JP2741982B2 - Design support equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a design support apparatus suitable for supporting a plurality of designers in joint design.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a plurality of designers share the design work in designing a product. How to design a plant or the like using a computer-aided design device (CAD device) will be described as an example.

[0003] First, a designer who designs a basic plan of the entire plant is required to specify the specifications of the power plant (for example, electrical output xx).
KWe), the equipment constituting the plant, the system configuration (for example, the connection configuration between the equipment for transferring water and steam), and the operation procedure of the plant are determined. The size and shape of the building and the location of the main equipment are determined based on the building. Next, based on the plant basic plan determined as described above, a plurality of designers share detailed design of main equipment design, piping design, electrical design, instrumentation design, air conditioning design, and auxiliary equipment design. Run.

[0004]

As described above, in the case where a plurality of designers share and carry out planning and design, CAD
When using the apparatus, it is conceivable to carry out as follows. In other words, in the process of performing a detailed design, each designer must avoid interference between components (for example, equipment and parts) included in the design object that is a product and to confirm easiness in operation. Each component is formed into a three-dimensional model by a CAD device and registered in a database. After that, each designer calls the data of the three-dimensional model of the component belonging to the necessary area from the database from the local memory of the CAD device and adjusts the layout (composite adjustment). In order to reduce the time required for the design process, the composite adjustment is preferably performed before the final shape of each component to be laid out is determined. In this case, the inventors have discovered that the following problem newly occurs.

That is, for each component, a three-dimensional model of a preliminary shape is created sequentially from the stage where the outer shape is determined (preliminary), and a three-dimensional model of the final shape is created when the design is completed. Is done. Therefore, the degree of design progress differs for each component included in a product (e.g., a plant), and the database stores preliminarily-shaped data and final-shaped data in a mixed manner during the overall design of the product. . Since the composite adjustment is performed before determining the final shape of each corresponding component, each component laid out at that time is based on data at various degrees of progress. Therefore, after that, even if the designer tries to determine the final layout shape for the design object for which he is in charge, the designer does not know the progress of the design of the corresponding component used in the previous composite adjustment. Therefore, as a result, the graphic data of all applicable components at the present time is checked to grasp the progress of each design. Such a check of the graphic data hinders the above-described shortening of the design process time. In addition, since the degree of design progress of the component is not known, the determination of the final shape (for example, the final layout) of the design object for which the user is responsible is delayed. The progress of the design is indicated by, for example, planned design, detailed design, and production construction design. It also determines the outer shape,
It is also expressed by reviewing the size by function check and determining details. For example, the progress of the design of the nozzle provided in the container includes determination of the outer shape of the nozzle, determination of its material, determination of its thickness, and determination of the groove shape when welding is performed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2-48774 describes one type of data management in a CAD apparatus. In a user information management record provided in a database of the CAD apparatus, design data for each part constituting a product is stored with correction information added thereto. This is to avoid inconvenience when a plurality of designers proceed with the design work of the same product in parallel, that is, to avoid confusion of the work of correcting the design data of parts by each designer. The correction information includes a flag indicating whether or not the designer is in a state of correction, a name of the corrector indicating the designer being corrected, and the start and end times of the correction.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-260270 describes a design information management system. This design information management system stores the approver of the parts bill.

JP-A-2-48774 and JP-A-62-2602
The system disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 70 stores modification information on part design and data of an approver, but does not store the degree of design progress of each component included in the design object.

[0009] It is an object of the present invention to co-design multiple designers.
When making measurements, the components that make up the design object
Design that includes multiple devices so that you can easily confirm that you are in the stage
An object of the present invention is to provide a design support device that can reduce the time required for designing an object .

[0010]

[MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS] To achieve the above object
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first design support apparatus for supporting device design.
Connected to the first design support apparatus via an information transmission path.
Layout design of a design object composed of multiple devices.
Design support device provided with a second design support device for supporting the measurement
In the first design support apparatus, the first design support apparatus
First graphic information generating means for generating graphic information;
A first storage area for storing graphic information, and a
Status information indicating the progress of the device design
And a second storage area for storing, the second design support device.
The location is the first graphic information stored in the first storage area.
Retrieves the first graphic information of the equipment constituting the design object from the
Based on the retrieved first graphic information, the
A second graphic information generating means for generating the second graphic information;
(2) a third storage area for storing graphic information, and the second storage area;
From the status information stored in the area, the design object
Search for status information corresponding to the devices that make up the
A fourth storage area for storing the searched status information;
The second graphic information is displayed and the fourth storage area is displayed.
Associates the status information stored in the
And display means for displaying the information.

