Logical hierarchical data model for sharing product information across product families

摘要

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.