Design information management system having a bulk data server and a metadata server

• US 6,289,345 B1
• Filed: 02/09/1998
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Yasue, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fleurantin, Jean B.
• Application Number:
  US09/020,850
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 364/468.01, 364/468.02, 364/468.03, 364/468.04, 707/10-9, 707/502, 714/4
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]

Abstract

A data information management system for 2D/3D model data which unwarily manages design information in the form of bulk data. The system allows for real time information transmission of device/component data and eases data cooperation between the design side and the manufacturing side. The unitary management of the management information of model data is performed by a common metaserver. A plurality of bulk servers respectively maintain, for example according to category, the individual model data which has been designed. Workstations, which access design information, acquire management information of model data from the metaserver. Based on the management information, the workstations access the appropriate bulk server which maintains the required model data. During implementing/updating of the model data, management information is registered by the metaserver, and model data is stored in the bulk servers. The metaserver, bulk servers, and workstations perform communication via a WAN or LAN network.

Claims

1. A design information management system, comprising:

a metaserver which unwarily manages management information about model data expressing the shape of an item, said management information including constitutional information relating to devices and components formed by the model data;

a plurality of bulk servers storing the model data;

at least one design information access device which processes model data by acquiring the management information about the model data from said metaserver and, based on the management information, accesses the appropriate bulk server storing the requested model data; and

a network which connects said metaserver, said plurality of bulk servers and said at least one design information access device.

2. A design information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein

the management information includes information indicating which model data is 3-dimensional.

3. A design information access device comprising:

a metaserver which unwarily manages management information about model data expressing the shape of an item;

a plurality of bulk servers which store the model data;

a network connecting the metaserver and the plurality of bulk servers together;

definition means for creating and storing the management information on said metaserver including constitutional information relating to devices and components defined in the model data and attribute information indicating model data storage sites for objects related to the devices and components;

import means for importing to said bulk servers, implemented or updated model data, based on the information indicating model data storage sites in the attribute information of the objects; and

export means for exporting model data from said bulk servers based on the information indicating model data storage sites in the attribute information of objects.

4. A design information access device in accordance with claim 3, wherein the attribute information further includes user authority information indicating the ability of a user to change a particular object;

and

further comprising;

change means which, when model data or objects are updated, accesses the user authority information and checks the ability of a user to change the model data and objects.

5. A design information access device, in accordance with claim 3, wherein the constitution information and the attribute information has information which shows whether the individual components are used in plural devices or components are common components;

and

further comprising;

change notification means which, when the attribute information of model data or an object is updated, checks whether the model data or object is part of a common component and when the model data or object is part of a common component, notifies users of the changes of common components.

6. A design information access device, in accordance with claim 3, wherein said export means extracts 3-dimensional model data, related to component groups in a parent-child relationship batchwise, from the constitution information.

7. A program memory medium comprising:

a memory medium which stores programs for use in a design information access device, the memory medium storing a program executed by a processor connected to a metaserver, which provides unitary management of management information of model data expressing the shape of an item, and a plurality of bulk servers which maintain individual model data;

definition means for storing, in the metaserver, constitutional information relating to devices and components formed by the model data, and attribute information including information indicating the model data storage sites of objects relating to the devices and components;

import means for storing to the bulk servers, model data which has been created or updated, based on the information indicating the model data storage site; and

export means for storing the model data from the bulk servers.

8. A CAD system comprising:

at least one bulk server storing CAD data comprising a plurality of model data expressing the shape of component objects;

a metaserver storing and unwarily managing management information, including an address on the at least one bulk server, for the CAD data and metadata indicating which model data are used to form a device;

a network connecting the at least one bulk server and the metaserver;

a workstation connected to the network which retrieves required CAD data by accessing the metaserver to obtain an address for the required CAD data and subsequently retrieving the required CAD data from the at least one bulk server.

9. A CAD system, as set forth in claim 8, wherein the at least one bulk server comprises a bulk server for every department using the CAD system and wherein the model data created by each department resides on the corresponding bulk server.

10. A CAD system, as set forth in claim 8, further comprising a user authority master table indicating the authority of each user to modify the model data.

11. A method of storing design information comprising:

creating model data indicating a shape of an object and creating a centrally managed metadata specifying a device to which the object belongs and defining parent/child relationship of the object with other objects forming the device;

identifying a bulk server and a location on the bulk server at which the model data is to be stored;

storing the model data on a bulk server at the location; and

storing the metadata on a metaserver.

12. A method, as set forth in claim 11, wherein the step of identifying a location comprises identifying a bulk server from among a plurality of bulk servers and identifies a location on the identified bulk server onto which the model data is stored.

13. A method, as set forth in claim 11, further comprising:

forming a user authority master table indicating the authority of a user to modify the object data.

14. A method, as set forth in claim 11, wherein the identified bulk server and location are part of the metadata.

15. A system managing design information and in communication with bulkservers, the bulkservers storing model data expressing shape of an item having devices and components, the system comprising:

a metaserver unwarily creating and storing management information about the model data, the management information having constitutional information specifying the devices and components and defining parent/child relationship of the devices and components, creating and storing attribute information indicating storage sites of each model data corresponding to the devices and components, importing to said bulk servers, implemented or updated model data based upon the attribute information, and exporting the model data from said bulk servers based on the attribute information.