JP2006268726A - Design procedure generating device, design procedure generating method, and design procedure generating program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the generation of design procedure information and a flow chart by inputting a shape and a parent-child relationship of a product or a component by a three-dimensional design means, shorten the design period, and stabilize quality of the product or the component. <P>SOLUTION: A design procedure generating device comprises: an item name inputting means for inputting an item name; a three-dimensional design means provided with a shape definition means for defining a shape of a feature and a parent-child relationship of the feature; and a design procedure extraction means for generating a flow chart of the design from the parent-child relationship. The design procedure extraction means comprises: a parent item determination means for determining a parent item from the parent-child relationship; a means for generating a design procedure table on which an ID of the feature and numbers of parent items given according to the order of the determination by the parent item determination means are filled in; and a flow chart generating means for generating a flow chart with the description of item names in the order of the numbers of parent items on the design procedure table. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for generating a flow chart for designing a product or a part, and a program, and more particularly to generating a design flow chart from a three-dimensional design means for designing a product or a part.

Patent Document 1 discloses a design support apparatus that accumulates knowledge and know-how necessary for designing a product or a part and that can be used to design in a short time even for a person with little design experience. . In Patent Document 1, when designing a product or a part, design items to be determined at each stage of the design work are instructed to a design worker, and specific design data relating to the design items is read from a database and designed. A design support is provided by providing a function to the operator and prompting the design operator to determine specific design data regarding each design item.
Japanese Patent No. 3288686

The design support apparatus of Patent Document 1 is used effectively when designing products and parts, since the items to be designed next are instructed in the course of design work, and the design data is presented. Can do. However, in order to sequentially present design items, design data, and know-how to design workers with this design support device, the first designer of the product or part analyzes the design work at the same time as the design, describes the flowchart, In addition, design data and design know-how must be organized and registered in the computer. Alternatively, the skilled designer interviews the first designer of the product or part and analyzes the design work of the product or part from the design sequence performed by the 3D design means, and the design worker performs the design work based on the analysis result. It is necessary to generate a flowchart so that it can be efficiently performed sequentially, and to organize design data and know-how and register them in the computer. When a design worker designs a product or a part, it is necessary to construct a system so that flowcharts, design data, and know-how are appropriately presented.
Thus, it is difficult to generate a design procedure for many products or parts because the first designer or the skilled designer has to generate a design procedure.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to facilitate creation of design procedure information and a flowchart by inputting the shape of a product or part and a parent-child relationship by means of a three-dimensional design means. It also shortens the flowchart creation period and reduces the burden on the first designer. Furthermore, the purpose is to shorten the design period and stabilize the quality of the product or part by using the created flowchart for the design of the product or part.

The design procedure generating apparatus of the present invention includes: an item name input unit that inputs an item name; a three-dimensional design unit that includes a shape defining unit that defines a shape of a feature that constitutes the item and a parent-child relationship of the feature; Design procedure extraction means for generating a design flowchart from the relationship is provided to solve the above-mentioned problem.
Further, in the design procedure generation apparatus of the present invention, the design procedure extraction unit enters a number in the order of the parent item determined by the parent item determination unit that determines the parent item from the parent-child relationship, and the feature ID and the parent item determination unit. Means for creating a design procedure table and flowchart creation means for creating a flowchart by describing item names in the order of the parent item numbers of the design procedure table are provided.
Further, the flowchart creation means draws a line connecting the item names described in the order of the parent item numbers.
The three-dimensional design means further includes dimension display means for inputting and displaying the feature dimensions or standard shape registration determining means for registering the designed item in a standard shape.
In another aspect of the present invention, an item name input step for inputting an item name, a three-dimensional design step including a shape definition step for defining a feature shape and a feature parent-child relationship, and a design flowchart based on the parent-child relationship. The problem is solved by a design procedure generation method including a design procedure extraction step to be generated.
Further, the present invention provides an item name input step for inputting an item name, a three-dimensional design step including a shape definition step for defining a feature shape and a feature parent-child relationship, and a design procedure for generating a design flowchart from the parent-child relationship. A design procedure generation method is realized by a design procedure generation program that causes a computer to execute the extraction step, and the problem is solved.

