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In a design aiding method, a design aiding apparatus having the method, or a design aiding system possessing a plurality of such design aiding apparatuses for use in a field of computer software to facilitate a design process, there is determined, for a product having many variations of attributes a

In a design aiding method, a design aiding apparatus having the method, or a design aiding system possessing a plurality of such design aiding apparatuses for use in a field of computer software to facilitate a design process, there is determined, for a product having many variations of attributes and values thereof, an appropriate design procedure according to a state of design in a process of determining the attribute values of the product satisfying a request of a client. At occurrence of, for example, conflict during the design, the design procedure is guided for the user to obtain a design plan conforming to the request.

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An apparatus for aiding a process for producing a design solution, wherein, on the basis of design knowledge including an attribute model representing a design specification of a product expressed by a group of a plurality of attributes and values of said attributes and constraints declaratively exp

An apparatus for aiding a process for producing a design solution, wherein, on the basis of design knowledge including an attribute model representing a design specification of a product expressed by a group of a plurality of attributes and values of said attributes and constraints declaratively expressing relational rules among said attributes, attribute value is inferred from an input of a required specification from a user to satisfy the constraint, said apparatus comprising: means for changing over between a group of a plurality of attributes and constraints necessary for an inference in accordance with a change of structure of a product; means for obtaining a design solution by tracing a constraint network defined by said group of attributes and constraints, for producing a process for determining unknown attribute values in response to various requests from a customer, and for inferring attribute values successively in accordance with said process; and means for repeatedly starting said changing-over means in accordance with a selection by the user, such that, when a conflict arises in said inferring of attribute values, an advice about a change of the indicated product structure, an input attribute value and a relieving of the constraints is provided as a countermeasure for resolving the conflict; wherein said means for changing over includes: (a) design object model storage means for storing therein an attribute model in which a design specification of a product is represented in the form of a set of attributes and values thereof and constraints representing relational rules between respective attributes, (b) input guide means for guiding an input of attribute values when the user inputs a request specification and setting the input values to the attribute model, and (c) design plan display means for displaying a design plan according to attribute values set to the attribute model as a result of an input operation, an inference operation or a computation; wherein said means for obtaining a design solution includes: (a) constraint propagation executing order decision means for detecting, based on attributes for which values are already set in said attribute model and said constraints, executable constraints according to values set to said attribute values, and b) local constraint propagation means for accessing said design object model storage means to obtain therefrom constraints determined for execution by said design procedure guiding section, for executing the obtained constraints, and for setting calculated attribute values to the attribute model; wherein said means for repeatedly starting includes: (a) input guide means, operative when a conflict occurs between attributes during designing of a method of changing attribute values or mitigating constraints according to a setting state of attribute values in said attribute model, thereby creating a substitutional design plan, and (b) conflict detecting means for detecting a conflict between the attribute values according to the constraints; said apparatus further comprising: control panel display means for displaying, for the user to select an inference execution processing pattern, an inference mode selection menu capable of selecting a first inference mode for sequential selection or a second inference mode for candidate retaining, wherein: the first mode is operative, when a plurality of combinations of attributes which can be selected appear during the inference, for sequentially displaying attribute value selecting combinations, thereby requesting the user to select a desired one of the combinations, and the second mode is operative, when the inference is continued while the combinations are retained as candidate values in values ranges of the respective attribute values of the attribute model, for displaying after the inference is finished the candidate values in difference colors in the attribute value menu of the attribute value input and display screen.