JP2001052037A - Cad system capable of linking with spreadsheet software, form model generating method utilizing the same system and storage medium storing program for executing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable operation comfortable for a user by performing flexible processing even when the form of a component is unknown or assembly of components is to be changed by fetching data inputted by spreadsheet software as data for generating a form model. SOLUTION: Spreadsheet software 301 performs processing, preservation, calculation and display of data and operates according to a definition described in a spreadsheet definition file 302. Processing 401 for expressing each component as a CAD model from a product specification 400 is previously described in the spreadsheet definition file 302 and when the product specification 400 is inputted, data 402 required for the CAD model 403 are calculated by automatic processing of the spreadsheet software 301. A link program 304 reads the data 402 required for the CAD model 403 of the component from the spreadsheet definition file 302, converts the data to data interpretable for CAD software 303 and transfers them to the CAD software 303.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a CAD (Computer Aided Design) system and a method of generating a shape model by the system, and can handle a CAD model handled by the system in cooperation with spreadsheet software. The present invention relates to a CAD system and a shape model generation method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Using CAD software, a CAD model of a mechanical part or the like is created on an electronic computer, and a CAD model of a product is created by combining the CAD models of the parts and printed as a drawing. To do is widely done.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a CAD system.

The functional structure of a conventional CAD system can be roughly divided into an input device 101, a CAD model creation device 102, and a CAD model display device 103. The input device 101 is
It is a device for inputting data and commands, and is a screen instruction device generally called a mouse, a keyboard for inputting numbers and characters, and the CAD model creation device 102 is a computer using a CPU, a memory, and a hard disk of a computer. It is composed of CAD software for calculating a CAD model figure and hardware for executing the software. Further, the CAD model display device 3 is a device for displaying information on the CAD model, and includes a screen display device such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display.

[0005] CAD software can be broadly classified into two-dimensional CAD in which the work of writing figures and characters is digitized, and three-dimensional CAD in which figures are represented in electronic space in the same way as real shapes. In both CADs, the operator 104 operates the input device 10
1. Enter data for creating a graphic via
The AD model creation device 102 interprets the data and expresses it as a graphic on the CAD model display device 103. The data input by the operator 104 to the input device 101 is basically data for expressing a straight line or a curve.
It is a D model. For example, in a two-dimensional CAD, a region surrounded by a square is used, and in a three-dimensional CAD, a region surrounded by a rectangular parallelepiped edge is treated as a numerical value of a plate-shaped component.

At this time, when a CAD model of a product is created using CAD software, it is often necessary to use a plurality of the same mechanical parts, such as screws, and the operator 104 draws one straight line or one curved line. If one screw is input and one screw is modeled one by one, there is a problem that the operations are duplicated and very troublesome.

Therefore, conventionally, in the case of a CAD model of a component that is repeatedly used, such as a screw, it is common to create one CAD model in advance and call and copy it when necessary. I have. In particular, for common parts defined by industrial standards such as JIS, a plurality of workers share the same CAD model by using this method to simplify the operation. The shared CAD model is C
The symbol is stored in the AD model creation device 102 as a symbol, and the operator 104 selects the symbol with a mouse or a keyboard. A CAD function of reusing a CAD model using this symbol is generally called a “symbol registration function”.

Further, by treating a part of the dimensions of the CAD model to be registered as a variable as a variable, a similar
Simplification of symbol registration is also performed by managing as a D model. For example, taking a screw as an example, JIS
If the shapes of screws with different diameters are similar, such as the M3 screw and M5 screw mentioned above, the part corresponding to the diameter of the screw should be set as a variable in the CAD model, and this variable should be used when called and used. By inputting the numerical value of the diameter, a CAD model of a desired screw shape can be obtained, and symbol registration can be simplified. The CAD function of treating a part of the dimensions of the CAD model as a variable is generally called a “parametric deformation function”.

In the parametric transformation function, it is common to treat some dimensions of the symbol shape as variables and to directly input data for these variables into CAD software when using symbols. However, in recent years, a function has been developed in which this variable is handled by spreadsheet software or database software, data input is managed, and data is automatically transferred to CAD software.

