JP2007048139A - Product design device, and product design method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a product design device capable of designing a holding structure with dimension value appropriate to hold an arranged existing component by arranging the existing component at an optional position of the opposite component. <P>SOLUTION: A component selection means 10 arranges a designated target existing component at the opposite component at which the existing component is arranged and acquires holding structure information about a holding structure for holding the target existing component from a standard component holding structure information database 14. A holding structure generation means 20 performs a CAD macro included in the holding structure information acquired by the component selecting means 10 to thereby acquire shape information of the holding structure for holding the target existing component from a library definition database 24, generates the shape of a holding structure shown by the acquired shape information, arranges the shape at a position indicated by arrangement information and changes the shape of the arranged holding structure into a shape with a dimension value indicated by dimension information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a product design apparatus, product design method, and program for supporting product design.

3D CAD (Computer Aided), a product design device, as a product design device
Design) system devices are widely used. The three-dimensional CAD system device is a device that supports design by a computer, and can improve design efficiency. Among three-dimensional CAD system devices, there is a parametric design CAD system device that defines and creates product shapes and part shapes by solid models or surface models, and stores the creation procedure and dimension values as history or parameter values. . The parametric design CAD system apparatus can automatically recalculate the product shape and the part shape by changing the history or parameter value, and change the shape.

  In designing a product, when designing a new part, a structure is often designed in which an existing part such as a standard part is arranged and held in the newly designed part. For example, when designing a rib structure that holds a receiver that is a standard part on a newly designed housing part using a three-dimensional CAD system apparatus in product design of communication equipment, the three-dimensional CAD system apparatus has Using the function, that is, the function of expressing the assembled state of a plurality of parts as an assembly model, a rib structure can be created in the casing part.

  Specifically, the shape based on the three-dimensional design data of the receiver already designed by the three-dimensional CAD system apparatus is arranged at an arbitrary position of the shape based on the design data of the new housing part. The shape of the casing component in which the receiver is arranged is displayed on the display device, the receiver is positioned while being confirmed by the display device, and the design data of the casing component provided with the rib structure that holds the periphery is created. In this case, the thickness of the rib shape that holds and surrounds the periphery of the receiver, and the gap between the receiver and the rib shape that holds the receiver, are determined by the designer in charge of the housing component design. Depending on the proficiency level of the product, the design value may vary and quality problems may occur.

  As a product design apparatus according to the prior art, there is a product design apparatus that can design two parts to be joined together. When there is a standard structure data that is information on the structure of a part, a design procedure parameter that is information on a procedure for designing a part, and a joint with another part for each part constituting the product, this product design device , Storing the continuous part structure information which is information about the structure of the continuous part of the joint part, and when two parts to be joined to each other are selected, the other part according to the continuous part structure information of one part The standard structure data of the joint part of this part is automatically corrected (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-122807 A

  However, the above-described product design apparatus according to the prior art places an existing part such as a standard part on a counterpart part where the existing part is placed, and designs a holding structure that holds the placed existing part as a counterpart part. In this case, only standard parts in which information such as standard structure data is stored can be selected, and the designer can make design changes such as moving the position of the standard part to an arbitrary position of the counterpart part. There is a problem that you can not. Furthermore, the shape of the joint surface of two parts to be joined to each other can be changed to the shape of one of the parts, but the continuous part structure information, which is information about the structure of the continuous part of the joint, is a dimension. Since the information is not included, there is a problem that, for example, the thickness of the rib shape cannot be automatically changed to an appropriate dimension value.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a product design apparatus, a product design method, and a program capable of designing a holding structure having an appropriate dimension value by placing an existing part at an arbitrary position of a counterpart part and holding the placed existing part. Is to provide.

In the present invention, holding structure information including arrangement information indicating a position where each holding structure holding an already designed existing part is arranged, and dimension information indicating a dimension value of each holding structure, and dimensions are represented by variables. Storage means for storing shape information representing the shape of each holding structure;
Reading means for reading the holding structure information and the shape information from the storage means;
An existing part placement means for designating an existing part and a counterpart part on which the existing part is placed, and placing the designated existing part on the designated counterpart part;
The holding structure information and shape information of each holding structure that holds the existing part specified by the existing part placement unit is read by the reading unit, and the shape of the holding structure indicated by the read shape information is generated and generated. The shape of the holding structure is arranged at the position of the counterpart component indicated by the arrangement information included in the read holding structure information, and the shape of the arranged holding structure is added to the read holding structure information. Holding structure generating means for changing to the shape of the dimension value indicated by the included dimension information;
An output means for outputting the shape changed by the holding structure generating means.

  According to the present invention, first, holding structure information including arrangement information indicating a position where each holding structure holding an already designed existing part is arranged and dimension information indicating a dimension value of each holding structure is stored by the storage unit. And shape information representing the shape of each holding structure whose dimensions are represented by variables are stored, and the existing part placement means designates and designates the existing part and the counterpart part on which the existing part is placed. The existing part is placed on the specified counterpart part.

  Next, the holding structure information and shape information of each holding structure holding the existing part specified by the existing part placement unit are read by the reading unit by the holding structure generation unit, and the holding indicated by the read shape information The shape of the structure is generated, the shape of the generated holding structure is arranged at the position of the counterpart part indicated by the arrangement information included in the read holding structure information, and the shape of the holding structure further arranged However, the shape is changed to the shape of the dimension value indicated by the dimension information included in the read holding structure information, and the changed shape is output by the holding structure generation unit.

