JP3447522B2 - Method and apparatus for creating component placement constraint on board - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a component placement constraint condition on a substrate, which suitably gives a limitation on the placement of components on the substrate when designing a substrate after designing a case and components using a CAD system. A manufacturing method and an apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in the design of industrial products and the like, CAD system design has become popular in order to eliminate design changes after product trial production. With the CAD system, it is possible to analyze and examine the design contents before the trial manufacture, and the design changes after the trial manufacture of the product are significantly reduced. When designing an electronic device such as a personal computer by a CAD system, a mechanical CAD system for designing the shape of the housing and designing and arranging parts in the housing, and an electrical system for designing a circuit on an electric wiring board. System CAD system is required.

Conventionally, mechanical CAD system and electrical CA
When designing an electronic device by integrating with a D system, in order to reflect the shape of the housing or the like in the design of the component placement on the board, the design on the board is performed based on the design contents of the mechanical CAD system. Component placement constraint conditions are set. The restrictions on the placement of components on the board include the areas where the height of the parts placed on the board is limited and the height restrictions, the areas where there are holes on the board, and the housing side parts on the board. Area where parts cannot be placed due to the placement of the
Information) is set. The electrical CAD system performs component placement design based on placement constraints. As a method of setting a component placement constraint condition on a board in the conventional technique, first, the outer shape of a housing-side component is designed on the board by using a major function on the mechanical CAD system side. Then, the operator divides a continuous area having the same height restriction on the board according to the undulations of the case-side component, and the height restriction corresponding to the area is input using a keyboard or the like.

[0004]

In the prior art method of setting the component placement constraint condition on the board, the operator manually sets the area, so that the setting omission occurs when the structure inside the housing is complicated. However, board design and interference check based on such settings are unreliable. Since the information is manually input by the operator, if the structure inside the housing is complicated, the work of designing the area becomes complicated.

As a prior art for solving the above problems,
There is a component interference inspection device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-266807. In this prior art, when the shape on the housing side and the installation position of the board are set, measurement points arranged in a matrix at predetermined intervals are automatically set on the surface of the board on which the parts are mounted. Then, in the normal direction of the board, the distance from this measurement point to the housing side component is calculated. This distance is
The height limitation of the board component at the measurement point on the board surface. Component placement constraints are established by calculating the component height limits for each measurement point. In addition, measures are taken to improve accuracy by reducing the interval between measurement points.

In the prior art disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-266807, when there are very small holes or prohibited areas on the substrate, the step size is set to be small because it is necessary to include these areas in the component placement constraint condition. To be done. However, in the area where the parts can be arranged, the accuracy does not change even if the step size is made smaller than the size of the parts, and unnecessary data increases. As a result, the load on the system increases, such as a decrease in processing speed and a decrease in usable memory area.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for creating a component placement constraint condition on a board which can automatically create a component placement constraint condition.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a method for creating a constraint condition when arranging components on an electric wiring board, which is a three-dimensional structure of a mechanical component in a housing for accommodating the electric wiring board in advance. The layout is determined in advance, and the remaining space obtained by removing the three-dimensional space formed by the outer shape of the mechanical components in the housing by the set operation process from the three-dimensional space formed by the inner wall surface of the housing
A direction perpendicular to the reference plane is set by setting the reference plane at the position of the surface where the electrical wiring board is stored so that at least a part of the board extraction area is inside the board installation area. Among the boundary surfaces of the board installable area continuous to, the space surrounded by the boundary surface closest to the reference plane is recognized as the arrangeable area, and the height from the reference plane to the boundary surface of the space in the arrangeable area is A method of creating a component placement constraint condition on a board, which is characterized in that it is created as a constraint condition.

According to the present invention, the three-dimensional arrangement of the mechanical components in the housing for accommodating the electric wiring board is determined in advance, and the position of the surface of the board when the electric wiring board is accommodated in the housing is determined. Since the reference plane is set, it is possible to automatically create a constraint condition regarding the prohibited area by setting the area where the mechanical component is arranged on the reference plane as the prohibited area. The space obtained by the set operation processing that removes the three-dimensional space formed by the outer shape of the mechanical components in the housing from the three-dimensional space formed by the inner wall surface of the housing is the reference in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane in the housing. Continuously from the plane, it is recognized as a placeable region that is a space in which the inner wall of the housing or the mechanical component does not exist, and in the placeable region, the height from the reference plane to the space boundary is created as a constraint condition. Therefore, it is possible to automatically create the constraint condition regarding the component height for the electric wiring board having the board surface at the position of the reference plane in the housing. Arrangement constraint conditions, for example, electrical CAD
By creating using a data format that can be used by the system, it can be suitably used for board design using an electric CAD system.