As another function of the CAD for simplifying the operation, a series of operations to be repeatedly input is reserved as one unit, and is called up when necessary to automatically process the series of operations. This is generally called "macro function". In the macro function, not only an operation for creating a CAD model but also a general CAD operation for moving or copying a CAD model can be reserved. The description for reserving this macro function is in a format that combines reserved words for operations specified by the CAD software, and is generally called “script”. Depending on the reserved words in the script, there is also a function to handle the numeric data input in the operation as a variable, and the operator can input the numeric data of the variable to be passed to the script when calling the macro function. , Making the macro function flexible.

[0011]

According to the conventional CAD software technology, since it is assumed that the CAD software and the operator operate interactively, the shape of each part constituting the product is known. In this case, a CAD model may be created using a symbol registration function or a macro function. However, if the basic specifications of the product, such as the outer shape and output capacity, are only determined and the shape of each component is unknown, it is necessary to calculate the component shape from the basic specifications of the product according to the design rules and create a CAD model. However, conventional CAD software does not have sufficient functions.
In other words, product design rules vary widely and are difficult to formulate, so it is difficult to establish them as functions of CAD software. On the other hand, when designing products in series or performing similar designs for each order Calculates the shape of parts from basic product specifications according to design rules
A D model must be created.

In the parametric transformation function in the symbol registration function and the script variable management in the macro function, only a part of the dimensions of the CAD model or a part of the numerical data input in the operation is handled as a variable. If all the dimensions of the CAD model and all the numerical data to be input in the operation change, it is necessary to input all of the numerical data when calling and using it, and the original advantage such as simplification of the operation is impaired. . In particular, when a CAD model is created by calculating the shape of a part from the basic specifications of a product in accordance with the design rules, the numerical data handled as variables is enormous, and the symbol registration function and macro function cannot be used.

Further, in the conventional technology for managing data input by handling some dimensions of the symbol shape with spreadsheet software or database software, the dimensions of the shape can be managed, but the dimensions related to the assembly of parts cannot be controlled. , The assembly conditions are defined in the CAD model, and only the dimensions in those conditions are handled by spreadsheet software or database software. If the assembly of parts changes depending on the basic specifications of the product, not only the dimensions but also the dimensions There was a problem that the CAD model itself had to be changed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to make a CAD system seamlessly cooperate with spreadsheet software so that the spreadsheet software has sufficient CAD model description capability. Thus, even when the shape of the component is unknown or when the assembly of the components is changed, a CAD can be flexibly dealt with and a user can perform a comfortable operation.
It is to provide a system.

[0015]

In order to achieve the above object, a CAD system which can cooperate with spreadsheet software according to the present invention comprises a CAD system which can cooperate with spreadsheet software. Is a CAD system for expressing a part by a shape model and generating a shape model in which a plurality of the parts are assembled, wherein data on the shape model of the part is used as data on the spreadsheet software, and the shape model of the part is Position and orientation data characterizing the coordinates in the shape model space of the part, raw material data characterizing the raw material of the part, and processing data characterizing the processing step of the part are held as three types of data. A single part or multiple rows or columns, The data was input by the serial spreadsheet software, in which the capture as data for generating a shape model.

More specifically, when a certain part is related to another part in the machining process and the data in the shape model space of the part changes, the processing data of the part defined on the spreadsheet software is changed. In the column, information on other components related to the change is described.

In order to achieve the above object, the configuration of the invention according to the shape model generation method of the present invention is such that a CAD system which can cooperate with spreadsheet software expresses a part as a shape model and assembles a plurality of parts. In the shape model generation method for generating a shape model, data on the shape model of the part is used as data on the spreadsheet software, and position and orientation data characterizing coordinates of the shape model of the part in a shape model space; Raw material data characterizing the raw material, and held in three types of data processing data characterizing the processing of the part,
Moreover, the data structure is represented by one or more rows or columns for one part, and the data is input by the spreadsheet software,
The data is taken into CAD software that can be executed independently of spreadsheet software to generate a shape model.

More specifically, in the above-described shape model generation method, when a part is related to another part in a machining process and data in the part's shape model space changes, the part is defined on the spreadsheet software. Further, information of other parts related to the change is described in the column of the processing data of the part.

More specifically, in the above-described shape model generation method, the shape model generation method is executed by spreadsheet software, CAD software, and a linking program, and the spreadsheet software has a user-customizable function. And the data processed by the spreadsheet software is transmitted to the CA by the linking program.
This is imported into D software to generate a part model.

