Three-dimensional wire harness assembly models from three-dimensional zone models

• US 7,082,590 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2003
• Issued: 07/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Kragh, Edwin C., Storckman, Joel W., Shappell, Paul E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Siek, Vuthe
• Application Number:
  US10/692,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20050091628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 716 12- 15, 700/17, 700/97, 700/83, 700/96, 700/115, 700116-117, 700/213, 298/25, 298/51, 298/57, 298/61, 298/66, 298/67, 297/47, 297/48
• US Class Current: 716/129
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/08 Probabilistic or stochastic CAD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/16 Cables, cable trees or wire harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/18 Network design, e.g. design based on topological or interconnect aspects of utility systems, piping, heating ventilation air conditioning [HVAC] or cabling circuit design at the physical level G06F30/39; network planning tools for wireless communication networks H04W16/18

Abstract

Methods and computer-readable media for designing a wiring harness assembly are provided. Wiring data is automatically extracted from wiring harness installation models for a plurality of zones of the system. Wiring connections between the wiring harness installation models are reconciled. At least one wiring harness assembly model is automatically generated from the wiring harness data extracted from the wiring harness installation models.

Claims

1. A method for designing a wiring harness assembly for a system, the method comprising:

selecting an overall system and parameters for which a wiring harness assembly is desired;

automatically extracting wiring data from wiring harness installation models for a plurality of zones of the system;

reconciling wiring connections between the wiring harness installation models, wherein the reconciling of wiring connections comprises interrogating connections for points with wire harness assemblies that are greater than a predefined trapping distance from a harness centerline element; and

automatically generating at least one wiring harness assembly model from the wiring data extracted from the wiring harness installation models.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wiring harness installation models are created in a computer aided three-dimensional interactive application.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the computer aided three-dimensional interactive application generates the wiring data in a standard data format.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the standard data format includes one of standard for the exchange of product model data and initial graphics exchange specification.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reconciling of wiring connections is performed automatically by correlating data extracted from wiring harness installation models.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the reconciling of wiring connections is performed according to a modifiable reconciling parameter list.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the reconciling parameter list at least one of a trapping tolerance, an association tolerance, and a separate layers bundling option.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the reconciling of wiring connections that are not automatically reconcilable is performed manually by a user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the wiring harness assembly model includes generating a two-dimensional model of the wiring harness assembly.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the wiring harness assembly model is performed according to a generating parameter list customizable by a user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the generating parameter list includes at least one of a create local data table option, a generate bundle request data file, and an extract bundles option.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a searchable processing report describing the generating of the at least one wiring harness assembly model.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the generating of the searchable processing report model is performed according to a report parameter list customizable by a user.

9. A method for designing a wiring harness assembly for a system, the method comprising:

selecting an overall system and parameters for which a wiring harness assembly is desired;

automatically extracting wiring data from wiring harness installation models for a plurality of zones of the system;

reconciling wiring connections between the wiring harness installation models, wherein the reconciling of wiring connections further comprises interrogating connections for at least one of curves that are not broken at the junction of at least three curves, wire harness centerline curves which are exact duplicates of each other, wire harness centerline lines which are exact duplicates of each other, and connections that are shorter than a predefined length; and

automatically generating at least one wiring harness assembly model from the wiring data extracted from the wiring harness installation models.

15. A method for designing a wiring harness assembly for a system, the method comprising:

selecting an overall system and parameters for which a wiring harness assembly is desired;

automatically extracting wiring data from wiring harness installation models for a plurality of zones of the system;

automatically reconciling wiring connections between the wiring harness installation models by automatically correlating data extracted from wiring harness installation models, wherein the reconciling of wiring connections comprises interrogating connections for points with wire harness assemblies that are greater than a predefined trapping distance from a harness centerline element;

eliciting user input to manually reconcile connections not automatically reconcilable; and

automatically generating at least one two-dimensional wiring harness assembly model from the wiring data extracted from the wiring harness installation models.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the wiring harness installation models are created in a computer aided three-dimensional interactive application.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the computer aided three-dimensional interactive application generates the wiring data in a standard data format.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the standard data format includes one of standard for the exchange of product model data and initial graphics exchange specification.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the reconciling of wiring connections is performed according to a modifiable reconciling parameter list.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the reconciling parameter list includes at least one of a trapping tolerance, an association tolerance, and a separate layers bundling option.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating of the wiring harness assembly model includes generating a two-dimensional model of the wiring harness assembly.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating of the wiring harness assembly model is performed according to a generating parameter list customizable by a user.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the generating parameter list includes at least one of a create local data table option, a generate bundle request data file, and an extract bundles option.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating a searchable processing report describing the generating of the at least one wiring harness assembly model.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the generating of the searchable processing report model is performed according to a report parameter list customizable by a user.

26. A method for designing a wiring harness assembly for a system, the method comprising:

selecting an overall system and parameters for which a wiring harness assembly is desired;

automatically extracting wiring data from wiring harness installation models for a plurality of zones of the system;

automatically reconciling wiring connections between the wiring harness installation models by automatically correlating data extracted from wiring harness installation models, wherein the reconciling of wiring connections further comprises interrogating connections for at least one of curves that are not broken at the junction of at least three curves, wire harness centerline curves which are exact duplicates of each other, wire harness centerline lines which are exact duplicates of each other, and connections that are shorter than a predefined length;

eliciting user input to manually reconcile connections not automatically reconcilable; and

automatically generating at least one two-dimensional wiring harness assembly model from the wiring data extracted from the wiring harness installation models.

