JP7630347B2 - DESIGN ASSISTANCE DEVICE, LINEAR MEMBER CLASSIFICATION METHOD, AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a design support device, a method for classifying linear members, and a program.

When designing a product consisting of multiple devices and the cables that connect them, it is necessary to design the route of the cables that connect the devices. Furthermore, when designing the route of a product with multiple systems, it may be necessary to satisfy constraints such as making the cable lengths equal between systems, making the number of bends and the bending angles of the cable equal, and keeping the longitudinal length of the cable below a certain length. For example, when constructing cables from semi-rigid cables, it is often desirable to satisfy these conditions.

In addition, after the route design, a 3D model of the cable may be created and a drawing may be prepared. In this case, creating individual 3D models for cables with similar or identical shapes would be costly and time-consuming. Therefore, after the route design, cables that are expected to have the same shape are classified into the same group, and one 3D model is created for each group, allowing the 3D model to be designed efficiently. This creates a need to extract combinations of the same shape from a large number of cables whose routes have been designed.

Patent document 1 discloses a design support device that overlaps the center of gravity of the three-dimensional shapes to be compared with the position furthest from the center of gravity, and performs an analogy judgment based on the ratio between the volume of each three-dimensional shape and the volume of the overlapping part.

JP 2001-307099 A

A cable rotates around an axis that connects the center of gravity and the point farthest from the center of gravity. For this reason, when determining the similarity of cables using the technology described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to accurately determine the degree of similarity, and there are cases where cables are determined to be dissimilar even though they are actually similar, resulting in low accuracy in determining the similarity.

A similar problem occurs not only when creating a 3D model of a wire, but also when automatically determining the similarity of the shapes of various linear components.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a design support device, a method for classifying linear members, and a program that can accurately perform analogous judgments of the shapes of linear members.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the design support device according to the present disclosure includes a coordinate system definition unit that acquires coordinates in a first coordinate system of a first point and a second point that satisfy a predetermined condition in two linear members to be compared from design data of the linear members based on a first coordinate system common to the linear members, and defines a second coordinate system for each of the two linear members to be compared based on the acquired coordinates of the first point and the second point, a conversion unit that converts the coordinates in the first coordinate system of the first point and the second point of each of the two linear members to be compared into coordinates in the second coordinate system, and a classification unit that classifies the design data of the two linear members to be compared into the same group when it is determined that the distance between the coordinates in the second coordinate system of the first points of the two linear members to be compared satisfies a predetermined condition.

According to the present disclosure, a coordinate system is defined based on the coordinates of a first point and a second point that satisfy a preset condition in the linear members to be compared, the coordinates in the common coordinate system of the first point and the second point of each of the two linear members to be compared are converted into coordinates in the defined individual coordinate system, and an analogy judgment of the shapes of the linear members to be compared is made based on whether the distance of the first point satisfies the preset condition. Therefore, an analogy judgment of the shapes of the linear members to be compared can be made with high accuracy.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a design screen for designing a route of a semi-rigid cable according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a cross-sectional view of a semi-rigid cable according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a design support apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of bend point information stored in a bend point information storage unit shown in FIG. 3 ; 4A is a diagram showing an example of cable information stored in a cable information storage unit shown in FIG. 3 ; FIG. 4B is a diagram showing an example of cable information updated by a cable information comparison unit shown in FIG. 3 ; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a physical configuration of a design support apparatus according to an embodiment; 1 is a flowchart showing a classification process performed by a design support device according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the processing contents of the bend point comparison unit shown in FIG. 3 . FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a modified example of the processing contents performed by the bend point comparison unit shown in FIG. 3 . FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a design support apparatus according to a modified example. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a semi-rigid cable according to a modified example.

The design support device, design support method, and program according to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The design support device according to this embodiment is a device that supports the design of wiring using semi-rigid cables that connect components within a device and have curved bent sections. A semi-rigid cable is a coaxial cable whose outer conductor is made of a seamless metal tube such as copper, nickel, or stainless steel. In designing the route of a semi-rigid cable, the designer selects any device from among multiple devices within the device, sequentially determines the wiring route of the semi-rigid cable connecting the selected devices, and sets design data including the shape and attribute information of the cable for each semi-rigid cable.

