Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20040098151?oq=6370535
Timestamp: 2018-03-21 03:30:10
Document Index: 569164821

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 114', 'arts 114', 'arts 114', 'art 114', 'art 114', 'arts 114', 'art 114', 'art 114', 'art 114', 'art.\n4', 'art.\n6']

US20040098151A1 - System and method for creating a representation of an assembly - Google Patents
US20040098151A1
US20040098151A1 US10299653 US29965302A US2004098151A1 US 20040098151 A1 US20040098151 A1 US 20040098151A1 US 10299653 US10299653 US 10299653 US 29965302 A US29965302 A US 29965302A US 2004098151 A1 US2004098151 A1 US 2004098151A1
US6871108B2 (en )
Chad Geenhoven
The invention is a system or method (collectively the “drawing system” or simply “system”) for automatically creating a drawing, model, or other type of representation (collectively a “drawing”) of an assembly from a list of component parts. The system can use a list of components, a hierarchy of assembly components, and a hierarchy of component groups, to automatically create a drawing of an assembly. The system can also be configured to automatically create a drawing of an assembly from a bill of materials and a database of components. The system can be implemented through various combinations of subsystems.
[0010]FIG. 1 is block diagram illustrating an example of some of the elements that can be incorporated into the system.
[0011]FIG. 2 is a hierarchy diagram illustrating an example of an assembly hierarchy diagram that includes several component parts and subassemblies.
[0012]FIG. 3 is a hierarchy diagram illustrating an example of a grouping hierarchy that includes several levels of component groups..
[0013]FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram illustrating one example of the type of inputs that can be used by an assembly tool.
[0014]FIG. 5 is process flow diagram illustrating one example of an assembly tool interacting with a bill of materials and a components database to automatically build a drawing of an assembly.
[0015]FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram illustration of one example of a subsystem-level view of the system that includes an input subsystem, a grouping subsystem, and a mating subsystem.
[0016]FIG. 7 is a process flow diagram illustration of one example of a subsystem-level view of the system that includes an assembly subsystem, a grouping subsystem, and a mating subsystem.
[0017]FIG. 8 is a process flow diagram illustration of one example of a subsystem-level view of the system that includes an assembly subsystem, a grouping subsystem, and a component subsystem.
[0018]FIG. 9 is a process flow diagram illustration of one example of a subsystem-level view of the system that includes an assembly subsystem, a grouping subsystem, and an input subsystem.
[0019]FIG. 10 is a process flow diagram illustration of a subsystem-level view of the system that includes an input subsystem, a manufacturing subsystem, an assembly subsystem, an analysis subsystem, a mating subsystem, and a grouping subsystem.
[0020]FIG. 11 is a component diagram illustrating an example of certain component characteristics.
[0021]FIG. 12 is a table of characteristics illustrating some examples of characteristics shared by all components in a particular group of components.
[0022]FIG. 13 is a component diagram illustrating an example of a mating characteristic.
[0023]FIG. 14 is a configuration matrix illustrating an example of o-ring configurations and characteristics that can be incorporated into the system.
[0024]FIG. 15 is a component diagram illustrating an example of a datum plane that can be identified as the component characteristic of a face.
[0025]FIG. 16 is a component diagram illustrating an example of a datum plane that can be identified as the component characteristic of a face.
[0026]FIG. 17a is a data design diagram illustrating an example of a data design that can be used by the system to mate components together to create an assembly.
[0027]FIG. 17b is data relationship chart illustrating some examples of relationships between some of the various database tables.
[0028]FIG. 17c is chart illustrating some examples of database tables and table definitions that can be incorporated into the system.
[0029]FIG. 17d is a flow chart illustrating some examples of the mating process.
[0030]FIG. 18 is an example of bill of material that could be used by the system to automatically generate an assembly.
[0031]FIG. 19 is an XML example of a BOM that can be pulled from the database with a stored procedure such as an up_proe procedure.
[0032]FIG. 20 is an XML example of a BOM that can be pulled from the database with a stored procedure such as an up_proe procedure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS I. Introduction of Elements
[0033]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of some of the elements that can be incorporated into a system and method (collectively the “drawing system” or simply the “system”) 100 for creating a drawing, model, or other form of representation (collectively a “drawing”) of an assembly 104. The system 100 can create a drawing of the assembly 104 from a list of components 101, such as a bill of material. Unless otherwise specifically designated as “physical” or “manufactured” structures, all references to components, parts, subassemblies, assemblies, component groups, and other structures (collectively “structures”) refer to drawings of such structures, and not the “physical” structure represented by the drawing. Similarly, any reference to a characteristic of a structure refers to a characteristic of the structure as represented in the system 100, unless the structure is specifically designated as a “physical” or “manufactured” structure.