27. A computer-readable medium having a computer program code embodied thereon for causing a computer to design a wiring harness assembly for a system, the computer-readable medium comprising:

first computer program code means for selecting an overall system and parameters for which a wiring harness assembly is desired;

second computer program code means for automatically extracting wiring data from wiring harness installation models for a plurality of zones of the system;

third computer program code means for reconciling wiring connections between the wiring harness installation models, wherein the reconciling of wiring connections comprises interrogating connections for points with wire harness assemblies that are greater than a predefined trapping distance from a harness centerline element; and

fourth computer program code means for automatically generating at least one wiring harness assembly model from the wiring data extracted from the wiring harness installation models.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the wiring harness installation models are created in a computer aided three-dimensional interactive application.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the computer aided three-dimensional interactive application generates the wiring data in a standard data format.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the standard data format includes one of standard for the exchange of product model data and initial graphics exchange specification.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further comprising fourth computer program code means for automatically reconciling the wiring connections by correlating data extracted from wiring harness installation models.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the reconciling of wiring connections is performed according to a modifiable reconciling parameter list.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the reconciling parameter list includes at least one of a trapping tolerance, an association tolerance, and a separate layers bundling option.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising fifth computer program code means for eliciting input from a user for manually reconciling of wiring connections that are not automatically reconcilable.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the generating of the wiring harness assembly model includes generating a two-dimensional model of the wiring harness assembly.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the generating of the wiring harness assembly model is performed according to a generating parameter list customizable by a user.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein the generating parameter list includes at least one of a create local data table option, a generate bundle request data file, and an extract bundles option.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further comprising sixth computer program code means for generating a searchable processing report describing the generating of the at least one wiring harness assembly model.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the generating of the searchable processing report model is performed according to a report parameter list customizable by a user.

40. A computer-readable medium having a computer program code embodied thereon for causing a computer to design a wiring harness assembly for a system, the computer-readable medium comprising:

first computer program code means for selecting an overall system and parameters for which a wiring harness assembly is desired;

second computer program code means for automatically extracting wiring data from wiring harness installation models for a plurality of zones of the system;

third computer program code means for reconciling wiring connections between the wiring harness installation models, wherein the reconciling of wiring connections further comprises interrogating connections for at least one of curves that are not broken at the junction of at least three curves, wire harness centerline curves which are exact duplicates of each other, wire harness centerline lines which are exact duplicates of each other, and connections that are shorter than a predefined length; and

fourth computer program code means for automatically generating at least one wiring harness assembly model from the wiring data extracted from the wiring harness installation models.

41. A computer-readable medium having a computer program code embodied theron for causing a computer to design a wiring harness assembly fpr a system, the computer-readable medium comprising:

first computer program code means for selecting an overall system and parameters for which a wiring harness assembly is desired;

second computer program code means for automatically extracting wiring data from wiring harness installation models for a plurality of zones of the system;

third computer program code means for automatically reconciling wiring connections between the wiring harness installation models by automatically correlating data extracted from wiring harness installation models, wherein the reconciling of wiring connections further comprises interrogating connections for points with wire harness assemblies that are greater than a predefined trapping distance from a harness centerline element;

fourth computer program code means for eliciting user input to manually reconcile connections not automatically reconcilable; and

fifth computer program code means for automatically generating at least one two-dimensional wiring harness assembly model from the wiring data extracted from the wiring harness installation models.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein the wiring harness installation models are created in a computer aided three-dimensional interactive application.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the computer aided three-dimensional interactive application generates the wiring data in a standard data format.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the standard data format includes one of standard for the exchange of product model data and initial graphics exchange specification.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein the reconciling of wiring connections is performed according to a modifiable reconciling -parameter list.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 45, wherein the reconciling parameter list includes at least one of a trapping tolerance, an association tolerance, and a separate layers bundling option.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein the generating of the wiring harness assembly model includes generating a two-dimensional model of the wiring harness assembly.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein the generating of the wiring harness assembly model is performed according to a generating parameter list customizable by a user.

49. The computer-readable medium of claim 48, wherein the generating parameter list includes at least one of a create local data table option, a generate bundle request data file, and an extract bundles option.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, further comprising fifth computer program code means for generating a searchable processing report describing the generating of the at least one wiring harness assembly model.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the generating of the searchable processing report model is performed according to a report parameter list customizable by a user.

52. A computer-readable medium having a computer program code embodied thereon for causing a computer to design a wiring harness assembly for a system, the computer-readable medium comprising:

first computer program code means for selecting an overall system and parameters for which a wiring harness assembly is desired;

second computer program code means for automatically extracting wiring data from wiring harness installation models for a plurality of zones of the system;

third computer program code means for automatically reconciling wiring connections between the wiring harness installation models by automatically correlating data extracted from wiring harness installation models, wherein the reconciling of wiring connections further comprises interrogating connections for at least one of curves that are not broken at the junction of at least three curves, wire harness centerline curves which are exact duplicates of each other, wire harness centerline lines which are exact duplicates of each other, and connections that are shorter than a predefined length;

fourth computer program code means for eliciting user input to manually reconcile connections not automatically reconcilable; and

fifth computer program code means for automatically generating at least one two-dimensional wiring harness assembly model from the wiring data extracted from the wiring harness installation models.