The design support device disclosed herein performs a process of comparing the contents of the design data with other semi-rigid cables for which design data has already been set each time design data is set for one semi-rigid cable, and classifying each semi-rigid cable that is determined to have a similar shape. Specifically, the design support device performs a similarity judgment of the shape based on bend point coordinates indicating the position of the bend point determined by the shape of the bend portion, which are included in the design data set by the user, and attribute information including information such as the outer diameter and model number of the semi-rigid cable.

Using the design support device, the designer designs one 3D model for each semi-rigid cable that is classified into the same group. This eliminates the need to design a 3D model for each semi-rigid cable, reducing design time and effort and improving the design efficiency of semi-rigid cables.

Next, we will explain the design data set by the designer in route design according to this embodiment as a premise for analogical judgment.

Figure 1 illustrates an example of route R1 of a semi-rigid cable connecting device 100a and device 100b.

In this example, the route R1 of the semi-rigid cable connects the devices 100a and 100b and has a curved section B3 that corresponds to the shape of the bent section of the semi-rigid cable. The shape of the curved section B3 is determined by the curvature of a circle B5 of radius r that includes the curved section B3 on its circumference. The bend point B2 is the intersection of extension lines B4 of two straight line sections that connect the end points of the curved section B3 and the tangent points of the devices 100a and 100b. The coordinates of the bend point B2 in the coordinate system set for the device to be designed, including the devices 100a and 100b, are called the bend point coordinates. The curved section B3 is an example of a curved section in the claims.

When a designer operates a 3D CAD device to design route R1, the designer specifies that one end of route R1 is to be connected to device 100a, the other end is to be connected to device 100b, specifies bend point B2, and specifies the curvature r. In response to the designer's operation, the 3D CAD device assigns a cable ID to route R1 and stores information such as the coordinates of the start and end points of route R1, i.e., both ends, the coordinate of bend point B2, and the curvature r as design data. Note that multiple bend points may be specified.

In addition, in the route design, the designer sets the cross-sectional shape of the semi-rigid cable. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the outer shape of the cross section R3 of the semi-rigid cable R2 is a circle with the intersection point R4 (hereinafter, the cross-sectional route point) between the route R1 and the cross section R3 of the semi-rigid cable R2 as the axis of point symmetry. The designer sets the outer diameter of the cross section R3 as design data and defines the size of the cross section of the semi-rigid cable R2. The 3D CAD device stores the shape and diameter of the cross section as design data.

The design support device performs a process of classifying the shapes of multiple semi-rigid cables to be compared based on design data including information defining the shape of route R1 shown in FIG. 1 and the outer shape and outer diameter of the cross section shown in FIG. 2 into the same group if the semi-rigid cables are judged to be similar.

Next, the configuration of the design support device according to this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, design support device 10 includes a bend point information storage unit 11 that stores bend point information including coordinate information of bend points, a cable information storage unit 12 that stores cable information including attribute information such as the outer diameter and cable type of semi-rigid cables, a classification unit 21 that performs an analogy judgment between the shapes of two semi-rigid cables to be compared and classifies semi-rigid cables that are judged to be similar into the same group, and a setting unit 31 that sets the content of processing to be performed by classification unit 21.

The bend point information storage unit 11 stores bend point information including the coordinate information of the bend points of the semi-rigid cable. The bend point information is created by route design using the above-mentioned three-dimensional CAD device. The coordinate information stored in the bend point information is defined based on a coordinate system that is preset in the CAD. As shown in FIG. 4, the bend point information includes a "cable ID" that identifies the semi-rigid cable, a "bend number" that identifies the bend point, "bend point coordinates" that indicate the coordinate information of each bend point, a "start point coordinates" that indicates the coordinate information of the start point of the semi-rigid cable, and an "end point coordinates" that indicates the coordinate information of the end point of the semi-rigid cable. The "bend numbers" are assigned the numbers "01", "02", ... in order of proximity to the connection from the start point. In the illustrated example, a semi-rigid cable with a cable ID of "0001" has two bend points with bend numbers "01" and "02", and the coordinates of the bend points are "60, 60, 60" and "80, 80, 80", the coordinates of the start point are "50, 50, 50", and the coordinates of the end point are "100, 100, 100". These coordinates are set in the device to be designed by a CAD device, for example, and are common to multiple cables. Note that the coordinate system set in advance in the CAD is an example of the first coordinate system in the claims, and the bend points are an example of the second point in the claims.