  In this way, independent of the shape information representing the shape of each holding structure whose dimensions are represented by variables, the arrangement information indicating the position where the holding structure holding the existing part is arranged for each existing part and each holding Dimension information representing the dimension value of the structure is stored, and when an existing part is placed on the counterpart part, the shape of the holding structure indicated by the shape information is generated, and the shape of the generated holding structure is Placed at the position of the mating part shown, and the shape of the placed holding structure is changed to the dimension value indicated by the dimension information, so the existing part can be placed at an arbitrary position of the mating part and hold the existing part The shape of the structure can be generated, placed, and further changed to the set dimensions.

In the present invention, the holding structure information further includes macro specifying information for specifying a pre-registered shape generation macro representing a generation procedure for generating a shape of the holding structure,
The holding structure generation unit generates a shape of the holding structure indicated by the read shape information by executing a shape generation macro specified by the macro specifying information included in the read holding structure information. Then, the shape of the generated holding structure is arranged at a position indicated by arrangement information included in the read holding structure information.

  According to the present invention, the holding structure information further includes macro specifying information for specifying a pre-registered shape generation macro representing a generation procedure for generating the shape of the holding structure, and the holding structure generation means includes the holding structure By executing the shape generation macro specified by the macro specifying information included in the information, the holding structure of the shape indicated by the shape information is arranged at the position of the counterpart part indicated by the arrangement information included in the holding structure information. The shape and shape of the holding structure can be generated and arranged simply by executing the generation macro.

  Further, according to the present invention, the holding structure information includes the holding structure number information indicating the number of holding structures holding the existing parts, and the number of the holding structure number information indicating the macro specifying information, the arrangement information, and the dimension information. The holding structure definition information is included for each existing part.

  According to the present invention, the holding structure information includes the holding structure number information indicating the number of holding structures holding the existing parts, and the number indicated by the holding structure number information indicating the macro identification information, the arrangement information, and the dimension information. Since the holding structure definition information to be included is included for each existing part, a plurality of holding structures that hold the existing part can be designated for each holding structure.

Further, in the present invention, the shape information further includes shape specifying information for specifying shape information of each holding structure,
The shape generation macro includes a procedure of reading shape information specified by shape specification information corresponding to the shape generation macro from the storage unit by the reading unit,
The holding structure generating means reads the shape information specified by the shape specifying information corresponding to the shape generation macro by executing the shape generation macro.

  According to the present invention, since the shape generation macro includes a procedure for reading out shape information specified by the shape specification information corresponding to the shape generation macro from the storage unit, the holding structure generation unit executes the shape generation macro. Thus, the shape information specified by the shape specifying information can be read from the storage means.

  According to the present invention, the holding structure generating means sets the dimension represented by the variable of the shape of the arranged holding structure to a dimension value indicated by the dimension information included in the read holding structure information. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus further includes holding structure redefining means for changing the shape of the holding structure.

  According to the present invention, the holding structure redefining means sets the dimension represented by the variable of the shape of the arranged holding structure to the dimension value indicated by the dimension information included in the read holding structure information. Therefore, since the shape of the holding structure is changed, it is not necessary to store shape information representing the shape of the holding structure for each holding structure having different dimensions.

Further, the present invention provides holding structure information including arrangement information indicating a position where each holding structure holding an already designed existing part is arranged, and dimension information indicating a dimension value of each holding structure, and a dimension represented by a variable. A storage step of storing, in the storage unit, shape information representing the shape of each held holding structure;
An existing part placement process for designating an existing part and a counterpart part on which the existing part is placed, and placing the designated existing part on the designated counterpart part;
The holding structure information and shape information of each holding structure holding the existing part specified in the existing part placement step is read from the storage unit, and the shape of the holding structure indicated by the read shape information is generated and generated. The shape of the holding structure is arranged at the position of the counterpart component indicated by the arrangement information included in the read holding structure information, and the shape of the arranged holding structure is added to the read holding structure information. A holding structure generation step for changing to the shape of the dimension value indicated by the included dimension information;
An output process for outputting the shape changed in the holding structure generation process.

  According to the present invention, first, in the storing step, holding structure information including arrangement information indicating a position where each holding structure holding an already designed part is arranged and dimension information indicating a dimension value of each holding structure. And shape information representing the shape of each holding structure whose dimensions are represented by variables are stored in the storage unit. In the existing part placement process, the existing part and the counterpart part to which the existing part is placed are designated. The specified existing part is placed on the specified counterpart part.

  Next, in the holding structure generation process, the holding structure information and shape information of each holding structure holding the existing part specified in the existing part arrangement process is read from the storage unit, and the holding structure indicated by the read shape information The shape of the generated holding structure is arranged at the position of the counterpart part indicated by the arrangement information included in the read holding structure information, and the shape of the holding structure further arranged is The shape is changed to the shape of the dimension value indicated by the dimension information included in the read holding structure information, and the shape changed in the holding structure generation step is output in the output step.

  In this way, independent of the shape information representing the shape of each holding structure whose dimensions are represented by variables, the arrangement information indicating the position where the holding structure holding the existing part is arranged for each existing part and each holding Dimension information representing the dimension value of the structure is stored, and when an existing part is placed on the counterpart part, the shape of the holding structure indicated by the shape information is generated, and the shape of the generated holding structure is Placed at the position of the mating part shown, and the shape of the placed holding structure is changed to the dimension value indicated by the dimension information, so the existing part can be placed at an arbitrary position of the mating part and hold the existing part The shape of the structure can be generated, placed, and further changed to the set dimensions.

  The present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as the product design apparatus.

  According to the present invention, a computer can be provided as a program for causing a computer to function as a product design apparatus.

