration plan 31 that is the diversion destination of the configuration plan 11 are searched. . Further, the function 4 of the diversion source of the function 1 associated with the configuration plan 11 and the function 5 of the diversion destination of the function 1 are searched. Further, the function 3 diversion source function 6 and the function 3 diversion destination function 7 associated with the configuration plan 11 diversion destination configuration plan 31 are searched. A function number can be obtained from each of the retrieved functions.

  In this way, the configuration plan including the configuration item indicated by the delivered configuration item key, the function realized by the configuration plan of the diversion source and the diversion destination of the configuration plan, and the function of the diversion source and diversion destination of the function Can be searched. The configuration plan of the diversion destination is a case where the item “diversion source configuration plan number” in the configuration plan table 45 matches the configuration plan number acquired from the configuration item table 46. The function of the diversion destination is the case where the item of “diversion source function number” matches the function number acquired from the configuration plan table 45 in the function table 43.

  Further, the search unit 32 creates a requirement function matrix as shown in FIG. 3 based on the information registered in the requirement function relevance table 44, and finds a requirement having relevance with the function indicated by the acquired function number. Search and get the requirement number of the searched requirement. Further, the search unit 32 searches for a function having a relationship with the searched requirement and acquires a function number of the searched function.

  With reference to FIG. 8, the search for requirements and functions using the requirement function matrix will be described. First, the line of the function 48 indicated by the acquired function number is traced (arrow 49 in FIG. 8), and by tracing the column of cells to which the mark is given (arrow 50 in FIG. 8), the requirements that have relevance 51 is searched. Then, by tracing the column of the searched requirement 51 (arrow 52 in FIG. 8) and tracing the row of the square to which the mark is given (arrow 53 in FIG. 8), the function indicated by the acquired function number Search for other functions 54 that are more relevant to the relevant requirements.

  A more specific example of the requirement and function search using the requirement function matrix will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the function indicated by the acquired function number is “actuator”, elements “processing speed” and “duration” having a relationship with the function are searched. Further, “IO system board”, “system board”, “control software 1”, and “control software 3” are searched as functions having relevance to each of the elements “processing speed” and “duration”. . In the example of FIG. 9, the degree of association between the function and the requirement is attribute information, and the degree of association is “high (◎)”, “medium (○)”, and “low (△)”. Represents. When there is such attribute information, a specification to search for “functions and requirements having relevance of“ medium ”or higher” when searching for requirements and functions using the requirement function matrix It can be performed.

  The search unit 32 searches the requirement table 42 for a record in which the item “requirement number” or “reuse source requirement number” matches the requirement number of the requirement searched from the function, and the “reuse source requirement number” of the record. Alternatively, the requirement number is acquired from the item “requirement number”. Further, the search unit 32 searches the function table 43 for a record in which the item “function number” matches each of all the function numbers acquired in the reverse expansion process, and the item “project number” of the record. To get the project number. Similarly, the search unit 32 searches the requirement table 42 for a record in which the item “requirement number” matches each of all the requirement numbers acquired in the reverse expansion process, and sets the “project number” of the record. Get the project number from the item. Further, the search unit 32 searches the project table 41 for a record in which the item “project number” matches the project number acquired from the requirement table 42 or the function table 43. Then, the project number is acquired from the item of “diversion source project number” of the record.

  The search unit 32 outputs the acquired project number as a search result. The search result may be, for example, a list of acquired project numbers, and for each of the projects indicated by the acquired project numbers, functions, configuration plans, etc. associated with the project are displayed in a tree structure as shown in FIG. It may be displayed.

  The design support apparatus 10 can be realized by, for example, a computer 60 shown in FIG. The computer 60 includes a CPU 61, a memory 62 as a temporary storage area, and a nonvolatile storage unit 63. The computer 60 also includes an input / output interface (I / F) 64 to which an input / output device 68 is connected. The computer 60 also includes a read / write (R / W) unit 65 that controls reading and writing of data with respect to the recording medium 69, and a network I / F 66 connected to a network such as the Internet. The CPU 61, the memory 62, the storage unit 63, the input / output I / F 64, the R / W unit 65, and the network I / F 66 are connected to each other via a bus 67.

