Abstract:
A method, system and apparatus for use in computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, computer-aided engineering and product lifecycle management. Cell descriptors are used to identify one or more geometric cells of a model. The cell descriptors are in the form of scripts specifying constraints or filters for identifying cells. The constraints are based on characteristics of items in the model, or associations between items in a model, that are readily discernable to the user, and are therefore easily written and susceptible to easy distribution to other systems.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   The present invention relates to the field computer-aided design (CAD), computer aided manufacturing (CAM), computer aided engineering (CAE), and product lifecycle management systems (PLM). 
   Known CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM systems (hereinafter “CAD” systems) generally include a geometrical modeler, which is in charge of building and maintaining model geometry at all times. Each geometrical element of a model, that is to say each vertex, edge, face and each volume of the model, corresponds to a different cell in the geometrical modeler. For example, a model of a square box would have a cell for each corner of the box (eight cells), each edge of the box (twelve cells), each face of the box (six cells), and the volume of the box (one cell). Generally, each cell has a unique identifier, and contains data defining the specific geometric feature with which it is associated. 
   More advanced known CAD systems build the geometry of a model from higher level specifications, called features, which are more intuitive for users and provide the user with a more flexible and more general way of defining the geometry he seeks to achieve. In such feature-based systems, a model is defined as a set of features. An example of a feature would be a cylinder, a hole, a fillet on an edge, or a rectangular box. Features are often represented in a feature tree, which is a listing of all of the features comprising a model. A feature tree can exist in many forms. For example, it can be expressed in the form of a simple table listing all the features of the model, or it can take the form of feature icons displayed on the screen of a CAD system simultaneously with the display of the model. 
   The geometry corresponding to the set of features is a set of cells, in which each vertex, each edge, each face and each volume corresponds to a specific cell. A model feature, depending on its character and complexity, when translated into cells, may translate into as few as no cells (as in the case of a non-geometrical feature, such as a geometrical constraint), one cell, or many geometrical cells. On the other hand, each geometrical cell may come from one or more features. In other words, two or more features of a model may have common cells. In feature-based CAD systems, the geometric modeler is usually associated with a component, sometimes called the topological journal, which keeps track of the history of topological modifications in the model, and another component, sometimes called the generic name server, discussed below. 
   Some features of a model can be expressed purely in terms of their geometrical characteristics. For example, a parallelepiped box can usually be characterized simply by its dimensions in an x, y, z coordinate system. Other features, however, cannot be so simply characterized. For example, a particular edge of the box referred to above cannot usually be identified purely by its geometrical characteristics. It is only by reference to the box and by additional specifications of its position on the box that the edge can be uniquely identified. Such a unique identifier of a cell containing this additional information is known as the “generic name” of the cell, and is generated by the generic name server. The generic name of a cell is stored in the model together with the cell itself. 
   Current generic naming schemes suffer from a lot of drawbacks. The generic names created by the system, when they can be accessed, are extremely complex to read so that it is almost impossible for all but the most experienced computer experts to read and/or write generic names. Also, they are based on system logic, which is usually quite different from the logic employed by users when envisioning models. These drawbacks make it very difficult if not impossible for users to write a script describing cells they want to act upon. This is a major disadvantage of current systems, particularly for users who want to design and modify a model by means of scripting language only. It also prevents users from using their own logic of the association between features by forcing them to rely on the associativity defined by the system&#39;s own logic. 
   There is therefore a need for a system that would allow a user to easily identify a cell or set of cells of a model using simple and intuitive syntax. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, the present invention provides a system, method, and apparatus for providing greatly increased productivity in CAD modeling. The invention presents a system and method for generating and using “cell descriptors” for some or all of the geometrical cells of a model, the generated cell descriptors being easily scriptable, that is to say, capable of being declared by a user in a script by using a simple and intuitive syntax. The cell descriptors serve the same function as the generic names generated by the generic name server, but have several advantages, which are disclosed herein. 
   The cell descriptor system of the invention consists in the definition of a set of constraints on the properties of the target cell or set of cells. The constraints relate to cell information already available in CAD systems. Five types of constraints have been defined in the preferred embodiment:
     1. Constraints relative to cell dimension: a vertex would be of zero dimensions, an edge one-dimensional, a face two-dimensional and a volume three-dimensional.   2. Constraints based on the topology, that is, how the cells are arranged with respect to one another, including the concept of neighborhood.   3. Constraints based on the history of the model evolution, for example, successive creations, fusions, scissions and reuses that gave birth to the cell. Thus, for example, the user could write a script identifying the intersection of two cylinders in a model, even though the two cylinders no longer exist as such cylinders in the model. However, the intersection of the two cylinders can be derived from the data containing the history of the model evolution.   4. Constraints based on specific attributes. The attributes are of two sorts. Attributes that are defined by the specific geometric modeler being used in a system (for example attributes related to spatial positioning, such as UP, DOWN, RIGHT, LEFT, FRONT, BACK), or attributes that are attached to a feature by the user herself (such as colors, material characteristics, manufacturing properties, technological attributes . . . ).   5. Constraints based on geometrical indications. For example, such a constraint could be all faces that are visible in a given direction (i.e., along a given vector), all the spheres in a model, all planar faces, all the faces having a certain area, etc.   