In order to achieve the above object, the configuration of the invention relating to a storage medium for storing a program of a shape model generating method of the present invention comprises spreadsheet software for executing the above shape model generating method on an electronic computer. At least one of CAD software and a cooperative program is stored.

According to such a CAD system, an enormous number of numerical data required for a product shape model can be collectively operated with matrix data of spreadsheet software. The process of calculating the shape of a part from the basic specifications of a product according to the design rules, which could not be realized by the function, can be easily realized, and a shape model of the product can be created more comfortably. Furthermore, by dividing the data necessary for the part shape model into three items, namely, the position and orientation data of the part, the raw material data, and the processing data, the raw materials and the processing method of the raw materials can be directly obtained and applied to the manufacturing process. Can be expected.

In addition, in order to describe the interaction of parts with relations on a table, the parts are constituted by parts such as belts, chains, and rubbers whose shapes and positions change depending on the shapes and positions of other parts. Even a product model can be operated collectively using matrix data from spreadsheet software, so it was not possible to realize it with the symbol registration function or macro function of conventional CAD software. The processing for calculating the shape of the product can be easily realized, and the shape model of the product can be created more comfortably.

[0023]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. [Hardware Configuration of CAD System] First, the hardware configuration of the CAD system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of a CAD system that can cooperate with spreadsheet software according to the present invention.

The CAD system required for the present embodiment utilizes computer hardware having a general configuration as its hardware. As shown in FIG. 2, as hardware, a CPU (Central Processing Unit)
201, main memory 202, external storage device 203, input device 204, display device 205, various interfaces 206
It is composed of The spreadsheet software and the CAD software are stored in an external storage device 20 such as a hard disk.
3 and when executed, the main memory 20
2 and executed by the CPU 201 interpreting the instruction. The user operates the input device 204 such as a keyboard and a mouse while looking at the display device 205 in order to input data into a table and perform design by CAD.

[Software Configuration and Operation of CAD System] Next, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG.
The software configuration of the system and its operation will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a software configuration of a CAD system that can cooperate with spreadsheet software according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of a CAD system that can cooperate with spreadsheet software according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the software configuration of the CAD system of the present invention is a spreadsheet software 30.
1. Spreadsheet definition file 302, CAD software 3
03, a program 304 for linking spreadsheet software and CAD software, and an operating system 305 of a computer used as hardware of the CAD system.

The operating system 305 is a basic program for controlling the entire system, and among various application programs and hardware. Spreadsheet software 3 constituting the system of the present invention
01, CAD software 303, cooperation program 30
4 are loaded from the external storage device 203 under the control of the operating system 305 and executed as processes.

As the operating system according to the present embodiment, in addition to those used for workstations such as UNIX, Linux, etc.,
A personal computer, such as cOS or Microsoft Windows, can be used.

The spreadsheet software 301 is general software for processing, storing, calculating, and displaying data such as so-called spreadsheets and database software. In the spreadsheet software 301, data values, formats, display forms, and the like are defined by a spreadsheet definition file 302 as data. Commercially available software can be used as the spreadsheet software 301 of the present system. For example, Microsoftoff
Spreadsheets such as Excel from Microsoft, Micr
osoft's Access and Borland's Pa
radox or other database processing software. When the spreadsheet software 301 is used in this system, the processing may be described in a macro.

The CAD software 303 is software for designing a product or a part by a computer, and a commercially available one can also be used. For example, AutoCAD from Autodesk or Solid
Works SolidWorks and Paramet
pro / Engi from richTechnologies
Neer.

The linking program 304 is a program for transferring data created by the spreadsheet software 302 in a form interpreted by the CAD software 303. In this system, from the spreadsheet software 302 to the cooperation program 304, the cooperation program 3
Data is transferred to the CAD software 305 from the C.04.
ActiveXAutomat, one of the communication methods of the Microsoft Windows operating system
ion can be used.

Each of the spreadsheet software 301, the spreadsheet definition file 302, the CAD software 303, and the linking program 304 stores a portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, MO, or DVD as the external storage device 203 in the computer. External storage device to be handled, for example, CD-R
An OM drive, MO drive, DVD drive, or the like may be provided and supplied to the computer via a portable storage medium. In this case, the software supplied via the portable storage medium is directly read into the main storage 202 and executed, or once temporarily stored in another external storage device 203 such as a hard disk, the main storage 202
Is read and executed.