  The input / output device 68 connected to the input / output I / F 64 includes a display device such as a display and an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard. On the display device, a requirement function matrix as shown in FIG. 3 and a list of configuration plans as shown in FIG. 4 are displayed, and the designer operates the input device to input various information. The display of the requirement function matrix and the list of configuration plans and the input of information may be performed by a personal computer or the like connected via a network I / F 66.

  The storage unit 63 can be realized by an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (solid state drive), a flash memory, or the like. The storage unit 63 as a storage medium stores a design support program 70 for causing the computer 60 to function as the design support apparatus 10. The storage unit 63 has a design information DB storage area 100 in which information constituting the design information DB 40 is stored. The CPU 61 reads the design support program 70 from the storage unit 63 and develops it in the memory 62, and sequentially executes the processes of the design support program 70. The CPU 61 reads information stored in the design information DB storage area 100 and develops it in the memory 62 as each table constituting the design information DB 40.

  The design support program 70 includes a registration program 80 and a reverse expansion program 90. The registration program 80 includes a storage control process 81 and a display control process 82. The reverse expansion program 90 includes a designation reception process 91 and a search process 92. The CPU 61 operates as the storage control unit 21 illustrated in FIG. 1 by executing the storage control process 81. Further, the CPU 61 operates as the display control unit 22 illustrated in FIG. 1 by executing the display control process 82. Further, the CPU 61 operates as the designation receiving unit 31 shown in FIG. 1 by executing the designation receiving process 91. Further, the CPU 61 operates as the search unit 32 illustrated in FIG. 1 by executing the search process 92. As a result, the computer 60 that has executed the design support program 70 functions as the design support apparatus 10.

  The design support apparatus 10 can be realized by, for example, a semiconductor integrated circuit, more specifically, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or the like.

  Next, the operation of the design support apparatus 10 according to this embodiment will be described. In the design support apparatus 10, the registration process shown in FIG. 11 is executed by the registration unit 20 in the product design process. In addition, a detailed design process of the product based on the configuration summary created in the concept design process, or after completion of the design, for example, when a problem occurs in a certain configuration item, the designer applies the design support apparatus 10 The component key that specifies the component item is entered. When the component item key is input to the design support apparatus 10, the reverse expansion unit 30 executes the reverse expansion process shown in FIG. 12. Hereinafter, each process is explained in full detail.

  In step S11 of the registration process shown in FIG. 11, the storage control unit 21 receives the project information, assigns a unique project number to the project information, and stores it in the project table 41 as shown in FIG.

  Next, in step S12, the storage control unit 21 receives requirement information indicating requirements such as necessary conditions and specifications required for the product, and assigns a unique requirement number to the requirement information. For example, as shown in FIG. Store in the requirement table 42. Further, the storage control unit 21 receives function information indicating a function for satisfying the requirement required for the product, assigns a unique function number to the function information, and stores it in the function table 43 as shown in FIG. 2, for example. .

  Next, in step S13, the display control unit 22 associates each requirement registered in the requirement table 42 with each column, for example, as shown in FIG. Control is performed so that the requirement function matrix corresponding to is displayed on the display device. When a designer inputs a mark to a cell where a requirement and a function having a relationship intersect in the requirement function matrix, the display control unit 22 receives the input information. Then, the display control unit 22 creates requirement function relevance information including a requirement number and a function number indicating a requirement and a function corresponding to the cell in which the mark is input, and transfers the requirement function relevance information to the storage control unit 21.

  Next, in step S14, the storage control unit 21 receives the requirement function relevance information delivered from the display control unit 22, and stores it in the requirement function relevance table 44 as shown in FIG.

  Next, in step S15, the storage control unit 21 receives configuration plan information indicating a configuration plan including at least one configuration item in order to realize the function for each function that satisfies the requirements required for the product. Then, the storage control unit 21 assigns a unique configuration plan number to each configuration plan and stores it in the configuration plan table 45 as shown in FIG. 2, for example.

  Next, in step S16, the display control unit 22 controls the display device to display a list of configuration proposals as shown in FIG. 4, for example. The display control unit 22 can identify the selected configuration plan and the unselected configuration plan when one of the configuration plans is selected by the designer from the displayed list of configuration plans. , Change the display. Further, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the display control unit 22 creates a configuration summary 47 that summarizes the selected configuration plans, and adds the configuration summary 47 to the tree structure and attribute list. In addition, the display control unit 22 passes the configuration information represented by the configuration summary to the storage control unit 21.