Further, according to the present invention, the contour line of the boundary surface of the space recognized as the arrangeable area is projected on the reference plane, and the reference plane is divided into a plurality of areas according to the projection.

According to the present invention, the contour line of the boundary surface of the space recognized as the arrangeable region is projected on the reference plane, and the reference plane is divided into a plurality of regions according to this projection. Therefore, for example, even when the shape of the housing is complicated, or when there are a plurality of mechanical parts in the housing, it is necessary to use the contour line of the boundary surface of the space recognized as a placeable area that is one solid. It is possible to divide the area. It is not necessary to divide the area based on the information about the individual parts, and it is possible to perform the area division without setting omission by a simple method.

In the present invention, the height from the reference plane to the boundary of the space in the recognized allocable area is a range in which the inner product of the normal vector of the boundary surface and the normal vector of the reference plane is positive. Is created as a constraint condition, and the range where the inner product is 0 or less is excluded from the placeable area.

According to the present invention, the inner product of the normal vector of the boundary surface of the space and the normal vector of the reference plane is calculated, and in the range where the inner product is positive, the reference plane up to the boundary of the space in the allocable area is calculated. The height from is created as a placement constraint. The range in which the inner product is 0 and is equal to or less than is excluded from the arrangeable region. Therefore, it is possible to recognize the arrangeable area from the reference plane set at an arbitrary position. By designing the board on the basis of the constraint condition generated from the information on the arrangeable area, it is possible to perform high-density board component arrangement.

Further, the present invention is a constraint condition creating apparatus for arranging components on an electric wiring board, which is a three-dimensional arrangement of an inner wall surface of a housing for accommodating the electric wiring board in advance and in the housing. A three-dimensional shape input means for inputting the three-dimensional arrangement of the mechanical parts and a three-dimensional space formed by the inner wall surface of the housing, and a three-dimensional space formed by the outer shape of the mechanical parts in the housing is removed. A logical operation unit that performs a calculation and extracts the remaining space as a board installable area, and a position on the surface when the electrical wiring board is housed so that at least a part of the remaining space is within the board installable area, Based on the reference plane setting means for setting the reference plane, the three-dimensional arrangement of the mechanical parts in the housing input to the three-dimensional shape inputting means, and the position of the reference plane set by the reference plane setting means. , Perpendicular to the reference plane Of the boundary surface of the substrate holding area contiguous to, recognizing allocable area recognition means the space as allocable area surrounded by the nearest boundary surface to the reference plane,
A component on a board characterized by including constraint condition creating means for creating, as a constraint condition, a height from a reference plane to a boundary surface of a space, which is a placeable area recognized by the arrangeable area recognition means. This is a placement constraint condition creating device.

According to the invention, the reference plane setting means is provided for the case in which the three-dimensional arrangement of the inner wall surface of the housing and the three-dimensional arrangement of the mechanical parts are determined by the three-dimensional input means. Since the reference plane is set at the position of the surface when the electrical wiring board is stored in the housing, the constraint area regarding the prohibited area is automatically created on the reference plane with the area where the mechanical parts are placed as the prohibited area. can do. The allocable area recognizing means performs a collective logical operation based on the three-dimensional arrangement of the inner wall surface of the housing and the mechanical parts in the housing, which is input by the three-dimensional input means, and is set by the reference plane setting means. Based on the position of the plane, a space, which is continuous from the reference plane in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane and where the inner wall of the housing and the mechanical component are not present, is recognized as a component disposition area. Since the constraint condition creating means creates the height from the reference plane to the space area as the constraint condition for component placement in the arrangeable area recognized by the arrangeable area recognizing means, the board is placed at the position of the reference plane in the housing. It is possible to automatically create a constraint condition regarding a component height for an electric wiring board having a surface. By creating the layout constraint condition in, for example, a data format that can be used in the electric CAD system, it can be suitably used for board design using the electric CAD system.

