Method for automatically compiling assembly process procedure based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development

Abstract

The invention provides a method for automatically compiling an assembly process procedure based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development, and the method comprises the steps: building a standard part library, compiling a procedure template, determining process connection information, selecting drilling and connection working conditions, and finally compiling the procedure according to the determined drilling connection point information. According to the method, by specifying the part drawing number, automatically screening the drilling connection information related to the specified part in the mathematical model and automatically counting the number of the standard parts, the time for selecting, copying, pasting and sorting by technicians is saved, the problems of missing selection, wrong selection and wrong counting of the number of the standard parts are solved, the one-time passing rate of regulation compiling is increased, and the working efficiency is improved. Wait waste in the production process is avoided, and the assembly efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of aircraft assembly technology and relates to a method for automatically generating assembly process specifications based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development. Background Technology

[0002] More than 70% of the work in the assembly profession consists of drilling and connecting. The characteristics of the drilling and connecting process specifications are that they involve a large number of aviation standards, enterprise standards and design documents, a large number and variety of standard parts, and different drilling and connecting methods for the same standard part under different working conditions. Process personnel face the problem of high repetition of work and large amount of information when compiling specifications.

[0003] Currently, some enterprise process engineers first study design documents, navigational aids, and standards; secondly, they confirm whether the corresponding cutting tools and gauges have been applied for for the standard parts required for the design; and finally, they compile hole-making and connection process specifications based on the digital model point and line set. Traditionally, manual specification compilation relies on manually extracting information from the digital model, copying drawing numbers and names, and pasting them into a manually created template. It also relies on manually processing the number of standard parts, repeatedly consulting the standard part descriptions for different grades of standard parts to determine the hole-making and connection process methods, and manually adding up the number of standard parts that can be combined into the same step. Furthermore, manually organizing various information according to a specified format is inefficient. Different personnel do not have completely identical understandings of the compilation basis, leading to differences in hole-making and connection specifications for the same standard part and the same working condition, making standardized compilation impossible. In addition, due to varying skill levels among process engineers and tight production cycles, process specifications often contain discrepancies such as the number of holes not matching the digital model, the selection of cutting tools and gauges not matching the standards, and errors in the self-inspection content of each step. If problems arise in the production process, a temporary modification order must be issued for correction; otherwise, the corresponding process cannot commence, increasing worker waiting time and resulting in wasted production time.

[0004] Currently, secondary development of CATIA and EXCEL has enabled the automated compilation of process specifications in machining, assembly, and other fields, reducing the need for manual processing of digital model information and achieving rapid and standardized compilation of hole-making and connection process specifications. However, there is still a lack of methods to quickly integrate information and accurately compile corresponding hole-making and connection specifications for assembly-related hole-making and connection process specifications. This includes information such as the basis for hole-making and connection, whether countersinking is required during hole-making, the dimensions of chamfering for standard parts nail heads, self-inspection content and precautions for hole-making and connection under different working conditions, types of cutting tools, and geometric sets representing relevant process information. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a method for automatically compiling assembly process specifications based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development, which involves constructing a standard parts and tool library, a correspondence between process methods, CATIA model information extraction, and EXCEL information processing method, which can realize the rapid and accurate compilation of hole making and connection specifications.

[0006] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows:

[0007] A method for automatically generating assembly process specifications based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development includes the following steps:

[0008] Step 1: Establish a standard parts library.

[0009] Based on the BOM (Bill of Materials), compile information on all standard parts required for each product and establish a standard parts library.

[0010] Step 2: Compile the procedure template.

[0011] Based on standard documents, the process methods for drilling and connecting different standard parts in the standard parts library are compiled. The first column of the specification template is the standard part label, which serves as an index label and corresponds to the process information for drilling and connecting all assemblies under different working conditions. By matching the drilling and connecting information in the digital model with the index labels in the standard parts library, the process information corresponding to the index labels is automatically generated into drilling and connecting process specifications according to the required specification format.