Since the design procedure generation apparatus of the present invention includes a three-dimensional design unit including an item name input unit that inputs the name of an item, and a shape definition unit that defines the shape of the feature and the parent-child relationship of the feature. Design procedure information can be registered. In addition, since a design procedure extracting means for generating a design flowchart from the parent-child relationship is provided, the design flowchart can be easily generated. As a result, it is possible to reduce the burden on the design flowchart creator. Further, design support can be performed by the flowchart generated by the present invention.
In addition, the design procedure extraction unit is a parent item determination unit that determines a parent item from the parent-child relationship, a unit that creates a design procedure table in which a feature ID and a parent item determined by the parent item determination unit are entered in order. A flow chart creation means for creating a flow chart by creating item names in the order of the parent item numbers in the design procedure table is provided, and the flow chart creation means draws a line connecting the item names written in the order of the parent item numbers. A flow chart is generated, allowing the designer to capture the design intent of the designer who originally designed the product or part, and to modify the shape, size and position of the part data for the design of a new product or part. It becomes possible to do.
In the design procedure generation apparatus according to the present invention, the three-dimensional design means further includes dimension display means for inputting and displaying the feature dimensions, so that design data such as design dimensions can be accumulated. Further, since the three-dimensional design means further includes a standard shape registration determination means for registering the designed items in the standard shape, standardization of the product or part can be promoted, and the design data can be used for the design of other products or parts. This can shorten the design period and stabilize the quality of the product or part.

  A design procedure generation apparatus according to the present invention includes an item name input unit for inputting an item name, a three-dimensional design unit including a shape definition unit for defining a feature shape and a feature parent-child relationship, and generates a design flowchart from the parent-child relationship. And a design procedure extracting means.

The 3D design means defines the shape of the product or part by inputting the shape, dimensions, and position coordinates of each part of the feature, and combines the items configured by these features to design the product or part. It is. Here, the feature means a minimum unit of a basic three-dimensional geometric shape such as a rectangular parallelepiped, a cylinder, a sphere, a triangular pyramid, a hole, and a corner process. This design result is stored as design data in a computer.
A unit having one function formed by using one or more features and having a shape is called an “item”. For example, a boss is an item created from two features of a cylinder and a hole. The two features in the combination relationship define the positional relationship of the child features with one feature as a parent, the other feature as a child, and the parent feature as a position reference. The number of features in the parent-child relationship is not limited to two, and may be any number of two or more. Further, a child in a parent-child relationship may further form a parent-child relationship. In addition, two combinations of features are grouped together, and when one feature is moved, the other feature moves while maintaining the positional relationship with each other.
One or more items collected and arranged in the order of design are referred to as a model tree, and the structure of products or parts is expressed by the model tree. The item created first is called the parent item, and the item created later is called the child item. The model tree is generated together with the design by the three-dimensional design means.
The flowchart is automatically generated by the design procedure extracting means of the present invention. The flowchart shows the order in which items and features are designed, and shows the parent-child relationship between items and features.

<Design procedure generator>
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a design procedure generation apparatus of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the design procedure generation device 100 stores a three-dimensional design data, a three-dimensional design unit 10 that performs a three-dimensional design of a product or a part, a design procedure extraction unit 20 that generates a design flow chart, and 3D design data. From a dimensional design data storage device 30, a standard shape data storage device 40 that stores design data of a standard shape, and an image data storage device 50 that stores an image of 3D data displaying the shapes of features and items and their dimensions. Composed.

The three-dimensional design means 10 includes a part name input means 11, an item name input means 12, a shape definition means 13, an item end means 14, a dimension display means 15, an image data creation means 16, and a standard shape registration determination means. 17.
The design procedure extraction unit 20 includes a parent item determination unit 21 that determines a parent item, a design procedure table creation unit that creates a design procedure table 22 in which feature IDs and numbers are entered in order of parent items determined by the parent item determination unit. And a flowchart creating means 23 for creating a flowchart by describing item names in the order of parent item numbers in the design procedure table.
As shown in FIG. 7, the design procedure table 22 displays numbers, item names, feature IDs of features constituting the items, parent item numbers, feature shapes constituting the items, and dimensions thereof. It has an image data file name column.

