JPH09190456A - Extraction method of related parts in CAD system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: When designing an assembly composed of a large number of parts in a CAD system, a part required by a designer is easily and accurately extracted and displayed as a related part. A design target component selection processing unit 131 selects a target component. The selection processing unit 133 based on the parts configuration table of the related parts selection processing unit 132 is the parts configuration data 1
41 is accessed, the hierarchical tree of parts is displayed on the display unit 110, and the selected part is registered in the display parts list 145. The selection processing unit 134 based on the closed region is the part shape data 1
42 is accessed and the related parts included in the closed area around the target part are extracted. The selection processing unit 135 based on inter-component constraint accesses the inter-component constraint data 143 and extracts a related component that is in a constraint relationship with the target component.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to CAD (comput) for supporting the design of an assembly composed of a plurality of parts.
er-aided design) system,
The present invention relates to a method of extracting a part related to a target part.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional CAD system, all the shapes of parts are displayed on the screen of a display device in order to design a part of an assembly composed of many parts, or the shapes of parts required by a user are displayed. Each time, a necessary part is displayed by inputting a part name, or a region around the target part is enlarged and displayed. For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-290136,
It describes a method of partially enlarging the area around the input cursor.

[0003]

In the above prior art, when the shapes of a large number of parts are all displayed, it takes time to display the part shapes on the display screen, and the interactive response with the system becomes slow. In addition, since the parts other than the parts required by the user are displayed, the screen is difficult to see, and the operability is deteriorated. This also applies to the method of enlarging and displaying the area around the cursor. Further, in the method of instructing and displaying only the shapes of the necessary parts, as shown in FIG. 10, when the parts are so dense that it is difficult to identify the shapes of the parts on the screen, it is possible to use It was very difficult to instruct the part shape. Similarly, in the method of designating the part name, there is a problem that it is difficult to know which part is necessary for the designer only from the name, and it is troublesome to search for it from a large number of part names. .

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and to provide a method for appropriately extracting relevant parts desired by a designer.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a hierarchical tree of parts constituting an assembly is displayed as a parts table on a display screen, and the selected part is registered as a related part. Is characterized by.

Further, according to the present invention, a closed region around the designated target component is specified, and parts included in the closed region are regarded as related components based on the information about the closed region and the position coordinates of each component. Characterized by the method of extraction. Here, the closed region refers to a region centered on the target part, which is occupied by, for example, a three-dimensional sphere, a rectangular parallelepiped, or the like.

Further, according to the present invention, other parts having a constraint relationship with each part are registered, and related parts having a constraint relationship with the target part are extracted based on the specified target part and the specified constraint relationship. Characterize the method. Here, the constraint relationship refers to a relationship in which the vertices, central axes, common planes, parallel planes, and the like are shared among components.

According to the present invention, corresponding parts are extracted from the part structure data by designating a hierarchy level for the part to be designed in the part structure table and displayed as related parts of the part to be designed. You can

Further, according to the present invention, by designating the shape and size of the closed region centering on the component to be designed and the inclusion condition of the component shape and the closed region, the relevant component is extracted from the component shape data, and these are extracted. Can be displayed as a related part of the design target part.

Further, according to the present invention, by designating the type of constraint relation of the design target component, other components having the designated constraint relation are extracted from the registered data, and these are related to the design target component. It can be displayed as a part.

By applying these methods, the designer can easily extract and display only the minimum necessary parts even when handling an assembly having a large number of parts, and the response performance and operability of the system can be improved. You can engage in design work without compromising

