JP3144085B2 - 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 CAD / CAM / CAE apparatus for handling information used for design and manufacturing support, and more particularly, to shape information of a design / manufacturing object, material, surface characteristics, and manufacturing method. The present invention relates to a device that handles attribute information such as information and constraint information indicating the relationship between them.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A known example most similar to the present invention is an automatic design system for automatically creating a drawing or a shape model by inputting design specification values. Specifically, all design parameters and all dimensions are calculated from specification values. In such a system, when a design specification value as an attribute value is input, another design parameter as an attribute value is determined so as to satisfy a constraint condition expressed as a program. Further, in such a system, shape data is generated and output from the design parameters determined as a result.

[0003] The most typical one is a system IMPAKT (a product name in the United States is ICAD) of ICAD, USA. Using this system, the user declaratively describes and inputs design specifications, attribute data such as design parameters for parts and assemblies, performance and dimensions, data on the constraint relationship between the attributes, and data on the method of creating the shape. be able to. Also, the data once input can be changed. Next, when a value is input to a specific attribute such as a design specification, the system obtains the value of another attribute data so as to meet the constraint condition represented by the constraint data, and based on the result and the data of the shape creation method previously input, Generate a shape and output it. That is, a drawing or a shape model can be obtained only by inputting design specification values (Shunji Sakai et al .: Latest Trend of Intelligent CAD, PIX)
EL (No. 94), July 1990).

[0004]

Generally, in design, there are cases where a shape is determined and an attribute is determined thereby, or an attribute is determined and a shape is determined thereby. When the attribute is determined by the shape, for example, when the shape is determined by the relationship between the mounting portion and other parts, the attribute of the material may be determined from the shape in order to use a material having sufficient strength. Conversely, as a case where the shape is determined by the attribute, for example, there is a case where the attribute of the material is determined for use in a highly corrosive atmosphere or the like, and a shape having sufficient strength is thereby determined. Similarly, when the shape of a part is determined and thereby the shape of another part is determined, the attribute of a certain item may be determined and the attribute of another item may be determined. However, with the conventional technology, the constraint relationship shown here, in which the shape is determined first and the attribute is determined accordingly, and the constraint relationship in which the attribute is determined first and the shape is determined accordingly, can be handled simultaneously. There was no. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, to facilitate the management of design information by directly handling the design problem, and to automate the design and save labor.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides means for operating shape data of a design object, means for operating attribute data relating to characteristics of the design object, Means for operating the constraint data indicating the relationship, and the shape data and the attribute data so as to satisfy the relationship with the shape data or the attribute data represented by the constraint data changed based on the change of the constraint data. Changing the shape data and other attribute data so as to satisfy a relationship between the first changing means to be changed and the shape data or the attribute data represented by the constraint data changed based on the change of the attribute data. A second changing means for performing the above-mentioned shape data or the above-mentioned attribute data represented by the constraint data changed based on the change of the shape data. A third changing means for changing other shape data and the attribute data so as to satisfy the relationship with the data, and changing the data changed by the first, second and third changing means to other shape data or attribute data. Detecting means for detecting whether there is any contradiction with the data or the constraint data.

[0006]

When an operation instruction for shape data is given in an interactive manner, shape data is generated, changed, deleted, and output.
When an operation instruction for attribute data is given, attribute data is generated, changed, deleted, and output. When an operation instruction for constraint data is given, constraint data is generated, changed, deleted, and output. Based on the change of the constraint data, the shape data and the attribute data are changed so as to satisfy all the constraints expressed by the constraint data. Based on the change in the attribute data, the shape data and other attribute data are changed so as to satisfy all the constraints expressed by the constraint data. Based on the change of the shape data, other shape data and attribute data are changed so as to satisfy all the constraints expressed by the constraint data. Thus, the change of the shape data or the attribute data is repeated so as to satisfy the constraint data. Further, a contradiction of the constraint expressed by the constraint data is detected, and if the contradiction is detected, the repetition of the change of the shape data or the attribute data is stopped.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention is a design support apparatus (CAD system) that handles a calculation formula as constraint data. However, the present invention does not limit the types of constraint data. There may be a calculation method in which the constraint data takes the form of a logical expression and the order of operation is determined at the time of execution, and a constraint condition that becomes a simultaneous equation is also within the scope of the present invention. Before describing the embodiments, an example of a design that can be supported by the present apparatus will be described first. The description of the device will then be given with examples of how to support this design.

As an example of a design problem, a problem of screw selection and screw arrangement of a pipe connecting portion as shown in FIG. 5 is taken up. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 301 denotes two flanged pipes. These flange portions are fastened by screws (303) with a gasket (302) interposed therebetween. The outer diameter d, flange outer diameter D, and fastening force of these two pipes are given as design specification values. However, the outer diameter of the pipe and the outer diameter of the flange are given not as attribute data but as shape data on the drawing, and the fastening force is not directly related to the shape data, so-called attribute data of the entire assembly. Has been given. It can be assumed that the outer diameters of pipes and flanges are given not as shape data but as attribute data, but here the designer decided to express the shape interactively on the drawing because he wanted to grasp the size intuitively. Alternatively, it is assumed that no attribute data exists because, for example, drawing data having no existing attribute data is used as it is.
In general, when designing a shape other than this from a design point of view, when determining a shape from the ergonomic point of view such as a size that is easy to use, a shape that is easy to grasp, etc., it is a specification value that is difficult to handle with attribute data. Often there are.

In this state, in order to determine the selection of the bolts and the place to attach the bolts, a design calculation as shown in FIG. 6 is required. In FIG. 6, the left half represents the shape information and a part of the relational expression between the shape and the attribute. d and D
Is the diameter of the cylinder, and k and p are shape information such as the part number and the part position. The right side of the equation (k, p) is the shape information k, p, the attribute information bolt part number, and the bolt arrangement position , That is, information indicating a calculation formula for obtaining k and p. The area in the right half represents the attribute information and the relational expression between the attributes. Items that merely represent words, such as "fastening force" and "bolt axial force", and items to the left of the equal sign in the calculation formula are attribute items. Each item has an actual value. The right side of the equal sign is a calculation formula for calculating the value of each attribute. However, this calculation is only an example, and does not necessarily indicate that this calculation is performed with such a design. This figure shows a dimension "bolt arrangement position" for determining the bolt arrangement position using given specification values D, d and fastening force, "p" which is a geometric force matrix expression of the bolt arrangement position, and per bolt. The required bolt strength is "axial force of the bolt", the outer diameter of the threaded part of the bolt "nominal diameter of the bolt", the diameter of the threaded part of the bolt "bolt diameter", the material of the bolt The procedure for obtaining the required stress, which is the required tensile strength per unit area, the bolt material, which indicates the type of bolt material that satisfies the required stress, and the bolt part number, which specifies the standard bolt, is shown. ing. The parentheses () used in the expression in this expression represent an operation for extracting only an integer part of a value having a decimal part, and are used for rounding a dimension value and selecting a bolt which can be easily obtained as a standard product. . Also, if () is a relation that returns the value of the expression of the second argument when the condition of the first argument is satisfied, and returns the value of the expression of the third argument when the condition is not satisfied. Stringification is a function that converts a number into a string format. The operator + performs addition in the case of a numerical value, but connects the character strings in the case of a character string.

[0010] When such calculations are completed, it is necessary to reflect the result to a drawing which is shape data. This can be performed by extracting the component data corresponding to the component number obtained by calculation from the database, and arranging the component data at the arrangement position similarly obtained by calculation. Since the data of standard parts such as bolts are stored in the database, if the data is searched and used, it is not necessary to calculate the dimensions of the detailed parts.