The three-dimensional design data storage device 30 includes a geometric shape data storage unit 31 and a model tree data storage unit 32. The geometric shape data storage unit 31 stores a part name, items constituting the part, and feature data as a pair. For example, the part name is “main body chassis”, and the data includes, for example, “item: main body, three-dimensional shape data: vertical (mm) / horizontal (mm) / width (mm), image data file name: pict.1, “gif, item: boss”. The model tree data storage unit 32 stores a part name and model tree data as a pair. For example, the part name is “main body”, and the model tree data is shown in FIGS.
The standard shape data storage device 40 stores design data of parts determined as a standard shape by a designer who uses the three-dimensional design means 10 or a person related to the designer. For example, the item name is “main body”, and the design data is “ID: f1, parent ID: 0, feature name: rectangular parallelepiped, three-dimensional data: vertical (mm), horizontal (mm), width (mm)”.
The image data storage device 50 adds and saves dimension data to the three-dimensional image data of the features constituting the item. For example, the item name is “main body”, and the data is “ID: f1, parent ID: 0, feature name: rectangular parallelepiped, image data: pict.1, gif”.

<3D design>
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram in the case where, for example, a main body chassis is created by combining features by the three-dimensional design means 10. FIG. 2A shows a main body chassis as a component, and the main body chassis is composed of three items: a main body 1, a boss 2, and a rib 3. FIG. 2B shows the shape of the main body 1, which is constituted by one feature “cuboid”, which is defined by a length, a width, and a thickness by forming the rectangular parallelepiped into a flat plate shape. FIG. 2C shows the shape of the boss 2 and is composed of two features “cylinder” and “hole”. A cylinder is defined by its diameter and height. A hole is defined by its position relative to the cylinder, diameter and depth. FIG. 2D shows the shape of the rib 3, which is composed of one feature “cuboid”, is formed into a long rod shape, and is defined by the length, width, and thickness.
Thus, it can be seen that the three-dimensional design of a part is composed of one or more items and one or more features.

<Model tree>
The model tree of the main body chassis is expressed as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, or FIG. 5, for example.
The model tree of FIG. 3 has model data 200, 300, and 400 for design start and model data 220, 330, and 420 for design end for each item “main body”, “boss”, and “rib”. The features constituting the item “main body” are indicated by the model data 210 and are “cuboids”. In the model data 210, the feature ID for displaying the feature is displayed as “ID: f1”. Since the feature rectangular parallelepiped constituting the main body has no parent feature for determining its position, the parent feature ID is displayed as “0” to mean that there is no parent feature ID.
The features constituting the item “boss” are “cylinder” indicated by the model data 310 and “hole” indicated by the model data 320. The model data 310 displays the feature ID as “ID: f2” and the position of the feature cylinder constituting the boss is determined based on the main body 1, so that the parent feature ID means the main feature 1. The ID is displayed as “p1”. The model data 320 displays the feature ID as “ID: f3”, and the feature holes constituting the boss determine their positions with reference to the cylinder 2, so the parent feature ID means the parent feature so as to mean the cylinder 2. The ID is displayed as “p2”.
The feature constituting the item “rib” is a “cuboid” indicated by the model data 410. The model data 410 displays the feature ID as “ID: f4”, and the feature rectangular parallelepiped constituting the rib determines its position with respect to the main body 1, so that the parent feature ID means the main feature 1. The ID is displayed as “p1”.
In this way, the model data 210, 310, 320, and 410 display the feature name, feature ID, and parent feature ID. The parent-child relationship is expressed by the feature ID and the parent feature ID.

The model tree of FIG. 4 includes model data 210, 310, 320, and 410 that display item names, feature IDs, and parent feature IDs for each of the features “cuboid”, “cylinder”, “hole”, and “cuboid”. Composed. By describing the item name in each model data, the parent-child relationship between each feature and each item is displayed. Each model data is displayed as a feature ID and a parent ID as in FIG. Each model data represents the parent-child relationship of the item with respect to the component “main body chassis”.
In the model tree of FIG. 5, model data is divided for each item “main body”, “boss”, and “rib”, and the connection relationship of each model data represents the parent-child relationship of each item. The model data 200 of the item “main body” is composed of model data 210 of the feature “cuboid”. The model data 300 of the item “boss” is composed of the model data 310 of the feature “cylinder” and the model data 320 of the feature “hole”. The model data 400 of the item “rib” is configured by model data 410 of the feature “cuboid”. These model trees display feature names, feature IDs, and parent feature IDs as in the model data of FIG. Thus, the parent-child relationship of each feature is displayed in a hierarchy for each item.