The linking program 304 does not need to be independent software.
1, a function of the CAD software 303 and the operating system 305. Cooperation program 3
If the function 04 is a function of the spreadsheet software 301 or the CAD software 303, the spreadsheet software 301 and the CAD software 303 perform processing in direct cooperation.

Next, the operation of the system under such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

The spreadsheet software 301 is general-purpose software for processing, storing, calculating, and displaying data as described above, and operates according to the definition described in the spreadsheet definition file 302. Spreadsheet definition file 30
2, a process 401 for representing individual parts by a CAD model from the product specification 400 is described in advance by an operator, and when the product specification 400 is input, this is used as a trigger to generate spreadsheet software 301. Performs automatic processing and creates a C
Data 402 necessary for the AD model 403 is calculated. Triggered by this calculation result being output, the cooperation program 304 reads the data 402 necessary for the CAD model 403 of the part from the spreadsheet definition file 302 and
The data is converted into data that can be interpreted by the AD software 303. Then, it is transferred to the CAD software 303. In this way, based on the data 402 transferred from the spreadsheet software 301, the creation of the CAD model 403 of each part on the CAD software is repeated to create the shape model of the product.

Although FIG. 4 shows one spreadsheet definition file 302 in which the product specification 400 and the data 402 required for the CAD model 403 of the part are described together, they are not necessarily the same file. It is not necessary and may be described as a separate spreadsheet definition file.

The spreadsheet software 301 and the CAD
The data transfer of the software 303 includes a method of directly communicating data by defining a special communication format, a method of directly communicating data according to a communication format defined by the operating system 305, and a method of transmitting and receiving text data by a software. A file may be created and saved with a specific name in a format or a binary format, and the destination software may open and read this file, whichever method is adopted.

[Expression 1 of CAD model] Next, FIG.
How the CAD model is represented in the spreadsheet definition file in the CAD system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a format of a spreadsheet definition file of a CAD model according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a list of actual examples of raw material data. FIG. 7 is a view showing a list of actual examples of the processing data.

The present invention uses spreadsheet software 301 and C
The feature is that the AD software 303 is linked. Therefore, the problem of how to represent a CAD model interpreted by a CAD system in a spreadsheet definition file has important significance.

The matrix data 500 in the spreadsheet definition file 302 lists the basic specifications of the product such as the height 503, width 504, and output 505 of the product. The matrix data 501 constitutes the product. As part information, CA
Part position and orientation data 50 in the shape model space of D
7. Raw material data 508 for parts, processing data 5 such as drilling and bending required to manufacture parts from raw materials
09 are described in one column for each component.

In the spreadsheet software, a formula can be generally defined in a cell which is an input unit, and has a function of automatically calculating when data is input. The spreadsheet software 301 of the present system also utilizes this function to make the matrix data 50
In each individual cell, a formula is defined in reference to the basic specification of the product in the matrix data 500 according to the product design rule. For example, the raw material shape data 510 is obtained from the product height 503 and the product width 504 (raw material shape data 5).
10) = (product height 503) + 0.1 × (product width 5)
04) is defined in advance. That is, various design rules are expressed as mathematical expressions for calculating CAD model information of individual components from the basic specifications of the product. Not only the shape data 508 of the raw material but also the position and orientation data 507 and the processing data 509 can be defined in the same manner.

The position / posture data 507, raw material shape data 508, and processing data 509 are calculated not only from the data of the basic specifications of the product but also the position / posture data of another part, the raw material shape data, and the processing data. May also be calculated from For example, (position and orientation data 511) =
(Product depth 512)-(raw material shape data 51)
0).

The position / posture data 507 includes the CA of the part.
This is data for describing the position and orientation of D in the shape model space. The coordinates used for the position and orientation data 507 need not be absolute coordinate values in the CAD shape model space, and relative coordinate values with another component may be stored as data. In the matrix data 501, an identifier 513 is defined to refer to each component. When the relative coordinate value with another component is stored as data and referred to, the assembly destination component identifier 514 of the component is defined using the identifier 513, and the relative coordinate value is stored as data. Then, when creating a CAD model of a product by CAD, the assembling relation of the parts is analyzed from the identifier 513, and the absolute coordinate values in the CAD shape model space are calculated to allocate the parts.

