Optimization under disallowed combinations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11194940-B2
Application number	US-202117144420-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2021
Priority date	Apr 22, 2018
Publication date	Dec 7, 2021
Grant date	Dec 7, 2021

Abstract

A computing system determines a design space for designing a design system. The computing system receives a request to identify input(s) that will provide a response of the design system that advances a user-defined goal for the design system. The computing system, responsive to the request to identify input(s), generates a design for the design space that provides design cases for generating the response of the design system and obtains responses of the design system generated for multiple design cases of the design for the design system. The computing system selects at least one design case based on obtained responses of the design system for the multiple design cases, and based on the at least one design case, outputs an indication of suggested input(s) for the design system. The suggested input(s) advances the user-defined goal for the design system and is not disallowed according to disallowed combination(s).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the computer-program product including instructions operable to cause a computing system to:
determine a design space for designing a design system, wherein the design space is defined by:
a plurality of factors;
candidate inputs comprising a respective set of candidate inputs for each of the plurality of factors, wherein the plurality of factors comprise a first factor with a first set of candidate inputs for the first factor and a second factor with a second set of candidate inputs for the second factor; and
a disallowed combination indication indicating one or more disallowed combinations for candidate inputs of the plurality of factors, wherein the one or more disallowed combinations comprise a first set of values for the first factor that are restricted from being assigned to the first factor from the first set of candidate inputs if the second factor is assigned one of a second set of values from the second set of candidate inputs;

generate a graphical user interface to receive, from a user:
the candidate inputs;
the disallowed combination indication; and
a request to identify a set of inputs that will provide a response of the design system that advances a user-defined goal for the design system; and

responsive to the request to identify the set of inputs:
generate a design for the design space that provides a plurality of design cases for generating the response of the design system;
obtain a computer model for generating responses of the design system that advance the user-defined goal for the design system;
generate the responses according to the computer model for multiple design cases of the design for the design system;
obtain responses of the design system for the multiple design cases of the design;
generate graphical representations of:
the one or more disallowed combinations; and
based on the at least one design case, an indication of a suggested set of inputs for the design system, wherein the suggested set of inputs advances the user-defined goal for the design system and is not disallowed according to the one or more disallowed combinations;

output, to the graphical user interface, the graphical representations of the one or more disallowed combinations and the suggested set of inputs for the design system to a display; and
receive, via the graphical user interface, input selecting at least one design case based on the obtained responses of the design system for the multiple design.

2. The computer-program product of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are operable to cause the computing system to:
obtain a strength t for a covering array; and
generate the design by generating data representing the covering array of the strength t where all possible combinations for inputs within the design space involving t factors of the plurality of factors appear in the design,
wherein the design is restricted by the candidate inputs and the disallowed combination indication.

3. The computer-program product of claim 2 , wherein the instructions are operable to cause the computing system to obtain the strength t for the covering array that is:
greater than or equal to two, and
less than a strength of a full factorial covering array.

4. The computer-program product of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are operable to cause the computing system to:
receive an indication of one or more prioritized factors in the plurality of factors; and
generate the design by generating data representing a variable strength covering array whereby the one or more prioritized factors have a greater strength than other factors of the plurality of factors in the design.

5. The computer-program product of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are operable to cause the computing system to:
generate updated design cases different from design cases of the design, wherein each assigned input of the updated design cases is within:
the design space defined by the plurality of factors, the candidate inputs, and the disallowed combination indication; and
a respective pre-defined range from a respective element of the at least one design case;

generate responses of the design system according to the updated design cases; and
output the indication of the suggested set of inputs based on the responses of the design system according to the updated design cases.

6. The computer-program product of claim 5 , wherein the instructions are operable to cause the computing system to generate the updated design cases using a genetic algorithm of the design.

7. The computer-program product of claim 1 ,
wherein the request comprises a request to identify the set of inputs that will maximize or minimize a response of the design system according to the user-defined goal for the design system and the disallowed combination indication; and
wherein the indication of the suggested set of inputs comprises a set of inputs from a design case that achieves a maximum or minimum response of design cases tested in the design or derived from the design.

8. The computer-program product of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are operable to cause the computing system to:
obtain the computer model for generating the responses of the design system according to a respective input of each respective set of candidate inputs;
generate the design for the design space that provides the plurality of design cases for testing the response of the design system according to the computer model;
input one or more of the design cases of the design into the computer model; and
obtain the responses of the design system according to the computer model for each design case of the design.

9. The computer-program product of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are operable to cause the computing system to receive the disallowed combination indication by:
receiving, from the user of the computing system, an initial set of disallowed combinations; and
generating the one or more disallowed combinations based on modifying the initial set of disallowed combinations.

10. The computer-program product of claim 9 , wherein the instructions are operable to cause the computing system to:
determine that the initial set of disallowed combinations prevents generating a covering array of a particular strength; and
modify the initial set of disallowed combinations to generate the design to comprise the covering array of the particular strength.

11. The computer-program product of claim 1 ,
wherein the first factor is a continuous factor and the first set of candidate inputs comprise a continuous range of inputs; and
wherein the second factor is a categorical factor and the second set of candidate inputs comprise discrete options for the second factor.

12. The computer-program product of claim 1 ,
wherein the first factor is a continuous factor and the first set of candidate inputs comprise a first continuous range of inputs with nonlinear constraints defined by a function; and
wherein the second factor is a continuous factor and the second set of candidate inputs comprise a second continuous range of inputs bounded by linear constraints.

13. The computer-program product of claim 1 ,
wherein the first factor is a continuous factor and the first set of candidate inputs comprise a continuous range of inputs; and
wherein the instructions are operable to cause the computing system to discretize the first factor of the plurality of factors by modifying the first set of candidate inputs to have 10 or more discrete options.

14. The computer-program

Assignees

• Sas Inst Inc

Inventors

• Morgan Joseph Albert
• Saanchi Yeng
• Lancaster Laura Carmen
• Gotwalt Christopher Michael
• King Caleb Bridges
• Lekivetz Ryan Adam

Classifications

• G06F30/23

  using finite element methods [FEM] or finite difference methods [FDM] · CPC title

• G06F30/12

  characterised by design entry means specially adapted for CAD, e.g. graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for CAD · CPC title

• G01M99/00 Primary

  Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• G06F3/0484

  for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range · CPC title

• G06F2111/16

  Customisation or personalisation · CPC title