Wire harness design support system, wire harness design support method, program, and computer-readable recording medium

Abstract

To improve the efficiency of operations and reduce the burden on a designer, in converting specifications being information used for uniquely determining a wire harness from certain specifications to another specifications different from the certain specifications.SOLUTION: A wire harness design support system has: drawing data input means that inputs first drawing data including an object holding first specifications for at least uniquely determining a wire harness; specification table input means that inputs a specification table defining the relationship between the first specifications and second specifications different from the first specifications and at least uniquely determining the wire harness; specification conversion means that converts the first specifications held by the object included in the first drawing data input by the drawing data input means into the second specifications, on the basis of the relationship between the first specifications and the second specifications defined in the specification table input by the specification table input means; and drawing data output means that outputs second drawing data including an object holding the second specifications obtained through the conversion performed by the specification conversion means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire harness design support system, a wire harness design support method, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium.

[0002] More specifically, the present invention relates to a wire harness design support system, a wire harness design support method, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium suitable for use in wire harness product design, which is a design performed while considering the functions and equipment of the wire harness, and wire harness manufacturing design, which is a design performed while considering the actual manufacturing of the wire harness. [Background technology]

[0003] BACKGROUND ART Generally, a wire harness, which is an assembly of electric wires and terminals and connectors connected to their ends, is used as one means for transmitting electric power and electric signals between electric products or electric devices.

[0004] That is, a wire harness is a component made up of a bundle of multiple electric wires, terminals, connectors, etc. used for power supply and signal communication, and is used in a variety of mechanical devices that require a large number of electrical wirings, such as the wiring inside an automobile.

[0005] When designing such a wire harness, two separate processes are carried out: wire harness product design, which is carried out while considering the functions and equipment of the wire harness, and wire harness manufacturing design, which is carried out while considering the actual manufacturing of the wire harness.

[0006] For example, in the automobile industry, OEMs, which are vehicle manufacturers, design wire harness products, and wire harness suppliers, which manufacture and deliver wire harnesses to vehicle manufacturers, design and manufacture wire harnesses.

[0007] More specifically, in the automotive industry, when a wire harness supplier manufactures a wire harness, the wire harness supplier receives design drawings of the wire harness product designed by the OEM (in this specification, "design drawings of the wire harness product designed by the OEM" will be referred to as "OEM drawings" as appropriate).

[0008] This OEM drawing is written using the vehicle specification code and specification composition formula as a description format for identifying the wire harness.

[0009] Here, the specification code is a code indicating specifications determined from the OEM's perspective, such as vehicle accessories, destination, and specifications. Furthermore, a specification composition formula is a combination of multiple specification codes connected by logical operators such as bit operators (in this specification and the claims, "logical operators such as bit operators" are collectively referred to simply as "logical operators"). By using such specification codes and specification composition formulas, a wire harness can be uniquely determined. There are various types of wire harnesses, including those that can be uniquely determined by a single specification code and those that can be uniquely determined by a specification composition formula rather than a single specification code.

[0010] Then, the wire harness supplier, upon receiving the OEM drawings, separately prepared design drawings for the wire harness that were designed for manufacturing based on the OEM drawings (in this specification, "design drawings for the wire harness that were designed by the wire harness supplier for manufacturing" will be referred to as "supplier drawings" as appropriate), and used them for manufacturing the wire harness.

[0011] This supplier drawing is a drawing in which the specifications are replaced by converting the specification code and specification composition formula into harness part numbers for each wire harness that corresponds to the specification code and specification composition formula shown in the OEM drawing, and part numbers (part names) and connector cavity numbers are converted into supplier notation.

[0012] Here, the harness part number indicates a specification equivalent to the part number of the wire harness body. By using an independent harness part number for each wire harness, the wire harness can be uniquely identified.

[0013] In this specification and claims, information used to uniquely determine a wire harness, such as a specification code, a specification composition formula, or a harness part number, will be referred to as a "specification" as appropriate.

[0014] However, in the conventional technology, the work of creating supplier drawings from OEM drawings, i.e., the work of rewriting specifications consisting of specification codes and specification composition formulas in the OEM drawings into harness part numbers that are specifications different from the OEM drawings to create supplier drawings, was done manually by the wire harness manufacturing design designer, which resulted in poor work efficiency and a heavy burden on the designer.

[0015] It is also possible to perform the reverse process of creating supplier drawings from OEM drawings, that is, to create OEM drawings from supplier drawings.