The cable information storage unit 12 stores cable information including attribute information such as the outer diameter and model number of the semi-rigid cable. As illustrated in FIG. 5(a), the cable information includes the following information: a "cable ID" for identifying the semi-rigid cable, an "outer diameter" indicating the outer diameter of the semi-rigid cable, a "bend radius" indicating the radius of curvature of the bent portion, a "cable type" indicating the model number of the semi-rigid cable, and a "classification name" indicating the classification of the semi-rigid cable. In the illustrated example, a semi-rigid cable with a cable ID of "0001" has an outer diameter of 2.8 mm, two bend points with bend numbers "01" and "02", the bend radii of the bends corresponding to the respective bend points are 8 mm and 10 mm, and is classified into a group with a "classification name" of "A".

The classification unit 21 includes a bend point comparison unit 22 that compares the bend point coordinates of the semi-rigid cables being compared and determines the similarity of the respective route shapes, and a cable information comparison unit 23 that compares the cable information of the semi-rigid cables being compared and determines whether the cable information matches.

The bend point comparison unit 22 compares the bend point coordinates of the semi-rigid cables to be compared and determines the similarity of the respective route shapes. Specifically, the bend point comparison unit 22 defines a coordinate system for each semi-rigid cable based on the coordinate of the start point, which is one end point of the route of the semi-rigid cable, and the coordinates of two bend points that are close to the start point, and converts all the bend point coordinates stored in the bend point information shown in FIG. 4 into coordinates in the defined coordinate system. The bend point coordinates stored in advance in the bend point information are, for example, coordinate information in a coordinate system that is preset by CAD, and the bend point comparison unit 22 converts, for example, from the coordinate system preset in CAD to the defined coordinate system, thereby converting the bend point coordinates in the coordinate system preset in CAD into the bend point coordinates in the defined coordinate system. Next, the bend point comparison unit 22 obtains the distance between bend points with the same bend number in the two semi-rigid cables being compared, and determines whether the obtained distance satisfies the condition predetermined by the setting unit 31. If the bend point comparison unit 22 determines that the distance between the bend points stored in the bend point information satisfies the predetermined condition, it determines that the route shapes of the semi-rigid cables being compared are similar. Note that the coordinate system newly defined for each semi-rigid cable by the bend point comparison unit 22 is an example of a second coordinate system in the claims. Also, the bend point comparison unit 22 is an example of a coordinate system definition unit, conversion unit, and discrimination unit in the claims.

The cable information comparison unit 23 determines whether the cable information of the semi-rigid cable being compared matches. Specifically, it refers to the cable information shown in FIG. 5 stored in the cable information storage unit 12, compares the information on "outer diameter," "bend radius," and "cable type" contained in the cable information of the semi-rigid cable being compared, and determines whether all the information matches. The cable information comparison unit 23 is an example of an attribute information determination unit in the claims.

The setting unit 31 sets the content of the processing by the bend point comparison unit 22. Specifically, the setting unit 31 sets the condition of the distance between bend points under which the bend point comparison unit 22 determines that the route shapes of the semi-rigid cables being compared are similar. For example, if the setting unit 31 sets 0 as the condition of the distance between bend points, the bend point comparison unit 22 determines that the route shapes of the semi-rigid cables being compared are similar when the distance between each bend point is 0. Also, for example, if the setting unit 31 sets the condition of 1 or less as the condition of the distance between bend points, the bend point comparison unit 22 determines that the route shapes of the semi-rigid cables being compared are similar when the distance between each bend point is 1 or less.