Further, according to the present invention, as a procedure for creating a constraint condition when arranging components on an electric wiring board in a computer, a three-dimensional arrangement of mechanical components in a housing for accommodating the electric wiring board in advance. Procedure, the remaining space obtained by removing the three-dimensional space formed by the outer shape of the mechanical parts in the housing from the three-dimensional space formed by the inner wall surface of the housing by the set calculation process is the board installable area. Procedure to extract as,
Procedure to set the reference plane at the position of the surface when the electrical wiring board is housed so that at least part of it is inside the board installation area, and the board installation area is continuous in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane. Of the boundary surfaces of the, the space enclosed by the boundary surface closest to the reference plane is recognized as a placeable area, and the height from the reference plane to the boundary surface of the space in the arrangeable area is created as a constraint condition. Is a computer-readable recording medium in which a program for executing is recorded.

According to the present invention, by executing the program recorded in the recording medium, the three-dimensional arrangement of the mechanical parts in the housing for accommodating the electric wiring board is determined,
The space obtained by the set calculation processing that removes the three-dimensional space formed by the outer shape of the mechanical components in the housing from the three-dimensional space formed by the inner wall surface of the housing is recognized as the board installable area, and this board is placed in the housing. A reference plane is set with respect to the position of the surface when storing the. In the board installable area, in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane, the space without the components on the housing side is recognized as the installable area in succession to the reference plane, and from the reference plane up to the boundary of the space in the installable area. Is created as a constraint condition. Therefore, the computer can be made to function as an arrangement constraint condition creating device.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a schematic system configuration of a component placement constraint condition creating device on a board which is an embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment includes an input device 11, a shape processing device 12, and an output device 13. The input device 11 includes a three-dimensional solid shape input unit 14 for inputting a three-dimensional solid shape of a housing or mechanical parts in the housing.
And a reference plane setting unit 15 for setting a reference plane as a position of the surface of the electric wiring board in the housing, and a board component information input unit 16 for inputting information about board components arranged on the board. The 3D solid shape data input to the 3D solid shape input unit 14 includes boundary representation and CS
Since the data structure has a solid shape representation method such as G representation, a plane can be extracted by using a three-dimensional CAD system.

The shape processing apparatus 12 includes a three-dimensional set calculation processing section 17, a shape storage section 18, and a disposable area recognizing section 19.
An area dividing unit 20, an area determining unit 21, and an arrangement constraint condition storage unit 22. 3D solid shape input unit 14
Based on the three-dimensional solid shape of the housing and the mechanical components inside the housing, the three-dimensional set calculation processing unit 17 determines the inside of the case from the three-dimensional space formed by the inner wall surface of the case due to the set calculation logical difference. Remove the three-dimensional space composed of the outline of the mechanical parts of. The shape storage unit 18 stores the shape of the part input from the three-dimensional solid shape input unit 14 and the shape of the solid obtained from the calculation performed by the solid set calculation processing unit 17. The allocable area recognizing unit 19 includes the solid set arithmetic processing unit 1
Based on the three-dimensional shape of the calculation result of 7 and the position of the reference plane set by the reference plane setting unit 15, a space in which the inner wall of the housing or the mechanical component does not exist continuously in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane. Recognize as a placeable area. Shape memory unit 18
Also stores the shape of the arrangeable area recognized by the arrangeable area recognizing unit 19. The area dividing unit 20 includes a shape storage unit 18
The shape of the allocable area is read from, the feature points of the outer shape of the allocable area are projected on the reference plane, and the reference plane is divided into a plurality of allocable areas according to the projection. The area determination unit 21
The component height limit of each allocable area divided by the area dividing unit 20 is detected. The maximum value of the component height is extracted from the information about the component height input by the board component information input unit 16, and the maximum value of the component height is compared with the component height limit of each placement area. As a result of the comparison, when the component height limit is less than the maximum value of the component height, the allocable region is determined to be a region that requires a layout constraint. The placement constraint condition storage unit 22 stores, based on the determination result of the region determination unit 21, a region where a placement constraint is required and a component height limit of the region. The output device 13 includes an arrangement constraint condition output unit 23 that reads out the arrangement constraint condition stored in the arrangement constraint condition storage unit 22 and outputs the arrangement constraint condition in a format that can be used in another system such as an electric CAD system. .

