JP2010181937A - Design support system and design support method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently perform design processing of a design object. <P>SOLUTION: A computer 11 displays a form of the design object on a display 13 in change processing and displays a range changeable as the form of the design object, as a substantially square region with a definition point as a center point and with a dimensional range as one side. Consequently, since the form can be changed while visually confirming the changeable range on a screen, the form of the design object can be easily changed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a design support system and a design support method for supporting design processing of a design object according to a series of processes set in advance.

  Conventionally, a procedure for specifying a design object, a procedure for opening a specification value input window specific to the specified design object, and various definitions for each definition point specific to the design object on the specification value input window. There is known a design support method including a procedure for inputting an original value and a procedure for generating a simulation model based on the specification value of each definition point.

JP 2001-282866 A

  There is a case where a change process for changing the form such as a part shape and a layout is required for a design object for which the design process has been completed. When such a change process is performed, if the design value of one component changes when the design value of the other component changes, it becomes necessary to make various changes due to one change. For this reason, according to the conventional design support method, the design process of the design object cannot be performed efficiently.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a design support system and a design support method capable of efficiently performing design processing of a design object.

  When changing the form of a design object, the present invention performs a change process for changing each parameter determined according to a series of design processes according to the reverse order of the determination procedure at the time of design, and as a form of the design object. The changeable range is displayed in a spherical form with the defined point as the center.

  According to the present invention, since the influence on the performance of the design object can be minimized and the range that can be changed as the form of the design object can be visually confirmed, the design object can be efficiently processed. it can.

1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a design support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of a series of design processes performed by the design support system shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of an input / output screen. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a performance requirement. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of an output result. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of an output result. It is explanatory drawing which shows the procedure of a change process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the procedure of a change process. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of the changeable range display process used as embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of a substantially square area. It is a figure which shows an example of the mesh point produced | generated in the substantially square area. It is an example of the spreadsheet which shows the requirement of each mesh point, and a pass / fail judgment result. It is an example of the spreadsheet which shows the pass / fail judgment result of each mesh point. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen which shows the pass / fail determination result of each mesh point.

[Configuration of design support system]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a design support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The design support system shown in FIG. 1 includes a user terminal 10 and a server 20, and designs a form such as the shape and layout of a design object (in this embodiment, a steering column), and changes the designed form. It is. The computer 11 and the server 20 are communicably connected to each other via an electric communication line such as a LAN (Local Area Network). Various user terminals connected to the telecommunication line function as the user terminals 10 that construct the design support system shown in the present embodiment in cooperation with the server 20 as long as a control program described later is executed.

  The user terminal 10 is mainly composed of a computer (processing means) 11, an input device (input means) 12 such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a display device (display means) 13 such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and a liquid crystal display. Yes. The computer 11 is mainly configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an input / output interface. The computer 11 operates in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM, thereby executing a series of design processes, designing the form of the steering column that is the design object, or changing the form of the designed steering column. Can be. The computer 11 can refer to various data stored in the server 20 as necessary. An operator who is a designer can design and change the steering column by operating the input device 12 and inputting necessary information while referring to the information displayed on the display device 13 by the computer 11.

  The server (storage means) 20 stores design data for designing the form of the design object. The server 20 includes a parts database 21, a performance database 22, and a specification database 23. The parts database 21 centrally manages information on various parts constituting the vehicle. The component database 21 is a set of component records provided corresponding to individual components. In each component record, a component ID, a component name, and the like are described in association with each other. The component ID is an identifier for identifying the component, and a unique component ID is assigned to each component. The part name is the name of the part. The performance database 22 centrally manages information related to the performance requirements of each component. The specification database 23 centrally manages information on the main dimensions of the vehicle and each component.