In design, it is common practice to partially change the size and components in order to find the optimum solution and to check the status of other parts. For example, the specification value D
When the fastening force is changed, as shown in FIG. 7, the diameter and material of the bolt change, and the bolt used changes. From this comparison, it can be seen that in this example, the types of bolts that can be used greatly change depending on the magnitude of the difference between D and d, and the margin of strength greatly changes. The designer wants to easily perform the calculations shown in this figure. As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus of this embodiment includes an input device (1), a processing device (2), a storage device (3), and an output device (4). Of which processing unit (2) and storage unit (3)
Is composed of smaller elements as shown in the figure. The shape change storage device (2a) is a device for directly operating shape information displayed graphically using a method such as dragging. Dragging is a method of changing the size, position, and the like of a shape as if it were grasped by a pointing device such as a mouse. In the shape change storage device (2a), when one shape element is changed, a process of changing data of peripheral shape elements to match the change is also performed. For example, when the position of one surface of a rectangular parallelepiped is changed, a process of changing the data of the ridge line and the vertex around the surface is performed. In general, when the position of one surface of a rectangular parallelepiped is changed, if the surface is to be kept flat, the shape cannot be maintained unless the peripheral ridges and vertices are changed. When the portion of the shape change storage device (2a) is taken out alone, the configuration is as shown in FIG. 55, and it can be used alone. In this embodiment, a functionally equivalent shape processing apparatus is separately prepared. The attribute change storage device (2b) changes the item and value of attribute data. In the present embodiment, the attributes are represented by numerical values, character strings, choices, sets, and the like, so that operation methods corresponding to the respective formats are prepared. In the case of the present embodiment, each of the constraint data is expressed in the form of a calculation formula as the attribute constraint change storage device (2c), attribute shape constraint change storage device (2d), and attribute constraint change storage device (2e). There is a way to manipulate the formula as a string. The attribute constraint processing device (2f) extracts related attribute constraint data when attribute data is changed, and changes other attribute data based on the constraint relationship represented by the attribute constraint data. And a process for extracting related attribute data when the inter-attribute constraint data is changed, and changing the attribute data according to the constraint relationship represented by the inter-attribute constraint data. When the attribute data or the shape data is changed, the attribute-shape constraint processing device (2g) extracts related attribute-shape constraint data, and according to the constraint relationship represented by the attribute-shape constraint data, retrieves other attribute data or A process of changing shape data, and when attribute-shape constraint data is changed, related attribute data and shape data are extracted, and attribute data or shape data is changed according to the constraint relationship represented by the attribute-shape constraint data. It is a device that performs processing. The inter-shape constraint processing device (2h) extracts related inter-shape constraint data when the shape data is changed, and changes other shape data based on the constraint relationship represented by the inter-shape constraint data. A process of extracting related shape data when the inter-shape constraint data is changed, and changing the shape data in accordance with the constraint relationship represented by the inter-shape constraint data; and establishing the shape when the shape data is changed. Processing to change the peripheral shape data (for example, when the surface data is changed, the ridge line data, vertex data,
(A process of changing plane data). When the inter-attribute constraint processing device (2f) changes the attribute data, the constraint processing propagation device (2i) searches for the presence or absence of attribute shape constraint data related to the changed attribute data. Sending an instruction to the inter-attribute / shape constraint processing device to perform processing on the attribute data that has been changed, and, when the inter-attribute / shape constraint processing device (2g) changes the attribute data, it relates to the changed attribute data. A process of searching for the presence / absence of inter-attribute constraint data, and if present, sending an instruction to the inter-attribute constraint processor to perform processing on the changed attribute data; and an inter-attribute constraint processor (2g).
When the shape data has been changed, the presence / absence of inter-shape constraint data related to the changed shape data is searched, and if present, the inter-shape constraint processing device is instructed to perform processing on the changed shape data. And when the inter-shape constraint processing device (2h) changes the shape data,
The presence / absence of attribute-shape constraint data related to the changed shape data is searched, and if so, a process is performed to send an instruction to the attribute-shape constraint processing device to perform processing on the changed shape data. Restriction inconsistency detection device (2
j) is a device for detecting whether there is no contradiction in the constraint conditions. In the case of the present embodiment, the attribute constraint processing device (2
f), the processing of the attribute shape constraint processing device (2g) and the process of the shape constraint processing device (2h) are monitored, and if the process is not stopped for a predetermined time or number of times, the process is forcibly terminated. Output to the output device as a message. 5
Each of the two reproducing devices (2k to 2o) is a device for extracting data from the storage device and transferring the data to the output device (4). The processing device control device (2p) is a device that adjusts the processing of each processing device.

On the other hand, conventionally, there was only a design support apparatus having a functional configuration as shown in FIG. That is,
There was no device for changing the shape, and there was no means for changing the attribute data according to the shape change.

Further, in this embodiment, in order to extend and realize the existing device, the shape change storage device (2a) and the shape data (3a) are realized by the configuration shown in FIG. First, the shape data is composed of shape data 1 and shape data 2. The shape data 1 has a data structure suitable for a graphical conversation, and holds all information related to the shape. The shape data 2 holds only a part of the shape data 1 in the same format as the attribute data. Then, between the shape data 1 and the shape data 2, there is a shape reflection device 12 and a shape reflection device 21 that reflect the influence so that when one of the data is changed, both have the same value. As the operation method, there are a shape operation 1 for interactively referring to the shape data graphically, and a shape operation 2 for operating the shape data 2 in the same operation method as the attribute data. Apparently, a set of shape data is constituted by such a mechanism.

In this apparatus, as shown in FIG.
When the attribute data, the shape data, and the constraint data are input, the calculation order for satisfying the constraint is determined, the calculation is sequentially performed according to the order, the result is recorded, and the result is output. When a part of the attribute data or the shape data is changed in this state, first, as shown in FIG. 56B, constraint data related to the changed data is extracted, and the calculation order of the constraint data is determined. , And the result is recorded, and the result is output. The details of this flow are as follows.

The present device has an input instruction given by an operator such as a designer using the input device (1), that is, shape data,
There is a means for processing an instruction to input a calculation formula representing a constraint between attribute data, shape data and attribute data. In this embodiment, the order of instructions at that time does not matter. Means for processing an instruction to change or delete an incorrect input is also included in the operation means. These processes are performed by the processing device (2).
Then, the processed data is recorded in the storage device (3). Also provided is a means for displaying the data being processed in various formats on the output device (4) at that time.

In the processing device (2), the following processing is additionally performed. First, when the shape data 1 is input and changed, the corresponding shape data 2 is generated and changed. For example, when data of a point is input as the shape data 1, the shape data 2 expressing the coordinate value of the point, the display color, etc. is generated in correspondence with the point data. The present invention does not limit what kind of item data is generated at this time. In addition, if necessary, the shape data 2 of various items may be used.
It is also within the scope of the present invention to have means for generating The shape data 2 may be generated immediately after the shape data 1 is generated, when an instruction to generate the shape data 2 is given from the input device, or when it becomes necessary for some other reason.

The processing unit (2) also performs the following processing. When the value of the shape data 2 corresponding to the shape data 1 generated in the above case is changed, the corresponding shape data 1 is changed. For example, when the coordinate value of the point recorded as the shape data 2 is changed, the position of the point of the shape data 1 corresponding to the shape data 2 is changed.
The timing of the change may be immediately after the change of the shape data 2, when an instruction to change the shape data 1 is given from the input device (1), or when it becomes necessary for some other reason. Also, depending on the expression format of the shape data 1,
The data of the line or plane around the point to be changed may be changed by the shape processing unit in accordance with the change of the point data.
In this case, if there is shape data 2 corresponding to the data of the changed peripheral shape element, this value is also changed. The present invention does not limit the expression format of the shape data 1 and does not limit the dimension of the shape. If the shape data 1 is displayed, the display can be changed.

Further, the following processing is also performed in the processing device (2). When there is constraint data related to the generated or changed shape data 2, more specifically, when the expression having the generated or changed shape data 2 in the expression is the value of another shape data 2 or attribute data If there is a calculation formula, the calculation formula is calculated, and the result is used as the value of the shape data 2 or the attribute data. At this time, if the data into which the operation result is substituted is the shape data 2, the corresponding shape data 1 is changed. When the shape data 2 or the attribute data of the calculation result is referred to by another calculation formula, the calculation of the calculation formula is performed, and the result is referred to as the shape data 2.
Or, it is the value of attribute data.

As a result of the above-described processing, a relationship as shown in FIG. 3 is generated for each data recorded in the storage device (3). That is, there are a plurality of attribute data and shape data, and various constraint data defines various constraint relationships between the data. And all the constraints are satisfied.

Next, a method of supporting design using the present apparatus will be described according to the operation procedure.

The user can first create the drawing shown in FIG. 5 in the same manner as in an existing design support apparatus that handles shape information. More specifically, a command to draw a straight line, a command to draw a circle, etc. is selected, and the start point, end point,
Enter the center position, radius, diameter, line type, line width, etc. If there is an error, it can be changed or deleted. In particular, the size and position can be directly changed by dragging or the like. Since the bolts use standard parts, appropriate ones are selected from the data stored in the database and temporarily arranged.
All standard parts have a part number, and if a different part number is calculated later, that part is automatically replaced. By performing such an operation, shape data can be input. However, the present invention does not limit this operation method. When the shape data 1 is input by such an operation method, the shape can be seen graphically during the input,
Easy to understand intuitively.

Next, the user defines an attribute item to be handled as attribute data. In the case of this design, the fastening force, the bolt axial force, the bolt nominal diameter, the bolt valley diameter, the required stress, and the bolt arrangement position are defined as numerical data, the bolt material is defined as option data, and the bolt part number is defined as a character string. At this time, since the bolt axial force, the bolt nominal diameter, the bolt valley diameter, the required stress, the bolt material, and the bolt part number are information related to the bolt alone, the correspondence relation with the part data can also be defined. In this way, the attribute items and their data formats can be freely defined by the user.

This situation will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG.
(A) is a state in which an attribute item edit screen is opened. The attribute defined here is not attached to a specific surface or line, but is data relating to the entire design target model. Therefore, it is assumed that the user instructs to perform an attribute item editing operation to be added to the model, and as a result, "Model" is displayed as the title. At this time, as shown in FIG.
An item of "model" to which attributes are to be added has been created.

In this state, "design specification" is input from the keyboard. That is, the attribute item “design specification” is defined, and a frame for inputting the next data is displayed. Each frame is the definition of the data format of the attribute "design specification" in order from the top,
This is for defining the attribute of the child of the attribute “design specification” and the attribute of the sibling of the attribute “design specification”.