FIG. 2 shows the operation of recognizing the dispositionable area in the housing in this embodiment. The operation is started in step s1, and in step s2, the shapes of the housing and the mechanical parts in the housing are input using a mechanical CAD system capable of handling a three-dimensional solid shape. In step s3,
Based on the component shape input in step s2, a solid body formed by the inner wall surface of the housing and a solid body formed by the outer shape of the mechanical parts in the housing are created. Here, when the inner wall surface of the housing is not closed, it is appropriately interpolated to form a solid. At step s4, by the set operation logical difference,
From the three-dimensional space formed by the inner wall surface of the housing, the three-dimensional space formed by the outer shape of the mechanical parts in the housing is removed.

The operation of steps s3 and s4 shown in FIG. 2 will be further described with reference to FIG. Note that a two-dimensional diagram is used in FIG. 3 to simplify the description. Further, in the following description, for simplification, the boundary surface between the inner wall surface of the housing and the outer shape of the mechanical component in the housing is assumed to be parallel or perpendicular to the reference plane. By the process of step s3, as shown in FIG. 3A, the three-dimensional space 24 formed by the inner wall surface of the housing is formed.
It is assumed that a three-dimensional space 25, 26, 27 composed of the boundary surfaces of the outer shapes of the mechanical parts in the housing is created. In step s4, the three-dimensional spaces 25, 26, 27 are removed from the three-dimensional space 24 in order to obtain a space in which nothing is arranged in the housing. As a result, the space 2 as shown in FIG.
8 is extracted. An electric wiring board can be installed in the space 28. Hereinafter, such a space is referred to as a substrate installable area 28.

In FIG. 2, after the operation of step s4, the process proceeds to step s5, and the reference plane is set at the position of the board surface when the electric wiring board is stored in the housing. Step s
At 6, it is determined whether or not the mechanical component is arranged on the reference plane. When a positive determination is made in step s6, the process proceeds to step s7. In step s7, the area where the mechanical parts are arranged on the reference plane is set as a prohibited area, and the process proceeds to step s8. When a negative determination is made in step s6, the process proceeds to step s8.

The operation from step s5 to step s7 shown in FIG. 2 will be further described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, a two-dimensional diagram is used for simplicity. When the reference plane 29 is set at the position shown in FIG. 4A by the operation of step s5, the three-dimensional spaces 25, 26, 27 indicating the mechanical parts are not arranged on the reference plane 29. The reference plane 29 does not have a prohibited area within the board installable area 28. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4B, the arrangeable area 30 is recognized by the procedure described later, and the areas A1, A2, A3, A on the reference plane 29 are recognized.
4, A5, h1, h2, h as placement constraints
Component height limits of 3, h2 and h4 are generated respectively.
When the reference plane 29 is set at the position shown in FIG. 4C by the operation of step s5, the reference plane 2
A three-dimensional space 26 showing mechanical parts is arranged on the space 9.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4 (4), the area A3 on the reference plane 29 is set in the prohibited area. The arrangeable areas 31 and 32 are recognized by the procedure described later, and h5, h6, h6, and h7 are generated as the arrangement constraint conditions for the areas A1, A2, A4, and A5 on the reference plane 29, respectively.

In FIG. 2, after the operation of step s7, the process moves to step s8, and in the boundary plane of the substrate mountable area 28, in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane 29, the reference plane 29
The boundary surface parallel to is extracted. In step s9, the boundary surface closest to the reference plane 29 is extracted for each part of the reference plane 29 from the boundary surface extracted in step s8. In step s10, the boundary surface extracted in step s9 is arranged at the actual position of the substrate installable area 28. In step s11, it is determined whether or not there is an overlapping area in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane 29 for each boundary surface arranged in step s10. When a positive determination is made in step s11, the process proceeds to step s12. In step s12, for each overlapping area, of the boundary surfaces sharing the overlapping area, the overlapping area of the boundary surface other than the boundary surface closest to the reference plane 29 is removed, and the process proceeds to step s13.
When a negative determination is made in step s11, the process proceeds to step s13. Through the above processing, the space between the reference plane 29 and each boundary surface becomes a space which is continuous from the reference plane 29 in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane 29 and in which the inner wall of the housing or the mechanical component does not exist. In step s13, this space is recognized as a placeable area, and the shape storage unit 18
Remember. After that, the operation ends in step s14.