   Each type of constraint, as well as each actual constraint, can be described in a simple and intuitive language that considerably simplifies the declaration of constraints by the average user. 
   In addition, according to another aspect of the invention, different types of constraints can be combined in a single constraint by means of Boolean operators. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, the cell descriptors are “persistent”, that is to say, they can be saved and loaded as part of the model itself. 
   According to another aspect of the invention, the cell descriptors are amenable to distribution, e.g., over communication networks, to other machines, even if these other machines use different geometric modelers and associated components. In the latter case, only a very simple interpreter would need to be added to the other machines&#39; components to allow the cell descriptors to be understood as such by the other machines. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a computer system capable of use with the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is an example of a CAD system display of a model showing a cell descriptor script input according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing the progression from cell descriptor to a list of cells, according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a table that graphically displays the steps taken by the system of the present invention to create a list of cells in accordance with the cell descriptor of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , physical resources of a computer system  100  capable of use in practicing the present invention are depicted. The computer  100  has a central processor  101  connected to a processor host bus  102  over which it provides data, address and control signals. The processors  101  may be any conventional general-purpose single-chip or multi-chip microprocessor such as a Pentium® series processor, a K6 processor, a MIPS® processor, a Power PC® processor or an ALPHA® processor. In addition, the processor  101  may be any conventional special purpose microprocessor such as a digital signal processor or a graphics processor. The microprocessor  101  can have conventional address, data, and control lines coupling it to a processor host bus  102 . 
   The computer  100  can include a system controller  103  having an integrated RAM memory controller  104 . The system controller  103  can be connected to the host bus  102  and provide an interface to random access memory  105 . The system controller  103  can also provide host bus to peripheral bus bridging functions. The controller  103  can thereby permit signals on the processor host bus  102  to be compatibly exchanged with signals on a primary peripheral bus  110 . The peripheral bus  110  may be, for example, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, or a Micro-Channel bus. Additionally, the controller  103  can provide data buffering and data transfer rate matching between the host bus  102  and peripheral bus  110 . The controller  103  can thereby allow, for example, a processor  101  having a 64-bit 66 MHz interface and a 533 Mbytes/second data transfer rate to interface to a PCI bus  110  having a data path differing in data path bit width, clock speed, or data transfer rate. 
   Accessory devices including, for example, a hard disk drive control interface  111  coupled to a hard disk drive  113 , a video display controller  112  coupled to a video display  115 , and a keyboard and mouse controller  121  can be coupled to a bus  120  and controlled by the processor  101 . The computer system can include a connection to a computer system network, an intranet or an internet. Data and information may be sent and received over such a connection. 
   The computer  100  can also include nonvolatile ROM memory  122  to store basic computer software routines. ROM  122  may include alterable memory, such as EEPROM (Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), to store configuration data. BIOS routines  123  can be included in ROM  122  and provide basic computer initialization, systems testing, and input/output (I/O) services. The BIOS  123  can also include routines that allow an operating system to be “booted” from the disk  113 . Examples of high-level operating systems are, the Microsoft Windows 98™, Windows NT™, Windows 2000™,UNIX, LINUX, the Apple MacOS™ operating system, or other operating system. 
   An operating system may be fully loaded in the RAM memory  105  or may include portions in RAM memory  105 , disk drive storage  113 , or storage at a network location. The operating system can provide functionality to execute software applications, software systems and tools of software systems. Software functionality can access the video display controller  112  and other resources of the computer system  100  to provide models of objects on the video computer display  115 . 
   A detailed description of the cell descriptor is provided by referring to the example shown in  FIG. 2 . In  FIG. 2 , a model is shown on a CAD system display. The model  20 , resembling a waffle iron, is displayed such that two of the side faces and the upper surface are visible. In this particular example, the display is separated into a model display portion on the right  21 , a feature tree portion on the left  22 , and menu toolbars  23  along the top of the display. It is to be understood that the configuration of the display can be varied in many ways, which are evident to a person of skill in the art. 
   In this particular example, the user wishes to place a fillet on all of the edges of the raised portions of the upper surface, a representative one of which is designated by reference number  24 . In fact,  FIG. 2  shows the model with the fillets already in place, for ease of illustration. As is readily discernable from  FIG. 2 , the number of edges onto which a fillet is to be placed is rather large (i.e., 64 edges). Under existing systems, each edge would have to be separately designated to be identified as the context of a fillet command. This could be done in existing systems, for example, by placing a cursor over each edge and clicking a mouse while holding the Ctrl key. However, with the present invention, all of the desired edges can be identified with one script, which is written by the user using a simple and intuitive syntax. Thus, in the preferred embodiment, all the desired edges can be identified and acted upon with only two user interactions. 
   Thus, in the example, the user commences a fillet command by selecting any edge of the model and designating that a fillet is to be placed on the edge. In practice, the user would select an edge that is easily selectable in the display, such as edge  24 ; however, the user may select any edge to commence the command. When this is done, the user can then designate the edge or edges onto which he wishes the system to place a fillet by writing a cell descriptor script. In the present example, the user types the cell descriptor in the area on the display  25  designated for this purpose. In this example, the user would write the following representative script:
 