The design support device 10 having the functional configuration described above physically comprises, as shown in FIG. 6, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110 that executes processing according to a program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 120 which is a volatile memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 130 which is a non-volatile memory, a storage unit 140 that stores data, an input unit 150 that accepts input of information, and a display unit 160 that visualizes and displays information, all of which are connected via an internal bus 99.

The CPU 110 executes various processes by reading the programs stored in the storage unit 140 into the RAM 120 and executing them. The CPU 110 executes each process by the classification unit 21 and the setting unit 31 as the main functions provided by the programs.

RAM 120 is used as a work area for CPU 110. ROM 130 stores the control program executed by CPU 110 for the basic operation of design support device 10, BIOS (Basic Input Output System), etc.

The storage unit 140 includes a hard disk drive, stores the programs executed by the CPU 110, and stores various data used when the programs are executed. The storage unit 140 functions as the bend point information storage unit 11 and the cable information storage unit 12.

The input unit 150 is a user interface equipped with a keyboard, mouse, etc. The display unit 160 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display that visualizes and displays information.

The design support device 10 is formed integrally with, for example, a three-dimensional CAD device. In this case, when the three-dimensional CAD device stores design data in the storage unit 140, the design support device 10 extracts bend point information and cable information from the stored design data and stores them in the bend point information storage unit 11 and the cable information storage unit 12.

Next, the operation of the design support device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
A designer selects devices, determines a route for a semi-rigid cable connecting the devices, specifies the shape of the cable, and adds attribute information, whereby design data for each cable is generated and stored in the storage unit 140. Each time design data for one semi-rigid cable is generated, the design support device 10 compares the contents of the design data with other semi-rigid cables for which design data has already been generated, and performs an analogy judgment. Specifically, the design support device 10 performs an analogy judgment of the semi-rigid cables based on the distance between bend points and attribute information including the outer diameter, model number, etc. of the semi-rigid cable, which are included in the design data of the semi-rigid cable to be compared, and performs a process of classifying semi-rigid cables that are determined to be similar into the same group.

In the storage unit 140 of the design support device 10, bend point information for a semi-rigid cable for which route design has been completed, and the cable information shown in FIG. 5(a) are pre-stored as design data. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5(a), classification processing for a semi-rigid cable with a cable ID of "0001" has been completed, and the semi-rigid cable has been classified into group A. In addition, the setting unit 31 sets 0 as the condition for the distance between bend points for determining that the route shapes of the semi-rigid cables being compared are similar. The classification processing of the design support device 10 for a semi-rigid cable with a cable ID of "0002" when the designer has completed route design for this semi-rigid cable will be described below.

Returning to FIG. 7, when the designer selects the semi-rigid cable with the cable ID "0002" for which route design has been completed and requests the start of classification processing by operating the input unit 150 of the design support device 10, the design support device 10 starts processing.

The classification unit 21 selects a semi-rigid cable to be compared (step S101). Specifically, the classification unit 21 reads the cable information shown in FIG. 5(a) and selects the semi-rigid cable with the smallest cable ID number, "0001", from among the semi-rigid cables for which route design has been completed and classification names have been input, as the semi-rigid cable to be compared.

Returning to FIG. 7, next, the bend point comparison unit 22 defines the coordinate systems of the semi-rigid cables to be compared (step S102). Specifically, the bend point comparison unit 22 defines the coordinate systems with the start point as the origin, using the start point and two bend points included in the bend point information shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 8 shows an example of the process of setting the coordinate system for a semi-rigid cable having two bend points P2 and P3. The route R1 of the semi-rigid cable is routed from the start point P1 to the end point P4. The bend point comparison unit 22 uses the coordinate information of the start point P1 of the route R1 and the bend points P2 and P3 to find a basis vector with P1 as the origin.

