System and method of interactively assembling a model

• US 7,467,074 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2003
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Subbian, Thiag, Govind, Shrinivas, Faruque, M. Omar, Kelly, Robert Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Paul L
• Assistant Examiner(s): PROCTOR, JASON SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US10/248,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20030149500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,143 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1, 703/6, 703/7, 703/8, 706/47, 700/98, 715/700
• US Class Current: 703/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/23 using finite element methods [FEM] or finite difference methods [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2008 Assembling, disassembling

Abstract

A system and method for assembling a mesh model for engineering analysis by a user is provided. The system includes a user computer system, a remotely located computer system and a data storage means. The method includes the steps of selecting a plurality of component parts having a best practice mesh model format and selecting a predetermined property for each of the selected component parts, wherein the predetermined property is selected from a best practice library stored on the data storage means. The method also includes the steps of determining if the mesh model for each of the selected component parts meets a predetermined mesh quality condition using a best practice mesh quality checking software program. The method further includes the steps of selecting a best practice connecting means for connecting the selected component parts, wherein the connecting means is selected from a best practice library of mesh models of connecting means stored in the data storage device, and assembling the selected component parts together using the connecting means and the best practice properties into a new mesh model using a best practice mesh assembly software program, and the assembled mesh model is available for further analysis.

Claims

1. A method for interactively assembling a geometric mesh model that automatically complies with predetermined guidelines associated with a vehicular safety-related computer aided engineering analysis that predicts mechanical behaviors of the geometiic mesh model, using a computer system, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting a plurality of individual component parts by the user using the computer system, wherein each individual component part is a geometric mesh model that complies with corresponding predetermined guidelines associated with the vehicular safety-related computer aided engineering analysis of the mechanical behaviors of the assembled geometric mesh model, and is selected from a component parts library containing the geometric mesh model for each of the individual component parts, that is in communication with the computer system;

selecting a vehicular safety-related physical property for each of the selected individual component parts by a user, wherein the vehicular safety-related physical property is selected from a knowledge-based engineering library of vehicular safety-related physical properties, that is stored on a data storage means in communication with the computer system using, a corresponding predetermined rule for defining the physical property associated with the vehicle safety-related computer aided engineering analysis;

checking if the geometric mesh model for each of the selected individual component parts meets a predetermined geometric mesh model quality condition using a corresponding predetermined mesh model guideline associated with the vehicular safety-related computer-aided engineering analysis, by comparing a mesh model format for each of the selected individual component parts to the predetermined geometric mesh model quality condition and modifying the mesh model format for each of the selected individual component parts that do not meet the predetermined geometric mesh model quality condition;

selecting a connecting means for connecting adjoining individual component parts by a user, wherein the connecting means corresponding to each of the adjoining individual component parts is selected from a knowledge-based engineering library of predetermined geometric mesh models of connecting means for the vehicular safety-related computer aided engineering analysis of the mechanical behaviors of the assembled safety related geometric mesh model, that is stored in a data storage means in communication with the computer system, using a corresponding predetermined rule for defining the connecting means associated with the vehicular safety-related computer aided engineering analysis of the mechanical behavior of the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model; and

assembling the checked geometric mesh model for each of the selected individual component parts, the selected connecting means geometric mesh model corresponding to each of the selected adjoining individual component parts and the selected vehicular safety-related physical property for each of the selected individual component parts into a safety-related geometric mesh model that automatically complies with the predetermined guidelines associated with the vehicular safety-related computer-aided engineering analysis and the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model is used by the vehicular safety-related computer aided engineering analysis to predict a mechanical behavior of the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model in a predetermined vehicle safety test computer simulation.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of selecting a plurality of individual component parts further includes the step of selecting the geometric mesh model of each component part from a knowledge-based engineering library of geometric mesh component part models maintained in a data storage means in communication with the computer system.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the connecting means is a weld connection and a geometric mesh model of the weld connection is maintained in a knowledge-based engineering weld connection library maintained in the data storage means in communication with the computer system and the weld connection is determined corresponding to a corresponding predetermined rule associated with the vehicle computer aided engineering analysis of the mechanical behavior of the assembled geometric mesh model in a vehicle impact computer simulation.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the connecting means is a mechanical connector and a geometric mesh model of the mechanical connector is maintained in a knowledge-based engineering mechanical connector library maintained in the data storage means in communication with the computer system and the mechanical connector is determined using a corresponding predetennined rule associated with the vehicle computer aided engineering analysis of the mechanical behavior of the assembled geometric mesh model in a vehicle impact computer simulation.

5. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of checking if the component selected component part geometric mesh meets a predetermined mesh model quality condition includes the step of updating the selected component part geometric mesh model if determimined that the selected component part geometric mesh moded does not meet the predetermined mesh model quality condition.

6. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model on a display device operatively in communication with the computer system.

7. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of checking the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model for an intersection or a penetration using an executable geometric mesh model intersection or penetration checking software program that is in communication with the computer system.

8. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of selecting a predetermined initial condition for the vehicular safety-related computer aided engineering analysis of the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model.

9. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the safety-related computer aided engineering analysis is a safety related vehicle impact computer aided engineering analysis thet predicts a mechanical behavior of the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model in a vehicle impact computer simulation.

10. A method as set forth in claim 1 furthe comprising the steps of:

determining if the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model meets a predetermined assembled model validity condition using a mesh model validity checking software program; and

determining whether to revise the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model if the predetermined assembled model validity condition is not met and revising the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model if determined to revise the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model.

11. A method for interactively assembling a geometric mesh model that automatically complies with predetermined guidelines associated with a vehicle impact Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) analysis that predicts a mechanical behavior of the geometric mesh model in a vehicle impact computer simulation using a computer system, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting a plurality of individual component parts by a user using the corresopnding predtermined guidelines associated with the vehicle impact CAE analysis, and having a geometric mesh model format from a component parts library containing geometric mesh models of the component parts and the component parts library is maintained in a data storage means operatively in communication with the computer system;

selecting a vehicular safety-related physical property for each of the selected individual component parts by the user, wherein the vehicular safety-related physical property is selected from a knowledge-based engineering library of vehicular safety-related physical properties, that is stored on a data storage means in communication with the computer system using a corresponding predetermined rule for defining the physical property associated with the vehicle impact computer simulation;

checking if the geometric mesh model for each of the selected individual component parts meets a predetermined geometric mesh quality condition using corresponding the predetermined mesh model guideline associated with the vehicle impact CAE analysis by comparing a geometric mesh model format for each of the selected individual component parts to the predetermined geometric mesh model quality condition and modifying the geometric mesh model for each of the selected individual component parts that do not meet the predetermined geometric mesh model quality condition;

selecting a connecting means having a geometric mesh model format for connecting adjoining individual component parts by the user, wherein the connecting means corresponding to each of the adjoining individual component parts is selected from a knowledge-based engineering library of predetermined geometric mesh models of connecting means for the vehicular safety-related computer aided engineering analysis of the mechanical behavior of the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model, that is stored in a data storage device in communication with the computer system, using a corresponding predetermined rule for defining the connecting means that is associated with the vehicle impact computer aided engineering analysis of the mechanical behavior of the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model in a vehicle impact computer simulation; and

assembling the checked geometric mesh model for each of the selected individual component parts,the selected connecting means geometric mesh model corresponding to each of the selected adjoining individual component parts and the selected vehicular safety-related physical property for each of the selected component parts into a safety-related geometric mesh model of a vehicle that automatically complies with the perdetermined guidelines associated with the vehicle impact CAE analysis, and the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model of the vehicle is used by the vehicle impact computer aided engineering analysis to predict a mechanical behavior of the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model of the vehicle in a predetermined vehicle impact computer simulation.

12. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the connecting means is a weld connection and a geometric mesh model of the weld connection is maintained in a knowledge-based engineering weld connection library maintained in a data storage means in communication with the computer system and the weld connection is eetermined using a corresponding predetermined rule associated with the vehicle impact computer aided engineering analysis of the mechanical behavior of the assembled mesh model in a vehicle impact cobputer simulation.

13. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the connecting means is a mechanical connector and a geometric mesh model of the mechanical connector is maintained in a knowledge-based engineering mechanical connector library maintained in a data storage means in communication with the computer system and the mechanical connector is determined using a corresponding predetermined rule associated with the vehicle impact computer aided engineering analysis of the mechanical behavior of the assembled geometric mesh model in the vehicle impact computer simulation.

14. A method as set forth in claim 11 further comprising the step of checking the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model of the vehicle for an intersection or a penetration using an executable geometric mesh model intersection or penetration checking software program that is in communication with the computer system.

15. A method as set forth in claim 11 further comprising the step of selecting a predetermined initial condition for the vehicle impact Computer-Aided Engineering analysis of the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model.

16. A method as set forth in claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

determining if the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model of the vehicle meets a predetermined assembled model validity condition using a mesh model validity checking software program; and

determining whether to revise the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model of the vehicle if the predetermined assembled model validity condition is not met and revising the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model of the vehicle if determined to revise the assembled safety-related geometric mesh model of the vehicle.