[Design process]
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a series of design processes (design processing) executed by the design support system. The process shown in this flowchart is executed by the computer 11 constituting the user terminal 10. First, the computer 11 causes the display device 13 to display a predetermined initial screen including an input / output screen menu and a change menu described later. When the computer 11 recognizes that the input / output screen menu has been selected through the operation of the input device 12 by the operator, the computer 11 displays the input / output screen by controlling the display device 13. Thereby, a design process constituted by a series of design processes is started.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the input / output screen. The input / output screen shown in FIG. 3 includes input information and output information. The input information is an area including various items input by an operator through an operation through the input device 12. On the other hand, the output information is an area including output information determined based on the input information, that is, items for outputting (displaying) a plurality of parameters each defining the form of the design object.

  Input information includes hip point, heel point, A point height, offset amount from A point to hip point (A point-hip point offset amount), plane angle of steering wheel (STRG WHEEL P / V angle), steering wheel Side angle (STRG WHEEL S / V angle), upper shaft, pinion shaft, steering wheel diameter (STRG WHEEL diameter), and position of D point.

  The output information includes the height of point A, the offset amount from point A to the hip point, the plane angle of the steering wheel, the side angle of the steering wheel, the positions of points A to C, the lengths L1 to L3, and the side angles θ1 to Including θ3. Here, the hip point is a hip position of the driver in the vehicle, and is indicated by coordinates in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction), the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction), and the up-down direction (Z-axis direction). The heel point is a driver's heel position in the vehicle, and is indicated by coordinates in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction), the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction), and the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). A point height is a coordinate of the up-down direction (Z direction) among the three-dimensional coordinates regarding A point.

  Point A is a connection position between the steering wheel and the upper shaft, and is indicated by coordinates in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction), the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction), and the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The plane angle of the steering wheel is the angle of the steering wheel in plan (XY plane) view, and the side angle of the steering wheel is the angle of the steering wheel in side view (XZ plane). Point D is the end of the pinion shaft, and is indicated by coordinates in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction), the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction), and the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

  Point B is a connection position between the upper shaft and the intermediate shaft, and is indicated by coordinates in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction), the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction), and the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). Point C is a connection position between the intermediate shaft and the pinion shaft, and is indicated by coordinates in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction), the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction), and the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The length L1 is the length of the pinion shaft, and the length L2 is the length of the intermediate shaft. The length L3 is the length of the upper shaft. The side surface angle θ1 is an angle formed by the pinion shaft and the horizontal plane (XY plane), and the side surface angle θ2 is an angle formed by the intermediate shaft and the horizontal plane (XY plane). The side surface angle θ3 is an angle formed by the upper shaft and the horizontal plane (XY plane).

  First, the computer 11 prompts the operator to input a hip point and a heel point. For example, the computer 11 highlights items of hip points and heel points in the input information, or restricts input to items other than the items. The hip point and heel point are values determined from the occupant layout of the entire vehicle, and the operator inputs predetermined values through the input device 12. The computer 11 sets information input via the input device 12 as a hip point and a heel point.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of performance requirements. Next, the computer 11 prompts the operator to input the height of point A. As shown in FIG. 4A, for example, the computer 11 newly displays a reference screen for inputting the point A height. On this reference screen, candidates of values that can be selected as the height of the point A are displayed. In the figure, the solid line shows the optimum value as the height of the point A, and the area shown by hatching shows the range of values that can be accepted as the height of the point A (allowable range). The computer 11 can uniquely identify the optimum value and the allowable range based on the information stored in the performance database 22. The operator inputs the height of point A from the input device 12 through this reference screen or with reference to the reference screen. The computer 11 sets the information input via the input device 12 as the point A height.

  Next, the computer 11 prompts the operator to input an offset amount (hereinafter simply referred to as “offset amount”) from the point A to the hip point and a plane angle of the steering wheel. As shown in FIG. 4B, for example, the computer 11 newly displays a reference screen for inputting the offset amount and the plane angle of the steering wheel. On this reference screen, candidates for values that can be selected as the offset amount and the plane angle of the steering wheel are displayed.