  According to the present invention, the existing part can be arranged at an arbitrary position of the counterpart part, the shape of the holding structure holding the existing part can be generated, arranged, and further changed to the set dimension. A holding structure having an appropriate dimension value for holding an existing part arranged at an arbitrary position of the part can be designed.

  Furthermore, by making the dimension information of each holding structure independent of the shape information, the shape of the holding structure can be shared by a plurality of existing parts and a plurality of holding structures. It is not necessary to store shape information representing the shape of each holding structure, and the storage capacity for storing the shape information can be reduced.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the shape and shape of the holding structure can be generated and executed simply by executing the shape generation macro. Therefore, if the shape generation macro is registered in advance, the shape of the holding structure can be easily obtained. Can be generated and arranged.

  Further, according to the present invention, since a plurality of holding structures that hold existing parts can be designated for each holding structure in shape and dimensions, a plurality of holding structures having different shapes or dimensions can be specified for one existing part. A structure can be designed.

  Further, according to the present invention, the holding structure generating means can read the shape information specified by the shape specifying information from the storage means by executing the shape generating macro, so that each holding structure has its holding structure. There is no need to store shape specifying information for specifying the shape information of the body.

  Further, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to store the shape information indicating the shape of the holding structure for each holding structure having different dimensions, so that the storage capacity of the shape information can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present invention, the existing part can be arranged at an arbitrary position of the counterpart part, the shape of the holding structure holding the existing part can be generated, arranged, and further changed to the set dimensions. A holding structure having an appropriate dimension value for holding an existing part arranged at an arbitrary position of the counterpart part can be designed.

  Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a program for causing a computer to function as a product design apparatus.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a product design apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The product design apparatus 1 is, for example, a three-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) system apparatus capable of performing parametric design.

The hardware of the product design apparatus 1 is configured by a computer, for example. That is, an input device such as a keyboard or mouse for inputting data, an output device including a display device such as a liquid crystal panel or CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that processes data and exchanges data with each component Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory) for storing programs and data executed by the CPU, RAM (Random Access Memory), or HDD (Hard that can store large amounts of data)
It is a general computer including a storage device such as a disk drive) and an input / output (I / O) interface device for transmitting / receiving data to / from other devices.

  In addition, if necessary, a record that reads data from a printing device such as a printer that is an output device other than a display device, a CDROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory) that is an external storage medium, a flexible disk, or an IC (Integrated Circuit) card A medium reader or a communication device for connecting to a communication line such as a LAN (Local Area Network) is attached to the computer, and when necessary, a program or data is input or output from an external recording medium or device. It is desirable to be able to These components are based on the conventional technology, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  The product design apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 roughly includes two means, that is, a part selection means 10 and a holding structure generation means 20. The part selection means 10 designates the target existing part among the already designed existing parts and the counterpart part on which the target existing part is placed, and places the designated target existing part on the counterpart part. Thereafter, holding structure information, which will be described later, regarding the holding structure that holds the target existing part is acquired.

  The holding structure generation unit 20 executes a CAD macro (described later) included in the holding structure information acquired by the part selection unit 10, so that the inside of the shape information representing the shape of each holding structure whose dimensions are represented by variables. Then, the shape information of the holding structure of the target existing part is acquired, and the shape of the holding structure indicated by the acquired shape information is arranged and arranged at the position of the counterpart part indicated by the arrangement information included in the holding structure information. The shape of the holding structure is changed to the shape of the dimension value indicated by the dimension information included in the holding structure information.

  The part selection unit 10 includes an existing part placement unit 11, a counterpart part selection unit 12, a standard part holding structure information database reading unit 13, and a standard part holding structure information database 14. The part information regarding the already designed existing part and the part including the counterpart part on which the existing part is placed is stored in, for example, the storage device (not shown) described above, and the existing part placement unit 11 stores the part stored in the storage unit. Among the parts indicated by the information, the target existing part is specified, and the target existing part is arranged in the counterpart part.

  The counterpart component selecting means 12 designates a counterpart component for placing the target existing component among the components indicated by the component information stored in the storage device, that is, among the components indicated by the component information stored in the storage device. Select the other part. The standard part holding structure information database reading means 13 reads the holding structure information related to the holding structure holding the target existing part from the standard part holding structure information database 14. The holding structure is a structure that is newly generated in the counterpart part in order to hold the existing part.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows holding structure information stored in the standard part holding structure information database 14 shown in FIG. The standard part holding structure information database 14 is a database that stores holding structure information. The holding structure information does not necessarily have to be stored as a database, and the holding structure information only needs to be stored in a storage device that can be written and read, for example, a storage device such as the HDD (not shown).

  The holding structure information includes information that sets the existing part information and the holding structure definition information as one set for each existing part. The existing part information is information of one record for one existing part. The holding structure definition information is information including only one record of the number of holding structures holding the existing part, with information related to one holding structure as one record.

  One record of existing part information is composed of a plurality of words. For example, the first word is an existing part / holding structure classification flag indicating whether the record is existing part information or holding structure definition information, and “1” indicating that the record is existing part information. It is remembered. The second word indicates an existing part name, and the third word is information on the number of holding structures, and indicates the number of holding structures that hold the existing part indicated by the existing part name.

  One record of the holding structure definition information is composed of a plurality of words. For example, the first word is an existing part / holding structure classification flag, and “2” indicating that the record is holding structure definition information is stored. The second word indicates a CAD macro name which is macro specifying information for specifying the CAD macro of the holding structure of the record. The CAD macro, which is a shape generation macro, is a program representing a generation procedure for generating the shape of the holding structure, and is registered in advance in, for example, the storage device described above.

