Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7047237?dq=7069184
Timestamp: 2017-06-23 14:58:50
Document Index: 326770114

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 81', 'art 81', 'art 81', 'art 81', 'art 81', 'art 81', 'art 81', 'art 81', 'art 81', 'art 81', 'art 81', 'art 81', 'art 81', 'art 81', 'art 81', 'art 81']

Patent US7047237 - System and method for checking data stored in database system used for part ... - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsA parts management system used for parts management of part of an apparatus is composed of a database system including one or more databases, and a data check computer system. The database stores data on the parts, the data including an electronic parts list describes part numbers of the parts. The data...http://www.google.com/patents/US7047237?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7047237 - System and method for checking data stored in database system used for part managementAdvanced Patent SearchTry the new Google Patents, with machine-classified Google Scholar results, and Japanese and South Korean patents.Publication numberUS7047237 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/376,722Publication dateMay 16, 2006Filing dateFeb 28, 2003Priority dateMar 26, 2002Fee statusLapsedAlso published asUS20030187534Publication number10376722, 376722, US 7047237 B2, US 7047237B2, US-B2-7047237, US7047237 B2, US7047237B2InventorsKazunori Suzuki, Masataka Yamamoto, Hideyuki TanakaOriginal AssigneeHonda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (30), Referenced by (42), Classifications (9), Legal Events (5) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetSystem and method for checking data stored in database system used for part management
US 7047237 B2Abstract
A parts management system used for parts management of part of an apparatus is composed of a database system including one or more databases, and a data check computer system. The database stores data on the parts, the data including an electronic parts list describes part numbers of the parts. The data check computer system checks whether the data stored in the at least one database complies with a predetermined rule and produces a warning in response to the check.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for rapidly and correctly checking the conformity of data on parts, especially part numbers, stored in a database system used for the part management.
at least one database storing data on parts, the data including an electronic parts list describing part numbers of the parts; a data checker which automatically checks whether the data stored in the at least one database complies with a predetermined rule; and an alarm section which produces a warning in response to the checking. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a part management system in an embodiment of the present invention;
The system and method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the attached drawings.
A set of parts that are closely related to each other are packaged into a “package”. The part management system may execute data processing (e.g. data look up in databases) by package. In this embodiment, a package is defined by item. That is, a set of parts associated to a package constitute a complete item. Packages are identified by package numbers.
Accessory Management System
The accessory management system 2 is composed of a main system 2-1 and an input output unit 2-2. The main system 2-1 includes a CPU (central processing unit) and a memory unit storing an accessory management program 13 and an accessory database 14. The accessory management program 13 describes a procedure of the management of accessories that are equipped for automobiles, and the accessory management system 2 operates on the basis of the accessory management program 13. The accessory database 14 is used for the management of the accessories.
In detail, the accessory specification table 26 includes a model section 27, a type section 28, an accessory section 29, and a check section 30. The model section 27 is representative of model codes. In FIG. 2A, model codes “A” and “B” are illustrated in the model section 27.
The type section 28 is representative of type codes. In FIG. 2A, type codes “20E”, “20T and “25T” are illustrated in the type sections 28.
The check section 30 is representative of accessories to be equipped for the automobiles identified by the model codes and type codes. For example, a portion of the check section 30 associated to the model code “A” and the type code “20E” includes circles in the fields associated to “MT” and “SRS”. The circles indicate that an automobile identified by the model code “A” and the type code “20E” is equipped with a manual transmission (MT) and a supplemental restraint system (SRS). The symbol “F” in the check section 30 indicates that the associated accessory is an option with respect to the associated model and type.
The type section 32, which corresponds to the type section 28 in the accessory variation table 26 shown in FIG. 2A, is representative of the respective type codes associated to the product variations codes. It should be noted that FIG. 2B shows only the type codes and the product variation codes with respect to the model code “A”.
The product variation code section 34 is representative of product variation codes. For example, product variation code section 34 describes that automobiles having the same type code “20T” include four variations specified by the production variation codes “21”, “22”, “31”, and “32”.
For example, let the part number “45230SW3A-9000”, which is listed on a row 43, be given to the accessory management program 13. The black circles in the accessory check section 39 and the symbol “1” in the part number check section 40 depict that the part number “45230-SW3A-9000” is associated to the combination of “MT” and “ABS” listed in the column 42.
As shown in FIG. 3B, the check section 35 depicst that the combination of “MT” and “ABS” is associated to four product variations identified by pairs of a type code and a product variation code (20T, 21) (20T, 22), and (25S, 24) which are respectively listed on columns 49-1 to 49-3. That is, the product variations identified by the type codes and the product variations, (20T, 21) (20T, 22), and (25S, 24) are extracted as being associated to the specific part identified by the part number “45230-SW3A-9000”.