First, the bend point comparison unit 22 finds a vector v1 that runs from the starting point P1 to the bend point P2 that is closest to the starting point P1, a vector v2 that runs from the starting point P1 to the bend point P3 that is the next closest to the starting point P1 after the bend point P2, and a vector v3 that is perpendicular to v1 and v2 and is calculated using the following formula (1).

v3=v1×v2...Formula (1)

Next, the bend point comparison unit 22 uses the obtained v1, v2, and v3 to find the set of basis vectors {e1, e2, e3} according to the following equations (2)-(4).

e3=v1/|v1| ...Formula (2)

e2=(v1×v2)/|v1×v2| ...Formula (3)

e1=e2×e3...Formula (4)

The bend point comparison unit 22 defines a coordinate system in which the X axis is in the e1 direction, the Y axis is in the e2 direction, and the Z axis is in the e3 direction. The bend point comparison unit 22 defines the coordinate systems of the semi-rigid cables to be compared using the method described above.

Next, the bend point comparison unit 22 refers to the bend point information stored in the bend point information storage unit 11 and converts the bend point coordinates of the semi-rigid cables to be compared (step 103). Specifically, the bend point information stores bend point coordinates based on a coordinate system preset in the CAD. The bend point comparison unit 22 converts each of the coordinate systems from the coordinate system preset in the CAD to the coordinate system defined in step S102, thereby converting the bend point coordinates stored in the bend point information into coordinates in the coordinate system defined in step S102.

Next, the bend point comparison unit 22 determines whether the route shapes of the semi-rigid cables to be compared are similar (step S104). Specifically, the bend point comparison unit 22 calculates the distance between the bend points of the semi-rigid cables to be compared converted in step S103, and determines whether the calculated distance satisfies the condition set in the setting unit 31. The bend point comparison unit 22 calculates the distance between bend points with the same bend number, and if all the calculated distances between bend points are 0, which is the condition set in the setting unit 31, it determines that the route shapes of the semi-rigid cables to be compared are similar (step S105; Yes) and notifies the cable information comparison unit 23 that it has been determined to be similar.

Next, the cable information comparison unit 23 refers to the cable information stored in the cable information storage unit 12 and judges whether the information included in the cable information of the semi-rigid cable to be compared matches (step S106). Specifically, the cable information comparison unit 23 reads out the cable information shown in FIG. 5(a), compares the outer diameter, bend radius, and cable type information of the semi-rigid cable, and judges whether they match. If all of this cable information matches (step S107; Yes), the cable information comparison unit 23 judges that the semi-rigid cables to be compared are similar (step S111) and classifies them into the same group (step S112). Specifically, the cable information comparison unit 23 adds "A", which is input in the "classification name" of the cable information with "cable ID" of "0001", to the "classification name" item of the cable information with "cable ID" of "0002" shown in FIG. 5(a), updates the cable information to that shown in FIG. 5(b), and ends the process. This defines that the semi-rigid cables are classified into the same group.

Returning to step S107, if all or some of the items of the cable information do not match (step S107; No), the cable information comparison unit 23 determines that the semi-rigid cables being compared are not similar (step S113).

Next, the classification unit 21 checks whether there are other semi-rigid cables to be compared (step S114). Specifically, the classification unit 21 reads out the cable information, and if there is a semi-rigid cable for which a classification name different from the classification name "A" of the semi-rigid cable that has already been compared is stored in the "Classification Name" field, it determines that there are other semi-rigid cables to be compared. If the classification unit 21 determines that there are other semi-rigid cables to be compared (step S114; Yes), it selects the semi-rigid cable as the comparison target, returns to step S102, and performs processing to define the coordinate system of each semi-rigid cable.

On the other hand, if the classification unit 21 determines that there are no other semi-rigid cables to be compared (step S114; No), it classifies the semi-rigid cable to be compared into a different group (step S115). Specifically, the classification unit 21 adds a classification name different from "A" entered in the "Classification Name" field for the cable information with a "Cable ID" of "0002" shown in FIG. 5(a) to the "Classification Name" field for the cable information with a "Cable ID" of "0001," updates the cable information, and ends the process. This defines that the semi-rigid cables to be compared are classified into different groups.

