Panel design support system

Abstract

To improve the convenience of a panel design support system that enables the design of panels such as switchboards. [Solution] This is a panel design support system that enables the design of panels (such as distribution boards) using a CAD system, and by specifying the placement of electrical and electronic equipment so that it overlaps with the panel mounting parts used to attach the electrical and electronic equipment, the panel design support system can group the panel mounting parts and the electrical and electronic equipment as a collective entity.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a panel design support system. [Background technology]

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, a system for selecting distribution boards and other components is known. Using such a system allows for the design of power receiving boards, distribution boards, and other components based on desired specifications. It has also been considered to use a CAD system in a system for selecting distribution boards and other components. Using a CAD system makes it possible to use components drawn using the CAD system in the design of the panel. In either case, it is possible to design control panels designed to control the operation of devices, or power receiving boards and distribution boards for controlling electricity supplied from electric power companies for specific purposes based on the client's specifications. In designing panels such as control panels, power receiving boards, and distribution boards, it is common to first determine the size of the enclosure and then place electrical and electronic devices, such as control devices, switches, and circuit breakers, selected based on the control specifications inside the enclosure. After the devices are placed, the wiring and connection methods between the devices are determined based on the control and device specifications, completing the design. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-202013

[0004] However, when attempting to arrange electrical and electronic equipment within a housing, it is sometimes not possible to fit all of the equipment into the housing as initially planned. Furthermore, specifications may change, resulting in changes to the housing size or the number and model of equipment used, which may require changes to the arrangement of the electrical and electronic equipment. On the other hand, there are cases where multiple electrical and electronic equipment need to be moved as a set. Conventionally, however, this task has required moving each piece of equipment individually. However, this process has often been cumbersome. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The inventors of the present invention have made extensive research into this issue and have attempted to solve it.The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to improve the convenience of a board support system that enables board design. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a panel design support system is provided that enables the design of a panel using a CAD system, and that by specifying the placement of electrical and electronic equipment so that it overlaps with the panel mounting parts used to attach the electrical and electronic equipment, the system is able to group the panel mounting parts and the electrical and electronic equipment as an aggregate.

[0007] It is also preferable to have a configuration in which the arrangement can be changed in grouping units.

[0008] It is also preferable to have a configuration that makes it possible to determine whether or not each group can be placed at the destination.

[0009] It is also preferable that the electrical and electronic equipment provided in the assembly can be individually selected, and that by moving the selected electrical and electronic equipment, the moved electrical and electronic equipment can be detached from the assembly to which it belonged.

[0010] It is also preferable that the panel parts drawn by the user can be set as panel mounting parts, and that the electrical and electronic equipment can be grouped with the panel mounting parts created by the user by specifying the positioning of the electrical and electronic equipment so that they overlap with the panel mounting parts drawn by the user.

[0011] It is also preferable to configure the panel so that it is possible to select whether or not at least some of the panel parts are panel mounting parts used to mount electrical and electronic equipment. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The present invention makes it possible to improve the convenience of the panel design support system. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an example of a system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] The diagram shows the transition of some of the items displayed on the monitor during the process of attaching a breaker, which is one type of electrical and electronic equipment, to a rail, which is one of the panel mounting parts, using the system of the embodiment. Note that (a) shows the state in which the electrical and electronic equipment is directly attached to the equipment mounting plate, (b) shows the state in which a rail is further attached to the equipment mounting plate from (a), and (c) shows that the length of one of the rails shown in (b) has been changed. [Figure 3] The diagram shows the progression of some of the items displayed on the monitor during the process of installing breakers, which are a type of electrical and electronic equipment, one after another on a rail, which is a type of panel mounting part, using the system of the embodiment. Note that (a) shows a state where one breaker is installed on the rail, (b) shows a state where three more breakers are added, and (c) shows an error message that appears when attempting to install five breakers on the rail. [Figure 4] This figure shows the transition of some of the items displayed on the monitor when an attempt is made to move a rail equipped with a breaker using the system of the embodiment, where (a) shows the state before the move, (b) shows the state after the move, and (c) shows the error message displayed when further movement is attempted. [Figure 5]10 shows the process of moving breakers belonging to an assembly formed by grouping rails and breakers using the system of the embodiment, where (a) shows the state before the movement, and (b) shows the state after one breaker has been moved out of the equipment mounting plate and the other breaker has been moved to another location on the equipment mounting plate. [Figure 6] 10 is a flow chart showing an example of the construction of an assembly and the movement of the constructed assembly in the embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a process for constructing an assembly and separating some devices from the constructed assembly according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of the invention is described below. The panel design support system of this embodiment is a panel design support system that enables the design of a panel using a CAD system. By specifying the placement of electrical and electronic devices so that they overlap with panel mounting parts used to mount the electrical and electronic devices, it is possible to group the panel mounting parts and the electrical and electronic devices as an aggregate. This makes it possible to improve the convenience of the panel design support system.