[0012] How to create a procedure template:

[0013] By using a standard parts library, commonly used standard parts are statistically analyzed, categorized, and a correspondence is established between various standard parts and different operating processes to form a standard parts process knowledge base. Then, according to the requirements of standard documents, a correspondence is established between the standard parts process knowledge base and process information, and a table is formed. The process information includes the basis for compilation, nail head recess angle, nail head chamfer size, inspection content, precautions, and tools. The table uses numbers to represent the quantity of existing working conditions.

[0014] Step 3: Determine the process connection information.

[0015] Identify the parts that require drilling and connection, and the corresponding connection information model; based on the secondary development functions of CATIA and EXCEL, extract the process connection information from the connection information model to EXCEL, and classify the process connection information by parts and standard parts; filter the process connection information related to the identified parts in the connection information model, and compile the drilling and connection procedures according to the filtered information.

[0016] The filtering method is as follows: each part in the process connection information is matched with the determined part to determine whether it is related to the determined part. If they do not match, the process connection information is deleted; if they match, it is retained.

[0017] The process connection information is presented in the form of a geometric set. The geometric set is separated by “|” and the part and standard part numbers are enclosed by “[” and “]” and includes the number of standard parts. When classifying parts and standard parts, parts are split by “|” and standard parts are split by “[” and “]” and used as standard part index labels.

[0018] Step 4: Select the hole making and connection conditions.

[0019] Based on the filtered process connection information, select the hole-making connection condition, and retrieve the corresponding process connection information from the procedure template according to the condition.

[0020] Step 5: Compile the procedure according to the determined hole connection point information.

[0021] Based on the retrieved process connection information, extract the standard part identifiers, match each extracted standard part identifier with the standard part labels in the standard part library, and combine the selected working conditions to organize the process information in the standard part process knowledge base corresponding to the label according to the required procedure format and compile it into a hole-making and connection process procedure.

[0022] Furthermore, based on secondary development of CATIA and EXCEL, CATIA can identify the process connection information in the compiled procedures and change its color to form an identifier, making it easy to identify the location of the process connection information in CATIA.

[0023] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0024] This invention enables users to select parts simply by clicking on the model, and then extract the model's drawing number and name to Excel in one go, saving process personnel from the frequent copying and pasting process.

[0025] This invention specifies part drawing numbers, automatically filters hole connection information related to designated parts in the digital model, and automatically counts the number of standard parts. This saves process personnel time in selecting, copying, pasting, and organizing, and solves the problems of missed selection, incorrect selection, and errors in the counting of standard parts. It improves the first-pass yield of procedure preparation, avoids waiting waste in the production process, and improves assembly efficiency.

[0026] This invention automatically matches the selected point and line set information with the process methods in the standard parts process knowledge base, and automatically generates hole-making and connection process specifications in a specific format. This saves process personnel the time of frequently searching for typical process specification templates, configuring tools and gauges, and filling in self-inspection content and precautions for the selected standard parts. Furthermore, this invention shortens the training cycle for new process personnel and improves the efficiency of specification preparation. For relevant standard changes, only a dedicated person needs to maintain the standard parts template library, facilitating specification management. This achieves standardization in process specification preparation. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 Flowchart for filtering relevant process information;

[0028] Figure 2 To generate a flowchart of the hole-making and connection procedures according to the standard parts identification;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a method for labeling the number of geometric figures. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] This embodiment uses the example of a company's procedure preparation to further illustrate the present invention. The content of this company's procedure preparation must include the basis for hole making, the basis for connection, the parts and components involved, the required number of holes, the countersink dimensions, the chamfer dimensions of the nail head, precautions for hole making and connection, inspection items and tools, and relevant process information. The purpose of this embodiment is to provide a fast, accurate, and standardized method for preparing hole making and connection process specifications based on secondary development of CATIA and EXCEL.

[0032] A method for automatically generating assembly process specifications based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development includes the following steps:

[0033] Step 1: Establish a standard parts library.

[0034] Based on the BOM (Bill of Materials), compile information on all standard parts required for each product and establish a standard parts library.

[0035] Step 2: Compile the procedure template.

[0036] Based on standard documents such as navigational aids, design documents, and enterprise standards, the process methods for drilling and connecting different standard parts in the standard parts library are compiled, and a procedure template is created. The first column of the procedure template is the standard part label, which serves as an index label, corresponding to the process information for drilling and connecting in all assemblies under different working conditions. By matching the drilling and connecting information in the digital model with the index labels in the standard parts library, the process information corresponding to the index labels is automatically generated into drilling and connecting process procedures according to the required procedure format.