Next, the child's frame is selected and instructed, and "fastening force" is input from the keyboard. That is, the attribute item “fastening force” is defined as a child of “design specification”, and a frame for inputting the next data is displayed. Each frame is defined from the top in order from the definition of the data format of the attribute "fastening force", the definition of the child attribute of the attribute "fastening force", the definition of the attribute of the sibling of the attribute "fastening force", and the definition of the sibling of the attribute "design specification". For attribute definition. Because the attribute "design spec" defined a child,
Since data is no longer recorded directly, the data format definition frame is no longer displayed.

Next, a frame for defining the data format is selected and designated, and "real" is input from the keyboard. That is, the data format of the attribute item "fastening force" is displayed, and an area corresponding to the data recording location is created as internal data.

On the other hand, there is shape data 2 for interfacing shape data and attribute data. Shape data 2
Is for making the shape data easy to handle by relating it to the attribute. The shape data 2 is data representing a shape, and the items are the same as or a part of the shape data 1, but the data format and the operation method are the same as the attribute data. For example, a point has coordinate values, a line extending from a point, etc., a line has both end points, a line type (straight line, arc, free curve, etc.), a parameter (diameter, control point coordinates, etc.) corresponding to the line type, Boundary line, boundary point, surface type (plane, cylindrical surface, conical surface, spherical surface, free-form surface, etc.), parameters according to surface type (point coordinates on surface) , Surface direction vector, center axis direction vector, diameter, vertex coordinates, center point coordinates, etc.), display color, etc., placement position, part name, part number, material, etc. for parts. There are items such as a list of set position data, a product name, and a product number. These items are predefined in the system. Data items that are not so-called shape data but are often displayed together with shape data, such as dimension lines, dimension value character strings, tables, and table items are also defined in advance.
This is also treated in the same manner as the shape data 2. In addition to the shape data, general-purpose attribute items can be prepared in the system in advance. However, the present invention does not limit these items.

The shape data 2 can be operated in the same manner as the attribute data. For example, it can be displayed alongside the attribute data (fastening force) as shown in the part list of FIG. ) Is recorded in the same format internally. However, for the sake of distinction, all the data of the shape data 2 are recorded as children of the reserved attribute item name “shape characteristic”.

Next, the user prepares an actual storage location of the attribute data and inputs a value. Specifically, first, a shape to which attribute data is to be added is selected on a screen on which shape information is displayed. Then, item names of attributes that can be added to the selected shape are displayed according to the attribute items and attribute format data created above. Therefore, the user specifies an item for which a storage location is desired to be secured. A plurality of item names can be specified as necessary.

At this time, the same operation can be performed on the shape data 2. The shape data 2 is defined as items under “shape characteristics”. In the case of the shape data 2, the value is recorded in the secured storage location with reference to the corresponding shape data 1. If another value is recorded in this storage location by some method, a process of automatically changing the shape so that the shape data 1 becomes the value is performed. Such shape data 2 is basically processed so as to have the same value as the shape data 1, whereby data can be transferred between the shape data and the attribute data. This detailed method will be described later.

Returning to the previous design, the storage location of the attribute required in this case is secured, and the value is input. In particular,
Fastening force, bolt axial force, bolt nominal diameter, bolt root diameter, required stress, bolt material, bolt arrangement position, bolt part number,
d, D, k, p. Of these, the last four are shape data, so they are actually the diameter of the target line (circle), the part number of the part, etc., and are stored in both the shape data 1 and the shape data 2. The last four are shape data 2
Therefore, when a storage location is secured, the value of the corresponding shape data 1 is transferred there. Since there are six bolts, the attributes from the bolt axial force to the bolt part number may secure six storage locations for each bolt, and the calculation part is performed by the attribute of one representative bolt and finally It may be referred to.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show an operation for securing a storage location for attribute data and inputting a value. The target model is displayed as a shape on the interactive screen.

Here, an instruction to perform an operation relating to the attribute value is given to the “model”, and a target model is selected.
That is, on the screen, items for which a new recording area can be created are displayed in white characters, and data indicating model distinction is created as internal data. The “model” has the top-level attribute items “design specification”, “design parameter”,
Since "shape characteristics" are defined, these are displayed as selectable items.

In this state, "design specification" is selected and instructed.
In other words, a storage location for the design specifications is prepared, and "fastening force" can be selected as a more detailed item. As the internal data, a storage location of the data of the design specification is generated reflecting the internal data.

Similarly, in this state, "clamping force" is selected and instructed. On the screen, a value input area is displayed as a frame as an input guide for the value of the fastening force, and a storage location of real data of the fastening force is generated as internal data.

Next, the user inputs the value of the attribute data.
The method of inputting the value differs depending on the data format. For example, a numerical value or a character string is basically input from a keyboard, and a pointer is specified by indicating a pointer destination on a screen. In addition, since options are displayed as guides, options can be input by designating one of them. However, the present invention does not limit the input method.

In the case of the design of this embodiment, only the fastening force is required as a value. Therefore, the value of the fastening force is input as a numerical value. The value is recorded as internal data.

Next, when the attribute item "design parameter" is designated, the storage location of the design parameter data is secured, and the child attribute item is displayed in a bag character. Therefore, for example, when "bolt axial force" is instructed, an input frame for the bolt axial force and its value is displayed on the screen, and a storage location of the bolt axial force is prepared as internal data.

Since the value of "bolt axial force" is obtained by a calculation formula, the calculation formula is input. When an instruction for inputting a calculation formula is given on this screen and a "bolt axial force" to which the calculation formula is added is selected and displayed, a frame for inputting the calculation formula is displayed as shown in FIG. When the calculation formula is input here and the calculation formula editing is completed, the calculation formula is automatically calculated as shown in FIG. 13 and the result is displayed as a value. At the same time, it is also recorded as internal data. This is the attribute constraint data (3c), attribute shape constraint data (3d),
This is an input method of the inter-shape constraint data (3e). In the present embodiment, these constraint data are in the form of a calculation formula,
The storage location is a location where the calculation result is set. However, the present invention is not limited to this. There may be a calculation method in which the constraint data takes the form of a logical expression and the order of operation is determined at the time of execution, or there may be a constraint condition that forms a simultaneous equation. The storage location may be collected in one file or the like regardless of the storage location of the shape data 2 and the attribute data. Similarly, “Nominal bolt diameter”
Secure the area for each attribute of "bolt valley diameter", "required stress", "bolt material", "bolt part number", "bolt arrangement position" and input the relational expression. When the area of "list" is secured, it becomes as shown in FIG. The value of the child attribute of the “design parameter” displayed here is a result calculated by a calculation formula, and the value of the shape data 2 of “parts list” corresponds to the shape data corresponding to when the area is secured. This is the result of copying the content of No. 1.
At this point, the value of the “parts list” is a list of the part numbers and the part arrangement positions of the provisionally arranged parts.

Since the "parts list" is to be obtained by calculation in this design problem, as shown in FIG. 15, a calculation formula (constraint data between attribute shapes) for the calculation is input.
That is, this is a calculation formula for obtaining a component list by expressing each component as a record type data of a component number and an arrangement position in an array format, and configuring the list.

When the above formula is input, the formula is automatically calculated, and the result is set as shown in FIG. In this example, the part corresponding to Part01 in the “parts list” has not changed, but S45 corresponding to the bolt is not changed.
C-4 was changed to S45C-5. This "parts list"
Since the data is the shape data 2, the data of the “parts list” of the corresponding shape data 1 is automatically changed, and further, in the shape screen displayed below the attribute data and constraint data display screen, “S45C-4” is deleted, and the component “S45C-5” is displayed. That is, the display of the shape has changed according to the result of the “parts list” which is the shape data obtained by the calculation formula.

By the above operation, the attributes of the “model”,
The setting of the shape characteristic 2 corresponding to the “model” and the setting of the constraint data related to the “model” are completed. Next, the shape data 2 and the constraint data corresponding to the surface or the line are set in the same manner. As an example, an operation related to a line will be described below.

FIG. 16 shows two planes "s01" and "s0".
In this state, the constraint data related to the shape data 2 relating to “2” has already been input. An operation is being added to this one line. In this state, when a command for an attribute operation for the wind is selected and instructed, and a target line is selected and instructed on the screen, an attribute operation screen is displayed.

In this example, no attribute item is defined for the "line", and the "shape characteristic", which is an item of the shape data 2 prepared in advance, is displayed as a selectable item in white characters. At the same time, an area for attribute management is taken as internal data, and the name “101” of “line” is recorded therein.
Even if the attribute does not exist, the shape data 2 is recorded in the same format as the attribute, so that a management area is obtained in the same way as the attribute is added.

When the user selects and instructs "shape characteristics", the characters become black and their sub-items "type" and "diameter" are displayed as selectable items in white. As the internal data, a storage area for “shape characteristics” is secured.

When the user selects and instructs the "type", the character of the "type" turns black and "yen" is displayed as its value. In the case of a general attribute, a value is not displayed unless it is input, but since the "type" is the shape data 2, the value of the corresponding shape data 1 is extracted and automatically displayed. The internal data also corresponds to the item "Type"
And the recording area of the value "circle" is taken, and those values are recorded.

When "diameter" is selected and indicated, the item is displayed in black, and the value is displayed, just like "type".