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the CAD system of this embodiment. The display unit 110 is a display device for displaying a component shape and an input screen described later. Input section 120
Is an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and the display unit 11
It is used to instruct the shape of the part displayed at 0 and to turn on and off buttons on the display screen. The processing unit 130 is a processing device that retrieves information about components required for design work from the data unit 140 according to conditions specified by the input unit 120 and displays the information on the display unit 110. It is composed of a processing unit 131, a related component selection processing unit 132, and a component display processing unit 136. The design target component selection processing unit 131 is a processing unit that allows the user to select information about a component to be designed. The related component selection processing unit 132 is a processing unit that selects information about related components that the user needs to refer to when designing a design target component, and a selection processing unit 133 based on a component configuration table and a selection based on a closed region. It includes a processing unit 134 and a selection processing unit 135 based on the constraint between components. The component display processing unit 136 is a processing unit that extracts information about the component selected by the design target component selection processing unit 131 and the related component selection processing unit 132 from the data unit 140 and displays the information on the display unit 110. The processing unit 130 is realized by an information processing device, and the processing unit 131 included in the processing unit 130.
1 to 136 can be realized by executing a program stored in the storage device of this information processing device. The data section 140 is data stored in a storage device such as a main storage device or an external storage device, and is part configuration data 141, part shape data 142, part constraint data 143, preview display data 144, and display part list 145. Composed of. The component configuration data 141 is data that defines a hierarchical structure of a plurality of components that form an assembly by a hierarchical tree and represents a parent-child relationship between components. Part shape data 142
Is data that defines the shape of the part, and has shape information such as vertex information, curve information, curved surface information in the case of a three-dimensional figure, and information about the position of the part in the assembly for each part. The inter-part constraint data 143 is
It is data defining constraint conditions for arrangement between parts when assembling parts such as axis alignment, offset surface, and point alignment. The preview display data 144 is data that is temporarily displayed on the display unit 110 so that the user can confirm the shape of the selected part when selecting a related part to be described later. This display data is sufficient as image data by a bitmap different from the data defining the part shape. The display component list 145 is a data unit that registers information on the components selected by the design target component selection processing unit 131 and the related component selection processing unit 132. Each registered part is identified by an internal identification number. The component display processing unit 136 extracts the identification number of the component from the display component list 145 and refers to the component shape data 142 to display the shape of the component on the display unit 110.

2 to 5 are flowcharts showing the flow of processing of the processing unit 130. Of these, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the overall processing procedure. First, the design target component selection processing unit 131 causes the user to select a component to be designed (step 201). The user selects a target part by designating a part name or using a part configuration table described later. Design target component selection processing unit 13
1 registers the identification number of the component selected at this time in the display component list 145. Next, the related component selection processing unit 132
Causes the user to specify how to select a related component that needs to be referred to when designing the selected design target component (step 202). As a method of selecting a related part, there are a method based on a parts configuration table, a method based on a closed region, and a method based on inter-parts constraint, and the process branches according to the designated method (step 203). When the method based on the parts composition table is designated, the selection processing unit 133 based on the parts composition table performs the selection process of the related parts based on the parts composition table (step 204). When the closed region method is designated, the closed region selection processing unit 134 performs a process of selecting related parts by the closed region (step 20).
5). When the method based on the inter-component constraint is designated, the selection processing unit 135 based on the inter-component constraint performs the selection process of the related component by the inter-component constraint (step 206). The selection processing unit 133, the selection processing unit 134, and the selection processing unit 135 register the identification numbers of the selected related components in the display component list 145. Finally, the component display processing unit 136 retrieves the identification number of the component from the display component list 145 and refers to the component shape data 142 to display the shape of the component on the display unit 110. (Step 207).

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the display unit 110 when the user specifies a method of selecting related parts. 610 is a button for designating a parts configuration table, 620 is a button for designating a closed region, 630
Is a button for designating a constraint between parts. The user inputs the button 610, 620 or 630 via the input unit 120.
One of them can be specified.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the display unit 110 when a related component is selected according to the component configuration table. The parts configuration table 710 is a display area that displays the hierarchical structure of parts as a hierarchical tree based on the parts configuration data 141. In this example, the gearbox 711 is
It is composed of an exterior part 712 and an interior part 715 which are assembly parts, the exterior part 712 is composed of parts of a frame A 713 and a leg part 714, and the interior part 715 is a drive part 716, a frame B 720 and a frame C 721 which are subassemblies. ,
It is composed of the components of the base 722 and the terminal block 725. Further, the driving unit 716 is composed of parts of a motor 717, a gear 718 and a shaft 719, and the substrate 722 is composed of a capacitor 723 and a resistor 724. Of these parts, the name of the part selected as the design target part is highlighted by means such as different color display and reverse display. The hierarchy level designation area 730 includes a same level designation button 731, a higher level designation button 732, and a higher level designation field 733, and is an input for designating a hierarchy level for a design target component in the component configuration table 710 and selecting a related component. Area. The same level designation button 731 and the higher level designation button 732 are the input section 12
They can be turned on and off independently via 0. The preview area 740 is a display area for temporarily displaying the shapes of the design target component and the selected related component so that the user can confirm the selected component.

