Design support device, design support method and program

Abstract

To easily arrange components constituting a member.SOLUTION: A design assistance device 10 acquires space information and a condition for forming a member, retrieves combinations of components satisfying the acquired condition from a database 20, displays, on a display device, a display screen showing the combinations of the retrieved components, determines an arrangement of components in the member on the basis of the space information and the shape and dimensions of each of the components constituting a combination selected from the combinations displayed on the display device, and displays, on the display device, information indicating the determined arrangement.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a design support device, a design support method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a design support device equipped with the following functions: The design support device reads piping layout graphic data, model-specific support pattern graphic data, support installation position data, and frame and surrounding layout information data from a storage device. The design support device then outputs and displays model-specific support pattern graphic data from the read data on a display device. The design support device then reads primary support data, support design condition data, and support catalog item data for support selection for the displayed pattern. The design support device then selects support catalog items from this read data and calculates the strength of the selected supports.

[0003] In recent years, it has become common to use computer-aided design tools such as CAD (Computer Aided Design) when designing structures, etc. CAD tools are customized for various situations. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for displaying a piping diagram of control units constituting a plant on a screen, in which control units that satisfy specified conditions are displayed in a manner that makes them distinguishable from other control units. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-110412 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6228681 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] With general CAD tools, when a component is made up of multiple parts, information indicating how to arrange those parts must be input from an external source, which creates the problem of taking time and effort to arrange the components that make up the component.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a design support device, a design support method, and a program that enable easy placement of parts that make up a member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The design support device of the present invention comprises: an information acquisition unit that acquires conditions and spatial information for constructing a member; a search unit that searches a database for a combination of parts that satisfies the conditions acquired by the information acquisition unit; a display control unit that causes a display device to display a display screen showing the combination of parts searched for from the database by the search unit; a placement determination unit that determines a placement of the components in the member based on the shapes and dimensions of the components constituting a combination selected from the combinations displayed on the display device by the display control unit and the spatial information, The display control unit causes the display device to display information indicating the arrangement determined by the arrangement determination unit.

[0008] Further, the design support method of the present invention comprises: A process of acquiring conditions and spatial information for constructing components; A process of searching a database for a combination of parts that satisfies the conditions for configuring the acquired component; a process of outputting the combination of parts searched from the database; a process of determining the arrangement of parts in a member composed of the parts, based on the shapes and dimensions of each of the parts constituting a combination selected from the output combinations and the spatial information; and outputting information indicating the determined arrangement.

[0009] The program of the present invention also includes: A program to be executed by a computer, On the computer, A procedure for acquiring conditions and spatial information for constructing a member; A step of searching a database for a combination of parts that satisfies the conditions for configuring the acquired component; a step of outputting the combination of parts searched from the database; a step of determining an arrangement of parts in a member configured from the parts, based on the shapes and dimensions of each of the parts constituting a combination selected from the output combinations and the spatial information; and a procedure for outputting information indicating the determined arrangement. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] In the present invention, the components that make up the member can be easily arranged. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a design support apparatus of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of components included in the design support device shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a design support method in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen on which a combination of parts is displayed in step S3. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen on which a combination of parts is displayed in step S6. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a part read out from the database in step S8. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of a specific process for determining the placement of components by the placement determination unit in step S9. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display of the arrangement of parts that the display control unit causes the display device to display in step S10. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a drawing displayed using a 3D CAD model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a design support device according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, this embodiment includes a design support device 10 according to the present invention, a database 20, an input device 30, and a display device 40. The database 20 stores information about a structure (e.g., a pipe) to be designed and information about a support member supporting the structure. The database 20 may store information about the structure in association with information about the support member that matches the information about the structure. The information about the support member includes information about the components that make up the support member. The information stored in the database 20 includes, for example, the specifications of each structure (use, identification information, size, material, insulation performance, type of pipe coating, etc.), the specifications of the support member that supports the structure (identification information, shape, dimensions, strength, material, fire-resistant coating, etc.), and the combination of components that make up the structure and the support member. The design support device 10 reads this information from the database 20 and performs a predetermined process. The input device 30 receives external operations and supplies information to the design support device 10 based on the received operations. The input device 30 is a peripheral device for a user to input information, such as a touch panel, keyboard, mouse, microphone, etc. The display device 40 is a display device that displays information in accordance with a display control signal from the design support device 10.

[0014] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of components included in the design support device 10 shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the design support device 10 shown in Fig. 1 has an information acquisition unit 11, a search unit 12, a display control unit 13, and a placement determination unit 14. Note that Fig. 2 shows only the main components related to this embodiment among the components included in the design support device 10 shown in Fig. 1.