<Design procedure-model tree in Fig. 3>
Next, the flow of generating the model tree of FIG. 3 together with the design by the three-dimensional design means will be described with reference to FIG. 6, taking as an example the case where the part “main body chassis” shown in FIG. .
As shown in FIG. 6, when the design of a product or part is started by the three-dimensional design means 10, the name of the part to be designed is first input by the part name input means 11 (S1). There are various parts name input methods, and any method can be adopted. Here, the part name input dialog is displayed by clicking the part design start button on the display screen of the three-dimensional design means. Enter Chassis. As a result, model data 100 indicating the part name is created in the model tree of FIG.
The part name is used as a name of the model data 100 and is used when referring to the part data in the three-dimensional design data storage device 30.

(Main unit design procedure)
Next, the name of the item to be designed is input by the item name input means 12, and the model data 200 is created (S2). As with the input of the part name, the item name is input by clicking the item design start button on the display screen of the three-dimensional design means to display the item name input dialog and inputting the item name “body”. Any other input method may be adopted. As a result, model data 200 indicating item names in the model tree of FIG. 3 is created. Furthermore, since this model data is the start of the design of the main unit, the name is “main unit start”. In this case, the item name is input and not the feature design, so the feature ID, parent feature ID, and geometric information are “blank”. The model data name “main body start”, feature ID “blank”, parent feature “blank”, and geometric information “blank” input in this way are stored in the three-dimensional design data storage device 30.

Next, the shape of the feature is defined by the shape defining means 13. Alternatively, the feature shape created by other parts is used to define the shape of the feature (S3). In the case of the main body, since the feature is composed of a rectangular parallelepiped, the name “cuboid” is input to the model data 210. The feature name is input by displaying a feature name input dialog on the display screen.
In this case, since the feature ID is the first feature in this design procedure, “f1” is automatically set by the three-dimensional design means 10. The feature ID values are added one by one in the order of creation.
When designing the main body, “0” is input to the parent ID so that there is no parent feature as a reference for determining the position of the main body and it means the parent item created first.
The shape defining means 13 is formed by forming a feature “cuboid” into a flat plate shape, and defines the shape as geometric information by length, width, and thickness.
The name “cuboid”, feature ID “f1”, parent feature ID “0”, and geometric information of the model data 210 input as described above are stored in the three-dimensional design data storage device 30.

  Since the feature constituting the main body is only one rectangular parallelepiped, the design of the feature in the main body is finished here. Accordingly, the model ending means 14 creates model data 220 that means the end of the design of the item “main body” (S4). The design end is input by clicking the item design end button on the display screen of the three-dimensional design means. An arbitrary method may be adopted for the input of the design end. As a result, model data 220 is created, and its name is “end of main body”. Here, the item name is input and not the feature design, so the feature ID, parent feature ID, and geometric information are “blank”. The model data name “main body end”, feature ID “blank”, and parent feature ID “blank” input in this way are stored in the three-dimensional design data storage device 30.

Next, all the features constituting the item are highlighted by the dimension display means 15, and the dimensions are input and displayed. Here, since the item is a main body and the feature is a flat plate formed from a rectangular parallelepiped, the designer inputs dimensions of length, width and thickness into the flat main body. The dimension is input by the automatic dimension line display function or interactive type of the three-dimensional design apparatus. The dimension display means 15 displays the shape on the display screen, and the designer confirms the shape and dimension. As for the dimension, the “rectangular shape” that is the feature of the “item” that is the object of the current design is displayed, but other features may be displayed and the dimension line may be displayed.
The image data creation means 16 creates the image data by adding the three-dimensional shape of the item created by the shape definition means 13 and the dimension input by the dimension display means 15 to the three-dimensional shape (S5). The file format of the image data is, for example, GIF or JPEG. This image data is stored in the image data storage device 50.