The operation from step s11 to step s13 shown in FIG. 2 will be further described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 5, a two-dimensional diagram is used for simplicity. By the process of step s10, as shown in FIG.
It is assumed that the boundary surfaces 33, 34, 35 are arranged. In this case, since the boundary surfaces 33, 34, and 35 have no overlapping area in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane 29, the arrangeable area 36 is recognized by the processing of step s13. In the arrangable area 36, the boundary surface 3 of the space from the reference plane 29
The heights up to 3, 34 and 35 are h8, h9 and h, respectively.
10, which corresponds to 1: 1. As a result of the processing in step s10, as shown in FIG.
When 8 is arranged, the boundary surfaces 37 and 38 have a region overlapping in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane 29. In this case, the boundary surface 38a overlapping the boundary surface 37 is removed from the boundary surface 38 as shown in FIG. 5C by the process of step s12. Then, the arrangeable area 39 shown in FIG. 5D is recognized by the processing of step s13. In the arrangeable area 39, the height from the reference plane 29 to the space boundary surfaces 37 and 38b is h1.
1, h12, which corresponds to 1: 1. The positionable area recognized as described above is stored in the shape storage unit 18 as one solid.

FIG. 6 shows an operation of creating a layout constraint condition from the layout available area recognized in this embodiment.
The operation is started in step a1, and in step a2, the solid representing the arrangeable area stored in the shape storage unit 18 is loaded into the area dividing unit 20. In step a3, the solid feature points representing the allocable area are projected onto the reference plane. When the shape of the electric wiring board is already designed, the feature points representing the shape of the holes on the board are also projected on the reference plane. In step a4, the reference plane is divided into regions according to the characteristic points projected on the reference plane. An area that is divided on the reference plane according to the projection of the feature points representing the shape of the hole on the substrate is a prohibited area. Since the allocable area does not have an overlapping portion in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane, the area divided on the reference plane and the boundary surface of the space correspond to 1: 1 according to the result of the processing in step a4. In step a5, the height h from the reference plane to the boundary of the space is detected for a certain area divided on the reference plane. Also in this case, since the disposable area in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane has no overlapping portion, each area on the reference plane and the height from the reference plane to the space boundary in the area correspond to 1: 1. For the prohibited area, the height to the boundary of the space is set to 0.

In step a6, the board component information input unit 1
The maximum height H of the part specified in 6 is compared with the height h from the reference plane of the area detected in step a5 to the space boundary. As a result of the comparison in step a6, when the height h with respect to the region is smaller than the maximum height H of the component, the process proceeds to step a7, and the region and the height h with respect to the region are set as the placement constraint condition, and the placement constraint condition storage is performed. It is stored in the unit 22. Then, it moves to step a8. As a result of the comparison in step a6, if the height h with respect to a certain region is larger than the maximum height H of the component, the height of the component with respect to that region has no meaning as a placement constraint. Move to a8. In step a8, it is determined whether or not the placement constraint condition creation processing has been performed for all the regions divided on the reference plane. When a negative determination is made in step a8, the process returns to step a5. When a positive determination is made in step a8, the process proceeds to step a9. In step a9, the placement constraint condition is output to the placement constraint condition output unit 23, and the operation ends in step a10.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the reference plane is divided into arrangeable regions according to this embodiment. FIG. 7A is a front view of the space 40 in the housing viewed from the reference plane direction.
FIG. 7 (2) is a plan view for explaining the area division of the reference plane 29 set at the position shown in FIG. 7 (1). Figure 7
In (1), the mechanical parts 41, 42, 4 are provided in the space 40 in the housing.
3 are arranged. When the reference plane 29 is set at the position shown in FIG. 7A, the area A7 is set as the prohibited area and the dispositionable area 44 is recognized in accordance with the operation shown in FIG. Then, according to the operations of steps a3 and a4 shown in FIG. 6, the feature points of the outer shape of the dispositionable area 44 are projected on the reference plane 29. Regions A6 to A9 on the reference plane 29 are divided as shown in FIG. 7 (2) according to the projected feature points. According to the operation of step a5 shown in FIG. 6, the heights to the boundaries of the spaces in the areas A6, A7, A8, and A9 are h13, 0, and h1, respectively.
5, h14 is detected.