“{body=&lt;^^P&gt;dim=1 neighbor={dim=2 attribute=“UP”}}”
 
The script means that from the part (body=&lt;^^P&gt;), we select the edges (dim=1) that are connected to (neighbor) faces (dim=2) that carry the “UP” attribute (attribute=“UP”).
 
   Thus the system is instructed to add fillets to each edge that matches the given cell descriptor. The system will run the script and return a list of cells that match the script. The fillet command is then performed on each of the cells in the list. 
   The example illustrates the vast improvement in productivity that is achieved with the present invention. Rather than having to pick each desired edge one by one, and perform a fillet command on each edge, the user need only designate one fillet command, and write a simple script to identify all of the desired edges. It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the particular syntax used in writing the script can vary, provided that the script conveys the presence of one or more of the constraints discussed above. 
   Another example is provided that demonstrates the power of the tool provided by the present invention. Focusing again on  FIG. 2 , we can see from the feature tree that the model consists of a box to which six “blind pockets” have been applied along the top face. Three of the blind pockets run parallel to one side of the box, and the other three run perpendicular to the first three blind pockets. This creates the “waffle iron” or “chocolate bar” pattern on the top face of the box. Suppose that the user wishes to add fillets only to the outside edges of the face with the waffle iron surface. There are sixteen such edges (four per side) that were created when the blind pockets were added. These sixteen edges are the remaining portion of the original four edges that existed along the top face of the box prior to the addition of the blind pockets. As such, they can be defined using the history data for the model. After having commenced a fillet command, the user then would write a script specifying that the edges to which the fillets should be added are those edges that were connected to the upper face of the box prior to the addition of the blind pockets. The script would read:
 
“{body=&lt;^^P&gt;dim=1 from={body=^B dim=1} neighbor={dim=2 attribute=“UP”}}”
 
The script means that from the part (body=&lt;^^P&gt;), we select the edges (dim=1) that come from the B box edges (from={body=^B dim=1}) that are connected to (neighbor) faces (dim=2) that carry the “UP” attribute (attribute=“UP”).
 