  The third word is arrangement information indicating the position where the holding structure of the record is to be arranged, and is indicated by, for example, an arrangement coordinate system that is a coordinate system. In this example, the position where the holding structure should be arranged is defined using the arrangement coordinate system of the counterpart part. However, the arrangement coordinate value in the coordinate system of the counterpart part may be used, and the definition method is as follows. It is not limited. Words after the fourth word are dimension information indicating the dimension value of the holding structure of the record, and one word is assigned to one dimension value. The dimension information represents a dimension value such as a boss diameter or a hole diameter.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, one set of information composed of the existing part information A141a and the holding structure definition information A142a is information about the existing part A. From the existing part information B141b and the holding structure definition information B142b, The set of configured information is information about the existing component B, and the set of information configured from the existing component information C141c and the holding structure definition information C142c is information about the existing component C.

  Detailed information of the existing part information A141a and the holding structure definition information A142a is shown on the lower side of FIG. The existing part information A 141 a is information of the m-th record among the information stored in the standard part holding structure information database 14. In the first word 143, the existing part / holding structure classification flag is “1”. The second word 144 shows the name of an existing part, and the third word 145 shows the number “n” of holding structures that hold the existing part.

  The first record of the holding structure definition information A 142a is the information of the (m + 1) th record, the existing word / holding structure classification flag is indicated as “2” in the first word, and the CAD in the second word 146. The macro name “create boss” is shown, the arrangement coordinate system is shown in the third word 147, and the dimension information “P0 = 5” and the dimension information “P1 = 2” are shown in the fourth word and the fifth word 148, respectively. "It is shown. The second record of the holding structure definition information A 142a is the information of the (m + 2) th record, the existing word / holding structure classification flag is indicated as “2” in the first word, and the CAD in the second word 151. The macro name “Create Boss” is shown, the arrangement coordinate system is shown in the third word 152, and the dimension information “P0 = 6” and the dimension information “P1 = 4” are shown in the fourth word and the fifth word 149, respectively. "It is shown.

  Further, the nth record of the holding structure definition information A 142a is information of the (m + n) record, the existing word / holding structure classification flag is indicated as “2” in the first word, and the CAD is indicated in the second word. The macro name “Create Rib” is shown, the arrangement coordinate system is shown in the third word, and dimension information “P2 = 2” is shown in the fourth and subsequent words.

  As described above, the holding structure information includes the holding structure number information indicating the number of holding structures holding the existing parts, and the macro specifying information, the arrangement information, and the dimension information as many as the holding structure number information indicates. Since the structure definition information is included for each existing part, a plurality of holding structures for holding the existing parts can be designated for each holding structure. Therefore, a plurality of holding structures having different shapes or dimensions can be designed for one existing part.

  Referring to FIG. 1, holding structure generation means 20 includes CAD macro execution means 21, library definition database reading means 22, holding structure redefinition means 23, and library definition database 24. The CAD macro execution means 21 executes the CAD macro specified by the CAD macro name included in the holding structure definition information of the holding structure information read from the standard part holding structure information database 14 by the standard part holding structure information database reading means 13. . This CAD macro includes a procedure for instructing the library definition database reading means 22 of a library name that is shape specifying information for specifying shape information representing the shape of each holding structure whose dimensions are represented by variables, and a library name. The shape of the holding structure indicated by the shape information associated with is generated, and the generated shape of the holding structure is arranged at a position where the arrangement coordinate system of the shape matches the arrangement coordinate system indicated by the holding structure definition information. Procedures.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows shape information stored in the library definition database 24 shown in FIG. The library definition database 24 is a database that stores shape information of each holding structure. The shape information is not necessarily stored as a database, but may be stored in a storage device in which the shape information can be written and read, for example, a storage device such as the HDD (not shown).

  The shape information is shape information representing the shape of the holding structure whose dimensions are represented by variables, and the library definition database 24 has shape specifying information for specifying each shape information in the shape information of each holding structure. Is stored in association with the library name. For example, the library definition database 24 shown in FIG. 3 includes a boss shape 240 indicated by shape information of a holding structure whose library name is “boss”, and a rib indicated by shape information of the holding structure whose library name is “rib”. Shape 245 is shown.

  In the boss shape 240, a boss dimension 241 is represented as a variable, for example, as a boss diameter P0 and a hole diameter P1, and an arrangement coordinate system 242 that is a coordinate system of the boss shape 240 is shown. In the rib shape 245, the rib dimension 246 is expressed as a variable, for example, as a thickness T1 and distances L1 to L4 from the center position of each inner surface to each inner surface, and an arrangement coordinate system 247 which is a coordinate system of the rib shape 245. It is shown. The downward arrows attached to the boss shape 240 and the rib shape 245 indicate that the height direction is pushed out until it hits the designated surface, that is, the holding structure is arranged so as to contact the designated surface.

  Referring to FIG. 1, library definition database reading means 22 reads shape information associated with a library name designated by CAD macro execution means 21 from library definition database 24, and reads the read shape information into CAD macro execution means. Pass to 21. When the CAD macro execution means 21 receives the shape information from the library definition database reading means 22, the CAD macro execution means 21 places the shape of the holding structure indicated by the received shape information at the position of the counterpart part indicated by the arrangement information included in the holding structure definition information. To do. At this time, since the dimension information for the dimension represented by the variable has not been given yet, the shape of the holding structure is generated using a predetermined dimension value for the dimension represented by the variable.