A second invention for achieving the above object is:
A first design support device for supporting device design, and the first design
Connected to the support device via an information transmission path,
The second that supports layout design of the composed design object
A design support device provided with a design support device;
(1) The design support apparatus creates first graphic information of a plurality of devices.
First graphic information creating means for correcting the first graphic information
Modified first graphic information creating method for creating modified first graphic information
Column, and the first graphic information and the modified first graphic information are recorded.
The first storage area to remember, each first graphic information, and each correction
1 Shows the progress of device design input corresponding to graphic information
A second storage area for storing status information.
The second design support device stores the information in the first storage area.
Of the device that constitutes the design object from the first graphic information
Retrieving graphic information, based on the retrieved first graphic information;
Second graphic information for creating second graphic information of the design object
Creating means; and a first modified memory stored in the first storage area.
Modification of equipment constituting the design object from graphic information
The graphic information is searched and based on the searched modified first graphic information.
And modifying the design object to create second graphic information.
Second graphic information creating means, and the second graphic information and the repair
A third storage area for storing primary second graphic information;
From the status information stored in the storage area,
The first graphic information and the modified first graphic information of the device constituting the elephant
Status information corresponding to the
A fourth storage area for storing status information;
Information, and stored in the fourth storage area.
The first graphic information and the modified first
Display means for displaying in association with the graphic information.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the display means displays the design object.
Display the second graphic information and configure the design object
Displays device status information in association with the corresponding device
This makes it possible for multiple designers to
In addition, each designer has to make sure that the shape of the
Easy to create based on the shape of the equipment on the floor
Can be confirmed. Also in the second invention, the display means is a design object.
Is displayed, and the design object is configured.
Figure information of the device corresponding to the status information of the device
And display in association with the corrected first graphic information.
Each designer must know which figure of the object to be designed
Easy to create based on the shape of the equipment on the floor
Can be confirmed. Therefore, the stage where the final shape is not determined
The design of the design object using the shape of each device at
The shape of the design object can be examined and the shape of the equipment can be determined.
Can easily reflect the shape in the design of the design object.
Wear. For this reason, the design of a design object including multiple devices
The time required can be reduced.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A design support system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

The design support system of this embodiment includes a plurality of design support devices. These design support devices are connected to each other via a communication line. FIG. 1 shows one of the design support systems of the present embodiment that supports the design of equipment.
1 illustrates one first design support apparatus 1 and one second design support apparatus 11 that supports a layout design of a plurality of devices and a pipe connecting these devices. A plurality of first design support devices 1 for designing devices and a plurality of second design support devices 11 for designing layouts are provided. These design support devices are connected to a communication line 22.

The first design support apparatus 1 includes a central processing unit (hereinafter, referred to as a CPU) 2, an input / output control unit 3 connected to the CPU 2, a working memory connected to the CPU 2, a display device 5 as a display device, and an input device. Keyboard 6 as device
And mouse 7, memories 8 and 9, and communication control device 10
Is provided. Display 5, Keyboard 6, Mouse 7,
And the memories 8 and 9 are connected to the input / output control device 3. The communication control device 10 is connected to the CPU 2 and the communication line 22. The memory 8 has a storage area 8A for storing information for each device. The storage area 8A is provided with a graphic data area 8B for storing the graphic data of the device, and a design management data storage area 8C for storing design management data relating to the device, to which the name of the device is attached.
The memory 9 stores the device design program shown in FIG.

The second design support device 11 includes a CPU 12 and a C
Input / output control device 13 connected to PU 12, CPU 12
, A display 15 as a display device, a keyboard 16 and a mouse 1 as input devices.
7, memories 18 and 19, and a communication control device 20. Display 15, keyboard 16, mouse 17,
And the memories 18 and 19 are connected to the input / output control device 13. The communication control device 20 is connected to the CPU 12 and the communication line 22. The memory 18 has a graphic data storage area 18A for storing layout graphic data obtained by the layout design. In addition to the graphic data storage area 18A, the memory 18 has a storage area 18B for storing information for each laid-out device, and a storage area 18E for storing information for each laid-out pipe. The storage area 18B is provided with a graphic data storage area 18C for storing graphic data of the device and a design management data storage area 18D for storing design management data related to the device. The memory 19 stores the layout design program shown in FIGS.