For example, the part B 515 has “P2” 516 as an identifier and “P1” 51 as an assembling destination part identifier.
7, the part B515 is attached with the identifier "P1".
518 parts and A519. Then, the X component data 520 of the position and orientation is a relative coordinate value of the component B 515 with respect to the component A 519. At this time, the absolute coordinate value in the CAD shape model space required for allocating the component B 515 is represented by R, which is the posture data of the position and posture data 507.
Since all 521 Pitch 522 Yaw 523 are “0”, X component data 520 “100”
And the X component data 524 “50” are added to “15”.
0 ".

The raw material data 508 is for representing data relating to the raw material of the part, and includes a reserved word 525 indicating the shape of the raw material and each dimension data 52 of the reserved word shape.
6. It is composed of the raw material 527.

As a raw material, for example, a general material specified by JIS is set, and as shown in FIG. 6, if the angle iron 601 is used, the reserved word 602 is “L”, and each dimension data 60 of the shape is used.
3 is defined as “(width dimension of cross-sectional shape)”, “(height dimension of cross-sectional shape)”, “(thickness dimension of cross-sectional shape)”, “(length dimension)”. If available, reserved word 6
05 is “T”, each dimension data 6 of the shape indicated by the reserved word
06 is “(plate thickness)”, “(plate width)”, “(plate height)”. In addition, it is not necessary to directly indicate the shape, and it is also conceivable to insert a CAD model of a CAD created in another file. In this case, for example, the reserved word 607 is “INSERT”, and each dimension data 608 is “(file name to insert) , "(Insertion position X component)", "(insertion position Y component)", "(insertion position Z component)". Other shape data of raw materials are shown in FIG. 6, but the reserved word and each dimension data of the shape required for the reserved word may be arbitrarily defined according to the type of the product. As the material 527 of the raw material, the material of the component is defined by a predetermined reserved word, and is described. For example, "SS40
0 "is defined as an alloy of 50% iron and 50% nickel.

The processing data 509 is data indicating how to process in manufacturing a product from the part. The processing data 509 includes a reserved word indicating a processing method and processing data defined by the reserved word. This shows a processing step. When a plurality of processings are required for the part, reserved words and processing data corresponding to that number are arranged.

The individual processing is, for example, as shown in FIG.
In the case of drilling, the reserved word 701 is “HOLE”, the processing data 702 is “(X coordinate value of the hole center in the reference coordinate system of the raw material)”, “(Y coordinate value of the hole center in the reference coordinate system of the raw material). ) "," (Z coordinate value of hole center in raw material reference coordinate system) "," (unit direction vector X component of drilling in raw material reference coordinate system) "," (unit direction of drilling in raw material reference coordinate system) Vector Y component), "(unit direction vector Z component of drilling in reference coordinate system of raw material)", "(hole diameter)", "(hole depth)". Similarly, in the case of bending, the reserved word 703 is “BEND” and the processing data 704 is “(curvature radius)”, “(bending angle)”, “(X coordinate of the bending center in the reference coordinate system of the raw material). Value), "(Y coordinate value of bending center in reference coordinate system of raw material)", "(Z coordinate value of bending center in reference coordinate system of raw material)", "(unit rotation of bending in reference coordinate system of raw material) Vector X component), "(unit rotation vector Y component of bending in reference coordinate system of raw material)", and "(unit rotation vector Z component of bending in reference coordinate system of raw material)". Other processing data is shown in FIG. 7, but the reserved word and the processing data required for the reserved word may be arbitrarily defined according to the processing required to produce a part from raw materials.

In the method of defining the shape data of the raw material shown in FIG. 6 and the method of defining the processing data shown in FIG. 7, data relating to the shape tolerance of the raw material shape and the processing tolerance of the processing are not defined. These tolerance data may be defined as needed.

In order to represent the CAD model of a part on the spreadsheet definition file 302, as shown in FIG. 5, one position / posture data 507, one raw material shape data 508, Then, the processing data 509 is described in the matrix data 506 in a row for the number of processing steps. Also,
These data need not necessarily be described using one row or one column, but may be described using an appropriate range of a matrix, position / posture data 507, raw material shape data 50, or the like.
8. The processing data 509 may be described separately in the spreadsheet definition file.

