Design aiding apparatus, design aiding method, computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a design aiding program and design aiding system

• US 20080077259A1
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Furumoto, Yukihiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/90
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/20 Configuration CAD, e.g. designing by assembling or positioning modules selected from libraries of predesigned modules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]

Abstract

An apparatus comprises a retrieving unit calculating a degree of similarity of each of the plural pieces of feature information about the respective plural registered components extracted by a first extracting unit to the piece of feature information about the structural component extracted by a second extracting unit, and retrieving a registered component whose calculated degree of similarity is not less than a predetermined degree as a similar component of the structural component. Even if shape information about a component to be newly added to design data of a structure is in a form that is difficult to be used as the design data, it is possible to easily add the shape information about the component in a form that is usable as the design data to the design data.

Claims

1. A design aiding apparatus comprising:

a retaining unit for retaining plural pieces of shape information in a first form about respective plural registered components which may constitute a structure;

a first extracting unit for extracting plural pieces of feature information from the plural pieces of shape information in the first form about the plural registered components, respectively, retained in said retaining unit;

an obtaining unit for obtaining a piece of shape information in a second form about a structural component constituting the structure;

a second extracting unit for extracting a piece of feature information from the piece of shape information in the second form about the structural component obtained by said obtaining unit; and

a retrieving unit for calculating degrees of similarity of each of the plural pieces of feature information about the respective registered components extracted by said first extracting unit to the piece of feature information about the structural component extracted by said second extracting unit, and retrieving a registered component whose calculated degree of similarity is equal to or larger than a predetermined degree as a similar component of the structural component.

2. The design aiding apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a registering unit for registering shape information in the first form in said retaining unit.

3. The design aiding apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising:

a changing unit for changing a piece of shape information about the similar component retrieved by said retrieving unit;

said registering unit registering the piece of shape information about the similar component changed by said changing unit in said retaining unit.

4. The design aiding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first extracting unit and said second extracting unit extract frequency distribution of distances from the shape information as the feature information, the frequency distribution of distances being obtained by executing a process of extracting arbitrary two points on a shape represented by shape information in the first form or the second form and calculating a distance between the two points a predetermined number of times.

5. The design aiding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said retaining unit retains the plural pieces of feature information extracted from the respective pieces of shape information by said first extracting unit, where the plural pieces of feature information are correlated to the plural pieces of shape information in the first form about the registered components, respectively.

6. The design aiding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first form is a form including information necessary for computer-aided design of the structure.

7. The design aiding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second from is a form in which information necessary for computer-aided design of the structure is undefined.

8. A design aiding method comprising the steps of:

a first extracting step of extracting plural pieces of feature information from plural pieces of shape information in a first form about a plurality of registered components, respectively, in a retaining unit retaining the plural pieces of shape information in the first form about the respective plural registered components which may constitute a structure;

an obtaining step of obtaining a piece of shape information in a second form about a structural component which constitutes the structure;

a second extracting step of extracting a piece of feature information from the shape information in the second form about the structural component obtained at said obtaining step; and

a retrieving step of calculating degrees of similarity of each of the plural pieces of feature information about the respective plural registered components extracted at said first extracting step to the piece of feature information about the structural component extracted at said second extracting step, and retrieving a registered component whose calculated degree of similarity is equal to or larger than a predetermined degree as a similar component of the structural component.

9. The design aiding method according to claim 8 further comprising:

a changing step of changing a piece of shape information about the similar component retrieved by said retrieving unit; and

a registering step of registering the piece of shape information about the similar component changed at said changing step in said retaining unit.

10. The design aiding method according to claim 8, wherein, at said first extracting step and said second extracting step, frequency distribution of distances is extracted from the shape information as the feature information, the frequency distribution of distances being obtained by executing a process of extracting arbitrary two points on a shape represented by shape information in the first form or the second form and calculating a distance between the two points a predetermined number of times.

11. The design aiding method according to claim 8, wherein the first form is a form including information necessary for computer-aided design of the structure.

12. The design aiding method according to claim 8, wherein the second form is a form in which information necessary for computer-aided design of the structure is undefined.

13. A computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a design aiding program making a computer realize a function of retrieving a registered component similar to a structural component constituting a structure from a retaining unit retaining plural pieces of shape information in a first form about respective plural registered components which may constitute the structure, said design aiding program making said computer function as:

a first extracting unit for extracting plural pieces of feature information from the plural pieces of shape information in the first form about the plural registered components, respectively, retained in said retaining unit;

an obtaining unit for obtaining a piece of shape information in a second form about a structural component constituting the structure;

a second extracting unit for extracting a piece of feature information from the piece of shape information in the second form about the structural component obtained by said obtaining unit; and

a retrieving unit for calculating degrees of similarity of each of the plural pieces of feature information about the respective registered components extracted by said first extracting unit to the piece of feature information about the structural component extracted by said second extracting unit, and retrieving a registered component whose calculated degree of similarity is equal to or larger than a predetermined degree as a similar component of the structural component.

14. The computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a design aiding program according to claim 13, wherein the design aiding program makes the computer function as a registering unit for registering shape information in the first form in said retaining unit.

15. The computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a design aiding program according to claim 14, wherein the design aiding program makes the computer function as a changing unit for changing a piece of shape information about the similar component retrieved by said retrieving unit;

and

the design aiding program makes the computer so that said registering unit registers the piece of shape information about the similar component changed by said changing unit in said retaining unit.

16. The computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a design aiding program according to claim 13, wherein the design aiding program makes the computer function so that said first extracting unit and said second extracting unit extract frequency distribution of distances from the shape information as the feature information, the frequency distribution of distances being obtained by executing a process of extracting arbitrary two points on a shape represented by shape information in the first form or the second form and calculating a distance between the two points a predetermined number of times.

17. The computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a design aiding program according to claim 13, wherein the first form is a form including information necessary for computer-aided design of the structure.

18. The computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a design aiding program according to claim 13, wherein the second form is a form in which information necessary for computer-aided design of the structure is undefined.

19. A design aiding system comprising:

a generating apparatus for generating a piece of shape information about a structural component constituting a structure; and

a design aiding apparatus for preparing design data of the structure by using the piece of shape information about the structural component generated by said generating apparatus;

said design aiding apparatus comprising;

a retaining unit for retaining plural pieces of shape information in a first form about respective plural registered components which may constitute the structure;

a first extracting unit for extracting plural pieces of feature information from the plural pieces of shape information in the first form about the plural registered components, respectively, retained in said retaining unit;

an obtaining unit for obtaining the piece of shape information in a second form about the structural component generated by said generating apparatus;

a second extracting unit for extracting a piece of feature information from the piece of shape information in the second form about the structural component obtained by said obtaining unit; and

a retrieving unit for calculating degrees of similarity of each of the plural pieces of feature information about the respective registered components extracted by said first extracting unit to the piece of feature information about the structural component extracted by said second extracting unit, and retrieving a registered component whose calculated degree of similarity is equal to or larger than a predetermined degree as a similar component of the structural component.

20. The design aiding system according to claim 19, wherein said design aiding apparatus further comprises:

a changing unit for changing a piece of shape information about the similar component retrieved by said retrieving unit; and

a registering unit for registering the piece of shape information about the similar component changed by said changing unit in said retaining unit.