The device design performed by the first design support apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Upon activation of the first design support apparatus 1, a menu is displayed on the display 5. This menu includes items such as device new design and device design correction. The designer in charge selects an item corresponding to the task to be performed from the menu items, and inputs the item from the keyboard 6 (or the mouse 7). It is assumed that a device new design is selected and input. The CPU 2 selects a program corresponding to the selected menu item from the memory 9 and stores the program in the working memory 4. The work memory 4 temporarily stores programs and data used during a predetermined design work, and data obtained by the design. The program of FIG. 2 is stored in the working memory 4 by selecting the new device design. The designer inputs the name of the device to be designed from the keyboard 6. The CPU 2 inputs the device name (step 30). Next, graphic data of the device is created (step 31). The creation of the graphic data is performed using data such as the specifications and dimensions of the device input from the keyboard 6 by the designer. After completing the creation of the graphic data, the designer inputs design management data relating to the device from the keyboard 6. The CPU 2 inputs the design management data and stores it in the working memory 4 (step 3).
2). The created graphic data is also stored in the working memory 4. The design management data includes data such as “creation date”, “designer name”, “design department”, “approver name”, “design status”, and “drawing number (or material number)”. An example of the design management data is shown in FIG. 10 for the device name “G41-B001A”. However, the data of “layout confirmation result” in FIG. 10 is not input by the first design support apparatus 1 but is input by the second design support apparatus 11. The design status corresponds to the above-described design progress, and can be represented by a plan design, a detailed design, or the like. As the design management data, data that can be input according to the design status is input by the designer. The graphic data and the design management data of the devices stored in the working memory 4 are stored in the memory 8 (step 33). For details,
The graphic data of the device is stored in a graphic data area 8B, and the design management data is stored in a design management data storage area 8C. As described above, the graphic data of the device corresponding to a certain status of the device design is created.

First design support apparatus 1 for executing the processing of FIG.
Stores data indicating the design status indicating the degree of progress of the design, so that the created graphic data of the device can be associated with the design status.

The processing procedure of FIG. 3 may be used instead of the processing procedure of FIG. The processing procedure of FIG. 3 includes steps 34 to 34 between steps 32 and 33 of the processing procedure of FIG.
36. In step 34, it is determined whether or not each data of "design status", "designer name", "creation date", and "drawing number (or material number)" has been input as predetermined design management data. If the determination in step 34 is “yes”, the process proceeds to step 33. A step 35 executed when the judgment of the step 34 is “no” outputs a message prompting input of predetermined design management data to the display 5. This message is displayed on the display 5. The designer sees this message and inputs the missing design management data.
After a predetermined time has elapsed after step 35, step 3
6 is executed. In this process, it is determined whether or not the design management data that was insufficient has been input. Step 3
Steps 35 and 36 until the judgment of 6 becomes "yes"
Is repeated. In step 36, when there is not enough design management data to be input, the flow shifts to step 33. As a result, the minimum input of the design management data necessary for smoothly proceeding with the layout design is reliably performed. In the process of FIG. 3, the same effect as in the case of FIG. 2 is obtained.

Next, a layout design using the second design support apparatus 11 will be described.

Upon activation of the second design support apparatus 11, a menu is displayed on the display 15. This menu includes items such as “Layout New Design”, “Layout Confirmation”, and “Layout Correction”. The designer in charge is
An item corresponding to the task to be performed is selected from the menu items, and the item is input from the keyboard 16 (or the mouse 17). It is assumed that a layout new design is selected and input. At this time, the CPU 12 selects the program corresponding to the selected menu item, that is, the processing procedure of FIG. 4 corresponding to “new layout” from the memory 19 and stores it in the work memory 14. The CPU 12
The processing of FIG. 4 is executed in order.

The designer specifies the names of a plurality of devices required by the design object obtained by the assigned layout design, that is, the names (or codes of the devices) of the plurality of devices to be laid out in the assigned layout design. It is designated using the keyboard 16. The CPU 12 inputs these designated device names and stores them in the working memory 14 (step 3).
7). Further, the graphic data and the design management data of the device corresponding to the specified device name are searched and retrieved by the CPU 1.
2 (step 38). This search is performed as follows. Since the layout is a new design, these data are not stored in the memory of the second design support apparatus 11. It is assumed that these data are stored in the memory 8 of the first design support device 1. For this reason,
The search signal for the graphic data of the device and the design management data generated in step 38 is output to the communication line 22 via the communication control device 20. The search signal is a design support device that stores graphic data and design management data for the corresponding device name, that is, the CPU of the first design support device 1.
2 is input via the communication control device 10. CPU2
Searches the graphic data area 8B and the design management data storage area 8C of the memory 8 based on the search signal, and calls the graphic data and the design management data of the corresponding device. The graphic data and the design management data of the called device are fetched into the CPU 12 via the communication control device 10, the communication line 22, and the communication control device 20, and the work memory 1
4 is stored.