That is, the feature of the present invention is the CAD of the product.
When assembling a model from a CAD model of a part, information for the part CAD model is separately stored, and in that case, the information is stored in the spreadsheet definition file 302 in terms of the position and orientation data of the part, raw material data, and machining data. This is to save in three data formats.

[Expression 2 of CAD Model] Next, FIG.
And a CAD system according to the present invention using FIG.
Another example of how a CAD model is represented in a spreadsheet definition file will be described. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a CAD model of a chain. FIG.
It is a schematic diagram showing the example of the format of the spreadsheet definition file of the CAD model of a chain. FIG. 10 is a diagram listing and exemplifying raw material data of a chain and sprocket information.

The CAD model described above assumes that the position and shape of a part can be described as not changing due to the action of another part.

The embodiment described here is a case where, in the CAD model, the position and the shape of a part greatly change depending on the coordinates and the shape of another part. As such an example, a specific example in which a CAD model of the chain 801 is created as shown in FIG. 8 will be described.

The shape of the chain changes depending on how many sprockets are hung on the chain and how they are arranged. Therefore, in order to create a CAD model of this chain, it is necessary to define the shape of the chain body, such as the cross-sectional shape of the chain, and the position and shape of the sprocket on which the chain is to be applied, and how the chain fits on the sprocket. Must be defined.

Since the position and shape of the chain 801 are determined by the positions and shapes of the sprockets 802, 803, and 804 of other parts, the above-described method of independently defining a CAD model of a part for each row is not suitable. Have difficulty. Therefore, the basic idea is to use a description related to the sprocket as data for processing the chain.

As shown in FIG. 9, a spreadsheet definition file 90 describing an example of creating a CAD model of a chain.
1 is the information of the cross-sectional shape of the chain in the shape data of the raw material 9
02, and sprocket information 9 as machining data.
03 is described.

The linking program 304 reads the spreadsheet definition file 901 and stores information 902 on the cross-sectional shape of the chain.
Is read, sprocket information 9 in the machining data
03, find the parts to be sprockets, read their positions and shapes, calculate the trajectory of the chain, and finally calculate the overall shape and allocation position of the chain.
Data is transferred to the D software 303 as information of one CAD model.

As shown in FIG. 10, the format of the information 902 of the cross-sectional shape of the chain described as the shape data of the raw material is such that the reserved word 1001 “CHANE” and the dimension data 1002 of the reserved word shape include “(chain thickness)”. , "(Width to the right from the sprocket center line)", "(width to the left from the sprocket center line)", and "(length of one chain)". “(Width to the right from the sprocket center line)” and “(width to the left from the sprocket center line)” mean how much the end of the chain is from the sprocket center line when the chain 801 is viewed from above. It is the amount shown.

Since the shape of the chain depends on the sprocket involved, sprocket information 903 is defined as the processing data. Since the drive sprocket and the driven sprocket are provided at both ends of the chain, the reserved word 904 “MASTER_SPROCKET” for the drive sprocket and the reserved word 905 “FOLLOW_S” for the driven sprocket are included in the machining data.
PROCKET "is defined to define another part to be a sprocket. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, a reserved word 904" MASTER_SP "for a driving sprocket is defined.
As the data 1003 of “ROCKET”, “(identifier of a part to be a CAD model of the driving sprocket)”, a reserved word 905 for the driven sprocket “FOLLOW_SP”
“(ROCKET)” data 1004 is defined as “(identifier of part to be CAD model of driven sprocket)”, and another part to be a sprocket is set by the part identifier.

The information of the sprocket is defined in the processing data 906 of the parts to be the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket. As shown in FIG. 10, the reserved word 1005 “SPROCKET_DIM” of the sprocket information and its data 1006 “(Sprocket rotation center X coordinate value in the reference coordinate system of the CAD model as a sprocket component)”, “(sprocket component Defines the sprocket rotation center Y coordinate value in the reference coordinate system of the CAD model), "(the sprocket rotation center Z coordinate value in the reference coordinate system of the CAD model as a part of the sprocket)", and the "(sprocket pitch circle diameter)". Then, the rotation center and pitch circle diameter of the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket are described.

