Apparatus and method for managing and distributing design and manufacturing information throughout a sheet metal production facility
First Claim
1. A system for developing a bending plan through the use of a graphical user interface, said bending plan being adapted for use in the production of a part at a facility, said system comprising:
- a bend sequence display system for generating and displaying a bend sequence input window on a display device, said bend sequence input window comprising a 2-D flat image of said part;
a tooling display system for generating and displaying tooling information on said display device, said tooling information relating to a plurality of tools;
an input device for entering a bend sequence based on said 2-D flat image of said part and for selecting tooling based on said tooling information displayed on said display device; and
a bending plan storage system for storing said bending plan for said part based on said bend sequence and said tooling entered and selected by said input device;
said bend sequence display system being further adapted to generate and display a plurality of images of said part on said display device based on said bend sequence entered by said input device, each of said plurality of images relating to a representation of said part at a stage within said bend sequence, said plurality of images of said part being simultaneously displayed on said display device in a sequence corresponding to said bend sequence.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method is provided for managing and distributing design and manufacturing information throughout a factory in order to facilitate the production of components, such as bent sheet metal components. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the management and distribution of critical design and manufacturing information is achieved by storing and distributing the design and manufacturing information associated with each job. By replacing the traditional paper job set-up or work sheet with, for example, an electronically stored job sheet that can be accessed instantaneously from any location in the factory, the present invention improves the overall efficiency of the factory. In addition, through the various aspects and features of the invention, the organization and accessibility of part information and stored expert knowledge is improved.
114 Citations
107 Claims
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1. A system for developing a bending plan through the use of a graphical user interface, said bending plan being adapted for use in the production of a part at a facility, said system comprising:
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a bend sequence display system for generating and displaying a bend sequence input window on a display device, said bend sequence input window comprising a 2-D flat image of said part; a tooling display system for generating and displaying tooling information on said display device, said tooling information relating to a plurality of tools; an input device for entering a bend sequence based on said 2-D flat image of said part and for selecting tooling based on said tooling information displayed on said display device; and a bending plan storage system for storing said bending plan for said part based on said bend sequence and said tooling entered and selected by said input device; said bend sequence display system being further adapted to generate and display a plurality of images of said part on said display device based on said bend sequence entered by said input device, each of said plurality of images relating to a representation of said part at a stage within said bend sequence, said plurality of images of said part being simultaneously displayed on said display device in a sequence corresponding to said bend sequence. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method for developing a bending plan through the use of a graphical user interface, said bending plan being adapted for use in the production of a part at a facility, said method comprising:
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generating and displaying a bend sequence input window on a display device, said bend sequence input window comprising a 2-D flat image of said part; entering, with an input device, a bend sequence based on said 2-D flat image of said part; generating and displaying tooling information on said display device, said tooling information relating to a plurality of tools; selecting, with said input device, tooling based on said tooling information displayed on said display device; and storing, in a storage device, said bending plan for said part based on said entered bend sequence and said selected tooling; said method further comprising generating and displaying a plurality of images of said part on said display device based on said entered bend sequence, each of said plurality of images of said part relating to a representation of said part at a stage within said bend sequence, said generating and displaying including simultaneously displaying said plurality of images of said part on said display device in a sequence corresponding to said bend sequence. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. A system for developing a bend sequence through the use of a graphical user interface, said bend sequence being adapted for use in the production of a part at a facility, said system comprising:
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a bend sequence display system for generating and displaying a bend sequence input window on a display device, said bend sequence input window comprising a 2-D flat image of said part; and an input device for entering a bend sequence based on said 2-D flat image of said part; wherein said bend sequence display system is further adapted to generate and display a plurality of images of said part based on said bend sequence entered by said input device, each of said plurality of images of said part relating to a representation of said part at a stage within said bend sequence, said plurality of images of said part being simultaneously displayed on said display device in a sequence corresponding to said bend sequence. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66)
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67. A method for developing a bend sequence through the use of a graphical user interface, said bend sequence being adapted for use in the production of a part at a facility, said method comprising the steps of:
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generating and displaying a bend sequence input window on a display device, said bend sequence input window comprising a 2-D flat image of said part; entering, through an input device, a bend sequence based on said 2-D flat image of said part; and generating and displaying a plurality of images of said part based on said bend sequence entered by said input device, each of said plurality of images of said part relating to a representation of said part at a stage within said bend sequence, said method further comprising simultaneously displaying said plurality of images of said part on said display device in a sequence corresponding to said bend sequence. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80)
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81. A system for developing tooling for a part through the use of a graphical user interface, said tooling being adapted for use in the production of said part at a facility, said system comprising:
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a tooling display system for generating and displaying tooling information on said display device, said tooling information being displayed through a series of successively displayed screen displays; and an input device for selecting tooling based on said tooling information displayed on said display device; said tooling display system being adapted to display, on said display device, a first screen display comprising a plurality of tool type icons, each of said tool type icons representing a tool type, and said tooling display system being further adapted to display, in response to the selection of one of said tool type icons, a second screen display on said display device, said second screen display comprising a plurality of tool shape icons. - View Dependent Claims (82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94)
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95. A method for developing tooling for a part through the use of a graphical user interface, said tooling being adapted for use in the production of said part at a facility, said method comprising the steps of:
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generating and displaying tooling information on said display device, said tooling information being displayed on a series of successively displayed screen displays; and selecting, with an input device, tooling based on said tooling information displayed on said display device; said method further comprising displaying, on said display device, a first screen display comprising a plurality of tool type icons, each of said tool type icons relating to a tool type, selecting one of said tool type icons with said input device, and displaying, in response to the selection of one of said tool type icons, a second screen display on said display device, said second screen display comprising a plurality of tool shape icons. - View Dependent Claims (96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107)
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Specification