[0051]FIG. 2 is a hierarchy diagram illustrating an example of an assembly hierarchy 109 that includes several components 108, including parts 114 and subassemblies 116.
[0059]FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a grouping hierarchy 107 that includes several levels of component groups 120. Just as assembly hierarchies 109 will vary significantly from embodiment to embodiment and user 103 to user 103, group hierarchies 107 will also vary considerably. The system 100 can support a wide variety of different groups and different group hierarchies 107.
[0066]FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram illustrating one example of the type of inputs that can be used by an assembly tool 122 used by the system 100. The inputs for the assembly tool 122 can be the list of components 101, the assembly hierarchy 109, and the grouping hierarchy 107. If in such a configuration, the list of components 101 does not include the actual components 108, then a database 106 of components 108 and component identifiers 109 can also be used. In some embodiments utilizing a bill of material, the database 106 can be used to create a pre-validated bill of material before the assembly process begins.
[0069]FIG. 5 is block diagram illustrating one example of an assembly tool 122 interacting with a bill of materials 124 and a components database 126 to automatically build a drawing of the assembly 104. In this view, the logic provided by the grouping hierarchy107 and assembly hierarchy 109 can be incorporated into the components database 126. The bill of materials 124 can be embedded with some or all of the relevant group hierarchy 107 for the purposes of identifying mating locations in a prompt and accurate manner. The system 100 is highly flexible and adaptable, capable of storing and processing the various different hierarchies in a wide variety of different ways.
V. Subsystem-Level Views A. Subsystem Configuration Number One
[0070]FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram illustrating one example of a subsystem-level view of the system 100 that includes an input subsystem 130, a grouping subsystem 160, and a mating subsystem 170. The input subsystem 130 can be configured to receive the list of components 101and identify the components 108 making up the assembly 104. The grouping subsystem 160 can include various categories of components 108, such as the “component groups” 120 discussed above, that are defined based on common component characteristics shared by the components 108 in the group 120. The grouping subsystem 160 can be configured so that each component 108 belongs to at least one group 120. The grouping subsystem 160 can also be configured so that each component belongs to only one building block group 120. The mating subsystem 170 can be used to create a connection between two or more components 108. Mating determinations relating to a particular component 108 can be determined by characteristics relating to the group 120 of the component 108 and the group 120 of the component 108 being mated to.
[0077]FIG. 7 is a process flow diagram illustrating one example of a subsystem-level view of the system 100 that includes an assembly subsystem 180, a grouping subsystem 160, and a mating subsystem 170. The mating subsystem 170 can be used to add, update, delete, and maintain mating compatibilities. The grouping subsystem 160 can be used to manage and update the group hierarchy 107. The assembly subsystem 180 can be used to actually connect parts 114 and subassemblies 116 together to build the assembly 104. Subsystem functions discussed above can be performed by the subsystems disclosed in FIG. 7.
[0078]FIG. 8 is a process flow diagram illustrating one example of a subsystem-level view of the system that includes an assembly subsystem 180, a grouping subsystem 160, and a component subsystem 190. The grouping subsystem 160 can be used to organize the components 108 maintained by the components subsystem 190 into groups 120. The assembly subsystem 180 can store all mating characteristics, and can provide for receipt of the list of components 101. Subsystem functions discussed above can be performed by the subsystems disclosed in FIG. 8.
[0079]FIG. 9 is a process flow diagram illustrating one example of a subsystem-level view of the system 100 that includes an assembly subsystem 180, a grouping subsystem 160, and an input subsystem 130. The input subsystem 130 can be configured to receive the list of components 101. The grouping subsystem 160 can be configured to organize the components 108 into groups 120, based in part of the mating characteristics of the various components 108. The assembly subsystem 180 can mate components 108 using the mating compatibilities that can be group-based. The assembly subsystem 180 can include creation, maintenance, and application of the assembly hierarchy 109. Subsystem functions discussed above can be performed by the subsystems disclosed in FIG. 9.
[0080]FIG. 10 is a process flow diagram illustrating an example of subsystem-level view of the system 100 that includes an input subsystem 130, a manufacturing subsystem 140, an assembly subsystem 180, an analysis subsystem 190, a mating subsystem 170, and a grouping subsystem 160.
VI. Component Characteristics and Relationships A. Component Characteristics
[0090]FIG. 11 is drawing illustrating an example of a body component 200, and certain characteristics relating to the body component 200. For illustration purposes, there are four component characteristics identified in FIG. 11. However, other characteristics could be identified from the body component 200 in the figure. The four characteristics in the example are: a lock nut seat 202 with a face name of D; a tamper proof seat 204 with a face name of E; an O-ring groove 206 with a face name of OR1; and a wire retaining groove 208 with a face name of M. As described below, face names are one way in which the system 100 can identify and label relevant mating characteristics.