FIG. 3 shows a selection processing unit 13 based on the parts configuration table.
3 is a flowchart showing a flow of a related component selection process (step 204) performed by No. 3. First, the selection processing unit 133
A selection screen as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display unit 110 (step 301). The user lists the related parts in the parts table 7
Hierarchical level designation area 7 to select from 10
Since it is specified by 30, the selection processing unit 133 inputs this information (step 302). Same level designation button 73
When 1 is turned on, the selection processing unit 133 causes the parts configuration table 7
In step 10, the parts and subassemblies in the same level hierarchy as the parts to be designed are searched from the parts composition data 141 (step 303), and the names of the relevant parts concerned are found in the parts composition table 71.
It is highlighted in 0 (step 304). Further, the upper level designation button 732 is turned on and the upper level designation field 73
When a numerical value is input to 3 (step 302), the selection processing unit 133 searches the component configuration data 141 for the parts and subassemblies in the upper hierarchy by the number input from the part to be designed (step 303), and finds the relevant relation. The name of the part is highlighted (step 304). For example, when the motor 717 is a design target component in the component configuration table shown in FIG. 7, when the user turns on the same level designation button 731,
In the parts configuration table 710, the gear 718 and the shaft 719 in the same hierarchy as the motor 717 are selected as related parts. When the upper level designation button 732 is turned on and 1 is entered in the upper level designation field 733, the motor 717
A drive unit 716 (including a motor 717, a gear 718, and a shaft 719) that is one layer higher than the other, and a frame B72.
0, frame C721 and board 722 (condenser 72
3 and a resistor 724) and a terminal block 725 are selected. Next, the selection processing unit 133 displays the shape of the selected part in the preview area 740 (step 30).
5). The preview display data used here is stored in the preview display data 144. If the user confirms the related parts selected in the preview area 740 and wants to end the selection process at that time,
This can be notified to the selection processing unit 133 by inputting a specific key or operating a mouse. When the selection process ends (YES in step 306), the selection processing unit 133 registers the identification number of the selected related component in the display component list 145 (step 307), and deletes the selection screen from the display unit 110 (step 308). On the other hand, when the selection process is not ended in step 306, the selection processing unit 13
3 returns the process to step 302. This allows the specification of the hierarchy level to be changed and the selection to be repeated again. In the above embodiment, the related parts are specified by specifying the hierarchy level of the hierarchy tree.
You may select the related parts one by one from 10.