The specified device name (or graphic data of the searched device) and the design management data of the corresponding device are
It is output to the display 15 (step 39). By this process, the device name (or device graphic data) and design management data required for the target layout are displayed in a predetermined area of the screen of the display 15. For this reason,
Since the designer can check necessary devices while viewing the screen of the display 15, the layout of these devices can be easily performed. In particular, if you display device graphics data,
Since the designer can grasp the shapes of the corresponding devices, the layout of these devices is greatly facilitated. Both the designated device name and the graphic data of the retrieved device can be displayed on the display 15. Further, the designer can easily know the design status of the device to be laid out, that is, how far the design of this device has progressed, by looking at the displayed design management data. Next, the layout of these devices is performed. The designer specifies each arrangement position of those devices by using the keyboard 16. In step 40, each device is arranged at a designated position based on the input data of these arrangement positions, and layout graphic data of these devices is created. The created layout graphic data is output to the display 15 (step 41). As a result, the layout graphic of the device is displayed on the display 15. The piping for connecting the laid devices is laid out, and the layout graphic data of the piping is created in addition to the layout graphic data of the equipment created in step 40 (step 42). The layout of the pipes connecting the devices can also be made based on the data inputted by the designer from the keyboard 16, as disclosed in JP-A-60-7947.
It can also be done automatically as described in the 0 publication. The created layout graphic data of the piping is stored in the work memory 14 and output to the display 15 together with the layout graphic data of the equipment (step 43). Thus, the laid-out equipment and piping figures are displayed on the display 15. Design management data related to devices on layout and step 4
The designer and the approver input management data for the layout graphic (for example, the layout graphic displayed in step 43) obtained by the layout design of “0” from the keyboard 16. The design management data and layout graphic management data relating to the devices on these layouts are stored in the CPU.
12 and stored in the working memory 14 (step 44). The device design management data related to the layout is, for example, data shown as “layout confirmation result” in FIG. The layout figure management data includes “creation date”, “designer name”, “design department”, “approver name”, “design status”, and “drawing number (or Data number) ". As a matter of course, the code name of the design object which is the target of the layout design and the name of the area where the design object is arranged are also input. The data such as “creation date” and “designer name” are stored corresponding to the code name of the design object. The layout graphic data of the equipment and the piping, the design management data for the equipment used for the layout, and the layout graphic management data are stored in the memory 18 (step 45). The layout graphic data and layout graphic management data of the device and the piping are stored in the graphic data storage area 18A of the memory 18 in association with the design object name. Further, the layout graphic data of the equipment and the piping and the layout graphic management data are stored in the graphic data storage area 18A in correspondence with the names of the areas where the design objects are arranged. Therefore, layout graphic data and layout graphic management data of equipment and piping can be searched from both the design object name and the area name. The design management data of the equipment included in the layout graphic such as the equipment and the piping is stored in the design management data storage area 18D corresponding to the equipment name included in the layout graphic such as the equipment and the piping. That is, the design management data of the device is stored in the memory 18 corresponding to the layout graphic data including the device.
The graphic data of the equipment included in the layout graphic such as the equipment and the piping is also stored in the graphic data area 18C corresponding to the equipment name. The device design management data related to the layout is stored in the design management data storage area 18D corresponding to the device name. When the process of step 45 is completed, all the processes of “new layout design” are completed. After that, the screen of the display 15 is changed to an initial screen that displays menu items such as “new layout”, “confirm layout”, and “correct layout” as described above.

In the process of creating a new layout, in step 38, the graphic data of each device to be layout-designed can be retrieved from the first design support device 1 or the like that created the data. The graphic data of each device created in 1 etc. can be used as it is, and the layout of the device in step 40 can be easily performed. Further, the graphic data of the device searched in step 39 is displayed on the display 1.
5, the designer can directly know the shape of the device to be laid out, and can easily examine the orientation of the device when laying out the device. This will improve the efficiency of the equipment layout. In step 38, the design management data of each device to be subjected to the layout design is stored in the corresponding first design support apparatus 1.
And the like, and the design management data can be displayed on the display 15 in step 39, so that the designer can see the design status data related to the equipment and see the graphic data of the equipment used for the layout design. It is easy to know which stage of the system is being used. Therefore, the designer can grasp in advance the parts that need to be modified in the layout design as the device design progresses. By looking at other data of the design management data, the designer can know the designer who created the graphic data of the device used for the layout design, the date of creation, and the like. Knowing the designer makes it easier for a layout designer to make a contact when a contact is needed for the contents of the device design.

Based on the processing of FIG. 4, the design management data of the equipment included in the layout graphic such as the equipment and the piping corresponds to the layout graphic data including the equipment and is stored in the memory 1.
8 (step 45), the designer can know the information of the status of each device included in the layout figure such as the device and the piping in the process of “layout confirmation” and “layout correction” described later. You can easily confirm the design stage for those devices.

In the design support system of this embodiment, the second design support device 11 for performing layout design includes a graphic data area 18C for storing graphic data of a device and a design management data storage for storing design management data for the device. Since the storage area 18B including the area 18D is provided, the layout design can be easily confirmed and corrected as described later. In particular, these are the design management data storage areas 18.
The fact that the status data of the design relating to the device is stored in D, that is, the storage area for the status data is provided has a significant effect.