  In the figure, the area indicated by hatching indicates a range of recommended values for the offset amount and the plane angle of the steering wheel. The computer 11 can uniquely identify the recommended range based on the information stored in the performance database 22. The operator inputs the offset amount and the plane angle of the steering wheel from the input device 12 through this reference screen or with reference to the reference screen. The computer 11 sets each piece of information input via the input device 12 as an offset amount and a plane angle of the steering wheel.

  Next, the computer 11 prompts the operator to input the side angle of the steering wheel. As shown in FIG. 4C, the computer 11 newly displays a reference screen for inputting the side angle of the steering wheel, for example. In this reference screen, candidates that can be selected as the side angle of the steering wheel are displayed. In the figure, the solid line indicates the optimum value as the side angle of the steering wheel, and the area indicated by hatching indicates the range (allowable range) allowed as the side angle of the steering wheel. The computer 11 can uniquely identify the optimum value and the allowable range based on the information stored in the performance database 22. The operator inputs the side angle of the steering wheel from the input device 12 through this reference screen or with reference to the reference screen. The computer 11 sets information input via the input device 12 as a side angle of the steering wheel.

  Based on these input information, the computer 11 determines the position (three-dimensional position) of point A (step 1 (S1)). Next, the computer 11 prompts input of the upper shaft and the pinion shaft. The computer 11 searches the parts database 21 based on the part type, extracts parts corresponding to the upper shaft and the pinion shaft, and causes the display device 13 to display the extracted parts group. The operator selects an upper shaft and a pinion shaft from the component group displayed on the display device 13 through the input device 12. The computer 11 sets information input via the input device 12 as an upper shaft and a pinion shaft, respectively.

  Based on this input information, the computer 11 determines the length L3 (step 2 (S2)) and determines the length L1 (step 3 (S3)). Further, the computer 11 determines the side surface angle θ1 (step 4 (S4)). The side surface angle θ1 can be determined as a set with standard parts of the pinion shaft. Further, the computer 11 determines the side surface angle θ3 in accordance with the above-described performance requirement (side angle of the steering wheel) (step 5 (S6)).

  The computer 11 prompts input regarding the diameter and the point D of the steering wheel. As for the diameter and the point D of the steering wheel, values determined from the passenger layout of the entire vehicle are input through the input device. The computer 11 sets information input via the input device as the steering wheel diameter and point D.

  The computer 11 determines the positions of the points B and C based on the parameters determined as described above (the position of the point A, the lengths L3, L1 and L2, and the side surface angles θ1 and θ3). Then, the computer 11 determines the length L2 based on the positions of the points B and C. Thereby, all parameters corresponding to the output information are determined. Of the determined parameters, the input information directly corresponds to the height of the point A, the offset amount, the plane angle and the side surface angle of the steering wheel.

  In step 7 (S7), the computer 11 performs output processing. Specifically, the computer 11 updates the specification database 23 in the server 20. Further, the computer 11 checks whether or not the updated information in the specification database 23 satisfies the performance requirement. Then, the computer 11 displays the check result as a comparison with the output information shown in FIG. 3 or the performance requirements shown in FIG. 5 (for example, star display). Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the computer 11 displays a steering column having a form defined by the setting parameter to the operator. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the steering column is schematically illustrated, but the steering column may be displayed using a part model that reproduces the shape of the part.

  Next, a description will be given of a case where a form change such as a change in part shape or a change in layout occurs in the steering column designed in this way. 7 and 8 are explanatory diagrams illustrating the procedure of the change process. As shown in FIG. 7A, the computer 11 recommends changing the length L2 and the side surface angle θ2 of the intermediate shaft and the side surface angle θ3 of the upper shaft as the first change step. The operator operates the input device 12 to change these parameters θ3, L2, and θ2. This first changing step is related to the determination of the parameter θ3.

  If an appropriate change cannot be made even by the first change step, the computer 11 executes the second change step. As shown in FIG. 7B, the computer 11 recommends changing the length L2 and the side surface angle θ2 of the intermediate shaft and the side surface angle θ1 of the pinion shaft. The operator operates the input device 12 to change these parameters θ1, L2, and θ2. This second changing step is related to the determination of the parameter θ1.