[0015] Here, we will explain the outline of the configuration for building a CAD system. Figure 1 shows the main components used to build a CAD system. Here, display / input means 40 represents the device used by the user, and a typical example is a personal computer (PC) with a monitor 41. The PC used includes input means such as a keyboard 43 and a mouse 44, display means such as a monitor 41 that can display results obtained from the CAD system, storage means 10 that can be used to store created data, processing means 20 that can be used to perform arithmetic processing based on the content entered through the input means, and output means 30 that can be used to display the results processed by the processing means 20 on the display means or output them externally. The display / input means 40 may be a terminal device such as a tablet 42. Alternatively, a monitor 41 prepared separately from the PC may serve as the display means. In this example, the CAD system is built by installing software on the PC.

[0016] The storage means 10 includes a cabinet database 11 containing information relating to cabinets, an electrical and electronic equipment database 12 containing information such as the capacity, voltage and size of electrical and electronic equipment such as switches and control devices, a panel parts database 13 containing information on panel parts such as rails 52 for mounting electrical and electronic equipment and equipment mounting plates 51, and an additional storage unit 14 storing panel parts, cabinets, electrical and electronic equipment and the like that are uniquely created by users.

[0017] In the example shown in Figure 1, the output means 30 includes a calculation result display means 31 used to display the results calculated by the calculation processing means 20 on a display means, and an external communication means 32 that can be used to output drawings and the like created to the outside.

[0018] In the example shown in Figure 1, the processing means 20 includes a placement designation means 21 that can be used to place board parts and electrical and electronic equipment to be mounted on the board parts, a grouping means 22 that can automatically group parts by placing them so that they overlap with parent parts when grouping, a grouping movement means 23 that can be used to move board parts and electrical and electronic equipment grouped by the grouping means 22, a grouping release means 24 that can release a grouping when an electrical and electronic equipment is moved from a parent part, an attachment structure determination means 25 that can be used to determine whether an assembly moved using the grouping movement means 23 can be placed at a specified location, and a part creation means 26 that can be used to freely create board parts.

[0019] Here, an example of how the control panel design system is used will be described (see FIG. 2). FIG. 2 shows an example of the transition of part of the display shown on the monitor 41 when the design system is used, and in the embodiment, the user can perform operations while viewing such a display. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the display that can be confirmed on the monitor 41 in the embodiment also includes information to assist input. Therefore, the displayed information can be used as a reference when performing input work.

[0020] For example, suppose a design is made to mount electrical and electronic equipment on an equipment mounting plate 51 placed inside a housing (see FIG. 2(a)). At this time, the type and position of the electrical and electronic equipment are specified. The electrical and electronic equipment can be retrieved and used from a database in which information is stored. In this example, the user can also create a model of the electrical and electronic equipment and place that model. Therefore, even if the desired electrical and electronic equipment is not stored in advance, the user can place a model they have created, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in design. The model created by the user can be saved and can be used again in the future.

[0021] Furthermore, it is preferable that when an electrical / electronic device is placed at the position of a component that serves as a parent component of the electrical / electronic device, the component and the electrical / electronic device are grouped together. When the electrical / electronic device is placed at the position of the component, a message may be displayed to confirm whether or not to group the components, so as to confirm the user's intention, but the components may also be grouped automatically without such confirmation.