[0093]FIG. 12 is an example of a table of characteristics shared by all components 108 in a particular group 120 of components 108. In the particular example, the group 120 is a body component group that includes the body component 200 of FIG. 11. Parts 114 in the group 120 (e.g. group characteristics) can have characteristics such as a face name 210, a description 212, an offset 214, and a rotation 216. The face name 210 refers to the mating location and type of mating location. The description 212 can be a description of the mating location, a description of characteristic, and/or a description of how the particular face 210 mates with other faces 210. The offset 214 field can define an offset with respect to the mating of the face 210. The rotation 216 field can define a particular face as being rotated from 0° to 360° with respect to the component 108. Other embodiments of the system 100 may include additional group characteristics. Some embodiments may include fewer characteristics, omitting for example, the offset 214 and rotation 216 fields. The system 100 is highly flexible and adaptable, and can support a wide variety of different group characteristics. Building block groups 120 can utilize different group characteristics than high level groups 120 within the same embodiment of the system 100. In some embodiments of the system 100, interaction with the CAD program or finite element analyzer will be used to determine which group characteristics are being used. For example, the CAD representation of a part 114 may determine which face names 210 are used by the system 100.
[0094]FIG. 13 is an example of a component diagram that discloses a characteristic (a face) of a component 108 that can mate with the body component 200 disclosed in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 discloses a nut component 218 with a mating location of a nut face 220 with a face name of A. Other characteristics of the nut component 218 can include the radius of the nut, the height of the nut, the material composition of the nut, and any other potentially relevant component 108 characteristic. However, such additional characteristics are typically not relevant mating characteristics.
[0106]FIG. 14 is an example of an o-ring configuration matrix that can be incorporated into the system 100. O-rings and seals can be processed in ways that are not substantially different from the above naming conventions, however, there can be some additional required information.
[0109]FIGS. 15 and 16 are component diagrams illustrating examples of a datum plane 238 that can be identified as the component characteristic of a face. In FIG. 15, the o-ring configuration 222 is mated to the datum plane 238 on an adjustment screw. The mating or connection can be referenced as follows: “325/OR1-mates→SC2T1.”
[0113]FIG. 17a is an example of a database design that can be used by the system 100 to mate components together to create an assembly 104. A Face_Mate table 241 can be used to store all of the potential mating relationships in the system 20. A particular face can potentially mate with more than one type of face, although some faces may be limited to only one mating possibility. Some face characteristics pertain to a particular group 120 while other faces are characteristics of components 108. Thus, a Group_Face table 242 is used to store relationships between the Face_Mate table 241 and the various groups stored in a Group table 243. In some embodiments, the Group table 243 can incorporate a hierarchy 107 of relationships between groups 120.
Similarly, a Part_Face table 244 can be used to store relationships between the Face_Mate table and a particular part 114. A Group_Part table 245 is used to store parts 114 information. In the example illustrated in FIG. 17a, each part 114 belongs to a group 120, although a particular group 120 can be as small as only one part 114. In a preferred embodiment, a part 114 can belong to only one building block group 120, but the building block group can itself belong to one or more high level groups 120.
As discussed above, different uses of the system 100 may require different data storage configurations. In the example in FIG. 17a, a separate table is used for mating a wire to a body. A Wire_Mate table 246 is used to store those special designated mating relationships. In other embodiments, different specially designated mating relationships may exist. In some of those embodiments, even special categories of mating relationships can be stored in the Face_Mate table 241, with extra columns being added to that table in order to facilitate exception-based processing. As discussed above, the mating heuristics applied by the system 100 may require that certain types of connections be created in a particular order. By creating special columns or entirely new database tables to store those special relationships, the system 100 can be configured to meet different user 103 demands.
A wide variety of different database structures can be incorporated into the system 100. The example in FIG. 17a is normalized, with separate tables being used to store group membership, group mating faces, and relationships between mating faces. In embodiments utilizing complex group hierarchies 107 and/or assembly hierarchies 109, additional tables can be used to track membership, faces, and face mating relationships at the different levels (e.g. building block groups vs. high level groups, etc.) in the various hierarchies. Such an embodiment of the system 100 can be referred to as hyper-normalized or super-normalized embodiment.
[0117]FIG. 17b is a data relationship chart that corresponds to some the data design in the example in FIG. 17a. In italics are listed potential foreign keys for database tables. For example, Fk_Face_Mate_Group_Face represents foreign keys on a Face_Mate_Group_Face table. The key fields in the Face_Mate table 241 (key field GF_id1) and the Group_Face table 242 (key field Gf_id) would be foreign keys on the Face_Mate_Group_Face table. Some other potential foreign key/database table relationships are listed in the chart for the purpose of illustration.
[0118]FIG. 17c is an example of a data dictionary for the example of a data design disclosed in FIG. 17a. The various column names, data types, and field descriptions are listed in the Figure as non-limiting examples of the types of data fields and data relationships that can be incorporated into the system 100.
[0119]FIG. 17d discloses an example of a flow chart illustrating one way in which an assembly 104 can be created from a bill of material 124.
[0132]FIG. 18 is an example of bill of material 124 that could be used by the system to automatically generate an assembly 104. The bill of materials 124 can include a common part portion 256 and an option part portion 258. The bill of materials 124 can also include one or more subassembly callouts 260, disclosing some or all aspects of the assembly hierarchy 109 discussed above. The BOM 124 can include a wide variety of different fields, such as component number, component name, quantity, option codes, and any other potentially relevant field.
a mating subsystem, including a connection between at least two components in said plurality of components, wherein said mating subsystem provides for generating said connection with said group characteristic.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein said list of components is a pre-validated bill of material.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of components comprises a part and a subassembly, wherein said subassembly includes said part.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of components comprises a first subassembly, a second subassembly, and a part, wherein said second subassembly includes said part, and wherein first subassembly includes said second subassembly.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of components comprises a first subassembly, a second subassembly, a first part, and a second part, wherein said first subassembly includes said first part and said second part, and wherein said second subassembly includes said first part and does not include said second part.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein said plurality of components further comprises a third subassembly, wherein said third subassembly includes said first subassembly and said second subassembly.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of groups comprises a first group and a second group, wherein said first group includes said second group.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein each group in said plurality of component groups comprises a plurality of group characteristics, said plurality of group characteristics including a face and mating compatibility.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein said mating compatibility allows only one compatible mating possibility.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein said mating subsystem further includes a mating heuristic and a mating sequence, wherein said mating subsystem generates said mating sequence with said mating heuristic.
11. The system of claim 10, said mating heuristic comprising an assembly mating heuristic and a subassembly mating heuristic, wherein said subassembly mating heuristic is performed before said assembly mating heuristic.
12. The system of claim 1, said mating subsystem further including a spring connection and a non-spring connection, wherein said spring connection is generated after said non-spring connection.
13. The system of claim 1, said mating subsystem further including an alternative connection, wherein said mating subsystem generates said alternative connection from said group characteristic.
14. The system of claim 13, said mating subsystem further including a plurality of alternative connections, wherein said mating subsystem selectively identifies said connection from said plurality of alternative connections.
15. The system of claim 1, further comprising an subassembly rule, a subassembly, and a part connection, wherein said mating subsystem generates said part connection for said subassembly with said subassembly rule.
16. The system of claim 1, further comprising an assembly rule, an assembly, and a subassembly connection, wherein said mating subsystem generates said subassembly connection for said assembly with said assembly rule.
17. The system of claim 1, further comprising a diameter checking heuristic, wherein said mating subsystem generates said connection with said diameter checking heuristic.
18. The system of claim 1, further comprising a drawing subsystem, wherein said drawing subsystem generates a drawing of an assembly from said connection without human intervention and wherein said drawing subsystem formats said drawing.
19. The system of claim 1, further comprising a manufacturing instruction relating to at least one said component in said plurality of components, wherein said connection includes said manufacturing instruction.
20. The system of claim 19, further comprising an automated manufacturing subsystem, wherein said automotive manufacturing subsystem manufactures said assembly with said manufacturing instruction.
21. A system for automatically generating a CAD drawing of an assembly from a bill of material, comprising:
a mating tool, including a plurality of connections between components in said plurality of components, said plurality of connections comprising a part connection between at least two parts in said plurality of parts, and a subassembly connection between at least two subassemblies in said plurality of subassemblies, wherein said mating tool generates said plurality of connections with said plurality of mating characteristics.
22. The system of claim 21, wherein said plurality of groups comprises an assembly group and a part group, and wherein said connections comprise a part connection and a subassembly connection.
23. The system of claim 21, said plurality of mating characteristics comprising a first group including a first mating compatibility and a second group including a second mating compatibility, wherein said connection between said first group and said second group depends on said first mating compatibility and said second mating compatibility.
24. A method for automatically generating a CAD representation from a list of component identifiers without human intervention, comprising:
programming a computational device to automatically generate a CAD representation from said list component identifiers with said database.
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