The design support system according to the present embodiment, which is capable of knowing the design status (design progress) of each device required for the layout in the layout design, in other words, converts the graphic data of the devices having different design statuses. The layout design of the design object can be performed in advance.

Next, "layout confirmation" will be described. The designer in charge uses the keyboard 1
6 (or mouse 17), input the item of "layout confirmation". The CPU 12 selects the program for executing the selected “layout confirmation” processing, that is, the processing procedure of FIG. 5 from the memory 19 and stores it in the working memory 14. The CPU 12 executes the processing of FIG. 5 in order.

The designer uses the keyboard 16 to specify the area name (or design object name) of the object whose layout is to be checked. The CPU 12 inputs the designated area name (or design object name) and stores it in the work memory 14 (step 46). The layout graphic data such as the equipment and piping arranged in the designated area and the design management data related to the equipment arranged in this area are retrieved from the memory 18 and written into the working memory 14 (step 4).
7). The layout graphic data of the equipment and piping are called from the work memory 14 and output to the display 15 (step 48). The designer uses the keyboard 1 to enter the device name of the displayed device whose corresponding design management data is to be viewed.
Specify at 6. The device to be viewed may be picked with the mouse 17. The designated device name is input (step 49). The design management data for the designated device name is searched from the design management data storage area in the memory (for example, the memory 18) of the second design support device (for example, the second design support device 11) that performs the corresponding layout design, and the work is performed. The data is stored in the memory 14 (step 50). The design management data searched for the designated device name is output to the display 15 (step 51). The display 15 displays the design management data together with the layout graphic data for the specified target area. FIG. 10 shows a display example of the design management data and the layout graphic displayed on the display 15 in step S15. The design management data 57 includes a device 58 (device name; G41-B001).
A) is shown. In FIG. 10, reference numeral 59 denotes a pipe connected to the device 58. In step 52, it is determined whether or not there is a device for which the layout check is to be performed. Step 5
If the determination of No. 2 is “none”, the following processing may be executed. That is, layout graphic management data for the layout graphic data obtained by the layout design is read from the graphic data storage area 18A of the memory 18 and output to the display 15. The designer
By looking at the design status data included in the layout figure management data displayed on the display 15, the design stage for the layout figure can be known.

By the above processing, the design management data of the laid-out device, particularly the data of the design status, is displayed together with the layout figure, so that the designer can determine the shape of the laid-out device in any design stage. Can be known. For this reason, the designer can easily find a portion where the layout design is performed using the device having the old shape by looking at the displayed status of the design. For example, if the plan design has been completed, the status of the displayed design is "plan design decision diagram"
The designer knows that the device shape not determined in the plan design is not reflected in the layout design for the device that is not set to the above. For this reason, the designer can quickly correct the old shape of the device to the shape of the device determined by the plan design, and can also quickly correct the layout design of the necessary portions such as piping. From the above, the final layout of the design object in the planning and designing stage can be obtained in a short time. The correction processing is performed by executing the processing procedures of FIGS. 8 and 9 described later.

By providing the above-described layout confirmation processing procedure, even if the layout design designer is changed, the new designer can use this processing procedure to determine which design stage the corresponding design object is in. It is easy to know whether the graphics data of the device is used. Therefore, the replaced new designer can smoothly continue the layout design from now on including the layout correction described later.

Instead of the processing procedure of "layout confirmation" in FIG. 5, the processing procedure of "layout confirmation" shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 may be used. Parts different from those in FIG. 5 among the processing procedures in FIGS. 6 and 7 will be described below. Step 46-4
The processing of No. 9 does not change. After step 49, the process of step 53 is performed. That is, the design management data for the designated device name is searched from the design management data storage area in the memory (for example, the memory 8) of the design support device (for example, the first design support device 1) for designing the corresponding device, It is taken into the working memory 14 (step 53). This search is performed in the same manner as the search in step 38 described above. The design management data searched in step 53 is compared with the creation date data included in the design management data searched from the design management data storage area 18D of the memory 18 of the second design support device 11 for performing the layout design for each same device name. (Step 54). Instead of the creation date data included in the design management data, the data of the statuses of the two device designs may be compared. However, even if the status is the same, the layout design may be revised, so it is preferable to compare the layout design based on the creation date. Step 5
In step 4, along with the execution of the above-described comparison processing, the design management data searched in step 53 and the design management data storage area 18D of the memory 18 of the second design support apparatus 11 for performing the layout design are searched for the same device name. It is desirable to output the design management data to the display 15. This allows the designer to:
Data such as “design status” and “creation date” stored in the memory 8 and those data stored in the memory 18 can be visually confirmed, and the presence or absence of a difference between these data can be directly known. be able to. These displays are:
Further, as described above, even when the new designer who is replaced takes charge of the subsequent layout design, it can be smoothly performed. The determination in step 54 is "same"
If it is, the process proceeds to step 52. If the determination in step 54 is “different”, step 55
Move to the processing of. A step 55 outputs to the display 15 a message instructing the layout to be modified.
6 and 7 automatically determine the difference between the design management data of the device stored in the first design support device and that of the device stored in the second design support device.
The designer can see the result of the determination, that is, the message in step 55, and know whether or not they match. When the message instructing the correction is displayed on the display 15, subsequent to the processing of the step 55, the processing of the correction described later (steps 62 to 6 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9).
6) is performed automatically.