[0022] For example, if a parent device is specified in advance, there is no need to confirm when placing electrical and electronic devices. In this way, if grouping is performed automatically when placement is specified for the position of a component that serves as a parent device, the burden of confirmation work can be reduced and convenience can be increased. In the example shown in Figure 2, device mounting plate 51 is registered in advance as a component that serves as a parent component, so when a designation is made to place an electrical and electronic device on device mounting plate 51, the electrical and electronic device is automatically grouped to device mounting plate 51.

[0023] It is preferable that the user be able to set the component that will be the parent device in this way. For this reason, it is preferable that the user be able to select whether or not at least some of the panel parts are panel mounting parts used to mount electrical and electronic devices.

[0024] The component that serves as the parent device does not need to be limited to a component that is pre-registered in the storage means 10. If a component created by the user can be used as the component that serves as the parent device, convenience can be further enhanced. In other words, it is preferable that the panel part drawn by the user can be set as the panel mounting part, and the electrical and electronic equipment can be grouped with the panel mounting part drawn by the user by specifying the position of the electrical and electronic equipment so that it overlaps with the panel mounting part drawn by the user.

[0025] Furthermore, a component that serves as a parent device (second parent device) may be arranged on a component that serves as a parent device. For example, a rail 52 that also serves as a parent device (second parent device) may be arranged on a device mounting plate 51 that also serves as a parent device. In this embodiment, when an electrical and electronic device is arranged on the rail 52, the electrical and electronic device is grouped with the rail 52. As a result, the device mounting plate 51, the rail 52, and the electrical and electronic device have a parent-child-grandchild relationship, and the electrical and electronic device is linked to both the device mounting plate 51 and the rail 52. However, if a device subordinate to the second parent device is created, the grouping between the parent device and the second parent device may be canceled. For example, by grouping an electrical and electronic device with the rail 52, the grouping between the rail 52 and the device mounting plate 51 may be canceled.

[0026] The specifications of a component that serves as a parent device may be changeable. For example, the second parent device may be an adjustable rail 52a, and after the adjustable rail 52a is set to be placed on the device mounting plate 51, the length of the adjustable rail 52a may be changed (see FIGS. 2(b) and 2(c)). Since it is possible to dissolve a grouping, a similar effect may be obtained by replacing a component once attached to a parent device. However, if the specifications of a component already set on a parent device can be changed, the user can adjust the specifications while taking into account the compatibility with the electrical and electronic devices to be attached. This can reduce the need to repeatedly redo work. Of course, it is also preferable to allow the specifications of components created by the user to be changed after they have been grouped.

[0027] The same applies to a component that serves as a second parent device, where multiple electrical and electronic devices can be placed on a component that serves as a parent device. For example, after an electrical and electronic device has been placed on rails 52 attached to device mounting plate 51, additional electrical and electronic devices can be placed on rails 52. The electrical and electronic devices may be placed on rails 52 in order, or multiple electrical and electronic devices may be placed at once. When placing electrical and electronic devices in order, control may be performed to adjust the positions of the electrical and electronic devices so that they are adjacent to electrical and electronic devices that have already been placed. Furthermore, after the position adjustment has been performed by control, the user may be able to move the electrical and electronic devices further.

[0028] In either case, if it is determined that the specified electrical / electronic device cannot be placed on the second parent device, an error message may be displayed or the placement may not be selectable. However, it is preferable to display an error message, as this makes it easier for the user to understand that the operation cannot be performed (see Figure 3).

[0029] In this case, it is sufficient if a display is provided that allows the user to understand that the placement of the electrical and electronic device to be added is inappropriate. For example, a message indicating that the operation is inappropriate may be displayed, or a diagram displayed on the screen may show the state in which the electrical and electronic device is placed, but may also display a message indicating that placing the electrical and electronic device in that area is inappropriate. For example, the display color of the electrical and electronic device to be newly added may be changed from the other devices or may be made to blink, but of course other methods may also be used. Processing may be performed to allow the user to recognize the difference from the other devices not only in the display of the electrical and electronic device to be newly added, but also in the display of the parent device to which the electrical and electronic device is to be added and all devices subordinate to the parent device.