In the case of the present design example, since this "diameter" is obtained by calculation, the calculation formula is input. When the input is completed, the calculation formula is calculated as shown in FIG. 17, and the value of both the internal data and the display is changed based on the result. At the same time, since this data is the shape data 2, the corresponding shape data 1 is automatically changed, and the shape displayed in the lower window is also changed.

Now, all the relevant data has been prepared. The designer or user can then make various attempts. First, when trying to increase the specification value in order to provide a margin for the fastening force, the value of the attribute data of the fastening force may be changed. Open the screen of Fig. 11 again,
When the value of the "fastening force" is changed, all the related formulas are recalculated, the result is stored as an attribute value, and the shape is reflected on the shape to change the shape in FIG.

Also, if it is determined from the shape display screen of FIG. 17 that the bolts are so narrow that it is difficult to turn the bolts with a wrench, the diameter is displayed on the shape display screen as shown in FIG. What is necessary is just to change the circle of D greatly.
Then, since the circle is displayed based on the shape data 1, data corresponding to the diameter of the circle is changed. Further, the shape data 2 corresponding to the data is changed by the change. If there is a calculation formula that refers to the data, the calculation formula is calculated, and the calculation proceeds in such a manner that the result is further propagated to a related calculation formula and recalculation is performed. The result ultimately affects the position of the bolt and the diameter of the bolt, and the displayed shape data is also changed. At that time, if the value of the shape data 2 is in the display state as shown in FIG. 19, the value is changed. As described above, the related data is changed so as to satisfy all the constraint relationships input in the form of the calculation formula, and if it is in the display state, the display is changed.

When the designer determines that the calculation formula should be changed as a design rule change, the calculation formula is changed, and the calculation of the calculation formula and the calculation of all the calculation formulas using the result are performed. Once again, the relevant shapes change automatically.

Further, when the designer notices a new design rule, a new rule can be set on the spot. For example, if the user finds a rule that an appropriate space is required to turn the bolt by the operation in FIG. 18, the value to be determined by the rule is displayed in the operation in FIG. What is necessary is just to input the calculation formula representing the rule. By doing this, if you change the inner diameter (d) of the pipe,
The outer diameter D of the flange is automatically calculated.

It should be noted that it is not only the shape data that changes as a result.
The items determined by the design are not limited to the shape. For example, there are items that do not appear as a difference in shape, such as the material of the bolt and the part number in this example. Such information is important when the design results are used for manufacturing, inspection, material procurement, and the like. Using the present invention, such information can be examined in a form associated with the shape. The simplest example is cost calculation. Cost is not determined solely by numerical data such as size and weight. If the material changes, it will change greatly, and if standard parts are used, it will be cheaper, but if special parts with slightly different specifications are used, the price will be very high. Utilizing the present invention, this can be very easily examined while confirming the shape. In other words, the cost calculation process is expressed as a calculation formula,
If the results are displayed on the screen, it is possible to instantly grasp how the cost changes when a part of the shape size is changed as in the above example. In such a case, it is convenient to use the data of the shape data 2 corresponding to the items of the table attached to the shape data 1 for the information having no shape such as the cost value. A parts list can be arranged on the drawing, and the cost column in the parts list can be set so as to change as the shape is changed. It can also be used to determine design check items. There are a number of rules that this should not be done in design. If you can formulate a solution to this, you can incorporate it,
Even if that is not possible, it can be used in the following ways. If a prohibition condition is satisfied, an error message in the form of a character string will be displayed. An error message is displayed when there is a problem, and disappears when the problem is solved.

In the present embodiment, the data expressing the attribute item and the data expressing the attribute value are separated, but the present invention is not limited to this. Although the operation method is slightly different from that of the present embodiment, items may be defined at the same time when an attribute storage area is secured and a value is input. The reason for separating the item and value data in this embodiment is as follows. Various types of attribute data may be referred to by a human on a screen or by a computer program. For example, if a human refers, it is possible to judge that “material” and “material” are the same item, but when a computer program refers to it, it is not easy to know that they are the same. Therefore, the attribute item was determined in advance according to a certain rule, and a usage method in which anything could be entered later in the value was assumed. Generally, when a CAD department is used in a design department, there are many people who coordinate the CAD system. Therefore, in such a case, the coordinator sets items in advance for attributes that are likely to be referred to by the computer program, and the designer inputs the attribute values accordingly. In this way, although there is already an item with the attribute "material", no one will dare define a new item with the attribute "material" and enter a value there. It is enough to refer only to the item. Of course, also in this case, it is possible for the designer to define items other than the items defined in advance.

Next, the structure of data in the storage device in this embodiment will be described.

The shape data 1 uses a very common structure in the field of a design support apparatus called a solid model in a boundary representation format that has been widely used in the past. This content is shown, for example, on pages 127 to 131 of Solid Modeling (published by the Industrial Research Institute, Inc.) by Hiroaki Chiyokura.

FIG. 21 shows an outline of the structure of the shape data 2 and the attribute data. The shape data 2 and the attribute data are composed of attribute items (hereinafter, referred to as frames or frame cells), attributes (hereinafter, referred to as instances or instance cells), and attribute values (hereinafter, referred to as data or data cells). Further, a shape-attribute interface is used to correspond to the shape data 1.
In this embodiment, since the data is added to the existing shape data and the system that handles the same, the structure of the existing shape data cannot be changed. Therefore, data for the interface was provided. However, since the present invention does not limit the method of expressing the correspondence between the shape data and the attribute data, this method may be used, or the shape data and the attribute data may be directly connected by a pointer or the like. The correspondence between the data of the existing system and the words of the data of the present invention is that the shape data of the existing system corresponds to the shape data 1 and the portion of the additional data corresponding to the shape data 1 whose name is “shape characteristic” or less. The frame and the instance and the data connected thereto correspond to the shape data 2, and the other portions correspond to the attribute data.

The attribute item data (frame) records the contents as shown in FIG. 9B, for example. FIG.
In 1, one item of the attribute is represented by one circle. Attribute items are hierarchized, and their parent-child relationship can be expressed as a bold line. The format of data recorded in each item is represented by data cells indicated by black rectangles.
The data cell is originally for expressing the value of attribute data, but since the data format is also recorded,
It also has the expressive ability as a data format, which is used to record the frame data format. The structure of the data cell will be described later. However, the present invention does not limit the recording method of the frame data format. In this data cell, a default value, that is, a value given as an initial value when a new attribute is created can be recorded. In particular, when the data cell is used for recording the data format of the frame as in this embodiment, the value can be recorded together with the format, so that the data area is not wasted. Further, when the attribute recording area is secured, the actual value can be set only by copying this data. Since the frame data does not correspond to specific shape data, there is no direct relationship with the shape data.

The attribute data (instance) manages a value corresponding to specific shape data of a defined attribute item. For example, in FIG. 11, the recording place of the attribute data of “fastening force” is secured, but this is to record the attribute value of the shape data of number # m01 for the predefined attribute item “fastening force”. It is. Therefore, the instance data is positioned to associate the corresponding item of the frame with the shape data. Therefore, the instance data indicated by a triangle in FIG. 21 is located at a position where a parent-child relationship line extending from the shape data via the shape-attribute interface intersects a broken line relating the frame of the same item to the instance. Since the names of items are not recorded in the instance but are all managed by frames, it is not possible to generate an instance without a frame.As a result, the hierarchical tree of the instance viewed from the shape data is the same as the hierarchical tree of the frame. It has the same shape or a part of it. If values are set for all items, this tree will be the same type as the frame tree, but if only some items have values set, they will be subtrees.

The attribute value data (data cell) records the format and value of the attribute data. In this embodiment, the data cells are used to represent the data format in the frame and the attribute value itself in the instance. In FIG. 16, one data cell is 1
It is represented by two black rectangles. When connecting to an instance, a plurality of values can be recorded as a plurality of alternatives in consideration of a case where an attribute value is not completely determined during design.

