JPH07105056A - Database relating structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To give flexibility for relating databases including position information on spatial arrangement and to strengthen the relating by arbitrarily forming links among the various databases, relating them and forming groups. CONSTITUTION:The databases DB are in the relation connected among the prescribed databases, and they are related by grouping with the links. Group constitution is divided into a graphic group 1, a selection group 2 and subordinate groups 3 and 4 in accordance with the characters. A link generation operation for making the various groups is executed by the processing operating of group setting or by using a specified command in terms of device constitution, and the arbitrary group can be generated. Namely, a group management function is provided and relating with the links is executed among the databases DB so as to generate the arbitrary group. Thus, flexible correspondence to the relating of the various databases DB is made possible.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a database relation structure, and more particularly, to a relation between databases including position information regarding spatial arrangement such as various databases for constructing drawing data created by drawing processing in a CAD system. It is related to the database relation structure for attaching.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A database in a CAD system will be described as an example of a database including position information regarding spatial arrangement.

CAD (Computer Aided Design or C
omputer Aided draft) system is used in a wide range of fields such as mechanical design, electrical design, architectural design, etc. as a drawing making device using a computer. The CAD system includes a computer main body equipped with a display device and a digitizer (coordinate input device), and a designer inputs necessary coordinate data while operating the digitizer to draw drawings (graphics and characters on the screen of the display device. Include). When the CAD drawing is completed, data relating to the drawing (hereinafter referred to as drawing data) is stored and saved in a disk device that is a storage unit. The drawing data stored in the disk device is read as needed, converted by a conversion program that enables drawing on the paper set by the plotter, and then supplied to the plotter provided as an output device. It is rendered and output. CA stored in disk device
The unit of D drawing is a unit managed by one file,
One CAD drawing has multiple pages (eg, 999).
Pages) are included. Drawings are created on each page.

Regarding the drawing data created by the CAD system drawing process, various databases such as a straight line database and a circular arc database are defined on the data for constructing the drawing data. Further, conventionally, between databases that need to be related to each other, the state of being close to each other in the physical positional relationship is used, and the database is related to each other based on the physical positional relationship. . The physical positional relationship is the positional relationship in the state stored in the storage device.

[0005]

Since the relation between various databases in the conventional CAD system has been made based on the physical positional relation, it is necessary to define the physical position of the database. . Since the database relations are defined by physical positions, they have a property of low flexibility. Also, even if you specify the physical location and set the relationship between the databases,
When a graphic is operated, for example, an operation such as copying is performed, there arises a problem that the set relation is broken.

It is an object of the present invention to provide flexibility in the association between databases containing position information about spatial arrangements, thereby strengthening the association and
It is to provide a database relation structure that enables high-speed retrieval of relations between databases.

[0007]

The database relation structure according to the present invention is constructed as follows.

[0008] In a database system including a plurality of various databases including position information regarding spatial arrangement,
It is configured to form a group by arbitrarily forming links between a plurality of various databases and relating them.

In the above structure, preferably, a plurality of group types are set for the group, a group ID is assigned to each of these group types, and the links of each group are managed by the group ID.

Further, preferably, the database is a CAD system database.

In a database system in which a plurality of various databases containing positional information regarding spatial arrangement are included and groups are formed between these databases, a reference management mechanism is set based on the links forming the groups, and the reference management is performed. Configured to retrieve groups by the mechanism.

[0012]

According to the present invention, in a database system including various databases including position information regarding spatial arrangement for creating a graphical display content, a plurality of databases are linked to each other to create an arbitrary group. A group management function is provided to enable flexible correspondence with various database relationships. Also, by providing a reference management function, it is possible to search for group relationships at high speed.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The database relation structure according to the present invention is applied to a database having position information regarding spatial arrangement. As an example of such a database, there are various databases for constructing drawing data regarding drawings created by a CAD system.

The data relating to the figure / character information of the drawing created in the CAD system is registered and stored as an aggregate of basic figure elements such as line segments, circles and arcs inside the system. Various databases are constructed with the data structure relating to the graphic / character information. Each of these various databases is data for forming a figure or the like, and includes position information regarding spatial arrangement.
In the database relation structure according to the present invention for making a relation between these various databases, the concept of group management and the concept of reference management described below are used.