[0030] Note that, although the grouped devices may be treated as equals, it is preferable to treat the parent device and the devices subordinate to the parent device differently. For example, if rail 52 is the parent device and is grouped with the electrical and electronic devices attached to rail 52, an example is that by operating to move rail 52, the electrical and electronic devices subordinate to rail 52 can also be moved together, but even if an attempt is made to move a grouped electrical and electronic device, rail 52 and other electrical and electronic devices cannot be moved.

[0031] The example shown in Fig. 4 shows a state in which a device 71 called from the database and a device 72 created by the user are placed on one of the rails 52 created by the user. In this example, the device 71 called from the database and the device 72 created by the user are mounted on the rail 52 with a gap between them. From the state of the example shown in Fig. 4(a) to the state of the example shown in Fig. 4(b), the positions of the rails 52 on which the respective electrical and electronic devices are mounted have been changed, and this change can be made by changing the positions of the respective rails 52.

[0032] On the other hand, if the rails 52 and the electrical and electronic equipment are not grouped, the desired movement would be achieved by moving six electrical and electronic equipment and two rails 52. Such movements would be necessary even for minor adjustments, which would be a burden for the worker.

[0033] As can be seen from these examples, it is preferable to have a configuration in which the arrangement can be changed in grouping units.

[0034] In the embodiment, the rail 52 and the assembly of electrical and electronic devices can be moved by moving the rail 52, but it can also be determined whether the assembly can be placed when the rail 52 is moved. In other words, it is possible to check not only whether the rail 52 alone can be placed, but also whether the electrical and electronic devices attached to the rail 52 are in a state where they can be placed.

[0035] 4(c), at the position specified as the destination of rail 52 carrying equipment called up from the database and equipment created by the user, rail 52 is positioned so that it does not fit within equipment mounting plate 51, so whether or not placement is possible can be determined simply by determining the placement of rail 52, but even if rail 52 can be placed, it is also determined that placement is not possible if the electrical and electronic equipment dependent thereon cannot fit within equipment mounting plate 51. Alternatively, even if rail 52 is placed so as to fit within equipment mounting plate 51, the insulation distance from other electrical and electronic equipment may be calculated, and it may be determined that placement is not possible if the insulation distance cannot be secured.

[0036] To make this possible, it is possible to determine whether or not an electrical electronic device can be placed at a location where the electrical electronic device will be positioned by moving the rail 52, or it is possible to determine whether or not the rail 52 and the assembly of electrical electronic devices can be placed. In the former case, it is possible to understand which components make placement impossible. On the other hand, in the latter case, the placement of each component is not determined, so the number of determinations can be reduced and the burden on the system can be reduced.

[0037] As can be seen from these examples, it is preferable to have a configuration that makes it possible to determine whether or not each aggregate can be placed at the destination.

[0038] However, there may be cases where it is desired to remove some of the electrical and electronic devices from a grouped assembly. For example, when multiple electrical and electronic devices are arranged on the rail 52 to form an assembly, it may be possible to ungroup the entire assembly. However, it may be desirable to maintain the grouping of other electrical and electronic devices. In this case, it may be possible to ungroup all the devices and then regroup them, but it is preferable to avoid such a process. In other words, it is preferable to be able to remove only specified electrical and electronic devices from the grouping.

[0039] In the example shown in Fig. 5, an electrical and electronic device can be released from the grouping by moving the electrical and electronic device. In the example shown in Fig. 5(a), rail 52 attached to device mounting plate 51 is treated as being subordinate to device mounting plate 51, while an electrical and electronic device attached to rail 52 is treated as being subordinate to rail 52. In the embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5(b), if an electrical and electronic device is moved so as to be shifted from rail 52, the subordinate position of the electrical and electronic device to rail 52 is released.

[0040] If the destination of the electrical and electronic equipment is a position where it deviates from rail 52 but fits within equipment mounting plate 51, the electrical and electronic equipment will be subordinate to equipment mounting plate 51. In this case, the electrical and electronic equipment may be released from all subordinate relationships due to its displacement from rail 52 and controlled to once again establish a subordinate relationship with equipment mounting plate 51, or the electrical and electronic equipment may be treated as having been subordinate to both equipment mounting plate 51 and rail 52, and the subordinate relationship with rail 52 has been removed, so that the subordinate relationship between the electrical and electronic equipment and equipment mounting plate 51 remains.