[0037] How to create a procedure template:

[0038] Through a standard parts library, commonly used standard parts are statistically analyzed and categorized, such as into three types: rivets, rivets, and bolts. These three types of standard parts correspond to drilling and connection methods, respectively. The procedure templates are further divided into six categories: bolt drilling, bolt connection, rivet drilling, rivet connection, rivet drilling, and rivet connection. A knowledge base of process information for standard parts is established, mapping the relationships between various standard parts and their corresponding operating processes, forming a standard parts process knowledge base. Then, based on the requirements of standard documents, a correspondence between the standard parts process knowledge base and process information is established and presented in tables. Process information includes the basis for compilation, rivet head recess angle, rivet head chamfer dimensions, inspection items, precautions, and tools, as shown in Table 1.

[0039] Table 1. Correspondence between Standard Parts Process Knowledge Base and Process Information

[0040] Process Library Basis for compilation Nest angle Chamfering of nail heads Inspection content Precautions tool Bolt hole making 1 1 1 1 1 2 bolt connection 1 \ \ 2 2 1 Rivet Hole Making 1 1 1 1 1 2 Rivet connection 1 \ \ 2 2 1 Drilling holes with pins 1 1 1 2 2 2 Pick pin connection 1 \ \ 1 2 1

[0041] The numbers in the table represent different working conditions, each with different requirements. A backslash (\) indicates that the relevant process knowledge base does not cover that specific content. For example, if the cell for "Bolt Connection / Precautions" contains "2", it means there are two working conditions for bolt connections that need to be distinguished. The precautions cover different painting methods for wet installation, composite material and titanium connections, and metal-to-metal connections. Therefore, based on the connection material, there are two types of process knowledge information. Similarly, if the cell for "Bolt Connection / Recess Angle" contains a backslash (\), it means that the recess angle of standard parts does not need to be considered for bolt connections. Specific examples are as follows:

[0042] Due to the large variety of commonly used standard parts, it is impossible to exhaustively describe the contents of the standard parts process knowledge base. Therefore, a standard parts library is established using the HB6303-4×11 flat conical head rivet and the HB6306-4×13 90° countersunk head rivet hole as examples. Parts of the same grade but different diameters are treated with different standard parts labels. For example, rivets HB6303-4×11 and HB6303-3×11 are considered two different labels, named HB6303-4 and HB6303-3 respectively. HB6303-4×11 and HB6303-4×13 are uniformly named HB6303-4. The hole-making process information attached to the HB6303-4 label includes: step name, compilation basis, recess, chamfer size, inspection content, tool 1, and tool 2. The connection process information includes: step name, compilation basis, inspection content 1, inspection content 2, precautions 1, precautions 2, and tool. The correspondence between standard parts and process information is shown in Tables 2 and 3.

[0043] Table 2. Correspondence between Rivet Hole Making Process Information

[0044]

[0045] Table 3. Correspondence between Rivet Connection Process Information

[0046]

[0047] Step 3: Determine the process connection information.

[0048] Identify the parts requiring drilling and connection, and their connection information models; using CATIA and EXCEL secondary development functions, extract the process connection information from the connection information model to EXCEL, and categorize the process connection information by part and standard part; filter the process connection information in the connection information model related to the identified parts, and compile drilling and connection procedures based on the filtered information; if the identified parts do not match any of the process connection information, no procedures are compiled. Specifically:

[0049] 3.1 Process connection information is presented in the form of a geometric set (e.g., Figure 3 In the geometric set, each part and standard part number is separated by "|". The standard part number is enclosed in "[" and "]" and includes the number of standard parts. When classifying parts and standard parts, parts are separated by "|" and standard parts are separated by "[" and "]" and used as standard part index labels. Assuming the parts to be connected are PART1 and PART2, the hole connection point information is marked in PARTA in the form of a geometric set, as shown in Table 4. PART1 is named "Frame", PART2 is named "Panel", and PART3-PART7 are named "Corner". Corner is a part that exists in the PARTA point information, but it is not included in the content to be compiled this time.

