Methods and apparatuses for placing a flexible drop in a CAD drawing

• US 8,224,628 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2008
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: M.E.P. Cad, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: M.E.P. Cad, Incorporated
• Inventors: Reghetti, Joseph P., Hoeft, Shane
• Primary Examiner(s): ALHIJA, SAIF A
• Application Number:
  US12/150,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20080303844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/14 Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]

Abstract

The present invention is directed to methods, systems, and apparatuses for automatically placing flexible drops in a computer automated design application, and more particularly to automatically placing and drawing flexible connections between sprinkler heads and sprinkler system pipes within a CAD drawing. The present invention allows a user to automatically place and draw flexible drops from numerous sprinkler heads to sprinkler system piping simultaneously based upon a set of user-chosen flex drop parameters. The present invention may also be utilized in other applications, such as automatically placing and drawing flexible electrical connections or flexible piping connections in non-sprinkler applications.

Claims

1. A method for determining and drawing a flexible drop for connecting a sprinkler head to a sprinkler system pipe within a CAD drawing of a sprinkler system, comprising the steps of:

receiving from a user a location for the sprinkler head;

receiving from the user one or more parameters for determining the flexible drop, the one or more parameters including a connection type between the sprinkler head and the sprinkler system pipe, the connection type including a flexible drop configuration and a hard-pipe-to-flexible-drop configuration;

determining a connection point on the sprinkler system pipe for connecting the flexible drop based on the location for the sprinkler head, a location for the sprinkler system pipe, and the one or more parameters;

if the connection type is the flexible drop configuration, drawing the flexible drop within the CAD drawing from the connection point to the location for the sprinkler head; and

if the connection type is the hard-pipe-to-flexible-drop configuration, drawing a hard pipe within the CAD drawing from the connection point to a pipe-drop-to-sprinkler distance, and drawing the flexible drop within the CAD drawing from the pipe-drop-to-sprinkler distance to the location for the sprinkler head.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters further include a length of the flexible drop.

3. The method as in claim 2, wherein the length is selected by the user from a predetermined list of allowable lengths.

4. The method as in claim 2, wherein the length is a desired length input by the user.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters further include the pipe-drop-to-sprinkler distance.

6. The method as in claim 5, wherein the pipe-drop-to-sprinkler distance is selected by the user from a predetermined list of allowable lengths.

7. The method as in claim 5, wherein the pipe-drop-to-sprinkler distance is a desired length input by the user.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include a list of types of the flexible drop from which the user may choose.

9. The method as in claim 8, wherein the list of types includes stainless steel and aluminum.

10. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include a list of connectors from which the user may choose.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein the list of connectors includes a male connector and a female connector.

12. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include a list of manufacturers from which the user may choose.

13. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include a list of finishes for the flexible drop from which the user may choose.

14. The method as in claim 13, wherein the list of finishes includes polished and none.

15. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include a list of sizes from which the user may choose.

16. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include a desired hydraulic equivalent length.

17. The method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of determining if the flexible drop is drawn between the location and the connection point with a gap between the flexible drop and the connection point.

18. The method as in claim 17, wherein if the gap exists, further comprising the step of communicating an existence of the gap to the user.

19. The method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of determining if the flexible drop is drawn between the location and the connection point with a gap between the flexible drop and the location.

20. The method as in claim 19, wherein if the gap exists, further comprising the step of communicating an existence of the gap to the user.

21. The method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of communicating to the user a set of coordinates indicating a location of the flexible drop within the CAD drawing.

22. The method as in claim 21, wherein the set of coordinates includes an X, a Y, and a Z coordinate for each of a plurality of vertexes.

23. The method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of hydraulically simulating the flexible drop within the CAD drawing.

24. The method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of altering a curve of the flexible drop drawn within the CAD drawing in response to a manipulation by the user of the flexible drop within the CAD drawing.

25. The method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of altering an orientation of the flexible drop drawn within the CAD drawing in response to a manipulation by the user of the flexible drop within the CAD drawing.

26. The method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of altering an appearance of the flexible drop drawn within the CAD drawing in response to a manipulation by the user of the flexible drop within the CAD drawing.

27. The method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of integrating the flexible drop into the CAD drawing so as to enable a hydraulic calculation of the sprinkler system.

28. The method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of integrating the flexible drop into the CAD drawing so as to enable a hydraulic simulation of the sprinkler system.