In step S6, the standard shape registration determining means 16 determines whether the designer or the related person registers the three-dimensional shape data of the item as a standard shape. If it is registered as a standard shape, the process proceeds to step S7, and if not registered, the process proceeds to S8.
In step S7, data of all the features constituting the item are registered in the standard shape data storage device 40. In step S7, the item name, the features constituting it, and the feature ID are registered so that the same standard shape is not registered twice. The item name is registered using a reserved name such as boss XX, and the item type is displayed so that the user can easily use it. When registering as a standard shape, the same feature name and feature ID are searched for by searching, and further, the designer visually determines whether the dimensions are the same by the dimension display function.
In step S8, whether or not to finish the design of the product or part is determined by the input of the designer. If no more items or features are added to the product or part currently designed, or if it is determined that it is not necessary to add shape data, the process proceeds to step S9. If the design is not completed and the design is continued, the process returns to step S2.

(Boss design flow)
Since the present embodiment is the design of the main body chassis in FIG. 2, the design of the “boss” and the “rib” is necessary following the design of the “main body”, and the process returns to step S2. The design of “boss” is performed by clicking the item design start button on the display screen of the three-dimensional design means by the design item input means 12 as in the case where the “main body” is defined as the item name as described above. The input diagram is displayed, and "boss" is input as the item name (S2). As a result, model data 300 is generated, whose item name is “boss start”, feature ID is “blank”, and parent feature ID is “blank”.
Next, in step S3, the shape definition means 13 for the feature “cylinder” defines the shape to create a three-dimensional shape of the cylinder. The cylinder is mounted at a desired position with “main body” as a parent item, and is synthesized by defining two geometrical positional relations between the main body and the cylinder. In other words, the center position of the cylinder is expressed numerically with the right side and the lower side of the main body as references, and the diameter and height of the cylinder are expressed numerically. Thereby, the model data 310 of FIG. 3 is generated. “Cylinder” is written as a name in the model data 310, and the feature ID is automatically counted up by the three-dimensional design means, and “f2” is written. Since the cylinder is dimensioned with respect to the main body to create the boss, the parent item ID is the main body, and “p1” is written in the parent ID.

Next, since the boss is composed of two features of a cylinder and a hole, the hole is designed. In order to design a hole, the created cylinder is selected as a parent, and the shape definition means 13 defines the shape of the hole. The feature “hole” is arranged at a desired position of the cylinder, and the three-dimensional shape is defined by defining the diameter and depth of the hole (S3). Thereby, the boss which consists of a cylinder and a hole is formed. In this way, a geometric combination of the two features of the cylinder and the hole is made. At the same time, the model data 320 of FIG. 3 is generated. In the model data 320, “hole” is written as a name, the feature ID is automatically counted up, and “f3” is written. Since the cylinder is the parent feature, “p2” is written in the parent feature ID.
Next, the model end unit 14 creates model data 330 for the end design of the item “boss” (S4). The design end is input by clicking the item design end button on the display screen of the three-dimensional design means. As a result, model data 330 is created, and its name is “End of Boss”. In this case, the feature ID is “blank” to mean none, and the parent feature ID is also “blank”.
Next, as in the case of the main body, the dimension is displayed in the item “boss” by the dimension display means 15 and the image data is stored in the image data storage device 50 (S5). In step S6, it is determined whether or not to register as a standard shape. If registered, the process proceeds to step S7, and if not registered, the process proceeds to S8. In step S8, the rib design is further continued, and the process returns to step S2.

(Rib design flow)
In order to design “rib”, the item name input means 12 is clicked on the item design start button to display an item name input diagram, and “rib” is input as the item name (S2). As a result, the model data 400 is generated, the item name is “live start”, the feature ID is “blank” to mean none, and the parent feature ID is also “blank”.
In step S3, the shape is defined by the shape defining means 13, and a three-dimensional shape of a rectangular parallelepiped is formed into a rod shape as a feature to create a rib. The rib is mounted at a desired position with “main body” as a parent item, and is synthesized by defining the geometric positional relationship between the two items of the main body and the rib. That is, the position of the rectangular parallelepiped is expressed numerically based on the right side and the lower side of the main body, and the length, width, and height of the rectangular parallelepiped are defined. Thereby, the model data 410 of FIG. 3 is generated. The model data 410 writes “cuboid” as a name, the feature ID is automatically counted up, and “f4” is written. Since the rectangular parallelepiped is dimensioned with respect to the main body in order to create the rib, the parent item ID is the main body, and “p1” is written in the parent ID.