[0041] As can be seen from these examples, it is preferable that the electrical and electronic devices provided in the assembly can be individually selected, and that by moving the selected electrical and electronic device, the moved electrical and electronic device can be detached from the assembly to which it belonged.

[0042] Furthermore, if an electrical / electronic device is moved to a position where it cannot be attached to a parent device such as the device mounting plate 51, the display of that electrical / electronic device may be suppressed. This may be achieved by simply not displaying the device on the monitor 41, or by erasing the device so that it is not an object of operation. In the former case, the display may be enabled by changing the specifications of the device mounting plate 51, but in the latter case, this does not occur even if the specifications of the device mounting plate 51 are changed. However, in the latter case, the data in a reserved state can be suppressed, thereby reducing the load on the system.

[0043] Here, an example of how the system can be used will be explained (see Figs. 6 and 7). For example, the equipment mounting plate 51 and rails 52 to be used are determined. In this case, information existing in the database may be used, or new part information may be created using the parts creation means 26 as needed. The layout of the equipment mounting plate 51, rails 52, etc. to be used is also determined.

[0044] The above-mentioned work determines the prerequisite conditions for arranging the electrical and electronic devices, and the electrical and electronic devices are then arranged using the arrangement designation means 21. At this time, if the position is designated to be arranged on the equipment mounting plate 51 or on the rail 52, the devices are grouped with these. In the grouping means 22 of the embodiment, grouping is performed in accordance with predetermined rules by designating the positions of the electrical and electronic devices, so the user does not need to perform a separate grouping operation.

[0045] The user gives an instruction to move the assembly as needed. Using the grouping movement means 23 of the embodiment, control is exercised so that when a parent entity is moved, all of its subordinate entities are moved. In the embodiment, when movement of the assembly is requested, the mounting structure determination means 25 determines whether or not the assembly can be moved to the designated destination position. If it is determined that the assembly cannot be moved, an error message is displayed. In this case, the user can simply move the assembly again so that the destination position is suitable for the assembly. If it is determined that the assembly can be moved to the designated destination position, the movement is completed.

[0046] 7, after grouping to form an assembly, some of the electrical and electronic devices are moved from the assembly. Furthermore, the grouping of the electrical and electronic devices that has come off the rail 52 due to this movement is released. Note that the grouping may be released when some of the electrical and electronic devices are moved, but in this embodiment, the grouping of the electrical and electronic devices that has come off the rail 52 is released in consideration of the possibility of changes in the arrangement within the grouping.

[0047] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments as examples, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be embodied in various forms. For example, instead of installing software on a PC, it is also possible to use a CAD system that connects to a manufacturer's server and designs on the web. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 10 Memory means 20 Processing means 30 Output Method 40 Display and input means 51 Equipment mounting plate 52 Rail

Claims

1. A panel design support system that enables a panel to be designed using a CAD system, By specifying the arrangement of the electrical and electronic equipment so that it overlaps with the board mounting part used to mount the electrical and electronic equipment, it is possible to group the board mounting part and the electrical and electronic equipment as an aggregate, The electrical and electronic devices provided in the assembly can be individually selected, A panel design support system that can move selected electrical and electronic equipment, thereby detaching the moved electrical and electronic equipment from the group to which it belonged.

2. A panel design support system that enables a panel to be designed using a CAD system, By specifying the arrangement of the electrical and electronic equipment so that it overlaps with the board mounting part used to mount the electrical and electronic equipment, it is possible to group the board mounting part and the electrical and electronic equipment as an aggregate, The panel parts drawn by the user can be set as panel mounting parts, This panel design support system enables a user to group electrical and electronic equipment with panel mounting parts created by the user by specifying the placement of the electrical and electronic equipment so that the electrical and electronic equipment overlaps with the panel mounting parts drawn by the user.

3. A panel design support system that enables a panel to be designed using a CAD system, By specifying the arrangement of the electrical and electronic equipment so that it overlaps with the board mounting part used to mount the electrical and electronic equipment, it is possible to group the board mounting part and the electrical and electronic equipment as an aggregate, A panel design support system that allows the user to select whether or not at least some panel parts are panel mounting parts used to mount electrical and electronic equipment.

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