Method and apparatus for composite part data extraction

• US 8,285,407 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2008
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Kessel, Jamie A., Fisher, Phillip J., Shirron, Paul J., Mullins, Donald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ramesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITTINGTON, ANTHONY T
• Application Number:
  US12/192,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 700/98, 700/117, 700/118, 264/258, 703/6, 709/203
• US Class Current: 700/98
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 73/10 using patches sealing on the surface of the article B29C73/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/26 Composites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for providing ply lay-up data for a composite part. A designation of a location is received for the composite part in a three dimensional object from a requester. A three dimensional model is opened in which the composite part is located. The ply lay-up data is extracted for a section within the composite part within the three dimensional model to form extracted ply lay-up data for the section. An output file is created containing a drawing of the composite part overlaid with a grid containing the section with the ply lay-up data identifying a ply stacking sequence, an orientation of each ply in the ply stacking sequence, and a material for the each ply in the ply stacking sequence. The output file is returned to the requester.

Claims

1. A method for providing ply lay-up data for a composite part, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving a designation of a location for the composite part in a three dimensional object from a requestor;

opening a three dimensional model in which the composite part is located;

extracting the ply lay-up data for a section within the composite part within the three dimensional model to form extracted ply lay-up data for the section;

creating an output file containing a drawing of the composite part overlaid with a grid two dimensional drawing for containing the section and the ply lay-up data identifying a ply stacking sequence, an orientation of each ply in the ply stacking sequence, and a material for the each ply in the ply stacking sequence; and

returning the output file to the requestor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating step comprises:

creating an output file containing a drawing of the composite part overlaid with a grid two dimensional drawing for containing the section and the ply lay-up data identifying a ply stacking sequence, an orientation of each ply in the ply stacking sequence, and a material for the each ply in the ply stacking sequence, wherein the drawing is selected from one of a two dimensional drawing and a three dimensional drawing of the composite part.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, opening, extracting, creating, and returning steps are performed on a server computer.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

performing a maintenance operation on the composite part using the output file.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the ply lay-up data is configured to allow the requestor to perform maintenance on the composite part, is further configured to prevent the requestor from accessing the three dimensional model of the composite part, and is further configured to prevent disclosure of controlled data in the ply lay-up data to the requestor.

5. A computer implemented method for providing ply lay-up data for a composite part, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving a location on the composite part from a requestor;

extracting the ply lay-up data for a section of the composite part within a three dimensional model containing the composite part to form extracted ply lay-up data, wherein the extracted ply lay-up data comprises a grid with a drawing of the composite part, wherein the section is located within the grid; and

sending a response comprising the extracted ply lay-up data to the requestor.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the extracted ply lay-up data further comprises a set of ply stacking sequences, a set of ply orientations, and a set of ply materials.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 5 further comprising:

performing a maintenance operation using the extracted ply lay-up data.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the extracting step comprises:

identifying the section from the location;

creating a drawing of the composite part with a grid containing the section;

forming a two dimensional drawing of plies in the section;

associating ply orientation data with the plies; and

associating material data with the plies.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the ply lay-up data is configured to allow the requestor to perform maintenance on the composite part, is further configured to prevent the requestor from accessing the three dimensional model of the composite part, and is further configured to prevent disclosure of controlled data in the ply lay-up data to the requestor.

9. A method for obtaining lay-up data for a composite part, the method comprising:

receiving a first user input to a user interface on a data processing system, wherein the first user input selects the composite part;

responsive to receiving the first user input, displaying a three dimensional object;

receiving a second user input selecting a location on the three dimensional object to form a selected location;

sending the selected location in a request to a server data processing system for the lay-up data; and

receiving the lay-up data for the composite part in response to sending the request, wherein the lay-up data comprises a drawing of the composite part associated with a grid including the selected location and additional ply lay-up data for a set of plies in a section associated with the selected location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the receiving step comprises:

receiving an output file having the drawing of the composite part associated with a grid including the selected location and wherein the additional ply lay-up data for a set of plies in the section associated with the selected location includes a stacking sequence, a ply orientation, and a material for each ply in the section associated with the selected location.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

displaying the output file.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the lay-up data is configured to allow a requestor to perform maintenance on the composite part, is further configured to prevent the requestor from accessing a three dimensional model of the composite part, and is further configured to prevent disclosure of controlled data in the lay-up data to the requestor.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a client data processing system;

a server data processing system;

a user application located on the client data processing system, wherein the user application displays a three dimensional object for a composite part and receives user input selecting a location to form location information on the composite part; and

a data extraction tool located on the server data processing system, wherein the data extraction tool receives the location on the composite part, extracts lay-up data for a section around the location from a three dimensional model containing the composite part to form extracted lay-up data comprising a drawing of the composite part overlaid with a grid containing the section and other ply lay-up data, and returns the extracted lay-up data to the client data processing system.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the other ply lay-up data comprises a set of ply stacking sequences, a set of ply orientations, and a set of ply materials.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the lay-up data is configured to allow a requestor to perform maintenance on the composite part, is further configured to prevent the requestor from accessing the three dimensional model of the composite part, and is further configured to prevent disclosure of controlled data in the lay-up data to the requestor.

14. A non-transitory computer recordable storage medium storing a computer program product for providing ply lay-up data for a composite part, the computer program product comprising:

program code, stored on the computer readable medium, for receiving a location on the composite part from a requestor;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for extracting the ply lay-up data for a section of the composite part within a three dimensional model containing the composite part to form extracted ply lay-up data, wherein the extracted ply lay-up data comprises a grid with a drawing of the composite part, wherein the section is located within the grid; and

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for sending the extracted ply lay-up data to the requestor.

15. The non-transitory computer recordable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the program code, stored on the computer recordable media, for extracting ply lay-up data for the section of the composite part within the three dimensional model containing the composite part to form the extracted ply lay-up data comprises:

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for identifying a section from the location;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for creating a drawing of the composite part with a grid containing the section;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for forming a two dimensional drawing of plies in the section;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for associating ply orientation data with the plies; and

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for associating material data with the plies.

20. The non-transitory computer recordable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the ply lay-up data is configured to allow the requestor to perform maintenance on the composite part, is further configured to prevent the requestor from accessing the three dimensional model of the composite part, and is further configured to prevent disclosure of controlled data in the ply lay-up data to the requestor.