The part shape data 142 stores graphic data indicating the shape and position of each part. The graphic data is composed of coordinate values representing the vertices of the component, coordinate values representing the curved line, coordinate values representing the curved surface, and coordinate values of the center point of the component. The coordinate values may be expressed by absolute coordinates in the assembly, or may be configured by relative coordinate values for each part and absolute coordinate values indicating the center points of the parts in the assembly. The preview display data 144 stores image data indicating the shape of each part. When the related component selection processing unit 132 displays the shape of the related component in the preview area of the display unit 110, the coordinate value in the assembly of each related component is acquired by referring to the component shape data 142, and the center point of the design target component is acquired. Based on the length and direction of the vector from the to the center point of each related component, the image data of each component is shifted from the design target component, and the image data of the related component is synthesized and displayed in the preview area.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the display unit 110 when the related parts are selected by the closed area. The closed area shape / size designation area 810 is for designating the shape and size of a closed area surrounding the periphery of the design target component, and includes a ball shape designation button 811, a radius designation field 812, a box shape designation button 813, and an offset designation field. 814. Ball shape designation button 8
Reference numeral 11 is a button for designating that the shape of the closed region is a sphere centered on the center point of the design target component. As the center point of the design target component, the center point of the smallest rectangular parallelepiped including the component, the center of gravity of the component, or the like is used. Radius designation field 812
Is for inputting the radius of the sphere. The box shape designation button 813 is for designating that the shape of the closed region is a rectangular parallelepiped including the design target component. The offset designation field 814 is for designating the size of the rectangular parallelepiped that becomes the box, and is the length from each surface of the smallest rectangular parallelepiped that completely contains the design target component to each surface of the rectangular parallelepiped that becomes the box vertically. Enter the length of the vector when the same vector is extended as the offset amount. Either the ball shape designation button 811 or the box shape designation button 813 can be turned on by the input unit 120. Further, the closed area inclusion condition designation area 820 is for designating whether to select only the parts whose shapes are completely contained in the specified closed area or to select all the parts whose shapes partially interfere. , A complete inclusion designation button 821 and a partial inclusion designation button 822. The full inclusion designation button 821 is for designating to select only the parts whose shape is completely contained in the closed region, and the partial inclusion designation button 822 is for selecting all the parts whose shapes interfere with the closed region. It is for specifying to select. Either the complete inclusion designation button 821 or the partial inclusion designation button 822 can be turned on by the input unit 120. Preview area 8
The reference numeral 30 is for temporarily displaying the shapes of the design target component and the selected related component, as in the preview area 740 shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the related component selection process (step 205) performed by the closed region selection processing unit 134. First, the selection processing unit 134 is shown in FIG.
A selection screen as shown in (1) is displayed on the display unit 110 (step 401). When the user designates in the closed region shape / size designation area 810 to what extent a component near the design target component is selected as a related component, the selection processing unit 13
4 enters this information (steps 402 and 40)
3). Further, the user inputs the information of the closed region inclusion condition designation area 820 which designates the relationship between the closed region designated by the user and the selected component (step 404). Selection processing unit 134
Searches the part shape data 142 for a part that includes or interferes with the specified closed region under the specified condition (step 405), synthesizes the image data of the preview display data 144 for the corresponding part, and preview area 83.
It is displayed at 0 (step 406). That is, the part shape data 142 is accessed for all parts constituting the assembly, and whether each part is included in the closed area or interferes with each other based on the coordinate values expressing the vertices, curves and curved surfaces of each part. Check one by one. If the part satisfies the input closed region condition, the preview display data 144 is accessed and the image data is extracted. Image data for preview can be obtained by combining the image data collected in this way in consideration of the deviation from the center point of the design target component. For example, when the motor 717 is a design target component in the selection screen shown in FIG. 8, the user turns on the ball shape designation button 811 in the closed area shape / size designation area 810 and inputs 50 mm in the radius designation field 812, and the closed area When the partial inclusion designation button 822 is turned on in the inclusion condition designation area 820, the gear 718, the frame B720, and the frame C72 are parts that interfere with a sphere having a radius of 50 mm centered on the center point of the motor 717.
1 is selected and displayed in the preview area 830.
If the user confirms the related component selected in the preview area 830 and wants to end the selection process at that time, he / she can inform the selection processing unit 134 of that fact by a specific key input or mouse operation. When the selection process ends (YES in step 407), the selection processing unit 134 registers the identification number of the selected related component in the display component list 145 (step 408), and deletes the selection screen from the display unit 110 (step 409). On the other hand, when the selection process is not ended in step 407, the selection processing unit 134 returns the process to step 402. As a result, the shape, size, and inclusion condition of the closed region can be changed and the selection can be redone.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the display unit 110 when a related component is selected by constraint between components. The constraint type designation area 910 is for designating the type of constraint between parts when searching for related parts, and includes an axis alignment designation button 911, a face alignment designation button 912, an offset face designation button 913, and a point alignment designation button. 914. Alignment specification button 9
Reference numeral 11 is for designating the selection of a part having a constraint relationship of axial alignment with the design target part as a related part. Alignment of axes means a relationship between parts having a common central axis such as a bolt and a nut. The face-to-face designation button 912 is for designating that a component having a face-to-face constraint relationship with the design target component is selected as a related component. Face-to-face matching refers to a relationship between components that shares a flat surface extending from one flat surface of a design target component. The offset surface designation button 913 is for designating that a component having a constraint relationship between the design target component and the offset surface is selected as a related component. The offset surface is a relationship between components that shares a parallel plane with a certain distance from this plane when focusing on one plane of the design target component. The point alignment designation button 914 is for designating that a component having a constraint relation of point alignment with the design target component is selected as a related component. Point matching refers to a relationship between parts that are in contact with each other at one apex of a design target part.
These buttons can be turned on and off independently by the input unit 120. The preview area 920 is for temporarily displaying the shapes of the design target component and the selected related component, like the preview area 740 shown in FIG.