[0016] Even in this case, the task of creating OEM drawings from supplier drawings, i.e., the task of converting the specifications consisting of harness part numbers in the supplier drawings into specification codes and specification composition formulas that are different from the supplier drawings to create OEM drawings, was done manually by the wire harness product designer, which resulted in poor work efficiency and placed a heavy burden on the designer.

[0017] In addition, the prior art that the applicant of the present application knew at the time of filing the patent application is not an invention related to an invention publicly known in a literature, and therefore there is no prior art literature information to be described in the present specification. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0018] The present invention has been made in consideration of the various problems in the conventional techniques as described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness design support system, a wire harness design support method, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium that can improve the efficiency of the work and reduce the burden on a designer when converting specifications, which are information used to uniquely determine a wire harness, from one specification to another different specification. [Means for solving the problem]

[0019] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention automatically converts a first specification to a second specification based on a specification table that shows information defining the relationship between the first specification and a second specification that is different from the first specification.

[0020] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, the outline of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to FIG. 1, taking as an example the case of designing a wire harness in the automobile industry.

[0021] Here, Fig. 1(a) shows a matrix diagram illustrating an example of a specification table showing information defining the relationship between a specification code or specification formula as a first specification for uniquely determining a wire harness and a harness part number as a second specification for uniquely determining a wire harness. Note that Fig. 1(a) shows an L-shaped matrix diagram as the matrix diagram.

[0022] That is, in the specification table shown in Figure 1(a), the relationship between specification codes and harness part numbers is shown in a matrix diagram. Specifically, in the matrix diagram, a "○" mark indicates that the harness number corresponding to the row and the specification code corresponding to the column are mutually convertible. In other words, the specification table shown in Figure 1(a) indicates that specification code "SP1" is convertible to harness part number "H1," specification code "SP2" is convertible to harness part number "H2" and harness part number "H3," specification code "SP3" is convertible to harness part number "H3" and harness part number "H4," and specification code "SP4" is convertible to harness part number "H4."

[0023] Next, Figure 1(b) shows an example of an OEM drawing that uses a specification code and a specification composition formula as the first specification for uniquely determining a wire harness. (b-1) in Figure 1(b) shows an overall view, and (b-2) in Figure 1(b) shows an enlarged view of a portion of (b-1). In the OEM drawing shown in Figure 1(b), "SP1" and "SP2" indicate specification codes, and "SP1|SP2" indicates a specification composition formula in which the specification code "SP1" and the specification code "SP2" are connected by the logical OR symbol "|".

[0024] Also, Figure 1(c) shows an example of a supplier drawing that uses a harness part number as a second specification for uniquely determining a wire harness. (c-1) in Figure 1(c) shows an overall view, and (c-2) in Figure 1(c) shows an enlarged view of a portion of (c-1). In the supplier drawing shown in Figure 1(c), "H1," "H2," and "H3" indicate harness part numbers.

[0025] According to the present invention, based on the specification table shown in FIG. 1(a), the specification codes or specification formulas shown in the OEM drawing shown using the specification codes and specification formulas shown in FIG. 1(b) can be automatically converted into harness part numbers, thereby creating the supplier drawing shown in FIG. 1(c).

[0026] Specifically, based on the specification table shown in Figure 1(a), the specification code "SP1" in the OEM drawing shown in Figure 1(b) is automatically converted to harness part number "H1", the specification code "SP2" in the OEM drawing shown in Figure 1(b) is automatically converted to harness part number "H2" and harness part number "H3", and the specification composition formula "SP1|SP2" in the OEM drawing shown in Figure 1(b) is automatically converted to harness part number "H1", harness part number "H2" and harness part number "H3", to create the supplier drawing shown in Figure 1(c).

[0027] The specification composition formula "SP1|SP2" indicates the logical sum of the specification code "SP1" and the specification code "SP2," and is therefore automatically converted into harness part numbers "H1," "H2," and "H3," which correspond to the specification code "SP1" and the specification code "SP2," respectively.

[0028] Therefore, according to the present invention, when converting from a first specification to a different second specification, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the work and reduce the burden on the designer.

[0029] That is, the wire harness design support system according to the present invention comprises: drawing data input means for inputting first drawing data including an object holding at least a first specification for uniquely determining a wire harness; specification table input means for inputting a specification table defining the relationship between the first specification and a second specification that is different from the first specification and at least uniquely determines the wire harness; specification conversion means for converting the first specification held by the object included in the first drawing data input by the drawing data input means into the second specification based on the relationship between the first specification and the second specification defined in the specification table input by the specification table input means; and drawing data output means for outputting second drawing data including the object holding the second specification converted by the specification conversion means.

