Data-driven Product Functional Confguration:Patent Data and Hypergraph

The product functional confguration(PFC)is typically used by frms to satisfy the individual requirements of customers and is realized based on market analysis.This study aims to help frms analyze functions and realize functional confgurations using patent data.This study frst proposes a patent-data-driven PFC method based on a hypergraph network.It then constructs a weighted network model to optimize the combination of product function quantity and object from the perspective of big data,as follows:(1)The functional knowledge contained in the patent is extracted.(2)The functional hypergraph is constructed based on the co-occurrence relationship between patents and applicants.(3)The function and patent weight are calculated from the patent applicant’s perspective and patent value.(4)A weight calculation model of the PFC is developed.(5)The weighted frequent subgraph algorithm is used to obtain the optimal function combination list.This method is applied to an innovative design process of a bathroom shower.The results indicate that this method can help frms detach optimal function candidates and develop a multifunctional product.