  As described above, the holding structure information further includes a CAD macro name that identifies a pre-registered CAD macro that represents a generation procedure for generating the shape of the holding structure, that is, a shape generation macro. The means executes the shape generation macro specified by the macro specifying information included in the holding structure information, thereby placing the holding structure having the shape indicated by the shape information at the position of the counterpart part indicated by the arrangement information included in the holding structure information. Therefore, the shape and shape of the holding structure can be generated and executed simply by executing the shape generation macro. Therefore, if the shape generation macro is registered in advance, the shape and arrangement of the holding structure can be easily performed.

  Furthermore, since the shape generation macro includes a procedure for reading out shape information specified by the library name, which is shape specification information corresponding to the shape generation macro, from the storage means, the macro execution means included in the holding structure generation means By executing the generation macro, the shape information specified by the shape specifying information can be read from the storage unit. Therefore, it is not necessary to store the shape specifying information for specifying the shape information of the holding structure for each holding structure.

  The holding structure redefinition means 23 is a variable of the shape of the holding structure arranged at the position indicated by the arrangement information included in each holding structure definition information included in the holding structure information read by the holding structure information database reading means 13 Is changed to the dimension value indicated by the dimension information of each holding structure definition information, thereby changing the shape of the holding structure. The changed shape of the holding structure is output to an output device such as a display device or a printing device, and changed shape information indicating the changed shape of the holding structure is stored in the storage device.

  In this way, the holding structure redefinition means sets the dimension represented by the variable of the shape of the arranged holding structure to the dimension value indicated by the dimension information included in the read holding structure information, Since the shape of the holding structure is changed, it is not necessary to store shape information representing the shape of the holding structure for each holding structure having different dimensions. Therefore, the storage capacity of shape information can be reduced.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows an example of generating a holding structure that holds an existing part. The example shown in FIG. 4 is an example in which the existing part 30 is arranged on the counterpart part 40 and the fastening part 31 and the fastening part 32 of the existing part 30 are held by two holding structures, that is, the boss 41 and the boss 42, respectively. is there. The existing part 30 is an existing part of the existing part information A141a and the holding structure definition information A142a shown in FIG. 2, and the number n of holding structures included in the existing part information A141a is “2”. The two holding structures, that is, the boss 41 and the boss 42 are holding structures having the boss shape 240 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 4A shows a state before the existing part 30 is placed on the counterpart part 40. The existing part 30 has two fastening parts, that is, a fastening part 31 and a fastening part 32, and the two fastening parts are held by the holding structure of the counterpart part 40. A holding structure has not yet been generated for the mating component 40 shown in FIG. The coordinate system 300 is shown for the existing part 30, the coordinate system 147 and the coordinate system 152 are shown for the fastening part 31 and the fastening part 32, and the coordinate system 400 is shown for the counterpart part 40. Has been.

  The existing component placement means 11 designates a surface on which the existing component 30 is placed on the counterpart component 40, for example, the plane 40a, and further selects the coordinate system 300 of the existing component 30 and the coordinate system 400 of the counterpart component 40, The existing part 30 is placed on the counterpart part 40. That is, the existing part 30 is arranged so that the coordinate system 300 of the existing part 30 matches the coordinate system 400 of the counterpart part 40.

  FIG. 4B shows a state in which the existing component 30 is arranged on the counterpart component 40. The existing part 30 is arranged so that the coordinate system 300 of the existing part 30 matches the coordinate system 400 of the counterpart part 40. The fastening portion 31 and the fastening portion 32 are respectively held by two holding structures newly generated in the counterpart part, that is, the boss 41 and the boss 42.

  The CAD macro executing means 21 holds the existing part 30 by executing the CAD macro defined in the holding structure definition information A 142 a after the existing part 30 is placed on the counterpart part 40 by the existing part placing means 11. The shapes of the structures, that is, the boss 41 and the boss 42 are generated and arranged on the counterpart component 40. The CAD macro defined in the first record of the holding structure definition information A 142a is a CAD macro indicated by the CAD macro name “Create Boss”.

  The CAD macro with the CAD macro name “Create Boss” is a procedure for instructing the library definition database reading means 22 with the library name “boss” for specifying the shape information indicating the shape of the holding structure holding the existing part 30. Including. When the library name “boss” is instructed, the library definition database reading means 22 reads the shape information whose library name is “boss” from the library definition database 24, that is, the shape information of the boss shape 240 shown in FIG. To the CAD macro execution means 21.

  Further, the CAD macro of the CAD macro name “boss creation” is a position where the boss shape 240 of the library name “boss” matches the arrangement coordinate system 242 of the boss shape 240 with the arrangement coordinate system indicated by the holding structure definition information of the boss 41. Including the procedure to place in.

  The CAD macro execution means 21 first generates a shape indicated by the shape information of the boss shape 240 read by the library definition database reading means 22. At this time, since the dimension information is not given yet, the shape of the boss 41 is generated by using a predetermined dimension value for the dimension represented by the variable. Next, the generated shape of the boss 41 is arranged in the arrangement coordinate system indicated by the holding structure definition information of the boss 41, that is, the position of the arrangement coordinate system 147 shown in the first record of the holding structure definition information A 142a. That is, the boss 41 is arranged in the arrangement coordinate system 147 of the fastening portion 31 when the existing part 30 is arranged on the counterpart part 40.

  For the boss 42, the CAD macro defined in the second record of the holding structure definition information A 142a is executed, and the shape of the boss 42 is generated in the same way as the boss 41, and the second record of the holding structure definition information A 142a is arranged. The coordinate system 152 is arranged at the position of the arrangement coordinate system 152 of the fastening portion 32 when the existing component 30 is arranged on the counterpart component 40.