The modification of the layout design will be described below. 8 and 9 show the processing procedure of the layout correction.

"Layout correction" is selected from the menu items displayed on the display 15. By this selection, the programs of FIGS. 8 and 9 are put into the execution state. The designer
The name of the area for which the layout is to be corrected is specified using the keyboard 16. The CPU 12 inputs these designated device names and stores them in the working memory 14 (step 5).
6). After step 56, the processes of steps 47 and 48 shown in FIG. 5 and steps 53 and 54 shown in FIG. 6 are sequentially executed. In this step 54, the design management data retrieved from the memory 8 and the retrieved data from the memory 18 are displayed on the display 15 together with the same device name, as in the case of FIG. Good. If the determination in step 54 is "same", the processing in step 61, that is, the correction of the device displayed and laid out on the display 15 is not performed. This is because, for the device, the design management data stored in the design management data storage area of the first design support apparatus is the second.
This is the same as that stored in the design management data storage area of the design support apparatus, and there is no need to modify the layout of the device.

The case where the determination in step 54 is "different" will be described. At this time, the graphic management data and the design management data of the device whose creation date is different from the design management data stored in the memory of the second design support device, which is the design management data relating to the device being laid out, are converted into the first design support data. The data is retrieved from the memory of the device and read into the CPU 12 of the second design support device (for example, the second design support device 11) (step 62). Instead of the graphic data and the design management data of the devices having different creation dates, the graphic data and the design management data of the devices having different design status data may be read. However, as in the case of step 54, the creation date of step 62 is more desirable. The graphic data and design management data of the device read from the memory 18 of the second design support device 11 and stored in the work memory 14 are replaced with those of the device searched in step 62 (step 63). The designer uses the keyboard 16 to specify the layout position of the graphic data of the device. The graphic data of the device placed at the designated position is output to the display 15 (step 64). The graphic data is displayed on the display 15 together with graphic data of other devices and graphic data of piping and the like. The designer inputs, from the keyboard 16, data for correcting the layout of piping and other objects located around the device, while viewing the displayed graphic. Using this correction data, corrected layout graphic data of piping and other arrangements located around the device is created (step 65).
The layout graphic data of the corrected equipment and piping, the graphic data and the design management data of the equipment searched in step 62, the design management data and the layout graphic management data of the equipment on the layout are stored in the memory 18 of the second design support apparatus 11. (Step 66). The layout graphic data of the corrected equipment and piping is stored in the graphic data storage area 18 corresponding to the design object name and the area name.
A is stored. The graphic data relating to the device retrieved in step 62 is also stored in the graphic data storage area 18C corresponding to the name of the device included in the layout graphic. The design management data related to the device and the design management data related to the layout retrieved in step 62 are also stored in the design management data storage area 18D corresponding to the name of the device. As described above, since the design management data of the equipment included in the layout graphic such as the corrected equipment and the piping is stored in correspondence with the layout graphic data including the equipment, the same as in the case of step 45 described above. Produces an effect.

As described above, by paying attention to the difference in the design management data, particularly the data of the design status, the layout using the device having the old shape can be changed to the layout reflecting the shape of the new device in the advanced design stage. Can be corrected in a short time. Focusing on the creation date of the device's graphic data,
Even with the same status, the layout can be corrected in a short time using the graphic data of the device on the new creation date.

In the present embodiment, the design of each device to be laid out has not reached the final stage, and the devices and devices included in the design object are connected using graphic data of the device for various design statuses. The layout of piping to be performed can be performed in advance. Even when the layout is laid out in advance, it is possible to clarify the design stage of the graphic data of the equipment used for the layout, so that the layout graphic can be corrected extremely easily and in a short time.
Therefore, the present embodiment can significantly reduce the time required until the design of a design object including a plurality of components is completed. In addition, the number of workers for the design can be reduced.

A design support system according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The design support system of the present embodiment has the configuration shown in FIG. However, the first design support device 1
Stores the program in FIG. 11 in the memory 9 in addition to the program in FIG. Further, the second design support device 11
Stores the program of FIG. 12 in the memory 19 in addition to the programs of FIGS. The processing by the program in FIGS. 11 and 12 will be described.