[0015] The information acquisition unit 11 receives an operation from an external device and acquires information based on the received operation. The information acquisition unit 11 may acquire information from a peripheral device (input device 30) through which a user inputs information, such as a touch panel, keyboard, mouse, or microphone. The information acquisition unit 11 has an interface function with the peripheral device and passes information based on the operation received by the peripheral device to the search unit 12.

[0016] The search unit 12 searches the database 20 for information corresponding to the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11. Specifically, the search unit 12 searches the database 20 for a combination of parts that constitutes a support member that supports a pipe indicated by the piping information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 and that is associated with the piping information. Alternatively, the search unit 12 calculates a combination of parts that can constitute a support member that can support a pipe that satisfies the parameters and characteristics included in the piping information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11, and searches the database 20 for the calculated combination of parts. This calculation method may be, for example, a method generated based on past search results, or a method using a trained model that has learned a combination of parts suitable for the piping information through machine learning. The search unit 12 outputs the searched combination of parts to the display control unit 13. Furthermore, the search unit 12 searches the database 20 for a combination of parts that satisfies the conditions acquired by the information acquisition unit 11. The search unit 12 outputs the searched combination of parts to the display control unit 13.

[0017] The display control unit 13 displays the information output from the search unit 12 on the display device 40. Specifically, the display control unit 13 outputs a display control signal to the display device 40 to cause the display device 40 to display the information output from the search unit 12. The display screen displayed on the display device 40 by the display control unit 13 is configured to allow a user to select a desired combination from among combinations of components. The user can select a desired combination by operating a device such as a touch panel, keyboard, mouse, or microphone while checking the display screen displayed by the display device 40. The information acquisition unit 11 accepts the selected information. The placement determination unit 14 acquires the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11. The display control unit 13 outputs information indicating the placement determined by the placement determination unit 14 based on the information acquired by the placement determination unit 14. The display control unit 13 may output the information indicating the placement determined by the placement determination unit 14 by display, audio output, printing, transmission to another device, or the like. The display control unit 13 may also display the information output from the search unit 12 in a list on the display device 40. When outputting information indicating the arrangement determined by the arrangement determination unit 14, the display control unit 13 may use a 3D CAD (3 Dimensions Computer Aided Design) model to display the arrangement on the display device 40. Note that the display control unit 13 may have a function to display information.

[0018] The placement determination unit 14 determines the placement of each part in a member made up of the parts, based on the shape, size, and spatial information of each part constituting a combination selected from the combinations displayed on the display device 40 by the display control unit 13. The method of determination will be described in detail later.

[0019] The following describes a design support method in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the design support method in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. In the following description, an example will be given in which the support member supports a pipe and the display control unit 13 is a display that displays information.

[0020] First, the display control unit 13 displays a predetermined input screen, and the information acquisition unit 11 accepts operations on the displayed input screen, thereby acquiring piping information (step S1). The piping information includes information about the piping on which the support member is to be installed (attached) (e.g., size, material, shape, insulation performance), and the load and stress of the insulation and fluid. Spatial information, such as the size, orientation, and other shapes of the piping, the presence and type of insulation (heat insulation, cold insulation, sound insulation, thickness, etc.), the shape of the steel frame of the support rack, and the distance between the steel frame and the piping, may be automatically acquired and input from a 3D CAD model. Then, the search unit 12 searches the database 20 for a combination of parts constituting a support member that supports the piping indicated by the piping information, which is associated with the piping information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 (step S2). At this time, the search unit 12 may search the database 20 for a combination of parts constituting a support member that is suitable for the piping information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11. Alternatively, as described above, the search unit 12 may calculate a combination of parts that can constitute a support member that can support a pipe that satisfies the parameters and characteristics included in the pipe information, and search the calculated combination of parts from the database 20. Next, the display control unit 13 displays a list of the combinations of parts searched by the search unit 12 in step S2 (step S3).

[0021] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen on which a combination of parts is displayed in step S3. As shown in FIG. 4, display screen 110 displayed by display control unit 13 includes a field 120 for inputting (displaying) piping information, a field 130 for inputting (displaying) conditions, and a field 140 for displaying the combination of parts. Field 120 is an area where a display is made to prompt the input of piping information and where the piping information input in step S1 based on an external operation is displayed. Field 140 is an area where the combination of parts is displayed in step S3. Field 130 is an area where a display is made to prompt the input of conditions for supporting the piping (conditions of the support member), and where the conditions input in step S4, which will be described below, based on an external operation are displayed.