  The holding structure redefinition means 23 changes the dimensions of the shapes of the boss 41 and the boss 42 generated by the CAD macro execution means 21 to the dimension values indicated by the dimension information defined in the holding structure definition information A 142a. The boss 41 has the dimension values “P0 = 5” and “P1 = 2” indicated by the dimension information 148 shown in the first record of the holding structure definition information A142a shown in FIG. 2, that is, a shape with a diameter of 5 mm and a hole diameter of 2 mm. Be changed. Similarly, the boss 42 has the dimension values “P0 = 6” and “P1 = 4” indicated by the dimension information 149 shown in the second record of the holding structure definition information shown in FIG. 2, that is, a shape with a diameter of 6 mm and a hole diameter of 4 mm. Changed to

  In this way, independent of the shape information representing the shape of each holding structure whose dimensions are represented by variables, the arrangement information indicating the position where the holding structure holding the existing part is arranged for each existing part and each holding Dimension information representing the dimension value of the structure is stored, and when an existing part is placed on the counterpart part, the shape of the holding structure indicated by the shape information is generated, and the shape of the generated holding structure is Placed at the position of the mating part shown, and the shape of the placed holding structure is changed to the dimension value indicated by the dimension information, so the existing part can be placed at an arbitrary position of the mating part and hold the existing part The shape of the structure can be generated, placed, and further changed to the set dimensions. Therefore, it is possible to design a holding structure having an appropriate dimension value for holding an existing part arranged at an arbitrary position of the counterpart part.

  Furthermore, by making the dimension information of each holding structure independent of the shape information, the shape of the holding structure can be shared by a plurality of existing parts and a plurality of holding structures. It is not necessary to store shape information representing the shape of each holding structure, and the storage capacity for storing the shape information can be reduced.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing steps of a product design method according to another embodiment of the present invention. The processing steps of this product design method are processed by the product design apparatus 1 shown in FIG. When designing a product for placing an existing part on a counterpart part, the process proceeds to step S1.

  In step S1, an existing part name is designated and existing part data is read. That is, the existing part placement unit 11 arranges information on the existing part specified by the name of the existing part that designates the target existing part, for example, the already designed existing part and the existing part, in accordance with an instruction from the designer. The information is read from a storage device (not shown) that stores the component information related to the component including the counterpart component, and is stored together with the existing product name in a memory such as a RAM (hereinafter referred to as RAM) for temporary storage. The designer instructs the existing component placement unit 11 and the counterpart component selection unit 12 by an input device (not shown) such as a keyboard or a mouse.

  In step S2, a surface to be arranged on the counterpart part is selected. In other words, the counterpart component selection unit 12 selects the counterpart component on which the target existing component is to be placed from among the components indicated by the component information stored in the storage device, for example, according to an instruction from the designer. Specifies the surface on which the target existing part is placed. In step S3, the existing component placement unit 11 selects the surface of the counterpart part designated by the counterpart part selection unit 12 by selecting, for example, the coordinate system of the existing part and the coordinate system of the counterpart part according to an instruction from the designer. Among these, the target existing part is arranged at a position where the coordinate system of the existing part matches the coordinate system of the counterpart part.

  In step S4, the standard part holding structure information database reading means 12 stores data from the standard part holding structure information database 14, that is, information representing the existing part / holding structure classification flag of the first word among the holding structure information for one record. Is read. In step S5, it is determined whether or not the read existing part / holding structure classification flag is “1”. When the existing part / holding structure classification flag is “1”, the process proceeds to step S6. When the existing part / holding structure classification flag is not “1”, the existing part / holding structure classification flag of the next one record holding structure information In order to read the information, the process returns to step S4.

  In step S6, the standard part holding structure information database reading means 12 reads data, that is, information on the existing part name of the second word of the holding structure information of the same record from the standard part holding structure information database 14. In step S7, it is determined whether the existing part name is the same as the existing part name. That is, it is determined whether the existing part name read is the same as the existing part name stored in the RAM in step S1. When the existing part name is the same, the process proceeds to step S8. When the existing part name is not the same, the process returns to step S4 to read the information of the existing part / holding structure classification flag of the holding structure information of the next one record.

  In step S8, the standard part holding structure information database reading means 12 acquires, that is, reads, information from the standard part holding structure information database 14 about the number n of holding structures in the third word of the holding structure information of the same record. To remember.

  In step S9, the standard part holding structure information database reading means 12 reads the holding structure information of the next record from the standard part holding structure information database 14. In step S10, the standard part holding structure information database reading means 12 obtains, that is, reads and stores the CAD macro name, the arrangement coordinate system, and the dimension information from the read holding structure information, that is, holding structure definition information. .

  In step S11, the CAD macro executing means 21 executes the CAD macro indicated by the CAD macro name stored in the RAM. The CAD macro is a program representing a generation procedure for generating the shape of the holding structure, and is registered in advance in a storage device, for example. In this generation procedure, the library definition database reading means 22 is instructed to specify the library name, and the shape of the holding structure indicated by the shape information associated with the library name is generated. The shape of the generated holding structure is And a procedure of arranging the shape at a position that matches the arrangement coordinate system of the shape with the arrangement coordinate system indicated by the holding structure definition information.

  In step S12, the library definition database reading means 22 reads data, that is, shape information associated with the library name from the library definition database 24. In step S13, a holding structure shape is generated. That is, the CAD macro execution unit 21 generates the shape of the holding structure indicated by the shape information read by the library definition database reading unit 22, and the generated shape of the holding structure is stored in the arrangement coordinate system stored in the RAM. It arrange | positions in the position which matches the arrangement coordinate system of the shape. At this time, if the shape information includes information that the height direction is pushed out until it hits the designated surface, the holding structure is arranged so as to be in contact with the designated surface.