First, a method of configuring a group, a type of group, and group management will be described.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the group structure. Figure 1
In, the plurality of blocks indicated by the symbol “DB” are
Each means a database (hereinafter referred to as DB). 13 DBs are shown in FIG. 1, and these DBs are shown.
Are related relationships between certain things, and are further related by grouping by links. The group structure shown in FIG. 1 includes various groups according to their properties. For example, 1 is a graphic group, 2 is a selection group, 3 is a subordinate group 1, and 4 is a subordinate group 2. A group ID (meaning an identification number that identifies the group) is assigned to each of these groups, and in the drawing group, “group ID =
1 ”,“ group ID = 2 ”in the selected group,“ group ID = 4 ”in the subordinate group 1, and“ group ID = 5 ”in the subordinate group 2. The index called the group ID is used for identifying the group and for identifying the group type. As is clear from FIG. 1, it is assumed that the graphic group 1 includes links of various groups to form links.

The link generation operation for making various groups for a plurality of DBs shown in FIG. 1 is performed by a processing operation called "group setting" or by using a specific command in terms of device configuration. . This allows any group to be created. This optionality of group creation is a feature of the present invention, which provides the advantage of group flexibility. The created group can be released by a predetermined release operation means.

Here, the specific contents of the DB, the graphic group, the selection group, and the subordinate group 1,
An example of detailed specifications of the subordinate group 2 and the like is shown in the table of FIG.

According to the table of FIG. 2, the drawing group, the selection group 1, and the selection group 2 are set as the group type (column 6) corresponding to, for example, each of the group ID 1 to the group ID 6 in the “group ID” column 5. , Subordinate group 1, subordinate group 2, information group, and the like are set. Further, in each group type such as a drawing group, at least two related groups are associated with each of various groups (examples of groups are described in parentheses) in the column 7 of “Target DB”. An example of an arbitrary DB is described. In the column 7 of "Target DB", at least two arbitrary DBs are linked to each other by a hyphen (-). The figure group and the selection group have a peer relationship and the dependent group has a master-slave relationship DB.
It has attributes. The difference between the dependent group 1 and the dependent group 2 is whether it is possible to delete the dependent DB independently.
The former is not possible, the latter is possible.

Further, in the table of FIG. 2, in the column 8 of "System", a symbol R (means a relay diagram), a symbol L (means a ladder diagram) and a symbol F (means a free diagram) are respectively shown. In the items of the system type shown, the possibility of registration and import is indicated by giving the symbol ○: registerable and the symbol Δ: importable (unregisterable) for the group consisting of each target DB. .

In the column 9 of "selection mode", "move",
Possible modes of selection operation are shown for each of "copy" and "delete". The possible aspects of these selection operations are grouped (ie related)
For each of the "move", "copy", and "delete" for the two DBs, when one (the original one indicated by the arrow: for example, the shaded square) is selected, the other (the one after the arrow:
For example, a blank square) shows what it looks like.
For example, in the figure group and the selection group 1, if one of them is selected (hatched square), the same operation is performed for the other (blank square). In the selected group 2, “copy” and “delete” are the same as the graphic group and the like, but regarding “move”, even if either one is selected, the other cannot be selected. In the subordinate group 1, when the main DB is selected for “movement”, the sub DB is selected in the same manner, but the main DB is not selected even if the sub DB is selected. Further, when the main DB is selected for each of “copy” and “delete”, the sub DB is selected in the same manner, but the sub DB itself cannot be selected. The other indications have the same meanings as above.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of group management. The DB that is the target of group management is treated as "DB data", and this DB data includes a drawing frame. In FIG. 3, five DB data 11 to 15 are shown. A link is arbitrarily provided between each of the DB data 11 to 15 to perform grouping. DB data 11
To 15 are grouped, the group management items 11a to 15a specified by the group ID
Is created. Each group management item includes, for example, as illustrated in an enlarged view of the group management item 15a, a group ID, a group type, a DB attribute (master / slave), and a link pointer management item. Each DB data is connected by the link pointer included in the group management item,
Be related. In each of the DB data 12 to 15, one group is set and managed by a group, but D
It is also possible to set a plurality of groups like B data 11 and manage a plurality of groups. Therefore, the DB data 11 includes group management items 11b and 11c in addition to the group management item 11a. When a plurality of groups are managed by one DB data, the number is not limited. A link is formed between the DB data 11 to 15 based on the group ID, and group management is performed.
That is, the DB data 1 by "group ID = 1"
1, 12, 13 are grouped, and “Group ID =
2 ”, the DB data 11 and 14 are grouped,
The DB data 11 and 15 are grouped by "group ID = 3".

