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US 10,885,235 B2Granted
Multi-user virtual product development environment
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorMatthew M. Symmonds
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for developing a product. A product development environment comprises a system. The system further comprises a virtual product online world manager and a transformer. The virtual product online world manager is configured to manage elements for a product under development in a virtual product online world. The transformer is configured to exchange the elements with a number of product development systems developing the elements over a network.
Claims21
A product development environment comprising:
- a computer system comprising an integration hub comprising:
- a virtual product online world manager configured to manage elements for a product under development in a virtual product online world on the computer system, wherein a number of organizations develop the elements within the virtual product online world on the computer system by accessing the computer system via a network such that a number of product development systems develop the elements within the virtual product online world on the computer system, and wherein the elements are three-dimensional virtual representations of physical objects;
- a product structure manager configured to manage a hierarchy having a plurality of levels in which the elements for the product are distributed, wherein the hierarchy identifies where each element in the elements for the product is located in the product with respect to other elements in the elements for the product and elements on a lower level of the hierarchy that are combined to form an assembly element on a higher level of the hierarchy;
- a transformer configured to exchange the elements with the number of product development systems developing the elements over the network and transform an element in the elements received in a foreign file format from a product development system in the number of product development systems into a master file format used in the virtual product online world on the computer system, wherein the transformer is configured to:
- receive a request from a first product development system operated by a first organization to place the element into the virtual product online world on the computer system,
- determine whether the element is in the master file format or in a first foreign file format,
- transform the element from the first foreign file format into the master file format in response to a determination that the element is in the first foreign file format,
- place the element in the master file format into the virtual product online world,
- receive a request from a second product development system operated by a second organization to access the element in the virtual product online world,
- determine whether a format used by the second product development system is the master file format or a second foreign file format,
- transform the element from the master file format into the second foreign file format and send the element in the second foreign file format to the second product development system in response to a determination that the format used by the second product development system is the second foreign file format, and
- send the element in the master file format to the second product development system in response to a determination that the format used by the second product development system is the master file format;
- and
- a security manager configured to operate within the virtual product online world to manage information in the elements for the development of the elements within the virtual product online world based on a security policy, wherein the security manager implements rules to handle sharing of information associated with the elements such that clearance to access the assembly element on the higher level of the hierarchy is required to access the elements on the lower level of the hierarchy that are combined to form the assembly element, and wherein the elements include a security component that identifies security requirements for the elements;
- and
- a manufacturing system communicably coupled to the computer system and configured to receive the elements in the master file format and to create physical forms of the elements.
13 more elements
A product development environment comprising:
- a computer system comprising
- an integration hub comprising:
- a virtual product online world manager configured to manage elements for a vehicle under development in a virtual product online world on the computer system, wherein a number of organizations develop the elements within the virtual product online world by accessing the computer system via a network such that a number of product development systems develop the elements within the virtual product online world on the computer system, and wherein the elements are three-dimensional virtual representations of physical objects;
- a product structure manager configured to manage a hierarchy having a plurality of levels in which the elements for the vehicle are distributed, wherein the hierarchy identifies where each element in the elements for the vehicle is located in the vehicle with respect to other elements in the elements for the vehicle and elements on a lower level of the hierarchy that are combined to form an assembly element on a higher level of the hierarchy;
- a transformer configured to exchange the elements with the product development systems developing the elements over the network, receive a request from a first product development system operated by a first organization to place an element in the elements into the virtual product online world on the computer system, determine whether the element is in a master file format or in a first foreign file format, transform the element from the first foreign file format into the master file format in response to a determination that the element is in the first foreign file format, place the element in the master file format into the virtual product online world, receive a request from a second product development system operated by a second organization to access the element in the virtual product online world, determine whether a format used by the second product development system is the master file format or a second foreign file format, transform the element from the master file format into the second foreign file format and send the element in the second foreign file format to the second product development system in response to a determination that the format used by the second product development system is the second foreign file format, and send the element in the master file format to the second product development system in response to a determination that the file format used by the second product development system is the master file format;
- a security manager configured to operate within the virtual product online world to manage information in the elements for development of the elements within the virtual product online world based on a security policy, wherein the security manager implements rules to handle sharing of information associated with the elements such that clearance to access the assembly element on the higher level of the hierarchy is required to access the elements on the lower level of the hierarchy that are combined to form the assembly element, wherein the elements include a security component that identifies security requirements for the elements such that the security component identifies restrictions on the distribution of the element;
- a work structure manager configured to manage assignment of work for developing the vehicle;
- and
- a manufacturing system communicably coupled to the computer system and configured to receive the elements in the master file format and to create physical forms of the elements.