Returning to step S105, if the calculated distance between any of the bend points is not 0, the bend point comparison unit 22 determines that the route shapes of the semi-rigid cables being compared are not similar (step S105; No), and redefines the coordinate system of any of the semi-rigid cables being compared (step S108). Specifically, the bend point comparison unit 22 redefines the coordinate system for the semi-rigid cable with the cable ID of "0002" by using the end point and two bend points included in the bend point information shown in FIG. 4 in the same manner as described in step S101. Next, the bend point comparison unit 22 converts the bend point coordinates of the semi-rigid cable with the cable ID of "0002" into coordinates in the coordinate system redefined in step S108. By converting the coordinate system of one semi-rigid cable into a coordinate system with the end point as the origin and comparing the coordinates, semi-rigid cables with similar shapes can be classified into the same group when the vector directions are opposite.

Next, the bend point comparison unit 22 judges whether the route shapes of the semi-rigid cables to be compared are similar (step S109). Specifically, the bend point comparison unit 22 calculates the distance between each bend point based on the coordinates of the bend points of the semi-rigid cable with the cable ID "0001" converted in step S103 and the coordinates of the bend points of the semi-rigid cable with the cable ID "0002" converted in step S108. The bend point comparison unit 22 judges whether the calculated distance satisfies the condition set in the setting unit 31, and if the calculated distances between all the bend points are 0, which is the condition set in the setting unit 31, it judges that the route shapes of the semi-rigid cables to be compared are similar (step S110; Yes) and notifies the cable information comparison unit 23 that it has been judged to be similar. Thereafter, the cable information comparison unit 23 performs a process of comparing the cable information of the semi-rigid cables to be compared (step S106).

On the other hand, if the calculated distance between any of the bend points is not 0, which is a condition set in the setting unit 31, the bend point comparison unit 22 determines that the route shapes of the semi-rigid cables being compared are not similar (step S110; No), and determines that the semi-rigid cables being compared are not similar (step S113).

As described above, the design support device 10 performs a similarity judgment of semi-rigid cables by comparing the bend point coordinates that have been coordinate-converted according to the shape of the semi-rigid cable route with the cable information, and classifies similar semi-rigid cables into the same group. The designer then designs a three-dimensional model for each semi-rigid cable classified in this way, thereby reducing the design time and effort and improving the design efficiency of semi-rigid cables.

As long as it does not deviate from the spirit of this disclosure, it is possible to select and discard the configurations described in the above embodiments, or to change them to other configurations as appropriate.

In the above embodiment, the bend point comparison unit 22 determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied when the distance between the bend points of the semi-rigid cables to be compared is 0, but this is not limited to the above. The bend point comparison unit 22 may determine that the coordinates of the bend points match when the distance between the two bend points is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, when the bend points of the semi-rigid cables to be compared are included within the ranges of spheres M3 and M4 centered on bend points M1 and M2 of a certain semi-rigid cable, the bend point comparison unit 22 determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied. In this case, the setting unit 31 may set the radii of the spheres M3 and M4 as thresholds in advance. The bend point comparison unit 22 calculates the distance between the bend points having the same bend number based on the bend coordinates of the semi-rigid cables to be compared converted in step S103, and determines that the condition is satisfied when the calculated distance is equal to or less than the threshold set by the setting unit 31.

In addition, in the above embodiment, semi-rigid cables are classified, but this is not limited to this. Linear members that are made of rigid materials such as pipes, electric wires, and waveguides and have curved bends may also be included.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the analogy judgment of the semi-rigid cable is performed by finding the distance of the bend point coordinates in a three-dimensional coordinate system, but this is not limited to this and the analogy judgment may be performed in a two-dimensional coordinate system. Specifically, in step S102, the bend point comparison unit 22 converts the coordinates of the bend point, start point, and end point in the three-dimensional coordinate system stored in the bend point information shown in FIG. 4 into coordinates in a two-dimensional coordinate system by projection transformation, and defines the coordinate system based on the start point and one bend point.

In the above embodiment, the processing is described for a semi-rigid cable having two bend points, but the processing is not limited to this, and a semi-rigid cable having three or more bend points may be used. In this case, in step S102, the bend point comparison unit 22 selects two bend point coordinates from the three or more bend point coordinates included in the bend point information shown in FIG. 4 under any arbitrary condition, such as selecting two points that are closest to the start point or selecting two bend points with the largest curvature, and defines a coordinate system by determining a base vector with the start point or end point as the origin using the start point or end point and the selected two bend point coordinates. Also, the start point or end point does not have to be the origin, and the coordinate system may be defined with the bend point, or any point on the route, such as the end point of the bend section or the midpoint of the straight section, as the origin.