  Next, in step S17, the storage control unit 21 receives the configuration information delivered from the display control unit 22, and assigns a unique configuration item key to each configuration item included in the adopted configuration. For example, FIG. Are stored in the configuration item table 46 as shown in FIG.

  The configuration item table 46 includes a unique configuration item key for each configuration item included in the adopted configuration, and the information of each table included in the design information DB 40 can be traced from this configuration item key. In other words, by transferring the configuration information represented by the configuration summary to the detailed design process, it is possible to transfer the information of the concept design process together with the adopted configuration.

  Next, in step S21 of the reverse expansion process shown in FIG. 12, the designation receiving unit 31 receives designation of a component item key indicating a component item to be reversely expanded. In addition, the designation receiving unit 31 acquires a configuration item key indicating a configuration item related to the configuration item indicated by the specified configuration item key from the parts table or the like that manages the relationship between the configuration items, and is designated. Delivered to the search unit 32 together with the component item key.

  Next, in step S <b> 22, the search unit 32 acquires a configuration plan number corresponding to the configuration item key passed from the designation receiving unit 31 from the configuration item table 46. Then, the search unit 32 acquires the acquired configuration plan number and the function number corresponding to the diversion source configuration plan number of the configuration plan number from the configuration plan table 45. Further, the search unit 32 acquires the function number of the diversion source and the diversion destination of the acquired function number from the function table 43.

  Next, in step S23, the search unit 32 creates a requirement function matrix as shown in FIG. 3, for example, based on the information registered in the requirement function relevance table 44. Then, in the requirement function matrix, a requirement having a relationship with the function indicated by the function number acquired in step S22 is searched, and the requirement number of the searched requirement is acquired. Further, the search unit 32 searches the requirement function matrix for a function having a relationship with the searched requirement, and acquires a function number of the searched function.

  Next, in step S24, the search unit 32 acquires the diversion source and diversion destination requirement numbers of the requirement number acquired in step S23 from the requirement table 42. And the search part 32 acquires the project number corresponding to the function number acquired by said step S23 from the function table 43, and the project number corresponding to the requirement number acquired by said step S23 and this step from the requirement table 42. To get. Further, the search unit 32 acquires the diversion source and diversion destination project numbers of the acquired project number from the project table 41.

  Next, in step S25, the search unit 32 outputs the acquired project number as a search result, and ends the reverse expansion process.

  As described above, according to the design support apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the requirement required for the product to be designed is associated with the function for satisfying the requirement, and further associated with the function, A configuration for realizing the function is stored. When the designation of the configuration item is received, the information on the upstream process can be efficiently retrieved from the downstream process of the product design by tracing the function and requirement from the configuration including the configuration item. In addition, from the relationship between the function and the requirement, it is possible to search for other products requiring requirements related to the function realized by the configuration including the designated configuration item, that is, other products related to the concept. For this reason, it is possible to efficiently search for products that may cause similar problems.

  In addition, regarding the configuration plan, function, requirement, and project, the information of the diversion source and diversion destination is also set as the search target, so that products that may cause similar problems can be efficiently searched in a wider range. If the search range is desired to be limited, the information on the diversion source and the diversion destination may not be included in the search target. Depending on the purpose of the search, it may be possible to set whether to include the information of the diversion source and the diversion destination in the search target.

  In the above embodiment, the parent-child relationship is not set for the function, but a function obtained by subdividing the function may be set under a certain function. For example, when there is a “scanner mechanism” as a function, each of the functions “CCD” and “CIS” can be set thereunder. This makes it possible to design concepts while considering the range and configuration of the functions to be designed, and each function is subdivided in the configuration plan. It is possible to design in consideration of the parent-child relationship of items.

  Further, when performing reverse expansion based on the component item key, an access authority to information on the concept design process may be set. For example, when a component key for reverse deployment is received from a user who does not have access authority, a message indicating that the user does not have access authority can be output. As a result, it is possible to take security measures.

  In the above description, the design support program 70, which is an example of the design support program according to the disclosed technology, has been stored (installed) in the storage unit 63 in advance. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The program according to the disclosed technology can be provided in a form recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a USB memory.