The inter-part constraint data 143 includes the identification numbers of other parts having an axial alignment relationship, the identification numbers of other parts having a face alignment relationship, and the other parts having an offset surface relationship. All the identification numbers of the corresponding other components among the identification numbers and the identification numbers of the other components having a point matching relationship are stored.

FIG. 5 shows the selection processing unit 13 based on the constraint between components.
5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a related component selection process (step 206) performed by No. 5; First, the selection processing unit 135 displays a selection screen as shown in FIG. 9 on the display unit 110 (step 501). When the user designates the type of restraint between parts to be targeted in the constraint type designation area 910, the selection processing unit 135 inputs the designated information (step 50).
2) Among the constraints defined in the design target component, the component sharing the specified type of constraint is the constraint data 1 between components.
43 is searched (step 503), and the image data of the preview display data 144 for the corresponding part is combined and displayed in the preview area 920 (step 50).
4). For example, in the selection screen shown in FIG.
Is a design target component, and when the user turns on the axis alignment designation button 911 in the constraint type designation area 910,
Frame B720 in axial alignment with motor 717
And the frame C721 are selected, and the preview area 9
20 is displayed. If the user confirms the related component selected in the preview area 920 and wants to end the selection processing at that time, he / she can inform the selection processing unit 135 of that fact by a specific key input or mouse operation. When the selection process ends (YES in step 505), the selection processing unit 135 registers the identification number of the selected related component in the display component list 145 (step 506), and deletes the selection screen from the display unit 110 (step 507). On the other hand, if the selection process is not finished in step 505,
The selection processing unit 135 returns the process to step 502. As a result, the constraint type can be changed and the selection can be redone.

By the above processing, the identification numbers of the parts related to the parts to be designed are registered in the display parts list 145. Therefore, the parts display processing unit 136 accesses the parts shape data 142 according to the user's request, and the request is made. The shape of the part is displayed on the display unit 110 in the form of a graphic.

In the above description, the three-dimensional CAD system has been described as an example, but the method according to the present invention can be applied to any CAD system regardless of whether it is two-dimensional or three-dimensional. As an embodiment of the related component selection processing unit 132, a button,
Although the input method using the setting screen provided with a numerical input field and the like has been described, it goes without saying that other input methods that do not depend on the setting screen are possible. Furthermore, it is also possible to register the extraction conditions of the related parts that are interactively specified in the storage device and use them thereafter to automatically extract and display the related parts.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, the designer can easily extract and display only the minimum necessary parts even when handling an assembly having a large number of parts. It is possible to engage in design work without impairing performance and operability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a CAD system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a schematic flow of processing of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of related component selection processing based on a component configuration table according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a process of selecting a related component by a closed area according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of related component selection processing by constraint between components according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when a selection method of related parts is designated.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when a related component is selected based on the component configuration table.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when a related component is selected by a closed area.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when a related component is selected by constraint between components.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an assembly (gearbox) having many parts.

[Explanation of symbols]

110: display unit, 132: related component selection processing unit, 13
3: Selection processing unit based on parts configuration table, 134: Selection processing unit based on closed region, 135: Selection processing unit based on constraint between parts,
141: Parts configuration data, 142: Parts shape data, 1
43: Inter-restraint data

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. In a CAD system that supports the design of an assembly composed of a plurality of parts, a hierarchical tree of the parts that constitute the assembly and include a designated target part is displayed on a display screen, and the hierarchical tree is displayed. A method of extracting a related part in a CAD system, characterized in that an identifier of a selected part among the parts constituting the above is stored in a storage device as a related part. 2. A CAD system for supporting the design of an assembly composed of a plurality of parts, wherein the position coordinates of each of the parts constituting the assembly are stored in a storage device, and the designated target part is the center and its periphery. Input the information about the closed area, and extract the parts included in the specified closed area among the parts that make up the assembly based on the information about the closed area and the position coordinates of each part as related parts. A method for extracting related parts in a characteristic CAD system. 3. A CAD system for supporting the design of an assembly composed of a plurality of parts, wherein at least one of a vertex, a central axis, a common plane and a parallel plane of the parts is shared for each part constituting the assembly. And stores the identifiers of the other parts arranged as described above in the storage device as parts having a constraint relationship, and the parts having the constraint relationship with the specified target part based on the specified target part and the specified constraint relationship. Is extracted as a related component, a method of extracting a related component in a CAD system.