In the above embodiment, the cross-sectional outer shape of the semi-rigid cable is a circle that is point-symmetric with respect to the cross-section route point R4 as shown in FIG. 2, but is not limited to this and may be a regular polygon such as a square, regular pentagon, or regular hexagon that is point-symmetric with respect to the cross-section route point R4. The cable information storage unit 12 stores the side lengths of the regular polygon cross-section in advance, and in step S106, the cable information comparison unit 23 determines whether the side lengths of the regular polygon cross-sections included in the cable information match.

The cross-sectional shape of the semi-rigid cable is not limited to a shape that is point-symmetric with respect to the cross-sectional root point R4, but may be a shape that is line-symmetric with respect to an axis of symmetry passing through the cross-sectional root point R4, such as an isosceles triangle or a rectangle. Below, we will explain the design support device 10A that performs classification processing for semi-rigid cables whose cross-sectional shape is rectangular.

As shown in FIG. 10, the design support device 10A is configured to further include a cross-sectional information storage unit 13 that stores cross-sectional information defining the cross-sectional shape of the semi-rigid cable in addition to the above-mentioned design support device 10. The cross-sectional information storage unit 13 defines a vector R5 or R6 with a Euclidean norm of 1 that is parallel to the long side direction of the cross-section R3a and perpendicular to the route R1a in the semi-rigid cable R2a whose cross-section R3a shown in FIG. 11 is rectangular. Specifically, the cross-sectional information stored in the cross-sectional information storage unit 13 stores the vector components (x, y, z) of the vector R5 or vector R6 together with the route numbers numbered in order from the end point side of the route R1a. At this time, the coordinates defining the vector components are defined by the same coordinate system as the coordinate system defining the bend point coordinates.

In the bend point coordinate conversion process (step S103) by the bend point comparison unit 22 of the design support device 10A, the bend point coordinates are converted based on the coordinate system defined in step S102, and the coordinate components of the vector R5 or vector R6 stored in the cross-section information storage unit 13 are converted. Then, in step S104, the coordinate values of the converted vector R5 or vector R6 in the semi-rigid cables to be compared are compared. At this time, the vector components of the two semi-rigid cables are compared at each route, and if they are different, it is necessary to multiply all of the vector components X, Y, and Z of one cable by minus and compare the vector components again. This is because there are two ways to define the vector in the long side direction for R5 and R6. As a result, it is possible to perform classification processing for semi-rigid cables even if the outer shape of the cross section of the semi-rigid cable is a figure that is linearly symmetrical with respect to the axis of symmetry passing through the cross-section route point R4a.

In the above embodiment, an example of calculating the similarity by focusing on the coordinates of the start point and bend point of a linear member has been described, but this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, for two linear members to be compared, a transformed coordinate system may be calculated for each of the two linear members from the coordinates of one end point and a feature point, for example, two or more bending points, and the similarity may be calculated from the coordinates of the feature points in the transformed coordinate system of each linear member.

The design support device 10 may be separate from the 3D CAD device. In this case, for example, design data generated by the 3D CAD device is transferred to and stored in the memory unit 140 of the design support device 10. The design support device 10 extracts bend point information and cable information from the stored design data and stores them in the bend point information memory unit 11 and the cable information memory unit 12.

The design support device 10 can be realized using a normal computer system, not a dedicated device. For example, a program for realizing each function of the design support device 10 can be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) or a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), and a computer that can realize each of the above-mentioned functions can be configured by installing this program on a computer.

In addition, if each function is realized by sharing the responsibilities of an OS (Operating System) and an application, or by cooperation between an OS and an application, only the application may be stored on the recording medium.