  If an appropriate change cannot be made even by the second change step, the computer 11 executes the third change step. As shown in FIG. 7C, the computer 11 recommends changing the length L1 of the pinion shaft, the length L2 of the intermediate shaft, and the side surface angle θ2. The operator operates the input device 12 to change these parameters θ3, L2, and θ2. This third changing step is related to the determination of the parameter L1.

  If an appropriate change cannot be made even by the third change step, the computer 11 executes the fourth change step. As shown in FIG. 8A, the computer 11 recommends changing the length L2 and the side surface angle θ2 of the intermediate shaft and the length L3 of the upper shaft. The operator operates the input device 12 to change these parameters L3, L2, and θ2. This fourth changing step is related to the determination of the parameter L3.

  If an appropriate change cannot be made even by the fourth change step, the computer 11 executes the fifth change step. As shown in FIG. 8B, the computer 11 recommends changing the length L1 of the pinion shaft, the length L2 of the intermediate shaft, and the length L3 of the upper shaft. The operator operates the input device 12 to change these parameters L3, L2, and L1. This fifth changing step is related to the determination of the parameter L3.

  If an appropriate change cannot be made even by the fifth change step, the computer 11 executes the sixth change step. As shown in FIG. 8C, the computer 11 recommends changing the length L2 and the side surface angle θ2 of the intermediate shaft and the point A. The operator operates the input device 12 to change these parameter A points, L2, and θ2. This sixth changing step is related to the determination of the parameter A point.

  In such a change process, the computer 11 displays a changeable range of definition points that satisfy the requirements. Specifically, when the operator inputs the dimension range of the definition point that the operator wants to change, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9, the computer 11 has a substantially square area S having the definition point as the center point and the dimension range as one side. Is defined as a range to be considered for changing the definition point (step S11). Specifically, when the operator inputs that the position of point B, which is the lower end point of the upper shaft, is changed within the dimension range a, the computer 11 uses the point B as the center point and the radius as shown in FIG. A substantially square area S having a dimension range a on one side on the spherical surface L3 is displayed on the display screen.

  Next, the computer 11 generates a plurality of mesh points Pxy (x = 1 to 7, y = 1 to 7) in the substantially square area S defined by the process of step S11 as shown in FIG. 11 (step S12). Then, the three-dimensional coordinate value of each mesh point Pxy is calculated (step S13). Note that the number of mesh points to be generated is preferably a fixed value regardless of the size of the substantially square area S. According to such a configuration, when it is desired to change the fine layout, the size of the substantially square region S is reduced by reducing the size range, but the number of divisions of the substantially square region S is constant. The interval between generated mesh points can be shortened. Next, the computer 11 uses the three-dimensional coordinate value calculated by the process of step S13 to change the position of the definition point (point B shown in FIG. 10) to the position of each mesh point Pxy (function and performance). Requirements (for example, side angles θ2, θ3, etc.) are calculated, and the calculation results are recorded in a spreadsheet as shown in FIG. 12 (step S14).