   In the foregoing example, the user is able, with one script, to designate sixteen edges using information that is not directly in the model itself, but is found in history data. This greatly facilitates the design process. It can be seen that through various combinations of the constraints described above, the user will be able to select any portion of the model he desires with relative ease. 
   It is further seen that the vast improvement in productivity is achieved partly as a result of the fact that the cell descriptor is composed by using constraints that are readily understandable, and that relate directly to the user&#39;s logic. The general process by which the system understands and applies the cell descriptor is now described. Focusing on  FIG. 3 , a schematic representation of the cell descriptor processing system is shown. When a user wishes to target a cell or a set of cells, he declares in a cell descriptor script  30  the constraint or the sequence of constraints that define the target, as described above. The system, starting with the first declared constraint, goes through the whole set of cells in the model to retain only those cells which meet the constraint. If more than one constraint is declared, the system applies the next constraint to the subset of cells retained at the previous level. This “filtering” process ends when all constraints have been applied. The set of constraints that could be applied  32  are the constraints discussed above relating to dimension, neighborhood, history, attributes and geometry. The arrows in  FIG. 3  between the interpreter and the CAD system signify the exchange of codes from the interpreter to the appropriate portion of the system. The interpreter determines, based on the filters in the cell descriptor, which portion of the system to access to obtain the desired cell information. The set of cells available at the end of the process  33  are those which meet all the criteria set by the user in the cell descriptor. The corresponding cells can then be acted upon according to a user-defined command. 
   In  FIG. 3 , an interpreter  31  is shown interfacing with the geometric modeler  34  to obtain a list of cells. The interpreter deciphers the syntax of the cell descriptor and determines, for each filter, the portion(s) of the CAD system that must be accessed to obtain a list of cells meeting the constraints of the filter. In the event that the cell descriptor script is being processed by a system that uses a geometric modeler different from the system in which the cell descriptor originated, then the interpreter also serves the function of determining for the specific geometric modeler being used those portion(s) of the modeler that must be accessed to obtain a list of cells meeting the constraints of the cell descriptor. The cell descriptor of the present invention is general enough to accommodate all CAD systems. The resulting list of cells generated is the same, regardless of the system used. 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , the general process by which the system understands and applies the cell descriptor is shown. The process of the invention begins when the system receives a cell descriptor ( 40 ). As discussed, the cell descriptor may have been generated by the user locally, or may have been received by the system through a communications network from another user or system. A list for storing the identification of cells (“cell ID”) is reset ( 41 ), and the interpreter selects the first filter in the cell descriptor script ( 42 ). The interpreter then launches an algorithm asking the geometric modeler for a list of cell ids that meet the requirement of the first filter or constraint ( 43 ). In response, the geometric modeler builds a list of cell IDs that meet the constraint ( 44 ), which is stored in the list of cell IDs. The system then determines whether any other filters are in the cell descriptor ( 45 ). If so, the process is repeated for the next filter using the subset of cells identified in the previous level as a starting point. The cell IDs of such cells are stored, and the process repeats until all of the filters in the cell descriptor have been applied, and a final list of cell IDs is stored. 
   The present invention also provides for vast improvements in productivity by its facilitation of the use of “macros”. Macros are macro-commands that allow a user to tie several actions together and then activate the actions with one step. In a CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM application, the user can assemble in a macro a series of commands that he wishes to use repeatedly during a design process. For example, a user may wish to add a surface finish to each face of an object that faces “up”, and in addition, specify a color for such faces. The user could create a macro adding a color to each selected face, and specifying a surface finish for each face. The user would then individually select in serial fashion the “up” faces, and run the macro on each face. 
   It would be of great utility to be able to write macros that also select the desired portion of the part (faces facing “up” in the example) upon which the action is to be taken. This is not possible in existing systems because the generic name for each face is unique, as discussed above, and is therefore not amenable to use in a macro. However, using the cell descriptor of the present invention, it is possible to specify such cells as part of the macro. This aspect of the invention is a powerful tool for increasing productivity. Such macros could not only be transferable from face to face in a given object, but could be transferable to different objects. In fact, a macro of the sort described could even be transferred to a different CAD system, provided it is written in software-independent language, and the transferee system is equipped with an interpreter for deciphering the cell descriptor. 
   In another aspect of the invention, cell descriptors provide a vehicle for the introduction of design concepts based on the user&#39;s (or an enterprise&#39;s) knowledge. For example, above was discussed the case of adding a fillet to “all the external edges” of the “waffle iron” model of  FIG. 2 . However, through the introduction of knowledge-based constraints, the user could select, using a cell descriptor, “all dangerous edges” of the object. The user need only define, or import from another source, the definition of a dangerous edge (for example, edges having a chamfer radius below a specified minimum). The definition of “dangerous” would be found in a macro. 
   The foregoing is an example of the use of knowledge-based constraints being used to find cells in a model in its existing state, or “static state”. Using the cell descriptor of the present invention, a user also could specify cells “dynamically”, that is, the cell descriptor would specify a value for a parameter of a cell that is not fixed in the model, but is calculated during the interpretation of the cell descriptor. As an example, consider the case where a device, such as a robot, is positioned within a work cell, and the user desires to know what cell of the model (the robot) will collide with an adjacent object in the work cell when the robot is swung through an arc. The cell descriptor of the present invention could be written to access existing functionality of the CAD system to find the desired cells. 
   In a further aspect of the invention, the cell descriptor method of the present invention can be used to create “generative scripts”, i.e., a purely textual description of an object. For example, referring to  FIG. 2 , the “waffle iron” model can be created using only a scripting language using the following text as a representative example: 
   MyModel isa Model 
   
     
       
             
             