  In step S14, the design value is set in the dimension parameter of the holding structure shape and recalculated. That is, the holding structure redefining means 23 changes the shape of the arranged holding structure to a shape recalculated with the dimension variable as the dimension value indicated by the dimension information stored in the RAM. The product design apparatus 1 is a parametric design CAD system apparatus, and performs parametric design that reflects the dimension information read in step S9, that is, the dimension value indicated by the dimension information stored in the RAM, in the dimension represented by the variable. . The changed shape of the holding structure is output to an output device such as a display device or a printing device, and changed shape information indicating the changed shape of the holding structure is stored in the storage device.

  In step S15, it is determined whether or not the number of executions of the CAD macro matches the number n of holding structures. That is, it is determined whether or not the CAD macro has been executed for the number n of holding structures acquired in step S8. When the number of executions of the CAD macro does not match the number n of holding structures, the process returns to step S9 to execute the CAD macro for the next holding structure, and the number of executions of the CAD macro is set to the number n of holding structures. If they match, exit.

  The case where the product design method shown in FIG. 5 is applied to the example shown in FIG. 4 will be described. That is, when the existing part 30 having two fastening parts, that is, the fastening part 31 and the fastening part 32, is arranged on the counterpart part 40, the boss 41 that is a holding structure that holds the fastening part 31 and the holding part 32 that holds the fastening part 32. The boss 42 which is a structure is designed.

  In step S <b> 1, the existing component placement unit 11 reads information on the existing component specified by the existing component name 30 instructed by the designer from the storage device and stores it in the RAM. In step S <b> 2, the counterpart component selection unit 12 selects the surface 40 a of the counterpart component 40 on which the existing component 30 is arranged according to the designer's instruction. In step S <b> 3, the existing component placement unit 11 converts the existing component 30 into the coordinate system 300 of the existing component 30 and the coordinate system 400 of the counterpart component 40 in the surface 40 a of the counterpart component 40 according to an instruction from the designer. Place it at a position determined by the selection. That is, the existing component 30 is arranged at a position where the coordinate system 300 matches the coordinate system 400 of the counterpart component 40.

  If the existing part 30 is the existing part A shown in FIG. 2, the processes in steps S4 to S7 are repeated until the m-th record is read until the m-th record shown in FIG. 2 is read. Since the existing part / holding structure classification flag in the first word is “1” and the existing part name in the second word is the same, the process proceeds to step S8.

  In step S8, the standard part holding structure information database reading means 12 acquires the number “2” of holding structures of the third word of the holding structure information of the m-th record and stores it in the RAM. In step S9, the holding structure information of the next record, that is, the (m + 1) th record is read. In step S10, the CAD macro name 146 “boss creation”, the arrangement coordinate system 147, and the dimension information 148 are obtained from the holding structure information of the read (m + 1) th record, that is, holding structure definition information of the boss 41 that is the holding structure. That is, the dimension information “P0 = 5” and the dimension information “P1 = 2” are acquired.

  In step S 11, the CAD macro execution means 21 executes a CAD macro whose CAD macro name is “Create Boss”, and instructs the library name “boss” to the library definition database reading means 22. In step S 12, the library definition database reading unit 22 reads shape information associated with the library name “boss” from the library definition database 24 and passes it to the CAD macro execution unit 21.

  In step S13, the CAD macro executing means 21 generates the shape indicated by the shape information received from the library definition database reading means 22, that is, the shape 240 of the library name “boss” shown in FIG. At the position where the arrangement coordinate system 242 of the boss shape 240 is matched with the arrangement coordinate system acquired in step S10, that is, the arrangement coordinate system 147 of the fastening portion 31 in the state where the existing part 30 is arranged on the counterpart part 40 in step S3. Deploy. At this time, since the shape information includes information that the height direction is pushed out until it hits the designated surface, the boss 41 is arranged so as to contact the surface 40a of the counterpart part.

  In step S14, the dimension information 148 acquired in step S10, that is, dimension information “P0 = 5” and dimension information “P1 = 2” are set in the variable P0 and variable P1 of the boss shape 240, and recalculated. That is, the shape of the boss 41 having a diameter of 5 mm and a hole diameter of 2 mm is changed. In step S15, the number of executions of the CAD macro is “1”, which does not match the number of holding structures “2” stored in the RAM in step S8, and thus the process returns to step S9.

  In step S9, the holding structure information of the (m + 2) th record is read. In step S10, the CAD macro name 151 “boss creation”, the arrangement coordinate system 152, and the dimension information 149 are obtained from the holding structure information of the read (m + 2) record, that is, the holding structure definition information of the boss 42 that is the holding structure. That is, the dimension information “P0 = 6” and the dimension information “P1 = 4” are acquired.

  In step S11 and step S12, the boss 42 is processed in the same manner as the boss 41. In step S13, the CAD macro executing means 21 generates the shape 240 of the library name “boss” shown in FIG. 3, and the generated shape is the arrangement coordinate system acquired in step S10, that is, the existing part 30 in step S3. Is arranged at a position where the coordinate system 242 of the boss shape 240 is matched with the arrangement coordinate system 152 of the fastening portion 32 in a state where the boss shape 240 is arranged on the counterpart part 40. At this time, since the shape information includes information that the height direction is pushed out until it hits the designated surface, the boss 42 is arranged so as to contact the surface 40a of the counterpart part.