FIG. 22 shows details of the frame cell. The frame cell is composed of 13 items of data shown in the left rectangle in FIG. The symbol written on the left of each column is P
Indicates a pointer format, F indicates a flag (1 bit selection data), and a number indicates a data length (byte length).
The name is an area for recording the item name of the frame, and a character string area is prepared at the point where the actual name is recorded. The parent pointer type and the parent pointer are data indicating the parent of the frame. If the frame is the top layer in the attribute item hierarchy, there is no parent frame, so the parent pointer type is recorded as the top layer, and the type of shape data (point, line, surface, etc.) corresponding to the parent pointer column is recorded. Record). If a parent frame exists, the fact is recorded in the parent pointer type, and a pointer to the parent frame is recorded in the parent pointer column. The child pointer records a pointer to any one of the child frames that may exist. The sibling pointer records a pointer to a sibling frame having the same parent frame. The sibling pointer forms a pointer loop around all siblings and back. By using the previous child pointer and the sibling pointer of the child frame, all child frames can be traced from an arbitrary frame. The instance list is a list that connects instances of the same item. The data type is a pointer to a data cell, and the data cell at the point indicates the data format of the frame.
The structure of the data cell will be described later. The expression is the recording location of the constraint data in the form of a calculation expression. The calculation formula is expressed as a character string. The expressions in the frame are recorded on behalf of all instances connected to the instance list instead of recording the expressions. It is not necessary to record the formula in the frame unless you consider the amount of data and the hassle of changing. The priority is a data recording location for restricting data access. As described above, this is data for performing permission management of setting change of the attribute item when selecting an operation method in which the operator of the attribute item and the attribute value are different. f
The frame save flag records whether or not the data of the frame is stored when the data is stored.
The instance save flag records whether or not to save instance data having the same item name as the frame when the data is saved. The case expression flag and the case expression are for recording a conditional expression for validating or invalidating the frame depending on conditions. Generally ca
If a conditional expression is recorded in the se expression part but the same conditional expression is used in different frames, set a special value in the case expression flag, and set a pointer to the frame with the same case expression in the case expression area. Record

FIG. 23 shows details of the instance cell.
The instance cell is shown in the left rectangle of this figure.
Consists of item data. The ID # records a number for specifying the instance cell. The parent pointer type and the parent pointer are data indicating the parent of the instance. If the cell is the top layer in the instance hierarchy, there is no parent cell, so the parent pointer type is recorded as the top layer, and the pointer to the interface cell to the shape data corresponding to the parent pointer column is recorded in the parent pointer column. I do. If a parent cell exists, the fact is recorded in the parent pointer type, and a pointer to the parent instance is recorded in the parent pointer column. In the child pointer, a pointer to an arbitrary one child instance of a plurality of possible child instances is recorded. The sibling pointer records a pointer to a sibling instance having the same parent instance. The sibling pointer forms a pointer loop around all siblings and back. By using the previous child pointer and the sibling pointer of the child instance, all child instances can be traced from an arbitrary instance. The frame cell pointer is a pointer to a frame cell having the same item name. The instance list is one pointer in a list that connects instances of the same item connected from the frame cell. The data cell list is connected to a list of attribute values. The reason why there may be a plurality of data cells instead of one is that if there are a plurality of plans in the middle of design, they are recorded as they are.
The format of the data recorded here is determined by the corresponding frame, and the data format of all data cells in the list is the same. The structure of the data cell will be described later. The expression is the recording location of the constraint data in the form of a calculation expression. The calculation formula is expressed as a character string. Expressions can be recorded in both frames and instances. From the viewpoint of one instance, the expression in the instance is preferentially applied to the expression, and when it does not exist, the expression in the corresponding frame is applied.
If it does not exist, the expression is interpreted as nonexistent. The priority is a data recording location for restricting data access. The save flag records whether or not to save instance data having the same item name as the frame when the data is saved. The case expression evaluation value is
This is the place where the result of calculating and evaluating the case expression in the corresponding frame is recorded. If this type is a boolean value, the instance is treated as not existing. If the value in an arbitrary instance is false, all instances corresponding to descendants such as children and grandchildren of the instance are treated as not existing. The valid flag records data for determining whether the instance is valid or invalid after determining whether the instance is a descendant. The reverse pointer list is for recording a pointer in the opposite direction when the instance is specified by pointer type data (data of a type indicating an instance or shape data) of another instance. It is used to maintain point data when deleting the instance. The referenced pointer list is a pointer to an instance having an expression referring to the attribute value of the instance. When the value of the instance is changed, it is used to recalculate the expression using the value.

FIG. 24 shows details of the data cell. The data cell is mainly composed of three items of data. The data type records information for specifying the data format. In this embodiment, integer types, real types, character types, symbol types, pointer types, enum types (enumeration types), record types, set types, list types, and array types are prepared as data types. From types to enum types are simple types that are complete on their own, and record types to array types are complex types that use other types as elements of that type. Next is an area for recording a pointer pointing to the next data cell when connecting multiple alternative values. The value to be expressed is recorded in the content. Its internal format depends on the data type. Hereinafter, a detailed structure for each data type will be described.

In the case of the integer type, an integer value itself is recorded in the content as a binary number. In the case of the real number type, the real value itself is recorded as a floating point type binary number in the content. In the case of a character string type, the content records the number of characters and a pointer to a character string area. The symbol type is equivalent to a symbol of the computer language Lisp, and is a record in which items having the same name are grouped together. In the case of the symbol type, a pointer to a symbol table is recorded in the content. The symbols themselves are managed in a binary tree format to facilitate retrieval of the same. The pointer type expresses pointer data indicating an element of shape data or other attribute data. In the case of the pointer type, information for discriminating whether the element at the point point is shape data or attribute data and the pointer itself are recorded in the content. The enum type (enumeration type) expresses data for selecting one of the listed items.
In the content, a pointer to a table in which enumerated items are recorded and the number of the selected item are recorded. The record type is data that is given as a set by giving names to different types of data. In the content, a pointer to an area for recording the name, data type, and value of the configuration data is recorded. In the case of a set type, a pointer to a data cell expressing each element is recorded. An element cannot contain more than one element with the same value. Also, the order of connection is meaningless. In the case of a list type, a pointer to a data cell representing each element is recorded. An element can include a plurality of elements having the same value, and the connection order of the elements is significant. The array type handles a plurality of data having the same data type. There is no dimension limit.

Next, the internal processing procedure of the design support apparatus of this embodiment will be described. In the present invention, when any one data is input or changed, the other data is automatically changed so as to satisfy the constraint condition, and the data is constantly managed so as to satisfy all the constraint conditions. If for some reason it is not fulfilled, record the reason for not being fulfilled, so that when it becomes necessary to look at the record and take action, it is not necessary to check all data I have. There are three reasons why the conditions are not met.

The first reason is that if the data cannot be interpreted due to an error in the representation of the data, or if an operation that cannot be performed such as a calculation by a numerical operation divided by 0 or a square root of a negative number occurs, This is the case of an error such as when no data exists. At this time, the instance that caused the error is stored in the error list.

The second reason is as follows. If the range of influence of each change is large in performing the operation interactively, the change takes time and the responsiveness deteriorates. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to temporarily stop the process of performing the change due to the influence, instruct the change at once, and then perform the automatic change later. At this time, information necessary for executing the process temporarily stopped in the middle is stored in the unprocessed list. At this time, a state in which the processing is temporarily stopped is called a delay mode, and a state in which all the change processing is performed every time is called an immediate mode. In this embodiment, the processing delay is determined by the shape data 2
And the process of changing the other shape data 2 and attribute data according to the constraint data when the values of the shape data 2 and attribute data are changed when the values of the shape data 2 and attribute data are changed. However, the present invention is not limited to performing the delay process only for these processes, and may be applied to a process of changing the shape data 1 based on the change of the shape data 1. Further, there is no limitation as to whether the delay and the immediate control are uniformly performed for each of these processes or whether the delay and the immediate control are performed for each process.

The third reason is as follows. Sometimes you want to temporarily override certain constraint data and see the effect of that constraint. In this embodiment, the constraint data is all expressed in the form of a calculation formula. Therefore, if a value different from the calculation result is forcibly set temporarily in the instance where the calculation result is to be set, the calculation formula, that is, the constraint data is invalidated. It will be done. In order to make the calculation formula invalidated at this time valid again later, the instance storing this calculation formula is stored in a temporary setting list of values.

In any case, each data is finally automatically changed so as to satisfy all the conditions. This process affects many aspects, and in some cases, the effect returns to the original changed part. At this time, if there is an inconsistency in the constraint data, there is a possibility that the value propagation process will not be completed forever trying to set different values one after another. Therefore, in this embodiment, inconsistency in the custody data is detected by the following two methods.

The first method is a method for detecting that the input / output relationship of the calculation formula, which is the constraint data, is formed in a loop. For example, if there is a calculation formula in which the value of a is input and the value of b is output, and a calculation formula in which the value of b is input and the value of a is output, there is a loop a → b → a Propagation may not stop indefinitely. On the other hand, a calculation formula in which the value of a is input and the value of b is output,
If there is only a calculation formula that inputs the value of b and outputs the value of c, the value propagation route is only a → b → a, and the calculation always stops.

In the second method, only when the output result of the first formula is different from the value before the calculation, the second formula is calculated by referring to the first output result, and the data is changed one time. Is a method of counting the number of calculations based on, and determining that there is inconsistency in the last changed data when the number of calculations reaches a predetermined number of times or more. In this method, the first means determines that there is a possibility of contradiction. It can be determined that there is no contradiction even when the constraint condition expression is as follows.

A = b + 2 a = b-2 In this embodiment, the above two methods are combined to detect inconsistency. First, when the user inputs or changes the calculation formula that is the constraint data, the determination is made by the first method. At this time, if it is determined that there is no loop, there is no contradiction. However, even if there is a loop, it does not always mean that there is a contradiction, and in this case, only a warning is issued to the user that there is a possibility of contradiction. Next, detection is performed by the second method, and only when it is determined that there is inconsistency by this method, it is finally determined that there is inconsistency, and any one of the shape data, attribute data, and constraint data is changed so as to eliminate the inconsistency. To the user.

In order to explain the above processing contents in detail, a simpler example as shown in FIGS. 25 to 27 will be used because the problem is too complicated in the above-mentioned design example. In this example, a rectangular parallelepiped part as shown in FIG. 25 is created by an interactive operation, dimensions are defined, and then a volume is given as a design specification value so that the volume of this rectangular parallelepiped becomes the same as the specification value volume. Then, the right surface s5 is moved, and finally the surface area of the entire rectangular solid at that time is obtained.