10, 10A design support device, 11 bend point information storage unit, 12 cable information storage unit, 13 cross section information storage unit, 21 classification unit, 22 bend point comparison unit, 23 cable information comparison unit, 31 setting unit, 99 internal bus, 100a, 100b equipment, 110 CPU, 120 RAM, 130 RAM, 140 storage unit, 150 input unit, 160 display unit, R1, R1a route, R2, R2a semi-rigid cable, R3, R3a cross section, R4, R4a cross section route point, B2 bend point, B3 curved section, B4 extension line of straight section, B5 sphere, P1 start point, P2, P3, M1, M2 bend points, P4 end point.

Claims (7)

a coordinate system definition unit that acquires, based on a first coordinate system common to a plurality of linear members, coordinates in the first coordinate system of a first point and a second point that satisfy a preset condition in two linear members to be compared from design data of the linear members, and defines a second coordinate system for each of the two linear members to be compared based on the coordinates of the acquired first point and second point;
a conversion unit that converts the coordinates of the first point and the second point of each of the two linear members to be compared in the first coordinate system into coordinates in the second coordinate system;
a classification unit that classifies design data of the two linear members to be compared into the same group when it is determined that a distance between coordinates of the first points of the two linear members to be compared in the second coordinate system satisfies a predetermined condition; and
A design support device comprising: A design support device that classifies design data that connects devices within the device and defines wiring routes of a plurality of linear members each having a bent portion, comprising:
a storage unit that stores design data for each of the linear components, the design data specifying a wiring route and a shape of the linear component based on a first coordinate system common to the plurality of linear components;
a coordinate system definition unit that selects two linear members to be compared, acquires coordinates in the first coordinate system of a first point and a second point in the linear members to be compared that satisfy a preset condition from design data stored in the storage unit, and defines a second coordinate system individually for the two linear members to be compared based on the acquired coordinates of the first point and the second point;
a conversion unit that converts coordinates of the first point and the second point of the two linear members to be compared in the first coordinate system into coordinates in the second coordinate system;
a determination unit that calculates a distance between coordinates of the first points of the two linear members to be compared in the second coordinate system and determines whether the calculated distance satisfies a predetermined condition;
a classification unit that classifies the design data of the two linear members to be compared into the same group when the discrimination unit determines that the distance satisfies the condition; and
A design support device comprising: the linear member includes two straight portions and a curved portion connecting the two straight portions,
The second point is one end of the linear member, and the first point is a bend point where extensions of the two straight line portions intersect.
The design support device according to claim 1 or 2 . the coordinate system definition unit sets a second coordinate system with an end point as an origin for each of the two linear members to be compared;
The design support device according to claim 3 . The storage unit further stores attribute information indicating an attribute of the linear member,
an attribute information determination unit that determines whether the attribute information related to the linear member to be compared matches;
the classification unit classifies the linear members to be compared into the same group when the discrimination unit determines that the distance satisfies the condition and the attribute information determination unit determines that the attribute information related to the linear members to be compared matches.
The design support device according to claim 2, or claim 3 or 4 which cites claim 2. based on a first coordinate system common to a plurality of linear members, coordinates in the first coordinate system of a first point and a second point that satisfy a preset condition in two linear members to be compared are acquired from design data of the linear members, and based on the coordinates of the acquired first point and second point, a second coordinate system is defined for each of the two linear members to be compared;
Transforming the coordinates of the first point and the second point of each of the two linear members to be compared in the first coordinate system into coordinates in the second coordinate system;
classifying the design data of the two linear members to be compared into the same group when it is determined that the distance between the coordinates of the first points of the two linear members to be compared in the second coordinate system satisfies a predetermined condition;
A method for classifying linear members. On the computer,
a process of acquiring, based on a first coordinate system common to a plurality of linear members, coordinates in the first coordinate system of a first point and a second point that satisfy a preset condition in two linear members to be compared from design data of the linear members, and setting a second coordinate system for each of the two linear members to be compared based on the acquired coordinates of the first point and the second point;
A process of converting the coordinates of the first point and the second point of each of the two linear members to be compared in the first coordinate system into coordinates in the second coordinate system;
a process of classifying design data of the two linear members to be compared into the same group when it is determined that a distance between coordinates of the first points of the two linear members to be compared in the second coordinate system satisfies a predetermined condition;
A program that executes the following.