For example, assuming that there is a relationship of h14 <h13 <H <h15 between these heights and the maximum height H of the component, the space in the area A8 can be adjusted according to the operation of step a6 shown in FIG. The height h15 to the boundary is
It is not recognized as a placement constraint. Therefore, in the case as shown in FIG. 7, the height restriction for the area A6 is h13, the area A7 is a prohibited area, and the area A
It is recognized that the height restriction for 9 is h14 as an arrangement constraint condition.

Next, a method of creating an arrangement constraint condition with respect to a reference plane that intersects at an arbitrary position of the board installable area in the housing will be described. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the reference plane is set at an arbitrary position in the substrate installable area in the present embodiment. In FIG. 8, a two-dimensional diagram is used for simplicity.
When the reference plane is set for the substrate installable area, for example, as shown in FIG. 8A, the closed spaces 50 are formed by the boundary planes 45 to 49 of the substrate installable area and the reference plane 29. The boundary surfaces 45 to 49 are closest to the reference plane 29 among the boundary surfaces sharing the overlapping area in the area overlapping in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane 29 according to the operation of steps s11 and s12 shown in FIG. Remove the overlapping area of the boundary surface other than the boundary surface. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 (2), the boundary surfaces 45 and 46 have an overlapping region in a direction perpendicular to the reference plane 29, so the boundary surface 46a is removed.

After removing the overlapping area by the above procedure, as shown in FIG. 8C, the normal vector v of the reference plane 29 is obtained.
Is set to be inside the closed space 50, and the boundary surface 45
The normal vectors v1 to v5 of ˜49 are set to face the outside of the closed space 50. Contrary to this setting, the normal vector v of the reference plane 29 is placed outside the closed space 50 and the boundary surface 4
The normal vectors v1 to v5 of 5 to 49 may be set to face the inside of the closed space 50. Then, the normal vector v of the reference plane 29 and the normal vector v of the boundary surfaces 45 to 49.
An inner product with each of 1 to v5 is calculated. As a result of the calculation, the boundary surface whose inner product with the reference plane 29 is 0 or less is removed. In the example shown in FIG. 8C, the boundary surfaces 45 and 49 are removed.

If the boundary surface is parallel to the reference plane 29, the height limit of the component from the reference plane 29 is equal to the distance between the boundary surface and the reference plane 29. Boundary plane is reference plane 2
If it is not parallel to 9, the boundary surface is projected on the reference plane 29. The area projected on the reference plane 29 is divided using a minimum area or a predetermined threshold value. The space between the boundary surface and the area on the reference plane 29 when the boundary surface is projected onto the reference plane 29 is defined by a boundary between the areas on the reference plane 29 divided by the threshold, which is perpendicular to the reference plane. It is extended in the direction and divided. In each divided space,
At the position closest to the reference plane 29 of the boundary surface, the reference plane 29
Create a plane parallel to. The distance between this plane and the reference plane 29 is the height limit of the component. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 (4), the boundary surfaces 46b and 47 of the space on the reference plane 29 for the areas A10 and A11 are not parallel to the reference plane 29. Therefore, the area A10 is the area A1 according to the threshold value.
It is divided into 0a and A10b. In the example shown in FIG. 8 (4), the area A11 is smaller than the threshold value and thus is not divided. Then, the space between the areas A10a, A10b, A11 and the boundary surfaces 46b, 47 is divided according to the area division on the reference plane 29, and the boundary surface 46b becomes the boundary surface 46.
It is divided into ba and 46bb. In each of the divided spaces, surfaces 51, 52, 53 parallel to the reference plane 29 are created at positions closest to the reference plane 29 of the boundary surfaces 46ba, 46bb, 47, respectively. Area A10
The heights h1 from the reference plane 29 to the surfaces 51, 52, 53 are set as the height limits of the parts a, A10b, A11, respectively.
6, h17, h18 are generated. In the area A12, since the boundary surface 48 is parallel to the reference plane 29, the distance h19 between the boundary surface 48 and the reference plane 29 is generated as the component height limit. If the interface is not parallel to the reference plane,
By setting the threshold value appropriately according to the size of the component, it is possible to create a more precise placement constraint condition.