First, the shape data of a rectangular parallelepiped is interactively input like many conventional design support devices. Specifically, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped creation is selected by a command, and the lengths of three sides are input. Next, dimensions are interactively defined, as in many conventional design support apparatuses. At this time, shape data 1 as shown in the left half of FIG. 26 is generated as internal data. This data is recorded by being divided into data of one part, one dimension, six surfaces, twelve lines, and eight points. FIG.
Shows a part of this. However, this form does not limit the present invention. For example, surface, line, and point data may be further divided into a part that expresses geometric information and a part that expresses topological information.
Surface loop data or the like may be used. The method of creating this data is very general, and is shown, for example, in Solid Modeling by Hiroaki Chiyokura (published by the Industrial Research Institute, Inc.).

In this embodiment, the shape information includes parts, surfaces,
Expressed in units of shape elements such as lines and points, attribute data is recorded in association with these shape elements. However, the present invention does not limit the recording management method of the attribute data to this.

First, attributes that do not correspond to shape elements are considered. Information such as design specifications and the use environment of the device to be designed does not need to be particularly associated with the shape data.
Further, there may be attributes common to a plurality of products, such as information that is commonly valid for series products. In this case, it is conceivable to group the data of the product to be designed for a plurality of products and attach an attribute to the group.

It is also conceivable to divide the shape information into phase information and geometric information, and to add different attribute data to each. Topological information of the shape is information such as the relative positional relationship of the shape elements, such as which lines and points surround a certain surface, and which surfaces are on both sides of a certain line. The geometric information is information such as the position and shape of each shape element, for example, coordinate values of points, types of lines and surfaces, radii, and directions.

In this embodiment, other than this, shape data 2 corresponding to shape data 1 is generated. In the right half of FIG. 26, the part connected to the right side from the “shape characteristic” cell is the shape data 2. However, only a part is shown. That is, the component data "#p" as the shape data 2 is made to correspond to the component data p1 as the shape data 1.
1 ”,“ shape characteristic ”,“ name ”, and“ cuboid ”are generated, and the dimension data“ # d1 ”,“ shape characteristic ”, and“ shape data 2 ”corresponding to the size data d1 as shape data 1 are generated. “Dimension value” and “100” are generated. However, in this embodiment, the shape data 2
Can be selected from the following three types.
There are three types: when the shape data 1 is generated, when the user instructs to generate it, and when related constraint data is input. Here, it is assumed that one of the methods is selected, a necessary instruction is given, and data as shown in FIG. 26 is generated according to the instruction. It is also assumed that no calculation formula has been input.

Among the data on the right half of FIG. 26, those other than those below the “shape characteristic”, that is, “volume” and “surface area” are attribute data.

The procedure for generating the shape data 2 will be described. At this time, it is assumed that the data of the relevant frame has been created in advance. Taking the data of the plane s1 shown in FIG. 27 as an example, first, “# s1” is created as a shape-attribute interface corresponding to the shape data 1. Next, this data has the same format as the attribute data, but since it is shape data 2, instance data of "shape characteristics" representing the shape data is created.
Next, instance data of all items required as the shape data 2, that is, "point coordinates on the surface" and "normal vector" are created. Since these two instance data are terminal instances, the following processing is performed. That is, the value of the corresponding shape data 1 is referred to, and the value is set as the value of the instance data. All of the data shown in the right half of FIG. 26 except for the “volume” and “surface area” of the attribute data “# p1” are created in the same manner.

Next, the designer gives “volume” as a design specification value. Since this is attribute data, first, a component p1 to which an attribute is to be added is selected in the same manner as described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, and an attribute item relating to the component p1 is displayed.
Next, a storage location corresponding to the attribute item “volume” is secured, and finally a value 100000 is input. At this time, data as shown in the upper right of FIG. 21 is generated.

Next, constraint data for moving the right side surface s5 so that the volume of the rectangular parallelepiped becomes equal to the volume of the specified value is input. In order to move the surface s5, since the surface is represented by the coordinates of one point on the surface and the normal direction vector, it can be seen that the movement can be performed only by changing the point coordinates on the surface. Further, since the product of the three sides of the rectangular parallelepiped is a volume, it can be seen that the destination can be represented by the calculation formula shown in the middle right of FIG. In this calculation formula, the point coordinates on the surface are constituted by an array, where the first element is 0, the second element is a calculation formula described later, and the third element is 0. The calculation formula of the second element is that the value of the volume of # p1 is #
Divide by the value of the dimension value of the shape characteristic of d1, and further divide by the difference between the third element of the coordinate value of the shape characteristic of # v4 and the third element of the coordinate value of the shape characteristic of # v3. Is shown. This expression is also entered and stored in the instance of "point on surface" in the same way as the value.

The processing of inputting the calculation formula is performed in the following procedure. First, the calculation formula is recorded in the instance data. Next, the formula is decomposed into elements while performing grammatical checks. If any of the elements refer to the value of another instance, it is determined whether or not the target instance exists for each. Here, if there is one that does not exist, it is regarded as an error at that point and registered in the above-mentioned error list. In the case of this example, all the elements are present, so the process proceeds as it is.
When the instance to be referred to is found, the instance in which the calculation formula is recorded is recorded in the referenced pointer list of the instance. The referenced pointer list is used to know the influence of a change in the value of a certain instance. In the case of this example, the reference pointer list of each instance of the volume of # p1, the dimension value of the shape characteristic of # d1, the coordinates of the shape characteristic of # v4, and the coordinates of the coordinate of the shape characteristic of # v3 is added to the surface of the shape characteristic of # s5. An instance of the upper point coordinates is recorded. Further, it is determined whether or not the reference relation of the calculation formula has created a loop, and if a loop exists, it is warned that there may be constraint inconsistency. In this example, there is no loop because each reference does not refer to another anymore. Next, a calculation formula is calculated. In the case of this example, it is as follows.

Array (0, # p1: volume {# d1: shape characteristic: dimension value} (# v4: shape characteristic: coordinate (3)-# v
3: Shape characteristic: coordinates (3)), 0) = array (0.1,000,000 {100} (50-
0), 0) = array (0,200,0) and its value is set. That is, the value of the on-plane coordinate of the shape characteristic of # s5 is 0, 200, 0.

Here, since the shape data 2 has been changed, it affects the corresponding shape data 1. The processing of this influence is called shape reflection 21 in the sense of reflecting the shape data 2 to the shape data 1. First, the value of the on-plane coordinate in the plane data of s5 on the left side of FIG. 27 is changed. Further, as can be seen from FIG. 25, when the position of s5 changes, the surrounding vertices and ridge lines move accordingly. In this embodiment, at this time, when the element that is the source of the change (here, s5) is changed, the minimum change is performed on the peripheral elements to maintain a consistent state as the shape. The minimum change means that the topological structure is not changed first, and then the geometric information of the peripheral surface is not changed as much as possible. Details of this processing will be described later. Therefore, first, the coordinates of the vertex are obtained as the intersection of the three faces around the vertex. The same result can be obtained even if this is obtained as the intersection between the surface from which the change is made and one edge line. For example, the moved vertex v4 can be obtained as the intersection of s1 and s2 and the moved s5. The same result can be obtained even if it is determined as the intersection of the extended line of s5 and e4 after the movement. Next, a peripheral ridge line can be obtained as an intersection line between adjacent surfaces. For example, e3 can be obtained as an intersection line between s5 after the movement and a surface obtained by extending s1. According to such a method, in this example, after the movement of s5, v
Data of four vertices of 3, v4, v7, v8 and e3, e
The data of the four ridge lines 7, e8 and e11 will be changed. Therefore, the corresponding part of the shape data 1 in the left half of FIG. 22 is changed. If this is changed, the shape data 2 is associated with them, and the effect will be applied to the shape data 2 again. Such a process of reflecting the value of the shape data 1 on the shape data 2 is called shape reflection 12. By this processing, e3, v3, and v4 of the data in the right half of FIG. 27 are changed. The results of these changes are shown in FIG.

When the coordinates of the coordinates of the shape characteristics of the vertices v3 and v4 are changed, #
Since the instance of the point coordinate on the surface of the shape characteristic of s5 is registered, it is understood that the influence is further affected here. Then, the calculation formula recorded in the point coordinates on the surface is calculated again. This result is luckily the same as the original changed value array
(0, 200, 0). Therefore, since there is no change in the value, there is no need to continue the change processing any more. If this value is different, the change process will continue. In this example, since there was no inconsistency in the calculation formula as the constraint data, the change processing could be stopped here. If there is an inconsistency, the change process will not stop forever, and the user will need to take some action. In the present embodiment, if the change processing has not been stopped even after performing a predetermined predetermined number of calculation operations, it is interpreted that the change processing will not be stopped forever, and it is determined that there is inconsistency in the change operation that caused the cause.

Next, it is assumed that the designer wants to obtain the surface area of the entire rectangular parallelepiped. At this time, an item of the surface area is defined as an attribute in the component p1 in the same manner as described above, and a value recording area is secured.
A calculation formula as shown in FIG. 28 is input. Then the value is calculated and the result is recorded as the attribute value.