Since the feature constituting the rib is one cuboid, the item design is finished. For the item design end, the item end means 14 creates model data 420 for the design end of the item “rib” (S4). The design end is input by clicking the item design end button on the display screen of the three-dimensional design means. As a result, model data 420 is created, and its name is “live end”. In this case, the feature ID is “blank” to mean none, and the parent ID is also “blank”.
Next, a dimension is input to the item “rib” by the dimension display means 15, and the image data is stored in the image data storage device 50 (S5). In step S6, it is determined whether or not to register as a standard shape. If registered, the process proceeds to step S7, and if not registered, the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, since the three-dimensional design of the component “main body chassis” is completed, the process proceeds to step S9.
Thus, the model tree of FIG. 3 is generated.

<Design procedure-model tree in Fig. 4>
Compared with the model tree of FIG. 3, the model tree of FIG. 4 omits model data for the start and end of items. Therefore, in the flow of FIG. 6, the model data 200 of “main body start” is not created in step S2, and the model data 220 of “main body end” is not created in step S4. Similarly, the “boss start” model data 300 and the “rib start” model data 400 are not created in step S2, and the “boss end” model data 320 and the “rib end” model data 420 are not created in step S4. .
Instead, the item name is written in step S3 for creating model data 210, 310, 320, 410 of each feature so that the item name can be recognized.
<Design procedure-model tree in Fig. 5>
The model tree in FIG. 5 omits the model data at the end of the item. Therefore, the model data 220, 320, 420 is not created in step S4.

<Flowchart generation (outline)>
In step S9, the parent item determination means 21 determines the parent item of each item from the parent-child relationship of each feature of each model data, and the design procedure creation means assigns the numbers in the order of the feature ID and the parent item determined by the parent item determination means 21. The entered design procedure table 22 is created. Details of this will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 7 shows a design procedure table 22. The design procedure table 22 includes columns for number, item name, feature ID, parent item number, and image data file name. The numbers do not overlap and are unique to the item. The item name is a character string input by the item name input means 12 in step 2. The feature ID is a feature ID constituting the item defined by the shape defining means 13 in step S3, and is equal to the number of features. The parent item number is an item number created prior to the item, and is an item based on the dimension of the feature. The boss and rib parent item number “1” indicates that the main body is the parent item. The image data file name is a file name of image data in a state where the shape of the feature constituting the item and its dimensions are displayed.

  In step S10, the flow chart creation means 23 creates items in the order of the numbers in the design procedure table 22, and creates a design procedure flowchart by connecting the items after the items. The flowchart created in this way is displayed on the display screen. The numbers in the flowchart and the design procedure table 22 are the same. When an item is selected by clicking or the like, the image data file name in the design procedure table 22 is read and the image data file can be opened from the image data storage device 50. .

<Flowchart generation (details)>
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining step S9 in detail, and shows a flow for sequentially reading the model data of FIG. 3 and creating the procedure table 22 of FIG.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining step S10 in detail, and shows a flow for sequentially reading the design procedure table 22 of FIG. 7 and creating the flowchart of FIG. 11B.
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a character position drawn in the flowchart of FIG.
Hereinafter, description will be given of FIGS. Here, the correspondence when there is an error in the data is not described because it is not related to the essence of the present invention.

(Creation of design procedure)
In the first step S20 in FIG. 8, an initial set is performed. That is, the indication variable (NREAD) of the model data reading position in FIG. In addition, the writing line number indicating variable (ICHIRAN) in the design procedure table 22 is set to zero.
In step S21, 1 is added to the indication variable (NREAD) of the model data reading position, and the first model data is read. Next, in step S22, it is determined whether all the model data has been read. If not, the process proceeds to step S23. If all are read, the process ends. Next, in step S23, it is determined whether or not the model data is item start data based on whether or not the name of the model data is “□□ start”. If it is item start data, the process proceeds to step S24, and the writing position indicating variable (ICHIRAN) in the design procedure table 22 is increased by one. If it is not item start data, the process returns to step S21.

In step S25, 1 is added to the reading position indicating variable (NREAD) to read the next model data, and the process proceeds to step S26. In step S26, the end of the item is determined by whether or not the name of the model data is “□□ end”. If completed, the process returns to step S21. If not completed, the process proceeds to step S27. In step S27, since the instruction variable (ICHIRAN) of the writing line number in the design procedure table 22 in the step S24 is 1, the item name read is written in the item name column on the first line of the design procedure document 22. The feature ID number is written in the feature ID column. The parent feature ID number is written in the parent item number field. The image data file name corresponding to the item name is obtained from the image data storage device 50 and written in the image data file field.
After the end of step S27, the process returns to step S25 and the same processing as the previous time is performed.
The design procedure manual 22 shown in FIG. 7 is created by the flow of FIG. 8 described above.