  In step S14, the dimension information 149 acquired in step S10, that is, the dimension information “P0 = 6” and the dimension information “P1 = 4” are set in the variable P0 and the variable P1 of the boss shape 240, and recalculated. That is, the shape is changed to the shape of the boss 42 having a direct diameter of 6 mm and a hole diameter of 4 mm. In step S15, the number of executions of the CAD macro is “2”, which is equal to the number “2” of the holding structures stored in the RAM in step S8, and thus the process is finished.

  In this way, independent of the shape information representing the shape of each holding structure whose dimensions are represented by variables, the arrangement information indicating the position where the holding structure holding the existing part is arranged for each existing part and each holding Dimension information representing the dimension value of the structure is stored, and when an existing part is placed on the counterpart part, the shape of the holding structure indicated by the shape information is generated, and the shape of the generated holding structure is Placed at the position of the mating part shown, and the shape of the placed holding structure is changed to the dimension value indicated by the dimension information, so the existing part can be placed at an arbitrary position of the mating part and hold the existing part The shape of the structure can be generated, placed, and further changed to the set dimensions. Therefore, it is possible to design a holding structure having an appropriate dimension value for holding an existing part arranged at an arbitrary position of the counterpart part.

  The reading means is, for example, the standard part holding structure information database reading means 13 and the library definition database reading means 22, the macro execution means is, for example, the CAD macro execution means 21, and the storage means is, for example, the above-described storage device (not shown). The output means is, for example, an output device such as the above-described display device or printing device (not shown).

  Each means described above is a function realized by causing a CPU (not shown) to execute a program for causing a computer to function as a product design apparatus. Although this program is stored in a storage device (not shown), it may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, or may cause the computer to read the program from the recording medium and cause the computer to execute the program. . By causing the computer to execute the program, the computer can function as the product design apparatus 1.

  In this way, the computer can be provided as a program for causing the computer to function as the product design apparatus 1.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the function of the product design apparatus 1 which is one Embodiment of this invention. The holding structure information memorize | stored in the standard component holding structure information database 14 shown in FIG. 1 is shown typically. The shape information stored in the library definition database 24 shown in FIG. 1 is schematically shown. An example of generating a holding structure for holding an existing part will be schematically shown. It is a flowchart which shows the process process of the product design method which is the other form of implementation of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Product design apparatus 10 Part selection means 11 Existing parts arrangement means 12 Counterpart selection means 13 Standard part holding structure information database reading means 14 Standard part holding structure information database 20 Holding structure generation means 21 CAD macro execution means 22 Library definition database reading means 23 holding structure redefinition means 24 library definition database 30 existing parts 31, 32 fastening part 40 mating parts 41, 42 boss

Claims (7)

Retention structure information including arrangement information indicating the position where each holding structure that holds an already designed existing part is arranged, and dimension information indicating the dimension value of each holding structure, and each holding structure whose dimensions are represented by variables Storage means for storing shape information representing the shape of the body;
Reading means for reading the holding structure information and the shape information from the storage means;
An existing part placement means for designating an existing part and a counterpart part on which the existing part is placed, and placing the designated existing part on the designated counterpart part;
The holding structure information and shape information of each holding structure that holds the existing part specified by the existing part placement unit is read by the reading unit, and the shape of the holding structure indicated by the read shape information is generated and generated. The shape of the holding structure is arranged at the position of the counterpart component indicated by the arrangement information included in the read holding structure information, and the shape of the arranged holding structure is added to the read holding structure information. Holding structure generating means for changing to the shape of the dimension value indicated by the included dimension information;
And an output means for outputting the shape changed by the holding structure generating means. The holding structure information further includes macro specifying information for specifying a pre-registered shape generation macro representing a generation procedure for generating the shape of the holding structure,
The holding structure generation unit generates a shape of the holding structure indicated by the read shape information by executing a shape generation macro specified by the macro specifying information included in the read holding structure information. The product design apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the generated holding structure is arranged at a position indicated by arrangement information included in the read holding structure information.   The holding structure information includes holding structure number information indicating the number of holding structures holding existing parts, and holding structure definition information including macro identification information, arrangement information, and dimension information as many as the holding structure number information indicates. The product design apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: for each existing part. The shape information further includes shape specifying information for specifying the shape information of each holding structure,
The shape generation macro includes a procedure of reading shape information specified by shape specification information corresponding to the shape generation macro from the storage unit by the reading unit,
The product design according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the holding structure generation means reads shape information specified by shape specification information corresponding to the shape generation macro by executing the shape generation macro. apparatus.   The holding structure generating means sets the dimension represented by the variable of the shape of the arranged holding structure to a dimension value indicated by the dimension information included in the read holding structure information, thereby holding the holding structure. The product design apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a holding structure redefining unit that changes a shape of the body. Retention structure information including arrangement information indicating the position where each holding structure that holds an already designed existing part is arranged, and dimension information indicating the dimension value of each holding structure, and each holding structure whose dimensions are represented by variables A storage step of storing shape information representing the shape of the body in the storage unit;
An existing part placement process for designating an existing part and a counterpart part on which the existing part is placed, and placing the designated existing part on the designated counterpart part;
The holding structure information and shape information of each holding structure holding the existing part specified in the existing part placement step is read from the storage unit, and the shape of the holding structure indicated by the read shape information is generated and generated. The shape of the holding structure is arranged at the position of the counterpart component indicated by the arrangement information included in the read holding structure information, and the shape of the arranged holding structure is added to the read holding structure information. A holding structure generation step for changing to the shape of the dimension value indicated by the included dimension information;
An output process for outputting the shape changed in the holding structure generation process.   The program for functioning a computer as a product design apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-5.

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