[0022] Next, the information acquiring unit 11 acquires conditions for a support member for supporting a pipe by accepting an operation on the field 130 of the display screen shown in FIG. 4 (step S4). The conditions entered in the field 130 are information for specifying the function, material, size, shape, insulation performance, etc. required for the desired support member to narrow down the combinations. Furthermore, by entering information into the field 130, a desired part can be specified from among the parts included in the combinations displayed in the field 140 in step S3. Note that the conditions may be selected (entered) in the field 130 using a pull-down menu with multiple conditions preset therein. The search unit 12 then searches the database 20 for a combination of parts that satisfies the conditions acquired by the information acquiring unit 11 (step S5). Here, the search unit 12 searches the database 20 for a combination of parts that satisfies the conditions acquired by the information acquiring unit 11 from among the combinations of parts searched in step S2. In other words, the process of step S5 is a process of narrowing down the results of the search process of step S2 according to the conditions. Next, the display control unit 13 displays a list of the combinations of parts searched by the search unit 12 in step S5 (step S6).

[0023] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen on which a combination of parts is displayed in step S6. As shown in FIG. 5, display screen 110 displayed by display control unit 13 displays columns 120, 130, and 140, similar to that shown in FIG. 4. At this time, column 130 displays the conditions entered in step S4. Furthermore, column 140 displays only the combination of parts searched for by search unit 12 in step S5, from among the combinations of parts displayed in column 140 shown in FIG. 4. When one part is selected from the parts displayed in column 140 based on an external operation, an image including the shape and dimensions of the part may be displayed on display screen 110.

[0024] Thereafter, when one combination of parts is selected from the combinations of parts displayed in the column 140 in step S6 (step S7), the search unit 12 reads out information (specifications) of the selected parts from the database 20 (step S8). This selection may be based on a selection operation received from outside for the combination of parts displayed in the column 140 in step S6. For example, when a touch panel is configured using a means realizing the information acquisition unit 11 and the display control unit 13, the information acquisition unit 11 may select the combination of parts displayed in the column 140 of the display control unit 13 at a position where proximity to or contact with the touch panel is detected, from the combinations of parts displayed in the column 140, or the information acquisition unit 11 may select the combination of parts selected on the column 140 via a keyboard or mouse.

[0025] Next, the placement determination unit 14 determines the placement of each part in the member made up of those parts based on the shape and dimensions of each part read in step S8 and the spatial information included in the piping information acquired in step S1 (step S9). The display control unit 13 causes the display device 40 to display information indicating the placement determined by the placement determination unit 14 (step S10).

[0026] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of parts read out from database 20 in step S8. Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of a specific process for determining the placement of parts by placement determination unit 14 in step S9. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display of the placement of parts that display control unit 13 causes display device 40 to display in step S10. Note that, here, an example will be described in which a combination of parts A, B, C, and D is selected from the combinations of parts displayed in field 140 in Fig. 5 and read out from database 20.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 6, a combination of parts A, B, C, and D is selected from among combinations of parts that constitute a support member that supports a pipe indicated by the input piping information and that satisfy the conditions. The placement of these selected parts A, B, C, and D is determined based on their respective shapes and dimensions. As shown in FIG. 7, the thickness of part B is calculated based on the piping information. For part D, which is composed of two parts, the overall length when placed is determined based on the width of the steel frame used to assemble the piping. For part A, the height is determined based on the thickness of part B, and its length is determined based on the overall length of part D. For part C, which is composed of two parts, the spacing (width to be left between the two parts) is determined based on the width of part A. The placement of parts A to D in the support member composed of parts A to D is determined based on these determined values.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 8, the state in which the support member, in which each part is combined in the arrangement determined by the arrangement determination unit 14, is attached to the pipe is displayed as an image viewed from multiple directions. In the example shown in Fig. 8, the arrangement of the parts is displayed using a 3D CAD model. The pipe and the support member supporting it are displayed as a partially see-through view so that their respective attachments can be visually confirmed. Furthermore, the arrangement of the parts that make up the support member is displayed so that they can be visually confirmed.

[0029] In this manner, in this embodiment, a list of combinations of parts that constitute a support member that supports a pipe is output, and the design support device 10 searches the database 20 for combinations of parts that satisfy the input conditions from among the combinations included in the list, and determines the placement of parts in a member made up of those parts based on the shapes and dimensions of each of the parts that make up a combination selected from the searched combinations of parts, and outputs the determined placement. This makes it easy to place the parts that make up the support member. Furthermore, by performing similar processing on parts that make up a specified member, it is possible to easily place the parts that make up that member.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the size of a pipe, for example, is changed in the piping information acquired in step S1, the placement determination unit 14 can change the placement of the components constituting the selected support member or the components themselves in accordance with the changed information. In this case, the placement determination unit 14 can change the size of the components constituting the support member or the spacing between multiple components in accordance with the change in the size of the pipe. For example, the placement determination unit 14 can increase the length of the components constituting the support member, increase the spacing between multiple components in accordance with the change in the size of the pipe, or change the shape of the components in accordance with the change in the size of the pipe. Furthermore, if some of the components whose placements are determined in step S9 are changed, other components in accordance with the changed information can also be changed in accordance with the changed information. For example, the size, placement, or the other components themselves can be changed in accordance with the changed component, and the placement determination in step S9 can be performed. In this case, the placement determination unit 14 can change the size, shape, or spacing between other components constituting the support member in accordance with the change in the component.