[0050] Table 4. Information on constructing geometric figure sets

[0051] Serial Number PARTA geometry set 1 PART1.1|PART2.1|[HB6303-4×11] set 2 PART2.1|PART3.1|[HB6303-4×11] set 3 PART2.1|PART4.1|[HB6303-4×11] set 4 PART 2.1 | PART 5.1 | [HB6303-4×11] set 5 PART 2.1 | PART 6.1 | [HB6303-4×11] set 6 PART 1.1 | PART 2.1 | [HB6306-4×13] set 7 PART 1.1 | PART 2.1 | PART 3.1 | [HB6306-4×13] set 8 PART 1.1 | PART 2.1 | PART 4.1 | [HB6306-4×13] set 9 PART 1.1 | PART 2.1 | PART 5.1 | [HB6306-4×13] set 10 PART 1.1 | PART 2.1 | PART 6.1 | [HB6306-4×13] set 11 PART 1.1 | PART 2.1 | PART 7.1 | [HB6306-4×13] set

[0052] Select the required connection information model PARTA, and use the information extraction function to extract the required geometric set connection information and standard part quantity information from the connection information model into EXECL. Then process the imported geometric set information to split a complete set of geometric set information into different cells according to part drawing number and standard part type (as shown in Table 5). At the same time, process the standard part information, and the processed standard part identifier corresponds to the index label of the established standard part library.

[0053] Table 5. Information after splitting the geometric set

[0054]

[0055] 3.2. Determine the parts required for drilling and connection, and use the part extraction function to extract the part drawing number and name into Excel.

[0056] 3.3. Match each process information in Table 5 with the part information in 3.2 to determine if it is related to the identified part. If they do not match, delete the process connection information; if they match, retain it. Figure 1 In the figure, the initial state is n=1, and N is the total number of process information in the connection information model, forming a set of filtered geometric figures, as shown in Table 6.

[0057] Table 6. Set of Geometric Figures After Filtering

[0058] PARTA geometry set quantity Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Standard parts marking PART1.1|·PART2.1·|·[HB6303-4×11] Collection 5 PART 1 PART2 / HB6303-4 PART 1.1 | PART 2.1 | [HB6306-4×13] set 8 PART 1 PART2 / HB6306-4

[0059] Step 4: Select the hole making and connection conditions.

[0060] Based on the screened process connection information, select the hole-making connection condition, and retrieve the corresponding process connection information from the specification template according to the condition. Taking the information in Tables 2, 3, and 6 as examples, the material for the condition is selected as metal, and the connection position is a pneumatic surface.

[0061] Step 5: Compile the procedure according to the determined hole connection point information.

[0062] Based on the retrieved process connection information, extract the standard part identifiers. Match each extracted standard part identifier with the standard part labels in the standard part library. Combined with the selected working conditions, organize the process information in the standard part process knowledge base corresponding to the labels according to the required procedure format and compile it into a hole-making and connection process procedure (e.g., ...). Figure 2In the diagram, the initial state is n=1, and A represents the total number of required process information. Following the selected working condition in step 4, process information is retrieved from the rivet riveting process specification library using the labels "HB6303-4" and "HB6306-4". Different standard part labels are processed according to different work steps, automatically generating two work steps in the following format. An example is shown below; due to different standard part types, it is divided into two work steps:

[0063] 01. Based on design document 1 (extracted from the process knowledge base), connect the PART1 frame and the PART2 wall panel:

[0064] Inspection: The basic unevenness of the rivet head is ≤ X mm; (extracted from the process knowledge base)

[0065] Note: Standard parts should be coated with Class A primer before installation; (extracted from the process knowledge base)

[0066] Location information: PARTA (model drawing number for PARTA process assembly information)

[0067] PART1.1|PART2.1|[HB6303-4×11] Collection (Process assembly information for this step)

[0068] 02. According to design document 2, connect the PART1 frame and PART2 wall panel:

[0069] Inspection: The basic unevenness of the rivet head is ≤ X mm;

[0070] Note: Standard parts should be coated with Class A primer before installation;

[0071] Location information: PARTA;