FIG. 9 shows a mechanical system C using this embodiment.
An example of designing an electronic device or the like by integrating an AD system and an electric CAD system will be shown. In this example, mechanical system C
The hardware of the AD system and the electrical CAD system has a general configuration. Starting from step c1, in step c2, the shape of the housing is input by the mechanical CAD system. Design the mechanical parts relations inside the housing and place them inside the housing. In step c3, the mechanical CAD system creates the outer shape of the electric wiring board, and arranges the board in the housing. A reference plane is set based on the board layout, and layout constraints are created. At step c4, components are arranged on the substrate by the electric CAD system. In step c5, the mechanical CAD system examines the shape of the board and the arrangement of parts on the board by interference check and the like, and if there is a need for improvement, returns to step c3, and if there is no need for improvement, moves to step c6. . In step c6, wiring of the components on the board is performed by the electric CAD system, and the process ends in step c7. By using the present embodiment to design an electronic device or the like according to the procedure shown in FIG. 9, it is possible to perform a high-density procedure in the housing of the electronic device.

When a program capable of executing the procedure for creating the layout constraint conditions described above is assembled and the program is stored in a computer-readable recording medium,
Using this recording medium, the computer can be made to function as an arrangement constraint condition creating device. When the computer reads the program for creating the layout constraint condition from the recording medium, it functions as a layout constraint condition creating device having the system configuration of the embodiment of FIG. For example, a computer input device such as a keyboard or a mouse functions as the input device 11 shown in FIG. The CPU of the computer is a three-dimensional set arithmetic processing unit 17 of the shape processing device 12 shown in FIG.
The allocable area recognizing unit 19, the area dividing unit 20, and the area determining unit 21 function. The memory such as the RAM of the computer is the shape storage unit 18 of the shape processing device 12 shown in FIG.
It functions as the arrangement constraint condition storage unit 22. The CPU of the computer converts the data regarding the placement constraint conditions stored in the placement constraint storage unit 22 into a form that can be output to the placement constraint condition output unit 23 of the output device 13 shown in FIG. The display of the computer may function as the layout constraint condition output unit 23. For example, the layout constraint condition may be the electrical system CA.
When converted into a data format that can be used in the D system, the memory of the computer may function as the layout constraint condition output unit 23.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the reference plane is set after the mechanical components are three-dimensionally arranged in the housing, the area where the mechanical components are arranged is prohibited on the reference plane. It can be a region. Within the housing, the space without the inner wall of the housing or the mechanical parts is continuously extracted in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane by the set calculation process, and is recognized as the placeable area, and the height from the reference plane to the boundary of the space is recognized. Is created as a constraint condition, it is possible to automatically create a constraint condition regarding the component height for the electric wiring board having a surface at the position of the reference plane in the housing. By creating the layout constraint conditions in the form of data that can be used in the electrical CAD system, for example, the design contents of the case parts and the mechanical parts in the case can be reflected in the board design.

Further, according to the present invention, the contour line of the boundary surface of the arrangeable area is projected onto the reference plane, and the reference plane is divided into areas according to this projection, so that highly reliable area division can be performed.

Further, according to the present invention, the inner product of the normal vector of the boundary surface of the space and the normal vector of the reference plane is calculated, the layout constraint condition is created for the range where the inner product is positive, and the inner product is 0 or less. Since the range of is excluded from the arrangeable area, the arrangeable area can be recognized from an arbitrary reference plane that intersects with the space in the housing in which the substrate can be arranged.

Further, according to the present invention, since the reference plane can be set for the case in which the three-dimensional arrangement of the mechanical parts is determined, the area on the reference plane where the mechanical parts are arranged. Can be a prohibited area. Create a height from the reference plane to the boundary of the space as a constraint condition for component placement in a space that is recognized as a board installable area by the set calculation process in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane and in which there is no continuous space. Therefore, it is possible to automatically create a constraint condition regarding the height of the component.

Further, according to the present invention, since the program for creating the layout constraint condition is stored in the computer-readable recording medium, the computer can be made to function as the layout constraint condition creating device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic system configuration of a component placement constraint condition creating device on a board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of recognizing a placeable area in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for creating a substrate installable area in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a procedure of setting a prohibited area on a reference plane 29 in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for recognizing a placeable area in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of creating a placement constraint condition in the embodiment of FIG.