(Create flowchart)
Next, a flow for creating the flowchart shown in FIG. 11B from the design procedure table 22 will be described with reference to FIG. The outline of this method is to raise the parent item number ID by 1 from 0, select row data equal to the same parent item number ID from the design procedure table, and write down the selected item name in the parent item number ID column. If the parent item number ID exceeds the maximum value of the parent item number, the process is terminated.
First, in step S30, the maximum value of the parent item number in the design procedure table 22 is first obtained. With this as the maximum value of the parent item, the parent item number MAX is set. In the procedure manual of FIG. 7, the maximum value of the parent item is 1. In step S31, the parent item number ID is initially set to 0. In step S32, the parent item number ID is compared with the parent item number MAX. If the parent item number ID is smaller than the parent item number MAX, the process proceeds to step S34, and a parent item number equal to the parent item number ID is extracted from the design procedure table. All item names having the extracted parent item number ID are described as (X = X0 + parent item number ID × WIDTH, Y = Y0 + HEIGHT sequentially downward). That is, as shown in FIG. 10, since the parent item number ID of No. 1 in the design procedure manual is 0 and the item name of the parent item number 0 equal to it is “main body”, the item name S40 “main body” is It is drawn at a position (x1, y1) in the flowchart of FIG.

Next, in step 35, the parent item number ID is incremented by 1, and the process returns to step S32. Here, the parent item number is 1, which is compared with the parent item number MAX. When the parent item number is 1, since it is the same as the parent item number MAX (= 1), the process proceeds to step S34. In step S34, all item names having a parent item number equal to 1 are extracted from the design procedure table. In the design procedure document of FIG. 7, there are a boss No. 2 and a rib No. 3 as item names having a parent item number of 1. For this boss, “boss” is drawn as the item name S41 at the position (x2, y1) of the parent item number ID line in the flowchart of FIG. Then, since there is a rib having the same parent item number as the boss, “rib” is drawn as the item name S42 at a position (x2, y2) shifted downward by the position of HEIGHT. When there are a plurality of items having the same parent item number as described above, the items are sequentially drawn at positions shifted downward by the HEIGHT position.
As described above, the item names of the parent item numbers equal to all the parent item number IDs are extracted, and the process ends when drawing as a flowchart is completed. When the parent item number ID becomes larger than the parent item number MAX, the process proceeds to step S33, and the items in the flowchart of FIG. 10 are drawn so as to be connected by the arrow lines 51, 52, 53, and this flow is finished.

<First flowchart>
For example, a first flowchart as shown in FIG. 11B is generated by the design procedure described above. The first flowchart in FIG. 11B shows a flowchart in which the main body 1 is designed first and the boss 2 or rib 3 is designed second. That is, the center position and diameter of the boss 2 are defined based on the right side and the lower side of the main body 1. Further, the position of the rib 3 and the vertical, horizontal and width sizes of the rib 3 are defined on the basis of the right side and the upper side of the main body 1. Thus, since the boss and rib are designed with the main body as the parent, the parent item number of the boss and rib is “1” in the design procedure, and the boss and rib are drawn in the same column.
In the case of this design procedure, the rib 3 does not change the position of the rib 3 even if the position of the boss 2 changes.

<Second flowchart>
The second flowchart is a flowchart for designing the main body 1, the boss 2 and the rib 3 in this order, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12A, the second flowchart shows a procedure for designing the main body 1 first, designing the boss 2 second, and designing the rib 3 third. Therefore, after designing the main body 1, the center position and diameter of the boss 2 are defined with reference to the right side and lower side of the main body 1. Next, the shift and distance from the center line of the boss 2 toward the right side of the main body 1 are defined, and the vertical, horizontal, and width sizes of the rib 3 are defined.
Thus, when the rib 3 is designed, the design is based on the boss 2. In this case, the parent item ID of the rib 3 is the boss 2, so the parent ID is “p2”. As a result, the parent item number of the rib 3 of the design procedure manual becomes “2”. 9, the rib 3 is not the same parent item number as the boss 2, and thus is not processed in the same step S <b> 34 as the boss 2, so that the rib 3 is connected behind the boss 2. It is.
The second flowchart generated in this way is shown in FIG. In the case of this design procedure, if the position of the boss 2 changes, the position of the rib 3 also changes.