  Regarding the above embodiment, the following additional notes are disclosed.

(Appendix 1)
On the computer,
Accepts designation for any of the components included in the product,
Corresponding product design concept information including information that associates requirements required for a product with a function that satisfies the requirements, and product design configuration information indicating a configuration that includes a configuration item that realizes the function A process including retrieving from the storage unit stored the concept information related to the specified configuration item and other products that require the requirements associated with the function realized by the configuration including the specified configuration item. Design support program to execute.

(Appendix 2)
The design support program according to supplementary note 1, wherein the requirement associated with the function is searched based on the relationship between the requirement and the function for satisfying the requirement expressed in a matrix format.

(Appendix 3)
In the computer,
The design support program according to supplementary note 1 or supplementary note 2 for executing a process further including storing the concept information and the configuration information in the storage unit.

(Appendix 4)
A product design project, requirements required for a product designed in the project, a function that satisfies the requirement, a configuration plan that realizes the function, and configuration items included in the configuration adopted from the configuration plan The design support program according to supplementary note 3, wherein the design support program is stored in the storage unit in association with each other.

(Appendix 5)
In the computer,
Display the configuration proposal for each function in a state where the configuration to be adopted can be selected,
The design support program according to appendix 4, for executing processing further including creating a configuration summary that summarizes the configurations adopted for each function.

(Appendix 6)
The concept information includes information on each of the other projects, requirements, functions, and configuration proposals diverted when determining each of the project, the requirements, the functions, and the configuration proposals.
Supplementary information for searching for concept information related to the specified configuration item and other products that require requirements associated with the function realized by the specified configuration item. Design support program according to 4 or appendix 5.

(Appendix 7)
The design support program according to any one of supplementary notes 3 to 6, wherein information examined in each step of product design is stored in the storage unit in association with the concept information.

(Appendix 8)
The design support program according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 8, wherein an access right is set for searching the concept information.

(Appendix 9)
A designation accepting unit that accepts designation for any of the components included in the product;
Corresponding product design concept information including information that associates requirements required for a product with a function that satisfies the requirements, and product design configuration information indicating a configuration that includes a configuration item that realizes the function A search unit that searches the storage unit that stores the concept information related to the specified configuration item, and other products that require requirements associated with the function realized by the configuration including the specified configuration item;
Design support device including

(Appendix 10)
The design support apparatus according to appendix 9, wherein the search unit searches for a requirement associated with the function based on a relationship between the requirement and the function for satisfying the requirement expressed in a matrix format.

(Appendix 11)
The design support apparatus according to supplementary note 9 or supplementary note 10, further including a storage control unit that controls the concept information and the configuration information to be stored in the storage unit.

(Appendix 12)
The storage control unit includes a product design project, requirements required for a product designed in the project, a function that satisfies the requirement, a configuration plan that realizes the function, and a configuration adopted from the configuration plan. The design support apparatus according to attachment 11, wherein the configuration items included in the storage unit are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit.

(Appendix 13)
Item 12. The display unit further includes a display control unit that controls to display a configuration proposal for each function on a display device in a state in which the configuration to be adopted can be selected, and creates a configuration summary that summarizes the configuration adopted for each function. Design support equipment.

(Appendix 14)
The concept information includes information on each of the other projects, requirements, functions, and configuration proposals diverted when determining each of the project, the requirements, the functions, and the configuration proposals.
The search unit also includes information used when searching for the concept information related to the designated configuration item and other products that require requirements associated with the function realized by the designated configuration item. The design support apparatus according to appendix 12 or appendix 13 to be searched.

(Appendix 15)
The design support device according to any one of supplementary notes 11 to 14, wherein the storage control unit stores information examined in each step of product design in the storage unit in association with the concept information.

(Appendix 16)
The design support apparatus according to any one of Supplementary Note 9 to Supplementary Note 15, wherein the search unit sets an access right for searching the concept information.

(Appendix 17)
On the computer,
Accepts designation for any of the components included in the product,
Corresponding product design concept information including information that associates requirements required for a product with a function that satisfies the requirements, and product design configuration information indicating a configuration that includes a configuration item that realizes the function A process including retrieving from the storage unit stored the concept information related to the specified configuration item and other products that require the requirements associated with the function realized by the configuration including the specified configuration item. Design support method to execute.