[0030] Furthermore, the design support system for a wire harness according to the present invention is the above-described design support system for a wire harness according to the present invention, wherein the objects include at least one of a conductor object indicating a conductor component constituting the wire harness, an insulator object indicating an insulator component constituting the wire harness, and a sheet object for arranging the components constituting the wire harness.

[0031] Furthermore, the wire harness design support system according to the present invention is the above-described wire harness design support system according to the present invention, wherein the first specification is a specification code for uniquely determining the wire harness, a specification composition formula connecting a plurality of the specification codes with a logical operator, or a harness part number which is a part number of the wire harness.

[0032] Furthermore, the wire harness design support system according to the present invention is the above-described wire harness design support system according to the present invention, wherein the second specification is the harness part number when the first specification is the specification code or the specification composition formula.

[0033] Furthermore, the wire harness design support system according to the present invention is the above-described wire harness design support system according to the present invention, wherein the second specification is the specification code or the specification composition formula when the first specification is the harness part number.

[0034] Furthermore, the wire harness design support system according to the present invention is the above-described wire harness design support system according to the present invention, wherein when the first drawing data includes the specification table, the first drawing data is input to the specification table input means.

[0035] Furthermore, the wire harness design support system according to the present invention is the above-described wire harness design support system according to the present invention, wherein the drawing data output means overwrites the first drawing data with the second drawing data when an identifier held by the first drawing data and an identifier held by the second drawing data have the same value.

[0036] Furthermore, the wire harness design support system according to the present invention is the above-described wire harness design support system according to the present invention, further comprising: conversion result output means for outputting a conversion result including at least information for identifying either or both of the object that holds the second specification converted by the specification conversion means and the object that does not hold the second specification converted by the specification conversion means.

[0037] Furthermore, the wire harness design support system according to the present invention is the above-described wire harness design support system according to the present invention, wherein the conductor object or the insulator object is a selective object that further holds either a plurality of the first specifications and part numbers corresponding to each of the specifications or a plurality of the second specifications and part numbers corresponding to each of the specifications.

[0038] Furthermore, the wire harness design support system according to the present invention is the above-described wire harness design support system according to the present invention, further comprising a conversion result output means for outputting a conversion result including at least information for identifying the use-between object when the use-between object includes the same value in a plurality of second specifications corresponding to a plurality of first specifications converted by the specification conversion means.

[0039] Furthermore, the wire harness design support system according to the present invention is the above-described wire harness design support system according to the present invention, further comprising: conversion result output means for outputting a conversion result including at least information for identifying the object that could not be converted when the specification conversion means fails to convert the first specification into the second specification.

[0040] Furthermore, the wire harness design support system according to the present invention is the above-described wire harness design support system according to the present invention, wherein the drawing data output means outputs second drawing data including the object further holding the first specification corresponding to the second specification as a specification different from the second specification.

[0041] Furthermore, a wire harness design support method according to the present invention includes a drawing data input step of inputting first drawing data including an object holding at least a first specification for uniquely determining a wire harness; a specification table input step of inputting a specification table defining a relationship between the first specification and a second specification that is different from the first specification and at least uniquely determines the wire harness; a specification conversion step of converting the first specification held by the object included in the first drawing data inputted by the drawing data input step into the second specification based on the relationship between the first specification and the second specification defined in the specification table inputted by the specification table input step; and a drawing data output step of outputting second drawing data including the object holding the second specification converted by the specification conversion step.

[0042] Further, a program according to the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as the above-described wire harness design support system according to the present invention.

[0043] A program according to the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described wire harness design support method according to the present invention.