[0072] PART1.1|PART2.1|[HB6306-4×13] set;

[0073] In other embodiments, if the working condition selected in step 4 is composite material and the connection location is a non-pneumatic surface, the program will call the process information in the composite material column. Taking HB6303-4 as an example, the generated procedure is as follows:

[0074] 01. Based on design document 1, connect the PART1 frame and the PART2 wall panel;

[0075] Inspection: The unevenness of the relative surfaces of the non-pneumatic countersunk rivet heads should be within ±X mm;

[0076] Note: Standard parts should be coated with Class B primer before installation;

[0077] Location information: PARTA

[0078] PART1.1|PART2.1|[HB6303-4×11] set

[0079] In addition, as an auxiliary identification function in the process of specification preparation, the geometric set information PART1.1|PART2.1|[HB6303-4×11] can be highlighted in CATIA.

[0080] The above description is only a partial embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the implementation and protection scope of the present invention. Any improvements and modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention should be within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for automatically generating assembly process specifications based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step 1: Establish a standard parts library; Step 2: Compile the procedure template; Step 3: Determine process connection information; Step 4: Select the drilling and connection conditions; Step 5: Compile the procedure according to the determined hole connection point information.

2. The method for automatically generating assembly process specifications based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step 1 specifically involves: based on the BOM (Bill of Materials), compiling information on all standard parts required for each product, and establishing a standard parts library.

3. The method for automatically generating assembly process specifications based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step 2 specifically involves: based on standard documents, sorting out the process methods for drilling and connecting different standard parts in the standard parts library; the first column of the specification template is the standard part label, which serves as an index label and corresponds to the process information for drilling and connecting all assemblies under different working conditions; by matching the drilling and connecting information in the digital model with the index labels in the standard parts library, the process information corresponding to the index labels is automatically compiled into a process specification for drilling and connecting according to the required specification format.

4. The method for automatically generating assembly process specifications based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development according to claim 3, characterized in that, Procedure template establishment method: Through the standard parts library, commonly used standard parts are counted, standard parts are classified, and the correspondence between various standard parts and various operating processes is established to form a standard parts process knowledge base. Then, according to the requirements of the standard documents, the correspondence between the standard parts process knowledge base and process information is established and a table is formed. The process information includes the basis for compilation, nail head recess angle, nail head chamfer size, inspection content, precautions, and tools. The number of existing working conditions is represented by numbers in the table.

5. The method for automatically generating assembly process specifications based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step 3 specifically includes: Identify the parts that require drilling and connection, and the corresponding connection information model; based on the secondary development functions of CATIA and EXCEL, extract the process connection information from the connection information model to EXCEL, and classify the process connection information by parts and standard parts; filter the process connection information related to the identified parts in the connection information model, and compile the drilling and connection procedures according to the filtered information.

6. The method for automatically generating assembly process specifications based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development according to claim 5, characterized in that, The filtering method is as follows: each part in the process connection information is matched with the determined part to determine whether it is related to the determined part. If they do not match, the process connection information is deleted; if they match, it is retained.

7. A method for automatically generating assembly process specifications based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The process connection information is presented in the form of a geometric set. The geometric set is separated by "|" for each part and standard part number. The standard part number is enclosed by "[" and "]" and includes the number of standard parts. When classifying parts and standard parts, parts are split by "|" and standard parts are split by "[" and "]" and used as standard part index labels.

8. The method for automatically generating assembly process specifications based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step 4 specifically involves: selecting the hole-making connection condition based on the screened process connection information, and retrieving the corresponding process connection information from the procedure template according to the condition.

9. The method for automatically generating assembly process specifications based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step 5 specifically involves: extracting standard part identifiers based on the retrieved process connection information; matching each extracted standard part identifier with the standard part labels in the standard part library; and, in conjunction with the selected working conditions, organizing the process information in the standard part process knowledge base corresponding to the label according to the required procedure format to compile a hole-making and connection process procedure.

10. A method for automatically generating assembly process specifications based on CATIA and EXCEL secondary development according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, Based on secondary development of CATIA and EXCEL, CATIA can identify process connection information in the compiled procedures and change its color to form an identifier, thereby identifying the location of the process connection information in CATIA.

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