When the first design support apparatus 1 is started, an item to be implemented, “device design correction”, is selected from menu items displayed on the display 5 and input from the keyboard 6. The CPU 2 selects the program in FIG. 11 from the memory 9 and stores the program in the working memory 4. The designer inputs, from the keyboard 6, the name of the device to be modified. CPU2
Inputs the device name (step 67). Next, corrected graphic data of the device is created (step 6).
8). The creation of the corrected graphic data is performed using the correction data such as the specifications and dimensions of the device input from the keyboard 6 by the designer. After completing the creation of the modified graphic data, the designer inputs design management data relating to the device from the keyboard 6. The CPU 2 inputs the corrected design management data and stores it in the work memory 4 (step 69). The created graphic data is also stored in the working memory 4. The modified design management data is “Created Date”,
Includes data such as "designer name", "design department", "approver name", "design status", and "drawing number (or material number)". The graphic data and design management data corrected for the devices stored in the working memory 4 are stored in the memory 8 (step 70). Specifically, the corrected graphic data of the device is stored in the graphic data area 8B, and the corrected design management data is stored in the design management data storage area 8C. Naturally, the data of the design status regarding the device has also been corrected. A step 71 outputs the corrected graphic data and the design management data to a second design support device, for example, the second design support device 11.

Receiving this output data, the second design support device 11 executes the processing of FIG. First, the corrected graphic data and the design management data relating to the device for which the corrected design has been output from the first design support apparatus 1 are input and stored in the work memory 14 (step 72). The graphic data and the design management data of the device read from the memory 18 of the second design support device 11 and stored in the work memory 14 are replaced with those of the device input at Step 72 (Step 63A). After step 63A, step 6
Steps 4 to 66 are sequentially performed. As described above, when the device is modified by the first design support apparatus 1,
The layout of the related part can be corrected by the second design support apparatus 11. In this embodiment, the same effect as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained. It is also possible to eliminate the programs of FIGS. 5, 8 and 9 from this embodiment.

A design support system according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is different from the embodiment of FIG. 1 in that a layout figure management data storage area 8D is provided in the memory 8 and the processing program shown in FIG. The layout graphic management data storage area 8D stores layout graphic management data for layout graphic data for each area.

The designer selects “examination of device structure modification” from the menu items displayed on the display 5 of the activated first design support apparatus 1, and inputs the name of the target device to be modified from the keyboard 6. input. The CPU 2 reads the program of FIG. 14 corresponding to the selected new item from the memory 9 and stores the program in the working memory 4. The processing of this program will be described.

The name of the device whose structure is to be examined, which is specified by the designer from the keyboard 6, is entered (step 73). This processing is preferably executed when it is desired to examine the structure of the device based on the result of the layout design. The layout graphic management data relating to the area where the designated device is arranged is read from the layout graphic management data storage area 8D of the memory 8 of the first design support apparatus 1 and stored in the work memory 4 (step 74). The creation date data included in the layout graphic management data retrieved in step 74 and the layout graphic management data retrieved from the graphic data storage area 18A of the memory 18 of the second design support device 11 are compared for each same area ( Step 7
5). As in the case of step 54, the data of the status of the layout design may be compared with each other instead of the creation date. Along with the comparison of the creation date data, the layout graphic management data and the graphic data storage area 18A retrieved from the graphic data storage area 18A for the same area are output to the display 5. Thus, the designer can visually check the data such as “design status” and “creation date” stored in the memory 8 and those data stored in the memory 18 for the same area. If the determination in step 75 is "same", the processing by this program ends. If the determination in step 75 is "different", layout graphic data for the area is read from the memory 18 and stored in the working memory 4 (step 76). The read layout graphic data is output to the display 5 (step 7).
7). The designer looks at the displayed layout graphic of the area and determines whether or not the structure of the device included therein needs to be modified. The designer uses the keyboard 6
Enter from. A step 78 decides "whether the device needs to be modified" based on the inputted data of the decision result. If the input judgment result is “No”, step 78 is “n”
o "is determined, and the processing in FIG. 14 is stopped. If the input determination result is “necessary”, the determination in step 78 is “yes”.
s ", and the processes of steps 69 and 70 are sequentially executed. When the structure of the device is changed by this processing, when the processing of FIGS. 8 and 9 is selected by the second design support apparatus 11 as described above, the layout graphic data reflecting the changed structure of the device is corrected. Is performed.

By such processing, the structure of the device can be examined based on the result of the layout design, and the design for changing the structure of the device as needed can be supported. This embodiment produces the effects obtained in the embodiment of FIG.

Each of the embodiments described above can be applied not only to layout design but also to design of an apparatus (for example, a machine tool) having a plurality of parts.