According to the group management function described above, the relations (grouping) of DBs can be performed based on an arbitrary relation by forming a link with a link pointer instead of a physical positional relation. . Therefore, the grouping can be made flexible, and further grouping can be performed across pages. In this case, there is an advantage that the link for grouping does not break even if an operation such as copying is performed.

Next, the function of reference management will be described. This reference management function is a function for quickly searching for group relationships. Description will be given based on the conceptual diagram of reference management shown in FIG. This conceptual diagram of reference management relates to the circuit example shown in FIG. The circuit shown in FIG. 5 is a ladder circuit.

This ladder circuit has three coils 21, 22, 23 and five contacts 31, 32, as circuit elements.
33, 34, and 35, and the drawing further includes connections for connecting these circuit elements. A device number as a symbol character is given to each circuit element. The coil 21 is Y000, the coil 22 is Y001, and the coil 23 is
Y002, X000 for contact 31, Y000 for contact 32, contact 33
To the contact 34, Y001 to the contact 34, and X001 to the contact 35. As shown in FIG. 4, DB data 41 to 48, which are symbol DBs, are generated for these circuit elements. These DBs shown in Figure 4
The grouping of data is performed corresponding to the device number as an example, and the device number which is a symbol character is used for reference management. A device number is used as a reference name 51 for reference management, and reference management 52 is performed based on this reference name 51. DB with common reference name 51
Links 61 to 65 are formed between the data, and thereby grouping is performed. In the reference management 52,
Two comments (comment 1 and comment 2 in FIG. 4), that is, a reference character string (character string ID) 53 is added to each of the links 61 to 65. This reference character string is used as an address comment in the ladder diagram.

According to the above reference management, it is possible to perform a high-speed search for a DB relationship. For example,
When the drawing data created by the CAD system has drawing data for a large number of pages, by using the link 63 of FIG. 4, for example, other related graphic elements in the drawing can be easily and at high speed. You can find out. If such a reference management is not possible, even if the search is executed by software, if it is executed as a simple character string search, it takes a long time to process when there are many pages in the drawing, so comfortable operation is possible. I can't do it. Further, if the designer actually has to find all the contacts related to the coil 21 while looking at many drawings, it imposes a great burden on the designer.

In the above embodiment, the device number is used as the reference name, but in other cases, any other character string can be used, and the device number is not limited.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an operation for changing the link relationship in the reference management, and an example in which the reference management conceptual diagram shown in FIG. Is shown. The upper diagram in FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of reference management before change, and the lower diagram is a conceptual diagram of reference management after change. As shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 6, in the reference name 51, the reference name of the DB data 41 is X000.
Changed from X100 to X100 and changed the reference name of DB data 46
Change from Y001 to Y000. By doing so, as shown in the lower side of FIG. 6, the link of the DB data 46 is changed from the link (Y001) 64 to the link (Y000) 63 as shown by A. Also, as in B, a link 66 of X100 is newly created, and the DB data 41 is linked to this link 66.
Regarding the link 61, there is no linked DB data, but the corresponding comment data remains. In this way, the link can be changed regarding the reference relationship.

In each of the above embodiments, the group management and the reference management are conceptually explained with respect to the database of the CAD system, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and can be applied to similar database systems. You can Here, the similar database system is a system having a database including position information regarding spatial arrangement, and is a system including various databases for creating graphical display contents. For example, there is a patent map creation support system.

[0031]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, in a database system including various databases containing position information regarding spatial arrangement, group management for forming and managing arbitrary groups by linking. Since the function is provided, the relationship can be made flexible and the relationship can be strengthened. Further, since the reference management function is provided, it is possible to quickly search the database relation. Furthermore, it also has the effect of enhancing the scalability of the database and the ease of programming.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a group configuration.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of contents such as a group ID and a group type.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of group management.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of reference management.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram on which the reference management example of FIG. 4 is based.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of changing a link in reference management.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Graphic group 2 Selection group 3 Subordinate group 1 4 Subordinate group 2

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. In a database system including a plurality of various databases including position information regarding spatial arrangement, a link is arbitrarily formed between the plurality of the various databases to associate them with each other to form a group. A database relation structure characterized by. 2. The database correlation structure according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of group types are set in the group, and a group I is set for each of these group types.
A database association structure, wherein D is assigned and the links of each group are managed by a group ID. 3. The database relation structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the database is a CAD system database. 4. A database system comprising a plurality of various databases containing position information regarding spatial arrangement, and forming a group between these databases,
A database association structure, wherein a reference management mechanism is set based on links forming the group, and the group is searched by the reference management mechanism.