As shown in FIG. 1, the CAD system 3 is composed of a main system 3-1 and an input output unit 3-2. The main system 3-1 includes a CPU and a memory unit storing a CAD program 15 and a CAD database 16. The CAD system 3 operates on the basis of the CAD program 13 to produce part drawing data on parts included in automobiles in response to operation of the user. A part drawing datum of a part includes data on a part number of the part, a CAD data representative of three-dimensional (3D) drawing(s) of the part, a list of constituent parts that constitute the part, and so on. The CAD database 16 stores therein the part drawing data produced by the CAD program 13. A display screen of the input output device 3-2 displays the 3D drawing of the part on the basis of the part drawing data.
Parts List System
As shown in FIG. 1, the parts list system 4 is composed of a main system 4-1 and an input output unit 4-2. The main system includes a CPU and a memory unit storing a parts list management program 17 and a parts list database 18. The parts list database 18 contains the electronic parts list. The parts list system 4 operates on the parts list management program 17 to manage the electronic parts list. The parts list system 4 is equipped with a data association database 19 storing an association table that describes the association of the data on the electronic parts list to the data stored in the accessory database 14, and the CAD database 16. The data association database 19 is used for revising or correcting data to relieve the inconsistency of data stored in the databases.
The parts configuration field 81 depicts a part configuration tree representative of the hierarchical association of the items and the parts. For example, an item 81-1 identified by an item number “F01 20001” is associated to a part 81-2 whose rank is “1” (the highest rank). The part 81-2 is identified by a part number “20001-TGHA-A000”. The association of the item 81-1 to the part 81-2 implies that the item 81-1 includes the part 81-2. The part 81-2 is associated to a part 81-3 whose rank is “2” (the second rank). The part 81-3 is identified by a part number “20001-TGHA-B000”. The association of the part 81-2 to the part 81-3 implies that the part 81-2 includes the part 81-3. The same goes with respect to the lower ranks.
Data Check System
As shown in FIG. 1, the data check system 1 is composed of a main system 1-1, and an input output device 1-2. The main system 1-1 stores therein a set of computer programs for operation of the data check system 1. In addition, the main system 1-1 stores a check information database 12-1 and a part number regulation database 12-2. The check information database 12-1 contains information on conditions and regulations of the check executed by the data check system 1. The part number regulation database 12-2 stores the regulation of the part numbers. The part numbers used for the parts management are to be determined so as to comply with the regulation.
The item check program 11-2 checks data on a specified item. In detail, the item check program 11-2 checks whether the parts listed on the item sheets 36 a of the variation-specified parts list 36, which is stored in the accessory management system 2, are listed as the parts of the “highest rank” in the electronic parts list 75. When a part number listed on the item sheets 36 a is specified, the item check program 11-2 queries the rank of the specified part in the electronic parts list 75, and checks whether the rank of the specified part is the “highest rank”. When the item check program 11-2 finds any error during the check, the item check program 11-2 produces a warning.
The part number lineup check program 11-5 produces “part number structure” representative of the association of the parts on the basis of the electronic parts list 75. When the constituent part number section 94 in the electronic parts list 75 describes that a specific part includes constituent parts, the part number lineup check program 11-5 recognizes that a “relation” exists between the specified part and each of the constituent parts. The part number lineup check program 11-5 finds all the relations included in the package. The part number lineup check program 11-5 defines the complete set of the relations as being the “part number structure”.
While producing the “part number structure”, the part number lineup check program 11-5 checks whether the constituent parts of a specific part are surely listed on the part number section 89 of the electronic parts list 75. If any of the constituent parts of a specific part is not listed on the part number section 89, the part number lineup check program 11-5 recognizes it as an error, and produces a warning.
The higher rank tracing program 11-7 checks the “part number structure” produced by the part number lineup check program 11-5. When the part numbers are correctly assigned to the parts and the constituent part number section 94 correctly describes part numbers of the constituent parts, the “part number structure” is represented by a tree, and any of the parts included in the package is to be associated to a part of the “highest” rank through relations. If any one of the parts included in the package is not associated to the part of the “highest” rank through one or more relations, it means that the “part number structure” is not correct, and the higher rank tracing program 11-7 produces a warning.
For example, when relations among a plurality of parts form a loop, it means that those parts are not associated to the part of the “highest” rank. When the higher rank tracing program 11-7 finds the loop of the relations, the higher rank tracing program 11-7 produces a warning.
Data Check Procedure
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the data check procedure executed by the data check system 1.