Each of the above-described embodiments has a first design support device and a second design support device, and each memory distributed to each design support device functions as a memory of the design support system. Each embodiment of the invention can be applied to a design support system using one memory in which the distributed memories are integrated. This integrated memory is stored in the communication line 22
Connected to. In each of the above embodiments, the present invention can also be applied to a design support system using the second design support device without using the first design support device. In this case, the graphic data and the design management data of the device are input from the keyboard 16 in advance by the designer and stored in the memory.

[0047]

According to the present invention, a plurality of designers can work together.
Even when designing, each designer must be able to
At any stage of the instrument design
Can be easily checked . Therefore, the final shape is determined.
Of the design object using the shape of each device at the stage where
Design can be performed in advance and the shape of the design object can be examined.
Even if the shape of the
Can be reflected. For this reason, designs that include multiple devices
The time required for designing the object can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a design support system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing procedure of a device design executed by the first design support apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing another processing procedure of the device design executed by the first design support device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing procedure of a new layout design executed by the second design support device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing procedure of a layout check executed by the second design support apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another processing procedure of a layout check executed by the second design support apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing another processing procedure of the layout check executed by the second design support apparatus of FIG. 1 and showing a processing procedure leading to the processing procedure of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing procedure of a layout correction executed by the second design support apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing procedure of layout correction executed by the second design support device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information displayed on a display when the processing procedure of the layout check in FIG. 5 is executed.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing procedure of a device design correction executed by a first design support apparatus of a design support system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing procedure of layout design correction executed by a second design support apparatus of the design support system in which the processing of FIG. 11 is executed.

FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of a design support system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing procedure of a device design correction executed by the first design support apparatus of FIG. 13;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... first design support device, 2, 12 ... CPU, 5, 15 ...
Display, 8, 9, 18, 19 ... Memory, 10, 2
0: Communication control device, 11: Second design support device, 22: Communication line.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Satoru Ono 3-1-1, Sachimachi, Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki Hitachi, Ltd. Inside Hitachi Plant (72) Inventor Masayuki Yatabe 3-2-2, Sachimachi, Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki No. 1 Within Hitachi Engineering Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-2-48774 (JP, A) JP-A-2-81178 (JP, A) Proc. Of the 43rd National Convention of IPSJ (3) 331- Page 332, Tsutomu Okawa et al. 2F-9 "Collaborative Document Creation Review Support System-System Overview-"

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A first design support device for supporting device design;
Connected to the first design support apparatus via an information transmission path,
Layout design of a design object composed of multiple devices
A design support device having a second design support device to support
And the first design support apparatus stores first graphic information of a plurality of devices.
First graphic information generating means for generating the first graphic information;
A first storage area for storing and input corresponding to each device
The status information that indicates the progress of the equipment design
A second storage area, wherein the second design support apparatus stores the first storage area in the first storage area.
Of the device that constitutes the design object from the first graphic information
Retrieving graphic information, based on the retrieved first graphic information;
Second graphic information for creating second graphic information of the design object
Creating means; and a third storage area for storing the second graphic information.
And status information stored in the second storage area
From the stator corresponding to the equipment constituting the design object
And retrieves the retrieved status information
When displaying the fourth storage area and the second graphic information,
And the status information stored in the fourth storage area.
Display means for displaying in association with the corresponding device.
A design support apparatus characterized in that: 2. A first design support device for supporting device design,
Connected to the first design support apparatus via an information transmission path,
Layout design of a design object composed of multiple devices
A design support device having a second design support device to support
And the first design support apparatus stores first graphic information of a plurality of devices.
First graphic information generating means for generating the first graphic information;
Modified first graphic information that is modified to create modified first graphic information
Creating means, the first graphic information and the corrected first graphic information
Information, a first storage area for storing information,
Progress of device design input corresponding to the modified first graphic information
And a second storage area for storing status information indicating the degree.
Wherein the second design support apparatus, the storage of the first storage area
Of the device that constitutes the design object from the first graphic information
Retrieving graphic information, based on the retrieved first graphic information;
Second graphic information for creating second graphic information of the design object
Creating means; and a first modified memory stored in the first storage area.
Modification of equipment constituting the design object from graphic information
The graphic information is searched and based on the searched modified first graphic information.
And modifying the design object to create second graphic information.
Second graphic information creating means, and the second graphic information and the repair
A third storage area for storing primary second graphic information;
From the status information stored in the storage area,
The first graphic information and the modified first graphic information of the device constituting the elephant
Status information corresponding to the
A fourth storage area for storing status information;
Information, and stored in the fourth storage area.
The first graphic information and the modified first
Display means for displaying in association with graphic information
A design support device characterized by the following.