  Next, the computer 11 determines pass / fail of the requirements of each mesh point Pxy calculated by the process of step S14, and records the determination result in the spreadsheet shown in FIG. 12 (step S15). Finally, the computer 11 causes the operator to recognize the changeable range of the definition points by displaying the spreadsheet shown in FIG. According to such a process, the layout change operation can be performed while visually confirming the pass / fail determination of each mesh point within the changeable range, so that the change process can be performed efficiently. The form of the spreadsheet is not limited to the form shown in FIG. 12, and a spreadsheet in which the pass / fail judgment result (◯, x) is associated with the mesh point position is displayed as shown in FIG. 13. Also good. The computer 11 may display a substantially square area S having a spherical shape on the display screen, and may superimpose and display the result of the pass / fail determination at a position corresponding to the mesh point of the substantially square area S.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the computer 11 is based on the input result input from the input device 12 and the design data stored in the server 20. A series of design processes (S1 to S7) for determining parameters are executed. Specifically, in the design process, design parameters are determined in the order of point A position, length L3, length L1, side surface angle θ1, side surface angle θ3, and length L2. On the other hand, in the changing process, the design parameters are determined in the order of the length L2, the side surface angle θ3, the side surface angle θ1, the length L1, the length L3, and the position of the point A. In other words, when changing the form of the design object whose form is defined by the plurality of parameters, the computer 11 determines the plurality of parameters determined in a series of design processes in reverse order. In general, in the design process, the parameter determined first has a greater influence on the overall performance of the design object. For example, the determination of the parameter L3 has a greater influence on the overall performance than the determination of the parameter θ3. Therefore, the computer 11 changes the parameters in the reverse order to the order of the parameters determined at the time of design in the change processing. Therefore, the influence on the performance can be minimized, and an efficient design is possible.

  Further, in the conventional design support method, when performing the change processing, the operator needs to perform the change processing once after performing the change processing on the CAD, and if the requirements are not satisfied, it is necessary to perform the change processing again. It was. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the computer 11 displays the form of the design object on the display device 13 in the change process, and the range that can be changed as the form of the design object is centered on the definition point. It is displayed as a substantially regular square area S having a dimension range as one side. According to such a configuration, it is possible to change the form while visually confirming the changeable range on the screen. Therefore, it is possible to easily change the form of the design object.

  The design support system according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the design support system includes the user terminal 10 and the server 20 in a network environment. However, as long as the functions of the user terminal 10 and the server 20 are provided, the design support system may be realized by a stand-alone computer. A program executable by a computer that executes the design support method including the design process and the change process described in the above-described embodiment also functions as part of the present invention. That is, this computer program causes a computer to execute a design support method characterized by having a first step and a second step. Here, in the first step, a plurality of parameters each defining the form of the design object are sequentially determined according to a series of design processes. In the second step, when changing the form of the design object, a change process is performed in which each parameter determined according to a series of design processes is changed in the reverse order of the determination procedure. When the computer program is executed by the computer, the same operations and effects as the above-described design support system are achieved.

  Of course, a recording medium on which the computer program is recorded may be supplied to a system having a configuration as shown in FIG. In this case, the computer 11 in this system can achieve the object of the present invention by reading and executing the computer program stored in the recording medium. Since the computer program itself realizes the novel functions of the present invention, a recording medium on which the program is recorded also constitutes the present invention. Examples of the recording medium on which the computer program is recorded include a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a memory card, an optical disk, a DVD-ROM, and a DVD-RAM.

10: user terminal 11: computer 12: input device 13: display device 20: server 21: parts database 22: performance database 23: specification database S: changeable range

Claims (3)

Input means operated by an operator;
Storage means for storing design data for designing the form of the design object;
Processing means for sequentially determining a plurality of parameters defining the form of the design object according to a series of design processes based on the input result input from the input means and the design data stored in the storage means;
Controlled by the processing means, and display means for displaying the processing content,
The processing means, when there is a request from an operator to change the form of the design object, a change that changes each parameter determined according to the series of design processes according to the reverse order of the determination procedure at the time of design In the change process, the form of the design object is displayed on the display means, and a range that can be changed as the form of the design object is displayed in a spherical form centering on the change point. Design support system. The design support system according to claim 1,
The processing means displays a range that can be changed as a form of the design object in a tabular form. A first process for sequentially determining a plurality of parameters defining the form of the design object according to a series of design processes;
In the case of changing the form of the design object, there is provided a second process for performing a change process for changing each parameter determined according to the series of design processes according to an order reverse to the determination procedure at the time of design. And
The second process includes a process of displaying a form of the design object on the display means and displaying a range that can be changed as the form of the design object in a spherical form centering on a change point. Characteristic design support method.

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