7A and 7B are a front view and a plan view of the reference plane that is obtained by projecting the feature points of the outer shape of the allocable space onto the reference plane and dividing the feature points according to the projection in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a procedure of creating an arrangement constraint condition for a space having a boundary surface that is not parallel to the reference plane in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 9 shows a mechanical CAD system and an electrical system C according to the present embodiment.
It is a flowchart explaining the design procedure suitably used when designing by integrating with an AD system.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 Input device 12 Shape processing device 13 Output device 14 3D solid shape input section 15 Reference plane setting section 16 Board component information input section 17 3D Set Operation Processing Unit 18 Shape memory 19 placeable area recognition unit 20 Area division 21 Area determination unit 22 Layout constraint storage unit 23 Placement constraint condition output section

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method of creating a constraint condition when arranging a component on an electric wiring board, wherein a three-dimensional arrangement of mechanical components in a housing for accommodating the electric wiring board is determined in advance. From the three-dimensional space formed by the inner wall surface of the body, the remaining space obtained by removing the three-dimensional space formed by the outer shape of the mechanical parts in the housing by the set calculation process is extracted as a board installable area, and in the housing, A reference plane is set at the position of the surface when the electrical wiring board is housed so that at least a part of it is within the board installable area, and among the boundary surfaces of the board installable area that are continuous in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane. On a board characterized by recognizing the space surrounded by the boundary surface closest to the reference plane as a placeable area, and creating the height from the reference plane to the boundary surface of the space in the placeable area as a constraint condition. Placement restrictions on parts How to create. 2. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the contour line of the boundary surface of the space recognized as the allocable region is projected onto the reference plane, and the reference plane is divided into a plurality of regions according to the projection. How to create upper part placement constraints. 3. The height from the reference plane to the boundary of the space in the recognized allocable area is a constraint condition in a range in which the inner product of the normal vector of the boundary surface and the normal vector of the reference plane is positive. The component placement constraint condition creating method on a board according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the range in which the inner product is 0 or less is excluded from the placeable region. 4. A constraint condition creating device for arranging a component on an electric wiring board, comprising: a three-dimensional arrangement of an inner wall surface of a casing for accommodating the electric wiring substrate in advance; and a mechanical component in the casing. A three-dimensional shape input means for inputting the three-dimensional arrangement of the three-dimensional shape and a three-dimensional space formed by the inner wall surface of the housing are removed from the three-dimensional space formed by the outer shape of the mechanical parts in the housing to perform a set logical operation. , A logical operation means for extracting the remaining space as a board installable area, and a reference plane at the position of the surface when the electrical wiring board is housed so that at least a part of the space is within the board installable area. Based on the reference plane setting means to be set, the three-dimensional arrangement of the mechanical parts in the housing input to the three-dimensional shape input means, and the position of the reference plane set by the reference plane setting means, the reference plane Continuous in the direction perpendicular to Of the boundary surfaces of the board installable area, the space enclosed by the boundary surface closest to the reference plane is a placeable area recognition unit that recognizes as a placeable area, and the placeable area recognized by the placeable area recognition unit is a space. A component placement constraint condition creating device on a board, comprising: a constraint condition creating means for creating a height from a reference plane to a boundary surface of the device as a constraint condition. 5. A three-dimensional arrangement of mechanical parts in a housing for accommodating an electric wiring board is determined in advance as a procedure for creating a constraint condition when a part is arranged on the electric wiring board in a computer. Procedure, the remaining space obtained by removing the three-dimensional space formed by the outer shape of the mechanical components in the housing by the set operation process from the three-dimensional space formed by the inner wall surface of the housing is extracted as the board installable area. Procedure, setting the reference plane at the surface position when housing the electrical wiring board so that at least a part of it is within the board installation possible area in the housing, board installation continuous in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane Among the boundary surfaces of the feasible area, the procedure to recognize the space surrounded by the boundary surface closest to the reference plane as the arrangeable area, and the height from the reference plane to the boundary surface of the space in the arrangeable area as constraint conditions Computer-readable recording medium storing a program for a procedure to execute that.