           
             
             
           
             
             
           
             
             
           
             
             
           
             
             
           
             
             
           
             
             
           
             
             
           
         
             
                 
                 
             
           
           
             
                 
               { 
             
             
                 
               components: 
             
           
        
         
             
                 
               P isa Part 
             
             
                 
               { 
             
             
                 
               components: 
             
           
        
         
             
                 
               B isa Box 
             
             
                 
               { 
             
             
                 
               properties: 
             
           
        
         
             
                 
               Height = 60.0 
             
             
                 
               Width = 100.0 
             
             
                 
               Depth = 100.0 
             
           
        
         
             
                 
               } 
             
             
                 
               Pocket1 isa Pocket 
             
             
                 
               { 
             
             
                 
               properties: 
             
           
        
         
             
                 
               Height = 10.0 
             
             
                 
               Width = 10.0 
             
             
                 
               Depth = 100.0 
             
             
                 
               X = 30.0 
             
             
                 
               Y = 0.0 
             
             
                 
               Z = 30.0 
             
           
        
         
             
                 
               } 
             
             
                 
               Pocket2 isa Blind Pocket ... 
             
             
                 
               Pocket3 isa Blind Pocket ... 
             
             
                 
               Pocket4 isa Blind Pocket ... 
             
             
                 
               Pocket5 isa Blind Pocket ... 
             
             
                 
               Pocket6 isa Blind Pocket ... 
             
           
        
         
             
                 
               } 
             
           
        
         
             
                 
               } 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
        
       
     
   
   In the foregoing example, the model is defined as being composed of a part “P”, which is, in turn, composed of a box “B”, and six blind pockets. The basic shape of the waffle iron part P is box B, with the specified height, width and depth dimensions (properties). The box is thus created and placed at the specified location in a three dimensional (x,y,z) coordinate system. The waffle iron pattern on the top face of the box is made by adding six “blind pockets” to the box, as discussed above. The six blind pockets are defined by specifying the height, width and depth of the blind pocket, and specifying where in the x,y,z coordinate system the blind pockets would be placed so as to change the shape of the top face of the box. The blind pockets each create a void in the part, which ultimately yields the waffle iron configuration in the top of the box. In the example script above, only the first blind pocket is defined. The second through sixth blind pockets are defined in a similar manner, but with different x,y,z coordinates. As the box is built, the CAD system creates a generic name for each geometric cell of the model. 
   Having created the basic shape of the model with the foregoing script, the user would then need to put fillets on the edges of the waffle iron pattern, as depicted in  FIG. 2 . However, this is not feasible without the cell descriptor of the present invention since the edges to which the fillets are to be applied are not easily identified. As discussed above, each of the edges has a unique generic name that is based on system logic, and therefore there is no way to reference one or several edges and add a fillet feature on them with a simple script. In order to add the fillets on the upper edges, a cell descriptor is needed. The script set forth above is modified with the addition of the cell descriptor as follows: 
   MyModel isa Model 
                                                                                                     {                components:                P isa Part           {           components:                B is a Box ...           Pocket1 isa Blind Pocket ...           Pocket2 isa Blind Pocket ...           Pocket3 isa Blind Pocket ...           Pocket4 isa Blind Pocket ...           Pocket5 isa Blind Pocket ...           Pocket6 isa Blind Pocket ...           Fillet1 isa Fillet           {                edges = “ {body=&lt;{circumflex over ( )}{circumflex over ( )}P&gt; dim=1 neighbor={dim=2 attribute=“UP”}}”           radius = 5.0                }                }                }                        
Here the cell descriptor designates that a fillet of radius 5.0 be placed on the edges specified in the cell descriptor.
 
   It can be seen that the cell descriptor of the present invention allows a user to create an object entirely from a textual script, without reference to a graphical depiction of the object. The user need only visualize the object in his mind, and can write a script creating the object. This feature is yet another example of the way the present invention can increase the productivity of the user. 
   It is to be understood that the foregoing method can be applied to any system for designing objects, including any CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM system. The invention may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. Apparatus of the invention may be implemented in a computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device for execution by a programmable processor; and method steps of the invention may be performed by a programmable processor executing a program of instructions to perform functions of the invention by operating on input data and generating output. 
   The invention may advantageously be implemented in one or more computer programs that are executable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. The application program may be implemented in a high-level procedural or object-oriented programming language, or in assembly or machine language if desired; and in any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language. 
   Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory and/or a random access memory. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of nonvolatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM disks. Any of the foregoing may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, specially designed ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits). 
   The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described. It will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.