Wire harness design supporting method and program

• US 7,200,537 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2002
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Ozaki, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Paul
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUILL, RUSSELL L
• Application Number:
  US10/191,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20030050723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/420, 345/629, 345/630, 345/653, 345/654, 345/625, 434/85, 700/98, 700/251, 703/1, 703/7
• US Class Current: 703/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0207 Wire harnesses
• 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

To easily transform three-dimensional data of a wire harness into a two-dimensional drawing. Wire harness data of a wire harness to be routed in a desired object is inputted to a computer. The wire harness data includes coordinate information which is three-dimensionally designed in a state adapted to the object of routing. A development plane for two-dimensionally developing the wire harness data is set. The wire harness data is divided into a plurality of segments S1 to S5 at predetermined division points, and is sequentially developed to the development plane on the segment unit basis from a start point P1 of a reference trunk line 17 via a branch line 18 to a termination point, thereby two-dimensionally developing the wire harness data on the segment unit basis so that all of the segments S1 to S5 are included in the development plane.

Claims

1. A computer implemented wire harness design supporting method for transforming three-dimensional data of a wire harness to a two-dimensional representation of the wire harness, the method comprising:

a wire harness data inputting step of inputting wire harness data of a wire harness to be routed in a desired object into a computer via predetermined data inputting means, the data including coordinate information three-dimensionally designed to a state adapted to said object of routing;

a development plane setting step of setting a development plane used to two-dimensionally develop said wire harness data, said development plane being preset in correspondence with an attachment region of said wire harness in the object of routing, and said computer determining the attachment region in the object of routing of each said wire harness on the basis of coordinate information of said wire harness data and determining said development plane in accordance with the attachment region;

a two-dimensional transformation step of dividing said wire harness data into a plurality of segments at predetermined division points and developing said wire harness data on a segment unit basis so that all of the segments are included in said development plane, wherein all of the segments on all of paths are sequentially developed into said development plane on the segment unit basis from a desired start point of a preset reference trunk line toward a termination point of the reference trunk line, the start point defining a first end of the reference trunk line and the termination point defining a second, opposite end of the reference trunk line; and

a two-dimensional representation outputting step of outputting said two-dimensional transformed data to a display or as a drawing.

2. The wire harness design supporting method according to claim 1, wherein

said wire harness data includes information of at least one branch point and at least one parts attachment point in said wire harness, and

in said two-dimensional transformation step, said division points include all of said branch points and all of said parts attachment points.

3. A computer implemented wire harness design supporting method for transforming three-dimensional data of a wire harness to a two-dimensional representation of the wire harness, the method comprising:

a wire harness data inputting step of inputting wire harness data of a wire harness to be routed in a desired object into a computer via predetermined data inputting means, the data including coordinate information three-dimensionally designed to a state adapted to said object of routing;

a development plane setting step of setting a development plane used to two-dimensionally develop said wire harness data;

a two-dimensional transformation step of dividing said wire harness data into a plurality of segments at predetermined division points and developing said wire harness data on a segment unit basis so that all of the segments are included in said development plane, the development of each segment in said two-dimensional transformation step further comprising

a line piece dividing step of further dividing said segment into a plurality of line pieces, performing coordinate development, and simplifying the shape of the segment;

wherein said line piece dividing step includes a line piece length setting step of setting a set value of a length of said line piece to a value which is inputted to said computer or a preset value and a line piece defining step of when the remainder of division of a value of a length of said segment by said set value is zero, defining said line piece by dividing said segment by the set value and, when the remainder of division of the value of the length of said segment by said set value is not zero, defining said line piece by resetting said set value by rounding up or down a value of a quotient and dividing said segment by using the newly obtained set value; and

a line piece developing step of developing each of the line pieces by sequentially turning the line piece around its start point as a center so that the line piece is included in said development plane; and

a two-dimensional representation outputting step of outputting said two-dimensional transformed data to a display or as a drawing.

4. The wire harness design supporting method according to claim 3,

wherein said two-dimensional transformation step includes:

a horizontal direction turning operation step of horizontally turning said each line piece, all of line pieces positioned on a termination point side of the each line piece, and segments by using a normal to said development plane as a line including the start point of said each line piece as a turn axis so that a projection line of said each line piece to said development plane coincides with a desired development line in said development plane; and

a vertical direction turning operation step of turning said each line piece, all of the line pieces positioned on the termination point side of the line piece, and the segments turned in said horizontal direction turning operation step around the start point of the line piece as a center to a plane perpendicular to said development plane so that said line piece coincides with said development line.

5. The wire harness design supporting method according to claim 4, wherein

the direction in said development plane of said development line is determined on said segment unit basis so that the direction coincides with the direction of a projection line to said development plane of a line piece including the start point of said segment.

6. The wire harness design supporting method according to claim 5, wherein

when a line piece including the start point of said segment is perpendicular to said development plane, the direction in said development plane of said development line is determined so as to coincide with the direction of either another line piece positioned on the termination point side of the segment or a branch line connected to the termination point side of the segment.

7. The wire harness design supporting method according to claim 4, wherein

when a line piece different from the line piece including the start point of said segment is perpendicular to said development plane, said horizontal direction turning operation step is not performed but only said vertical direction turning operation step is performed on the different line piece.

8. The wire harness design supporting method according to claim 4, further comprising

a twist examining step of examining if a folding and a twist of each segment is irrational by determining, by comparison, whether a turn angle in said horizontal direction turning operation step and said vertical direction turning operation step exceeds a predetermined allowable reference angle or not.

9. A computer-readable media on which are recorded executable instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a wire harness design supporting method on the computer, the wire harness design supporting method comprising:

a wire harness data inputting step of inputting wire harness data of a wire harness to be routed in a desired object into a computer via predetermined data inputting means, the data including coordinate information three-dimensionally designed to a state adapted to said object of routing;

a development plane setting step of setting a development plane used to two-dimensionally develop said wire harness data, said development plane being preset in correspondence with an attachment region of said wire harness in the object of routing, and said computer determining the attachment region in the object of routing of each said wire harness on the basis of coordinate information of said wire harness data and determining said development plane in accordance with the attachment region;

a two-dimensional transformation step of dividing said wire harness data into a plurality of segments at predetermined division points and developing said wire harness data on a segment unit basis so that all of the segments are included in said development plane, wherein all of the segments on all of paths are sequentially developed into said development plane on the segment unit basis from a desired start point of a preset reference trunk line toward a termination point of the reference trunk line, the start point defining a first end of the reference trunk line and the termination point defining a second, opposite end of the reference trunk line; and

a two-dimensional representation outputting step of outputting said two-dimensional transformed data to a display or as a drawing.