Finally, it is assumed that the volume, which is a design specification, has been changed in order to examine a different case. in this case,
The effect of this affects the point coordinates on the surface s5 by tracing the referenced pointer list of the volume, which extends to s5 of the shape data 1 by the shape reflection 21, and includes v3, v4, v7, v8 four vertex data and e3
The same procedure as originally determined such that the four edge data of e7, e8, and e11 are further extended to the shape data 2 # v3, # v4, and the effect returns to the surface # s5. Is recalculated.

A description of the shape processing will be added. If the target shape is a three-dimensional solid or equivalent, the faces, edges, vertices, etc. cannot be changed independently. For example, when the coordinates of one vertex of a rectangular parallelepiped are changed, generally, the surrounding surface cannot be kept flat. Also one
If the position of one surface is changed (moved in a direction perpendicular to the surface), the edges and vertices surrounding the surface must also be changed in order to keep the surface flat. It is the shape processing means that changes some of the shape elements while maintaining the conditions for the shape being established in such a situation.

When the user wants to change a certain solid into a desired shape, the most easily conceivable deformation method is to first move each vertex to the changed position, and then change each edge line to the changed position and position. This is a method of changing the type (for example, a straight line or a circle) and the characteristic (for example, the radius of a circle), and finally deforming each surface to a desired shape. However, in this method, the order of change is restricted to the order of vertices, edges, and faces. For example, even if you try to deform a surface first, if the surrounding vertices do not ride on the deformed surface, you can not deform the surface, and similarly, the surrounding ridges will If you do not get on the top, you can not deform the surface. When the constraint data between the attribute data and the shape data is eliminated by the method of the present embodiment, the change procedure for each element of the shape data changes depending on the data change order of the user and the like. That is, the order of vertices, edges, and faces cannot be changed.

To deal with this, in the present embodiment, vertex data and edge line data are not changed directly through constraint data. In other words, the data of the ridge line and the vertex are indirectly changed by a method in which the ridge line is obtained as the intersection line between the adjacent surfaces by changing the surface data by the constraint data, and the position of the vertex is obtained as the intersection point of the three surfaces. I decided. For this reason, the shape processing unit of the present embodiment receives the instruction to change the surface, changes the surface data, and automatically changes the data of the peripheral edges and vertices that need to be changed in response to the change. Are prepared.

[0092] Returning to the original description, a typical process of the process from data change to constraint release described in the previous example is generalized as follows.

First, a procedure for generating the shape data 2 is shown in FIG. First, a shape-attribute interface corresponding to shape data 1 is created. Next, the shape data 2 has the same format as the attribute data, but since it is the shape data 2, instance data of “shape characteristics” for distinguishing the shape data is created. Next, instance data of all items required as a shape expression is created. At this time, the following processing is performed for each instance data only when the instance data is at the end. That is, the frame data corresponding to the instance data is referred to, and if a calculation formula that is the constraint data is recorded therein, the calculation is performed and the result is set as the value of the instance data. Do. When there is no calculation formula, the value of the corresponding shape data 1 is referred to, and the value is used as the value of the instance data.
In any case, the value propagation process and the unprocessed list cancellation are performed last.

The value propagation processing used in this processing is shown in FIG.
When the processing mode is delayed, the pointer to the instance data is registered in the unprocessed list as the value propagation unprocessed, and the following processing is performed in the immediate mode. That is, by referring to the referenced pointer of the instance, the calculation of the calculation formula and the comparison with the original value of the calculation result are performed for all the indicated instance data, and if the values are different, the calculation result is further set. When the instance is a shape characteristic, the instance is registered in the unprocessed list as the shape reflection 21 unprocessed, and each process of value propagation is performed in this order.

The shape reflection 21 process is as shown in FIG.
If the processing mode is delayed, the pointer to the instance data is registered in the unprocessed list as shape reflection 21 unprocessed, and the following processing is performed in the immediate mode. That is, the value of the instance data is compared with the shape data 1 of the corresponding shape element, and the following processing is performed only when the values are different.
First, the value of the shape data 1 of the corresponding shape element is changed to the value of the instance data, and the following processing is performed on elements around the changed shape element. It is determined whether or not the shape of each peripheral element needs to be changed. If necessary, the shape data 1 is changed and the shape reflection 12 on the peripheral element is performed.

The shape reflection 12 processing is performed as shown in FIG.
Only when the target instance does not exist in the unprocessed list as shape reflection 21 unprocessed, refers to the value of shape data 1 and refers to the corresponding instance value. Only when those values are different, the shape data The value of 1 is set to the corresponding instance, and the instance is registered in the unprocessed list as the value propagation unprocessed.

As shown in FIG. 35, only when the processing mode is the immediate mode, when there is an unprocessed item in the unprocessed list and within the predetermined number of processes, as shown in FIG. I do. That is, the head element is extracted, the value is propagated when the element is not subjected to value propagation, and the shape reflection 21 is performed when the element is not processed.
Then, when the loop processing is completed due to time excess, it reports that there is an error in the constraint data. Even in the immediate mode, since the elements may be added to the unprocessed list in the value propagation and shape reflection 12 called during the unprocessed list resolution processing, the processing is continued until the unprocessed list is exhausted. There is a need. It is appropriate to perform inconsistency detection of constraint data at this location. That is, if there is an inconsistency in the constraint data, the unprocessed list does not disappear forever, so if the unprocessed list does not disappear even after a predetermined time has elapsed, it is determined that the constraint data is inconsistent.
Alternatively, if the unprocessed list does not disappear even if a predetermined number of elements are processed, it can be determined that the constraint data is inconsistent.

Next, a typical process of inputting constraint data (calculation formula) will be described with reference to FIG. First, record the given formula in the instance. Next, a grammatical check of the input formula is performed. Next, the expression is decomposed into elements such as operators and reference parts of other instance data. It is determined whether or not the reference element of the other instance data exists during the decomposition, and if it exists, the original instance is registered in the referenced pointer list of the target element. Next, the operation of the equation is performed, and if the result is different from the original value, the following processing is performed. That is, setting of calculation results, shape reflection 21, value propagation, and unprocessed list cancellation processing.

The attribute value changing process is as shown in FIG. First, the original value is compared with the value to be changed, and only when the value is different, the value is set, the shape is reflected 21, and the value is propagated.

The constraint data used in this embodiment is in the form of a calculation formula. In this formula, not only simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division but also general numerical functions, character string functions, type conversion functions, and the like can be used. Further, in order to perform geometrical calculations required for the design, a function for finding an intersection line and a function for moving or rotating the arrangement position in parallel can be used.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 38, an arithmetic unit capable of collectively handling a plurality of values as attribute values is provided in the constraint processing device. For this reason, when the values of a plurality of alternatives are included in the input of each function, it is possible to calculate each value and return the result as a plurality of alternatives. For example, if there are two options of 30 degrees and -30 degrees with respect to a certain angle, when the values are collectively passed to a sine function (sin), two results of 0.5 and -0.5 are obtained for a plurality of options. The result is returned (Fig. 3
8 (a)). In addition, the sum of the attribute having two values of 1 and 2 and the attribute having two values of 3 and 4 is obtained as 4,5,5,6 which is the result of each combination. Excluding 4, 5, and 6 (FIG. 38)
(B)).

Furthermore, a function (FIG. 38 (e)) for selecting an optimum one from a plurality of alternatives and a function (sort function) for rearranging in order from the optimum one are also prepared. For the function that selects the best one, when the values of multiple alternatives and the evaluation function expression are input, the alternative that maximizes the value of the evaluation function is selected and returned. Also, when the sort function inputs the values of the alternatives and the evaluation function expression, the sort function returns the values of the alternatives given in descending order of the value of the evaluation function.

In order to find the optimum value for a continuously changing value, instead of selecting from a plurality of values, it is also possible to find a value that maximizes the value of the evaluation function while satisfying the conditions represented by equations or inequalities (FIG. 38 (f)). This solves by the Newton method or the conjugate gradient method which is established as a nonlinear optimization technique.

In design, there are many factors that are not determined by calculation alone but are limited by standards and product lists. For example, in the first example of the present embodiment, the diameter of the bolt is obtained by converting to an integer. However, when the size of the larger bolt is obtained by converting to an integer, the bolt does not conform to JIS standards and is not sold as a standard bolt. It becomes dimensions. For such a case, a function is provided in which the value of an item having tabular data such as JIS standard or product catalog, the name of the table, and the selection condition expression are input, and the value of another item is output. (FIGS. 38 (c) and (d)). As the selection condition expression, an expression combining inequalities, equalities, logical sum of products, and the like can be specified.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is realized as it is, and one set of shape data is obtained. In addition, the constraint data can be expressed by combining calculation formulas, tables, and procedures.

All of the shape data and attribute data are shown in FIG.
It is stored in the format shown in the right half. The shape operation means of the present embodiment has a set of shape data, but is a means for directly operating using a graphically displayed screen as in the case of the shape operation 1 of the first embodiment. A means for operating each data item is prepared in the same manner as the means for the shape operation 2 of 1. The shape processing means attached to the shape data changes peripheral shape elements so that the shape can be maintained when the shape data is changed, and performs the same processing as that of the first embodiment. The attribute data operation means is the same as that of the first embodiment.