The reason why the sprocket information is not described in the row or column of the chain but in the row or column of the part that becomes the sprocket is that the spreadsheet definition file takes the form of occupying a row or column for each part. Therefore, defining the chain and sprocket as separate parts is more consistent with the overall format and is easier to manage.

After all, in the CAD model of the chain,
The information defined in the shape data of the raw material is only the cross-sectional shape of the chain, and the trajectory of the chain is determined by defining the information of the sprocket in another part.

In addition, an auxiliary sprocket 80 that does not transmit driving force is provided on the chain in order to change the routing halfway.
In some cases, the auxiliary sprocket is defined in the machining data, so that the routing of the chain can be changed in the middle. That is, similarly to the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket, the reserved word 906 of the auxiliary sprocket “SUPPORT_SPRO” is added to the machining data 903 of the row or column defined by the chain.
A part to be an auxiliary sprocket is specified by defining "CKET" and its data, and sprocket information "SPROCKET_DIM" is described as information of the auxiliary sprocket in the processing data of the part to be an auxiliary sprocket.

The auxiliary sprocket is a reserved word "SUPPO
RT_SPROCKET "data 100
7 "(identifier of part to be CAD model of driven sprocket)", data 1008 "(order when tracing upper chain from driving gear)", data 1009 "( Attachment site (between drive sprocket and driven sprocket, or between driven sprocket and drive sprocket)) ", data 1010" (chain attachment site (whether over or under sprocket) ) ”. That is, the data specifying the order of the auxiliary sprockets when the upper chain is traced from the driving gear assuming that a plurality of auxiliary sprockets are engaged, and the auxiliary sprocket is applied to the chain between the driving gear and the driven gear. Or the data that specifies whether the chain will be applied to the chain between the driven gear and the driven gear, and the data that specifies whether the chain is overlaid or underlaid with respect to the auxiliary sprocket is data unique to the auxiliary sprocket. This is necessary, so that an arbitrary number of auxiliary sprockets can be set between the driving gear and the driven gear to route the chain.

The chain CA shown in FIGS.
In the method of defining the D model, data relating to chain deflection due to chain shape tolerance and aging is not defined, but these data may be defined as needed.
Further, in FIG. 9, in the method of defining a chain CAD model, information other than the cross-sectional shape of the chain is defined in the machining data of another part, but the information is defined in another place of the spreadsheet definition file or another spreadsheet definition file. May be described.

[Advantages of the CAD System of the Present Invention] The CAD system of the present invention can provide the following advantages.

(1) Since complicated information of a CAD model can be explicitly managed in a table, even a person who has no knowledge about CAD can use product information described in the CAD model.

(2) In general, CAD software is expensive, and spreadsheet software is inexpensive. Therefore, C
By placing CAD software only in a department that requires design by AD and placing spreadsheet software in a department that only performs part data input, an efficient and inexpensive system can be constructed as a whole system.

(3) Information of a CAD model of a part is managed by dividing it into three types, ie, part allocation positions, raw materials, and processing information from raw materials to parts. (A) To know the raw material shape of the CAD model directly It is possible to directly arrange materials in parts production.

(B) It is possible to directly know the processing information of parts with no excess or shortage, and it can be expected to be directly applied to CAM (computer-assisted manufacturing) data or to cost estimation by piled up processing work.

[0072]

According to the present invention, a CAD system is seamlessly linked with spreadsheet software, and the spreadsheet software has sufficient CAD model description capability, so that the case where the shape of a part is unknown or the parts are not connected to each other. Thus, even if the assembly changes, it is possible to provide a CAD system capable of performing flexible measures and performing a comfortable operation for the user.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a CAD system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of a CAD system that can cooperate with spreadsheet software according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a software configuration of a CAD system that can cooperate with spreadsheet software according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an operation of a CAD system which can cooperate with spreadsheet software according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a format of a spreadsheet definition file of a CAD model according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram listing examples of raw material data.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a list of actual examples of processing data;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a CAD model of a chain.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a format of a spreadsheet definition file of a CAD model of a chain.

