US 2003/0149551 A1 · Method and apparatus for dimensional design management

Abstract

A product design process automatically identifies potential component or component assembly failure areas during the early design stages to significantly reduce costs and design time. The process accomplishes this by automatically linking these potential failure areas to specific design tolerance ranges to optimize dimensional management. An initial dimensional designation for a component or component assembly includes a plurality of initial dimensional tolerances that are defined as inputs. Each input is associated with a significant and critical characteristic definition. A plurality of outputs are defined in relation to the inputs and a statistical evaluation is generated for inputs associated with each output. Each input is identified as a significant characteristic, a critical characteristic, or neither a significant nor critical characteristic based on the statistical evaluation the associated definitions. A potential cause of failure classification is identified for inputs associated with each output and at least one influential input is identified for each output based on the on the classification. A design for failure mode and effects analysis output is automatically generated that includes the data identifying the influential output.

Claims52

Dependent claims

A method of optimizing dimensional management in a component or component assembly design process comprising the steps of:

(a) generating an initial dimensional designation for a component including a plurality of initial dimensional tolerances defined as inputs;
(b) generating a significant characteristic definition for a plurality of the inputs;
(c) generating a critical characteristic definition for a plurality of the inputs;
(d) determining a plurality of outputs based on the inputs;
(e) generating a statistical evaluation for inputs associated with each output;
(f) determining whether each input is a significant characteristic, is a critical characteristic, or does not qualify as either a significant or critical characteristic based on the statistical evaluation and based on the definitions set forth in steps (b) and (c);
(g) automatically identifying a potential cause of failure classification for inputs associated with each output;
(h) automatically identifying at least one influential input based on the classification of step (g);
and
(i) automatically generating a design for failure mode and effects analysis output including at least data from step (h).

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for dimensional design management

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for dimensional design management

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims52