System and method for drawing and manufacturing bent pipes

• US 20030146936A1
• Filed: 02/05/2002
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Therma Corporation, Inc
• Original Assignee: GCC
• Inventors: Mack, John D., Greer, Gary L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,757,576 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/14 Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/964 CAD or CAM, e.g. interactive design tools

Abstract

A novel method of using a bent-tube object in a drawing file includes entering a custom bent-tube object in a drawing file, and using the bent tube object to generate bender driver data. In a particular method, the step of entering the custom bent-tube object in the drawing file includes entering a multi-segmented line in the drawing file, and generating the custom bent-tube object based at least in part on the lengths of and angles between the segments of the multi-segmented line. In a more particular method, the step of entering the custom bent-tube object further includes selecting a tube type (e.g., a particular diameter, material, etc.), and the step of generating the custom bent-tube object further includes retrieving bent-tube object data from an object data file based at least in part on the tube type. Optionally, the bent-tube object data retrieval is further based on a particular type of tube bending machine.

Novel systems for using a bent-tube object in a drawing file are also described. One system includes an object manager responsive to input from a user and operative to generate a bent-tube object, and a drawing engine responsive to the object manager and operative to enter the bent-tube object in a drawing file. In a particular embodiment, the object manager is further responsive to a user selected tube type in generating the bent-tube object. The object manager retrieves bent-tube object data based at least in part on the selected tube type. The selected tube type optionally depends on a desired diameter of the tube. An extraction module is operative to generate/extract bender driver data from the custom bent-tube object. Optionally, a data converter, responsive to indicia of a particular bender type, converts bender driver data for a first type of bender to bender driver data for a second type of bender.

Claims

1. A method of using a bent-tube object in a drawing file, comprising:

entering a bent-tube object in a drawing file; and

using the bent-tube object to generate bender driver data.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of entering said bent-tube object in a drawing file comprises:

entering a multi-segmented line in said drawing file; and

generating said bent-tube object based at least in part on the lengths of and the angles between the segments of said multi-segmented line.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said step of entering said bent-tube object includes selecting a tube type for said bent-tube object.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said step of generating said bent-tube object includes retrieving bent-tube object data based at least in part on said tube type.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein said tube type is selected based at least in part on the diameter of said tube.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of using said bent-tube object to generate said bender driver data includes extracting at least a portion of said bender driver data from said bent-tube object.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said step of generating said bender driver data comprises:

retrieving a portion of said bender driver data from said bent-tube object; and

and retrieving another portion of said bender driver data from a separate bender driver data file.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said step of generating said bender driver data further comprises:

selecting a bender type; and

retrieving said another portion of said bender driver data based at least in part on said bender type.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising using said bender driver data to bend a tube.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein said step of using said bender driver data to bend a tube includes converting said bender driver data from driver data for a first type of bender to driver data for a second type of bender.

11. An electronically readable media having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to facilitate the steps of the method of claim 1.

12. An electronically readable media having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to facilitate the steps of the method of claim 2.

13. An electronically readable media having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to facilitate the steps of the method of claim 3.

14. An electronically readable media having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to facilitate the steps of the method of claim 4.

15. An electronically readable media having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to facilitate the steps of the method of claim 5.

16. An electronically readable media having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to facilitate the steps of the method of claim 6.

17. An electronically readable media having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to facilitate the steps of the method of claim 7.

18. An electronically readable media having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to facilitate the steps of the method of claim 8.

19. An electronically readable media having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to facilitate the steps of the method of claim 9.

20. An electronically readable media having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to facilitate the steps of the method of claim 10.

21. A system for using a bent-tube object in a drawing file, said system comprising:

an object manager responsive to input from a user and operative to generate a bent-tube object; and

a drawing engine responsive to said object manager and operative to enter said bent-tube object in a drawing file.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein said object manager responsive to a multi-segmented line input by a user is operative to generate said bent-tube object based at least in part on the lengths of and the angles between the segments of said multi-segmented line.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein said object manager is further responsive to a user selected tube type in generating said bent-tube object.

24. A system according to claim 23, wherein said object manager responsive to said user selected tube type is further operative to retrieve bent-tube object data based at least in part on said tube type, and to include at least a portion of said bent-tube object data in said bent-tube object.

25. A system according to claim 23, wherein said selected tube type is based at least in part on a tube diameter.

26. A system according to claim 21, further comprising an extraction module operative to generate bender driver data from said bent-tube object.

27. A system according to claim 26, wherein said extraction module is operative to generate said bender driver data by generating a portion of said bender data from said bent-tube object, and to retrieve another portion of said bender driver data from a separate data file.

28. A system according to claim 27, wherein said extraction module is operative to retrieve said another portion of said bender driver data based at least in part on a selected bender type.

29. A system according to claim 21, further comprising a transfer media operative to communicate said bender driver data to a tube bender.

30. A system according to claim 21, further comprising a data converter responsive to indicia of a selected bender type, and operative to convert said bender driver data to bender driver data compatible with said selected bender type.

31. A system for using a bent-tube object in a drawing file, said system comprising:

a bent-tube object; and

means for generating bender driver data from said bent-tube object.

32. A system according to claim 31, further comprising means for creating a bent-tube object in a drawing file.

33. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure comprising:

a first field containing data representing a graphical image of a bent tube;

a second field containing data representing a type of tube to be bent to form said bent tube; and

a third field containing data for driving a tube bender to bend said bent tube.

34. A computer-readable medium according to claim 33, wherein said data structure further comprises:

a fourth field containing data representing the length of a first line segment;

a fifth field containing data representing the length of a second line segment; and

a sixth field containing data representing an angle between said first line segment and said second line segment.

35. A computer-readable medium according to claim 34, wherein said sixth field of said data structure includes:

a first sub-field containing data representing an absolute angle of said first line segment; and

a second sub-field containing data representing an absolute angle of said second line segment.

36. A computer-readable medium according to claim 33, wherein said third field of said data structure includes a link to a data file containing data for driving a tube bender.