[0031] In this embodiment, the design support device 10 may also compile each of the components constituting the layout displayed on the display device 40 in step S10 as a list of components constituting one support member. The display control unit 13 causes the display device 40 to display the created list. Note that this list may include specifications such as the size and shape of the components, as well as a diagram showing the appearance of the components and a diagram showing the position of each component on the support member. These diagrams may be displayed using a 3D CAD model. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a drawing displayed using a 3D CAD model. As shown in FIG. 9, the components are displayed as a drawing together with their layout. The design support device 10 may also store information indicating the created list in a storage unit (not shown) or the database 20.

[0032] Although the above description has been given by allocating each function (process) to each component, this allocation is not limited to the above. Furthermore, the configuration of the components is also not limited to the above-described form, which is merely an example.

[0033] The processes performed by each of the above-described components may be performed by logic circuits individually tailored to the purpose. Alternatively, a computer program (hereinafter referred to as the program), which describes the process steps, may be recorded on a recording medium readable by the design support device 10 including the components, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read and executed by the design support device 10. Examples of recording media readable by the design support device 10 include removable recording media such as floppy disks, magneto-optical disks, digital versatile discs (DVDs), compact discs (CDs), Blu-ray discs, and universal serial bus (USB) memories, as well as memories such as read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM) built into the design support device 10, and hard disk drives (HDDs). The programs recorded on the recording media are read by a CPU (central processing unit) provided in the design support device 10, and the same processes as those described above are performed under the control of the CPU. The CPU functions as a computer that executes the programs read from the recording media. The above-mentioned logic circuit may be realized using an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 10 Design support equipment 11 Information acquisition department 12 Search section 13 Display control unit 14 Placement determination section 20 databases 30 Input Devices 40 Display device 110 display screen Columns 120, 130, and 140

Claims

1. an information acquisition unit that acquires conditions and spatial information for constructing a member; a search unit that searches a database for a combination of parts that satisfies the conditions acquired by the information acquisition unit; a display control unit that causes a display device to display a display screen showing the combination of parts searched for from the database by the search unit; a placement determination unit that determines a placement of the parts in the member based on the shapes and dimensions of each of the parts constituting a combination selected from the combinations displayed on the display device by the display control unit and the spatial information, The display control unit is a design support device that causes the display device to display information indicating the placement determined by the placement determination unit.

2. 2. The design support system according to claim 1, The member is a support member that supports a pipe.

3. 3. The design support system according to claim 2, The information acquisition unit acquires information about the piping, The search unit searches the database for combinations of parts that constitute a support member that supports piping based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit, and searches the database for combinations of parts that satisfy the conditions acquired by the information acquisition unit from among the searched combinations of parts.

4. 4. The design support system according to claim 2, wherein: The placement determination unit is a design support device that, when the size of the pipe is changed, changes the parts or changes the placement of the parts in accordance with the change.

5. 5. The design support system according to claim 2, The layout determination unit is a design support device that, when the component is changed, changes components other than the component in accordance with the change, or changes the layout of the components other than the component.

6. 6. The design support system according to claim 1, The display control unit displays information indicating the placement of the components determined by the placement determination unit on the display device using a 3D CAD model.

7. 7. The design support system according to claim 1, The display control unit is a design support device that displays a list of the combinations searched for by the search unit from the database on the display device.

8. 8. The design support system according to claim 1, aggregating each of the parts whose placement has been determined by the placement determination unit into a list of components that constitute one of the members; The display control unit is a design support device that causes the list to be displayed on the display device.

9. 9. The design support system according to claim 8, The design support device, wherein the list includes at least one of information indicating the size and shape of the parts, a diagram showing the appearance, and a diagram showing the position of each part in the member.

10. A process of acquiring conditions and spatial information for constructing components; A process of searching a database for a combination of parts that satisfies the conditions for configuring the acquired component; a process of outputting the combination of parts searched from the database; a process of determining the arrangement of parts in a member composed of the parts, based on the shapes and dimensions of each of the parts constituting a combination selected from the output combinations and the spatial information; and outputting information indicating the determined layout.

11. On the computer, A procedure for acquiring conditions and spatial information for constructing a member; A step of searching a database for a combination of parts that satisfies the conditions for configuring the acquired component; a step of outputting the combination of parts searched from the database; a step of determining an arrangement of parts in a member configured from the parts, based on the shapes and dimensions of each of the parts constituting a combination selected from the output combinations and the spatial information; and a program for executing a procedure for outputting information indicating the determined arrangement.

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