Wire harness design aiding apparatus, method and computer readable recording medium storing program

• US 7,164,957 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2003
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Shinji, Hasegawa, Takeshi, Nagakura, Kohki
• Primary Examiner(s): Paladini; Albert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rao; Sheela S.
• Application Number:
  US10/737,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20040176862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 700/83, 700/97, 700/182, 345/419, 345/420, 702/33, 703/1, 703/13, 706/919, 174/72.A
• US Class Current: 700/97
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/16 Cables, cable trees or wire harnesses
• 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

A wire harness design aiding apparatus for designing a wire harness includes: a display unit for three dimensionally displaying an object on which the wire harness is to be arranged and the wire harness on a CAD display in a state that two points of the wire harness is constrained; a guide line setting unit for setting, based on a constraining direction of the wire harness with respect to the object, guide lines which are intersection points of a guide plane which is parallel to the wiring jig plate and extends passing the axial line of the main line and an outer surface of the main line, and displaying the guide line on the CAD display; and a branch line setting unit for branching out the branch line from a position on the main line in a direction along the guide plane.

Claims

1. A wire harness design aiding apparatus for designing a wire harness including a main line and a branch line manufactured using a wiring jig plate, the apparatus comprising:

a CAD display unit for three dimensionally displaying an object on which the wire harness is to be arranged and the wire harness in a state that two points of the wire harness are constrained;

a guide line setting unit for setting, based on a constraining direction of the wire harness with respect to the object, guide lines which are intersection points of a guide plane which is parallel to the wiring jig plate and extends past an axial line of the main line and an outer surface of the main line, and displaying the guide line on the CAD display; and

a branch line setting unit for setting the branching out of the branch line from a position on the main line in a direction along the guide plane.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the branch line setting unit is capable of setting a branch line angle between the axial line of the main line and an axial line of the branch line extending along the guide plane.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a warning unit for giving a warning when an inclination angle between an axial line of the branch line and the guide plane exceeds a predetermined angle.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 further comprising an inclination angle correcting unit for correcting the inclination angle to the predetermined angle or smaller when the inclination angle exceeds the predetermined angle.

5. A method of aiding designing a wire harness including a main line and a branch line manufactured by using a wiring jig plate, the method comprising the steps of:

three dimensionally displaying, on a CAD display, an object on which the wire harness is to be arranged;

arranging the main line to the object on the CAD display;

constraining two points of the wire harness to the object;

setting, based on a constraining direction of the wire harness with respect to the object, guide lines which are intersection points of a guide plane which is parallel to the wiring jig plate and extends passing the axial line of the main line and an outer surface of the main line,

displaying the guide line on the CAD display;

designating a desired position at which the branch line is branched out from the main line;

setting a branching angle between an axial line of the main line and an axial line of the branch line; and

setting an inclination angle between the axial line of the branch line and the guide plane to a predetermined angle or smaller.

6. The method according to claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

checking as to if the inclination angle is equal to the predetermined angle or smaller; and

correcting the inclination angle to the predetermined angle or smaller when the inclination angle exceeds the predetermined angle.

7. The method according to claim 6 further comprising:

selecting one of the guide lines from which the branch line is to be branched out when the inclination angle exceeds the predetermined angle;

setting the branching angle to the predetermined angle or smaller; and

correcting the branching angle so as to satisfy setting condition of the guide line selection and the branching angle.

8. A computer readable recording medium storing a program which cause a computer to function as a wire harness design aiding apparatus which aids designing a wire harness including a main line and a branch line manufactured by using a wiring jig plate and executes the steps of:

three dimensionally displaying, on a CAD display, an object on which the wire harness is to be arranged;

arranging the main line to the object on the CAD display;

constraining two points of the wire harness to the object;

setting, based on a constraining direction of the wire harness with respect to the object, guide lines which are intersection points of a guide plane which is parallel to the wiring jig plate and extends passing the axial line of the main line and an outer surface of the main line,

displaying the guide line on the CAD display;

designating a desired position at which the branch line is branched out from the main line;

setting a branching angle between an axial line of the main line and an axial line of the branch line; and

setting an inclination angle between the axial line of the branch line and the guide plane to a predetermined angle or smaller.

9. The recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the recording medium causes the computer to further execute the steps of:

checking as to if the inclination angle is equal to the predetermined angle or smaller; and

correcting the inclination angle to the predetermined angle or smaller when the inclination angle exceeds the predetermined angle.

10. The recording medium according to claim 9, wherein the recording medium causes the computer to further execute the steps of:

urging a designer to select of one of the guide lines from which the branch line is to be branched out when the inclination angle exceeds the predetermined angle;

setting the branching angle to the predetermined angle or smaller; and

correcting the branching angle so as to satisfy setting condition of the guide line selection and the branching angle.