The constraint data is all represented as character strings. An example is shown below.

Calculation formula # p1: surface area = # d1: shape characteristic: dimension value + (# v4: shape characteristic: coordinate (2) − # v1: shape characteristic: coordinate (2)) + 2 + # d1: shape characteristic: Dimension value + (# v4: shape characteristic: coordinate (3)-# v3: shape characteristic: coordinate (3)) +2 + (# v4: shape characteristic: coordinate (2)-# v1: shape characteristic: coordinate (2) ) + (# V4: shape characteristic: coordinate (3)-# v3: shape characteristic: coordinate (3)) +2 table input item 1 output item 2 data 2 # p2: material # p2: allowable stress # p2: price S45C50 450 S55C 60 550 Procedure if (# p3: number of volts mod 2 = 1) then # p3: number of volts = # p3: number of volts + 1 endif The calculation formula is the same as in the first embodiment, and the result of the calculation on the right side is the It is stored as a value. In the table, when the value of the input item is determined, the value of the output item is determined. In this example, if the material of # p2 is determined, the allowable stress and price of # p2 are determined. The number of table items and the name of each item are recorded at the top of the table format constraint data. The procedure is performed in order from the top in a so-called program. In this example, the condition is determined and the result is substituted.

In this embodiment, when any one of the shape data, the attribute data, and the constraint data is changed, the other data is changed by the constraint resolving means so as to satisfy all the constraints. The constraint resolving means sequentially follows the constraint conditions from the top and applies the constraint conditions in order. In the case of this example, first, the calculation formula is referred to, and if the right side is complete, the calculation is performed and the calculation is substituted for the left side. Next, when the values of the input items in the table are complete, the matching data of the items is selected, the value of the output item is extracted based on the result, and the value is set as the value of the output item. Next, execute the procedure. If the execution is performed only once, the previous constraint may be broken later. Therefore, the execution is repeated until there is no change in the data during the execution. If all constraints are lifted, there will be no change.

The detection of the constraint inconsistency is performed by stopping the constraint resolving process as in the first embodiment. That is, the constraint resolving process is performed a predetermined number of times, and if the resolving is still not performed, it is regarded that there is a contradiction. In this method, it may theoretically be determined that there is a contradiction despite the existence of a solution, but conversely, there is no stop because there is a contradiction. Work on. Therefore, there is no problem in practical use. The present invention does not limit the constraint releasing means to this method. At present, a method for completely solving all constraints has not been discovered, but if the design target is limited, there are cases where the characteristics of the constraints are limited and can be solved. Further, if it works on the safe side as in this embodiment, there is no problem in practical use.

[0111]

According to the present invention, first, the work for selecting an appropriate solution from a plurality of different design plans is shortened. In the case of performing similar design, not only shape data but also previous data can be reused including constraint conditions and calculation formulas, so that design time can be reduced. Further, since the design constraints and calculation formulas that have not been organized are recorded systematically, the system can be used as a means for organizing and recording design knowledge. It also makes it easier for new designers to gain design knowledge and to design without knowing everything.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration of a design support apparatus using the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an example of a configuration of a conventional design support apparatus.

FIG. 3 shows a relationship among attribute data, shape data, and constraint data.

FIG. 4 is a detailed configuration of a shape change storage device and shape data.

FIG. 5 is an example of a design problem relating to selection of a screw of a pipe connection part.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a design procedure and a design calculation in the design example shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is an actual calculation example in the design example shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a definition operation of an attribute item.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a definition operation of an attribute item.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of setting a value of attribute data.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of setting a value of attribute data.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of setting a value of attribute data.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of setting a value of attribute data.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of setting a value of attribute data.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of setting a value of attribute data.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of setting a value of attribute data.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of setting a value of attribute data.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of setting a value of attribute data.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of setting a value of attribute data.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of setting a value of attribute data.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of setting a value of attribute data.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of an overall image of an attribute structure.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram of attribute item data and related data.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram of attribute data and related data.

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram of attribute value data.

FIG. 26 is an example of a target shape.

FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram of evaluation of shape data 1, shape data 2, and attribute data.

FIG. 28 is an explanatory diagram of input of a surface area, an on-plane point coordinate calculation formula, and constraint release processing.

FIG. 29 is an explanatory diagram of a constraint elimination process.

FIG. 30 is a diagram of a shape data 2 generation process.

FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating input processing of constraint data (calculation formula).

FIG. 32 is a diagram of an attribute value change process.

FIG. 33 is a diagram of a value propagation process.

FIG. 34 is a diagram of a process of shape reflection 21;

FIG. 35 is a diagram of processing of the shape reflection 12;

FIG. 36 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of setting a value of attribute data.

FIG. 37 is an example of a shape processing apparatus suitable for the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 38 shows an operation when data input is changed.

FIG. 39 shows input / output of an arithmetic unit in the constraint processing device.

FIG. 40 is a detailed configuration example of a design support apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Input device, 2 ... Processing device, 2a ... Shape change storage device, 2a1 ... Shape change storage device 1, 2a2 ... Shape change storage device 2, 2a12 ... Shape reflection device 12, 2a21 ... Shape reflection device 21, 2b ... Attribute Change storage device, 2c: Attribute constraint change storage device, 2d: Attribute shape constraint change storage device,
2e: between shape constraint change storage device, 2f: between attribute constraint processing device, 2g ... between attribute shape constraint processing device, 2h ... between shape constraint processing device, 2i ... constraint processing propagation device, 2j ... constraint inconsistency detection device, 2k ... Shape reproducing device, 21... Attribute reproducing device,
2m: Attribute constraint playback device, 2n: Attribute shape constraint playback device, 2o: Shape constraint playback device, 2p: Processing device control device, 2q: Shape storage device, 2r: Shape change generation device,
3 storage device, 3a shape data, 3a1 shape data 1, 3a2 shape data 2, 3ab attribute data, 3c
... constraint data between attributes, 3d ... constraint data between attributes, 3
e: Inter-shape constraint data, 4: Output device, 301: Pipe,
302 ... gasket, 303 ... bolt.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Atsushi Inoue 4026 Kuji-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Within Hitachi Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Yoshiaki Shinozuka 4026 Kuji-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Hitachi Research, Ltd. In-house (72) Inventor Hirotoshi Uchiyama 5030 Totsuka-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Pref. Hitachi, Ltd. Software Factory (56) References JP-A-62-1071 (JP, A) JP-A-62-174878 (JP) , A) JP-A-64-33680 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 17/50 G05B 19/4097

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] A means for operating shape data of a design object; a means for operating attribute data relating to characteristics of the design object; and a constraint data indicating a relationship between a plurality of shape data and attribute data. Means for changing the shape data and the attribute data so as to satisfy a relationship between the means and the shape data or the attribute data represented by the constraint data changed based on the change of the constraint data. Changing the shape data and other attribute data so as to satisfy the relationship between the shape data or the attribute data represented by the constraint data changed based on the change of the attribute data. And a second change unit that satisfies the relationship between the shape data or the attribute data represented by the constraint data changed based on the change of the shape data. Third changing means for changing the shape data and the attribute data, and the data changed by the first, second, and third changing means is used for changing the shape data, the attribute data, or the constraint data. A design support device having detection means for detecting whether data and inconsistency occur. 2. A means for manipulating shape data of a design object, a means for manipulating attribute data relating to characteristics of a design object, and a constraint data indicating a relationship between a plurality of shape data and attribute data. Means, constraint data changing means for changing constraint data based on the change of the shape data or attribute data or constraint data, and the constraint data changed by the constraint data changing means. Changing means for changing the shape data and the attribute data so as to satisfy;
The data changed by the above-mentioned changing means is replaced with other shape data.
A design means for detecting whether there is any inconsistency with data, attribute data, or constraint data. 3. A means for operating data of a shape of a design object, a means for operating attribute data relating to characteristics of the design object, and a constraint data indicating a relationship between a plurality of shape data and attribute data. Means, constraint data changing means for changing constraint data based on the change of the shape data or attribute data or constraint data, and the constraint data changed by the constraint data changing means. Changing means for changing the shape data and the attribute data so as to satisfy;
The data changed by the above-mentioned changing means is replaced with other shape data.
Constraint processing propagation means for repeatedly changing data or attribute data or constraint data; and the data changed by the change means or the constraint processing propagation means are used to convert other shape data or attribute data. Design support means for detecting whether there is any inconsistency with the data or constraint data, and determination control means for stopping the constraint processing propagation means if the detection means detects inconsistency. apparatus. 4. The design support according to claim 1, wherein said attribute data is at least data relating to vertices, ridges, faces, parts, sub-assemblies, and whole assemblies of the shape. apparatus. 5. The shape data representing a design object is:
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for separating topological information and geometric information with respect to points, ridges, and surfaces, and means for independently attaching attribute data to each piece of information.
The design support device described in the above. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for attaching other attribute data to said attribute data.
The design support device described in the above. 7. The design support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for setting an attribute item of said attribute data, and means for setting a value corresponding to said set attribute item. 8. The constraint inconsistency detecting means detects that the input / output relation of a calculation formula as the constraint data is formed in a loop. Design support equipment.