6 more elements
A product development environment comprising:
- a computer system comprising:
- virtual product online worlds, wherein each virtual product online world in the virtual product online worlds comprises an integration hub configured to store elements,
- wherein the integration hub comprises:
- a virtual product online world manager configured to manage elements for a product under development in the product development environment, wherein a number of organizations develop the elements within the virtual product online world on the computer system by accessing the computer system via a network such that a number of product development systems develop the elements within the virtual product online world on the computer system, and wherein the elements are three-dimensional virtual representations of physical objects;
- a product structure manager configured to manage a hierarchy having a plurality of levels in which the elements for the product are distributed, wherein the hierarchy identifies where each element in the elements for the product is located in the product with respect to other elements in the elements for the product and elements on a lower level of the hierarchy that are combined to form an assembly element on a higher level of the hierarchy;
- a transformer configured to exchange the elements with a selected virtual product online world in a product development system in the number of product development systems in the virtual product online worlds developing the elements over the network, wherein the transformer is configured to:
- receive a request from a first product development system operated by a first organization to place an element in the elements into the virtual product online world on the computer system,
- determine whether the element is in a master file format or in a first foreign file format,
- transform the element from the first foreign file format into the master file format in response to a determination that the element is in the first foreign file format,
- place the element in the master file format into the virtual product online world,
- receive a request from a second product development system operated by a second organization to access the element in the virtual product online world,
- determine whether a format used by the second product development system is the master file format or a second foreign file format,
- transform the element from the master file format into the second foreign file format and send the element in the second foreign file format to the second product development system in response to a determination that the format used by the second product development system is the second foreign file format, and
- send the element in the master file format to the second product development system in response to a determination that the format used by the second product development system is the master file format;
- and
- a security manager configured to operate within the virtual product online world to manage information in the elements for the development of the elements within the virtual product online world based on a security policy, wherein the security manager implements rules to handle sharing of information associated with the elements, such that clearance to access the assembly element on the higher level of the hierarchy is required to access the elements on the lower level of the hierarchy that are combined to form the assembly element, and wherein the elements include a security component that identifies security requirements for the elements;
- and
- a manufacturing system communicably coupled to the computer system and configured to receive the elements in a master three-dimensional file format and to create physical forms of the elements.
15 more elements
A method for developing a product, the method comprising:
- storing elements in a virtual product online world in a master three-dimensional file format in a computer system;
- exchanging the elements with a number of product development systems through an integration hub connected to a network, wherein the integration hub is configured to store elements, wherein the number of product development systems is configured to develop the elements for the product by accessing the computer system via a network such that the number of product development systems develop the elements within the virtual product online world on the computer system, and wherein the elements are three-dimensional virtual representations of physical objects;
- managing, by a product structure manager, a hierarchy having a plurality of levels in which the elements for the product are distributed, wherein the hierarchy identifies where each element in the elements for the product is located in the product with respect to other elements in the elements for the product and elements on a lower level of the hierarchy that are combined to form an assembly element on a higher level of the hierarchy;
- receiving, by the integration hub, a request from a first product development system operated by a first organization to place an element in the elements into the virtual product online world on the computer;
- determining whether the element is in the master file format or in a first foreign file format;
- transforming, by the integration hub, the element from the first foreign file format into the master file format in response to a determination that the element is in the first foreign file format;
- placing the element in the master file format into the virtual product online world;
- receiving a request from a second product development system operated by a second organization to access the element in the virtual product online world;
- determining whether a format used by the second product development system is the master file format or a second foreign file format;
- transforming the element from the master file format into the second foreign file format and sending the element in the second foreign file format to the second product development system in response to a determination that the format used by the second product development system is the second foreign file format;
- sending the element in the master file format to the second product development system in response to a determination that the format used by the second product development system is the master file format;
- developing the elements within the virtual product online world by a number of organizations;
- managing, by the integration hub, information in the elements to operate within the virtual product online world for the development of the elements within the virtual product online world based on a security policy, wherein a security manager implements rules to handle sharing of information associated with the elements, such that clearance to access the assembly element on the higher level of the hierarchy is required to access the elements on the lower level of the hierarchy that are combined to form the assembly element and wherein the elements include a security component that identifies security requirements for the elements;
- and
- creating physical forms of the elements received in the master three-dimensional file format in a manufacturing system.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.