Thus, as can be seen by comparing FIG. 11B and FIG. 12B, the designer designs the main body 1 first, and then designs either the boss 2 or the rib 3 first. It can be seen whether it is intended to be good, or the boss 2 is designed and then the rib 3 is designed. Thus, if a flowchart as shown in FIG. 11 (a) or FIG. 12 (b) is obtained, in the case of using a part defined in the already registered three-dimensional solid shape in the product or part design, The type and order of the features constituting the part can be known, and design support can be provided by the flowchart of FIG. 11A or FIG. Knowing the type and order of features, designers can determine if the feature shape matches the shape of the product or part currently being designed, and if not, it will fit the product or part currently being designed. The shape, size, and position may be corrected.
In addition, the design can be efficiently performed using the data stored in the three-dimensional design data storage device 30 and the image data storage device 50 when designing the feature.

<Insert material>
When the model tree shown in FIG. 3 is created, the model tree can be determined by using a comparison table of a main body size, a boss system, and the number of bosses prepared in advance. FIG. 13 shows an example of the comparison table. In this way, the item name can be input to the model data 300 using the data 500 such as a comparison table. In this case, the name of the material 500 such as the name of the comparison table used there is designated with a mouse or the like, so that the file name 500 describing the comparison table is input. In addition to the comparison table, mathematical formulas and experimental data can be input in the same manner. FIG. 14 shows that the boss system item design basis file name 600 is linked to the model data 300.
The material can be inserted in the model tree of FIGS. 4 and 5 in the same manner.

The block diagram of the design procedure production | generation apparatus of this invention is shown. An explanatory view of three-dimensional design is shown. A first model tree is shown. A second model tree is shown. A third model tree is shown. An explanatory view of the first design procedure is shown. Show the design procedure table The procedure for creating a design procedure is shown. A procedure for creating a flowchart will be described. An explanatory diagram for entering characters in the flowchart is shown. A 1st flowchart is shown. A 2nd flowchart is shown. Show table of body size, boss system and number of bosses Shows the model tree when inserting material.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Boss 3 Rib 100 Design procedure production | generation apparatus 10 Three-dimensional design means 11 Part name input means 12 Item name input means 13 Shape definition means 15 Dimension display means 16 Image data creation means 17 Standard shape registration determination means 20 Design means extraction means 21 Parent Item Determination Unit 22 Design Procedure Table 23 Flowchart Creation Unit 30 3D Design Data Storage Device 40 Standard Shape Data Storage Device 50 Image Data Storage Device

Claims (7)

An item name input means for inputting the name of the item; a three-dimensional design means comprising a shape definition means for defining the shape of the features constituting the item and the parent-child relationship of the features;
A design procedure generation apparatus comprising design procedure extraction means for generating a design flowchart from the parent-child relationship.   The design procedure extraction unit includes a parent item determination unit that determines a parent item from the parent-child relationship, a unit that creates a design procedure table in which the ID of the feature and the number of the parent item determined by the parent item determination unit are entered in order. The design procedure generating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a flowchart creating unit that creates a flowchart by describing item names in order of parent item numbers in the design procedure table.   3. The design procedure generating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the flowchart creating means draws a line connecting between item names described in order of parent item numbers.   The design procedure generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional design unit further includes a dimension display unit that inputs and displays a dimension in the feature.   5. The design procedure generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional design unit further includes a standard shape registration determination unit that registers a designed item in a standard shape. 6. An item name input step for inputting an item name; a three-dimensional design step including a shape definition step for defining the shape of the feature and the parent-child relationship of the feature;
A design procedure generation method comprising: a design procedure extraction step for generating a design flowchart from the parent-child relationship. An item name input step for inputting an item name; a three-dimensional design step including a shape definition step for defining the shape of the feature and the parent-child relationship of the feature;
A design procedure generation program for causing a computer to execute a design procedure extraction step of generating a design flowchart from the parent-child relationship.

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