FIG. 10 is a diagram listing and exemplifying raw material data of a chain and sprocket information;

[Explanation of symbols]

101 input device 102 CAD model creation device 103 CAD model display device 104 operator 201 CPU 202 main storage 203 external storage device 204 input device 205 display device 206 various interfaces 301 spreadsheet software 302 ... spreadsheet definition file 303 ... CAD software 304 ... cooperation program 305 ... operating system 400 ... basic product specification 401 ... processing to be represented by CAD model 402 ... data necessary for CAD model 403 ... part CAD model 500 ... matrix data 501 ... Matrix data 503 ... Product height 504 ... Width 505 ... Output 507 ... Position and orientation data 508 ... Shape data of component raw materials 509 ... Processing data such as hole processing and bending required to manufacture components from raw materials 10: Raw material shape data 510 511: Position and orientation data 511 512: Product depth 512 513: Component identifier 514: Assembly destination component identifier 515: Component B 516: Identifier 517: Assembly destination component identifier 518: Identifier 519 ... Part 520: X-component data of position and orientation 521: Roll 522, which is orientation data Pitch 523, which is orientation data Yaw 524, which is orientation data 524: X-component data of position and orientation 525: Reserved words indicating the shapes of raw materials 526: Reserved Dimension data of word shape 527 Material 601 Angle iron 602 Reserved word 603 Dimension data of shape 604 Steel plate 605 Reserved word 606 Shape dimensional data 607 Reserved word 608 Dimension data 701 Reserved word 702: Processing data 703: Reserved word 704: Processing data 801 ... Chain 802 ... Sprocket 803 ... Sprocket 804 ... Sprocket 901 ... Spreadsheet definition file 902 ... Chain cross-sectional shape information 903 ... Sprocket information 904 ... Reserved word 905 ... Reserved word 906 ... Data 907 ... Data 1001 ... Reserved word 1002 ... each dimension data of the shape of the reserved word 1003 ... data 1004 ... data 1005 ... reserved word 1006 ... data 1007 ... data 1008 ... data 1009 ... data 1010 ... data

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor, Takeshi Takemori 832-2, Horiguchi, Hitachinaka-shi, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside of Elevator Engineering Co., Ltd. Elevator Engineering Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hirotaka Ono 832 Horiguchi, Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture F-term in Elevator Engineering Co., Ltd. 5B046 AA05 BA04 CA04 KA03

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. CAD that can be linked with spreadsheet software
In this system, the CAD system is a CAD system that expresses a part by a shape model and generates a shape model in which a plurality of parts are assembled, wherein data relating to the shape model of the part is used as data on the spreadsheet software. The position and orientation data characterizing the coordinates of the shape model of the part in the shape model space, raw material data characterizing the raw material of the part, and three types of data of processing data characterizing the processing steps of the part are held, and The data structure is represented by one or a plurality of rows or columns for one part, and the data input by the spreadsheet software is taken in as data for generating a shape model. CAD system that can be linked with spreadsheet software. 2. When a part is related to another part in a machining process and the data in the shape model space of the part changes, a part data of the part defined on the spreadsheet software is displayed in a column of machining data of the part. 2. A CAD system capable of cooperating with spreadsheet software according to claim 1, wherein information on other parts related to the change is described. 3. CAD capable of cooperating with spreadsheet software
In a shape model generation method of expressing a part by a shape model by a system and generating a shape model in which the part is assembled in a plurality, the data on the shape model of the part is used as data on the spreadsheet software, and the shape of the part is Position and orientation data characterizing the coordinates of the model in the shape model space, raw material data characterizing the raw material of the part, and processing data characterizing the processing step of the part are held as three types of data. One part or a plurality of parts are represented by one or a plurality of rows or columns, and the data is input by the spreadsheet software. The CAD data can be executed independently of the spreadsheet software. Method of Generating Shape Model by Generating Shapes . 4. When a certain part is related to another part in a processing step and data in the shape model space of the part changes, a part of the processing data of the part defined on the spreadsheet software includes 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein information on other parts related to the change is described. 5. The method for generating a shape model is executed by spreadsheet software, CAD software, and a linking program. The spreadsheet software includes a function that can be customized by a user, and is processed by the spreadsheet software. The method according to any one of claims 3 and 4, wherein the link data is loaded into the CAD software by the cooperation program to generate a shape model of the part. 6. A program for executing at least one of spreadsheet software, CAD software, and a cooperative program for executing the shape model generating method according to claim 3 on an electronic computer. A storage medium characterized by the above-mentioned.