(Appendix 18)
18. The design support method according to appendix 17, wherein a requirement associated with the function is searched based on a relationship between the requirement and the function for satisfying the requirement expressed in a matrix format.

(Appendix 19)
In the computer,
The design support method according to appendix 17 or appendix 18, wherein the process further includes storing the concept information and the configuration information in the storage unit.

(Appendix 20)
A product design project, requirements required for a product designed in the project, a function that satisfies the requirement, a configuration plan that realizes the function, and configuration items included in the configuration adopted from the configuration plan The design support method according to supplementary note 19, wherein the design support method is stored in the storage unit in association with each other.

(Appendix 21)
In the computer,
Display the configuration proposal for each function in a state where the configuration to be adopted can be selected,
The design support method according to appendix 20, wherein a process further including creating a configuration summary that summarizes the configurations adopted for each function is executed.

(Appendix 22)
The concept information includes information on each of the other projects, requirements, functions, and configuration proposals diverted when determining each of the project, the requirements, the functions, and the configuration proposals.
Supplementary information for searching for concept information related to the specified configuration item and other products that require requirements associated with the function realized by the specified configuration item. The design support method according to 20 or appendix 21.

(Appendix 23)
23. The design support method according to any one of supplementary notes 19 to 22, wherein information examined in each step of product design is stored in the storage unit in association with the concept information.

(Appendix 24)
The design support method according to any one of supplementary notes 17 to 23, wherein an access right is set for the search of the concept information.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Design support apparatus 20 Registration part 21 Storage control part 22 Display control part 30 Reverse expansion part 31 Specification reception part 32 Search part 40 Design information DB
41 Project Table 42 Requirement Table 43 Function Table 44 Requirement Function Relevance Table 45 Configuration Plan Table 46 Configuration Item Table 47 Configuration Summary 60 Computer 61 CPU
62 Memory 63 Storage 70 Design Support Program

Claims (9)

On the computer,
Accepts designation for any of the components included in the product,
Corresponding product design concept information including information that associates requirements required for a product with a function that satisfies the requirements, and product design configuration information indicating a configuration that includes a configuration item that realizes the function A process including retrieving from the storage unit stored the concept information related to the specified configuration item and other products that require the requirements associated with the function realized by the configuration including the specified configuration item. Design support program to execute.   The design support program according to claim 1, wherein the requirement associated with the function is searched based on the relationship between the requirement and the function for satisfying the requirement expressed in a matrix format. In the computer,
The design support program according to claim 1 or 2, for executing a process further including storing the concept information and the configuration information in the storage unit. A product design project, requirements required for a product designed in the project, a function that satisfies the requirement, a configuration plan that realizes the function, and configuration items included in the configuration adopted from the configuration plan The design support program according to claim 3, stored in the storage unit in association with each other. In the computer,
Display the configuration proposal for each function in a state where the configuration to be adopted can be selected,
The design support program according to claim 4, further comprising: creating a configuration summary that summarizes the configurations adopted for each function. The concept information includes information on each of the other projects, requirements, functions, and configuration proposals diverted when determining each of the project, the requirements, the functions, and the configuration proposals.
A request for searching for the concept information related to the specified configuration item and other products that require the requirements associated with the function realized by the specified configuration item. The design support program according to claim 4 or 5.   The design support program according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein information examined in each step of product design is stored in the storage unit in association with the concept information. A designation accepting unit that accepts designation for any of the components included in the product;
Corresponding product design concept information including information that associates requirements required for a product with a function that satisfies the requirements, and product design configuration information indicating a configuration that includes a configuration item that realizes the function A search unit that searches the storage unit that stores the concept information related to the specified configuration item, and other products that require requirements associated with the function realized by the configuration including the specified configuration item;
Design support device including On the computer,
Accepts designation for any of the components included in the product,
Corresponding product design concept information including information that associates requirements required for a product with a function that satisfies the requirements, and product design configuration information indicating a configuration that includes a configuration item that realizes the function A process including retrieving from the storage unit stored the concept information related to the specified configuration item and other products that require the requirements associated with the function realized by the configuration including the specified configuration item. Design support method to execute.

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