The preparation of the accessory database 14 is achieved through the following process. The user is requested to input type codes, model codes and specifications of the automobiles specified thereby. The accessory specification table 26, shown in FIG. 2A, is produced on the basis of the inputted type codes, model codes and specifications. The product variation table 31 is then generated on the basis of the accessory specification table 26. The variation-specific parts list 36 is then generated on the basis of the accessory specification table 26. The parts listed in the variation-specific parts list 36 are to be ranked as the “highest rank”. The accessory specification table 26, the product variation table 31, and the variation-specific parts list 36 are stored in the accessory database 14.
Step S04 The part number lineup check program 11-5 produces the “part number structure”. The part number lineup check program 11-5 finds the aforementioned relations on the basis of the part number section 89 representative of the part numbers of the parts, and the constituent part number section 94 representative of the part numbers of the constituent parts associated to the respective parts. The complete set of the relations constitute the “part number structure”.
While producing the “part number structure”, the part number lineup check program 11-5 checks whether the constituent parts of the respective parts included in the specified package are surely listed on the part number section 89 of the electronic parts list 75. This check allows the consistency of the “part number structure” to be confirmed with respect to the direction from the parts of the higher ranks to those of the lower ranks.
Furthermore, the item check program 11-2 checks whether the part numbers of the parts of the highest rank include a portion of the item code of the item that includes the parts. For instance, with reference to FIG. 7, the item code of the item 81-1 is “F01 20001”, the part number of the part 81-2 of the highest rank is “20001-TGHA-A000”, and the part number of the part 81-3 of the highest rank is “20001-TGHA-B000”. Both of the item code of the item 81-1 and the part number of the part 81-1 include “20001”, and this means that the item code and the part number are assigned according to the part number regulation. If the part numbers of the parts of the highest rank do not include the portion of the item code of the item, the item check program 11-2 produces a warning.
Step S06 The kind variation check program 11-3 checks whether any part whose kind is the same as any one of the parts of the specified package is included in other packages. The check is executed on the basis of the kind-specifying digits of the part numbers listed in the part number section 89 of the electronic parts list 75. For example, the part number of the part 81-1 is “20001-TGHA-A000” and the “A000” comprises the kind-specifying digits. When finding a part in another packages whose part number includes the same kind-specifying digits “A000”, the kind variation check program 11-3 produces a warning.
This check may be achieved by using the drawing-identifying numbers provided with the drawings of the parts. For instance, let a part whose part number is “XXXX-YYYY-ZZZZ” be drawn in a plurality of drawings whose drawing numbers are “XXXX-YYYY-ZZZZ-AA”, “AA” being sequential drawing-specifying numbers. The drawing lineup check program 11-4 queries the drawings whose drawing numbers includes “XXXX-YYYY-ZZZZ” in the CAD database 16. If the drawing numbers of the queried drawings do not complete a set of the sequential drawing-specifying numbers, or only one drawing is queried in the CAD database 16, the drawing lineup check program 11-4 produces a warning.
The version-specifying digits of the part numbers are used for the check. The latest revision check program 11-6 lists the parts whose part numbers are the same except the version-specifying digits. For instance, let the low two digits of the part number be the version-specifying digits. With respect to the part 81-2 whose part number is “20001-TGHA-A000”, the “00” comprises its version-specifying digits. The latest revision check program 11-6 queries the parts whose part numbers include “20001-TGHA-A0”. When the number in the version-specifying digits is increased every time the part is revised, the part whose number in the version-specifying digits is largest is the latest version. The latest revision check program 11-6 deletes data on the old version of the part from the electronic parts list 75 leaving the data on the latest version. This procedure removes the unnecessary data from the electronic parts list 75 and allows the electronic parts list 75 to be updated.
Step S09 The higher rank tracing program 11-7 checks the “part number structure” produced by the part number lineup check program 11-5. The part number lineup check program 11-5 derives the relations between any two of the parts on the basis of the electronic parts list 75. The higher rank tracing program 11-7 repeatedly traces the relations one by one from that part so that the ranks of the associated parts get higher. If the higher rank tracing program 11-7 reaches the part whose rank is the highest rank from each of the parts, it proves that the conformity of the “part number structure” is maintained. If one of the parts is not associated to the highest rank through a predetermined number or fewer of the relations, the higher rank tracing program 11-7 recognizes that the relations form a loop (that is, a constituent part of a specific part is ranked as a higher rank than the specific part), and produces a warning.
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KAISHA, JAPANFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SUZUKI, KAZUNORI;YAMAMOTO, MASATAKA;TANAKA, HIDEYUKI;REEL/FRAME:013839/0508Effective date: 20030203Oct 14, 2009FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Dec 27, 2013REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedMay 16, 2014LAPSLapse for failure to pay maintenance feesJul 8, 2014FPExpired due to failure to pay maintenance feeEffective date: 20140516RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services