[0044] A computer-readable recording medium according to the present invention is configured to record the above-mentioned program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0045] Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the excellent effect of making it possible to improve the efficiency of the work when converting specifications, which are information used to uniquely determine a wire harness, into other specifications that are different from the specifications, and reducing the burden on the designer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0046] [Figure 1] Fig. 1(a) is a matrix diagram showing an example of a specification table showing information defining the relationship between a specification code or specification formula as a first specification for uniquely determining a wire harness and a harness part number as a second specification for uniquely determining a wire harness. Fig. 1(b) is an example of an OEM drawing shown using a specification code or specification formula as a first specification for uniquely determining a wire harness, where (b-1) in Fig. 1(b) shows an overall view and (b-2) in Fig. 1(b) shows a partial enlarged view of (b-1). Fig. 1(c) is an example of a supplier drawing shown using a harness part number as a second specification for uniquely determining a wire harness, where (c-1) in Fig. 1(c) shows an overall view and (c-2) in Fig. 1(c) shows a partial enlarged view of (c-1). [Figure 2] Figure 2(a) is an explanatory diagram corresponding to (b-2) in Figure 1(b), Figure 2(b) is an explanatory diagram corresponding to (c-2) in Figure 1(c), and Figure 2(c) is an explanatory diagram corresponding to Figure 1(a). [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram regarding drawing data. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an example of an embodiment of a wire harness design support system according to the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration related to the implementation of the present invention of the control unit in the wire harness design support system shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control unit processing routine, which is a main routine of processing related to the implementation of the present invention, executed by the control unit in the wire harness design support system shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an automatic conversion processing routine executed as a subroutine of the control unit processing routine, which is the main routine shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of conversion from a first specification (specification code or specification composition formula) to a second specification (harness part number) in reverse Polish notation. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of case 1 as a first example of error handling. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of case 2 as a second example of error handling. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing details of case 2 of the error handling shown in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of an example of an operation example when the drawing data input / output unit outputs drawing data as a drawing data output unit. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the conversion result output unit, in which the conversion result is output to the display unit when the conversion is successful. [Figure 14] 14(a) is an explanatory diagram of error case 1, which is a first operation example of the conversion result output unit outputting the conversion result to the display unit when the conversion fails, as an example of an operation example of the conversion result output unit. FIG. 14(b) is an explanatory diagram of error case 2, which is a second operation example of the conversion result output unit outputting the conversion result to the display unit when the conversion fails, as an example of an operation example of the conversion result output unit. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of converting a harness part number into a specification composition formula when the first specification is a harness part number and the second specification is a specification code or a specification composition formula. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram conceptually and schematically showing another example in which the conversion result output unit outputs the conversion result. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0047] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a wire harness design support system, a wire harness design support method, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] In the following description of the embodiments, an example will be given in which, in the automotive industry, an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) designs a wire harness product, and a wire harness supplier, which manufactures the wire harness and delivers it to the vehicle manufacturer, designs and manufactures the wire harness.

[0049] (I) Explanation of definitions of terms used in this specification and claims First, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, definitions of various terms used in this specification and the claims will be explained with reference to Figures 2(a)(b)(c) and 3. Note that Fig. 2(a) is an explanatory diagram corresponding to (b-2) in Fig. 1(b), Fig. 2(b) is an explanatory diagram corresponding to (c-2) in Fig. 1(c), and Fig. 2(c) is an explanatory diagram corresponding to Fig. 1(a). Also, Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram relating to drawing data.

[0050] First, with reference to Figures 2(a), (b), and (c), the definitions of "specification," "object," "specification code," "specification composition formula," "harness part number," and "specification table" will be explained.

[0051] Specifications: As explained in the "Background Art" section above, this refers to information used to uniquely determine a wire harness, such as a specification code, a specification configuration formula, or a harness part number.

[0052] Object: This refers to an element to be designed in a wire harness design support system. Specifically, it refers to an element to which specifications can be assigned. Examples of such object types include conductor objects such as connectors (connector objects) and wires (wire objects), insulator objects such as exterior parts and clamps, and sheet objects for placing parts. In addition, objects have an identifier (ID) to uniquely identify the object, and conductor objects and insulator objects also have a part number.

[0053] Specification code, specification composition formula...As explained in the "Background Art" section above, a specification code is a code indicating specifications determined from the OEM's perspective, such as vehicle accessories, destination, and specifications. A specification composition formula is a combination of multiple specification codes connected by logical operators. A wire harness can be uniquely determined by using the specification code and specification composition formula. There are various types of wire harnesses, including those that can be uniquely determined by a single specification code and those that can be uniquely determined by a specification composition formula rather than a single specification code. In the following description of an example of an embodiment of a wire harness design support system according to the present invention, the case where the "first specification" is a "specification code" and a "specification composition formula" will be mainly described.

[0054] Harness part number: As explained in the "Background Art" section above, a harness part number indicates a specification equivalent to the part number of the wire harness itself. By using an independent harness part number for each wire harness, the wire harness can be uniquely determined. In the following explanation of an example of an embodiment of the wire harness design support system according to the present invention, the case where the "second specification" is the "harness part number" will be mainly explained.

[0055] Specification table: As explained in the above section "Means for Solving the Problems," this indicates matrix information that defines the relationship between a specification code or specification composition formula as a first specification and a harness part number as a second specification. For example, when a specification composition formula "SP1|SP2" (the logical sum of SP1 and SP2) is assigned to connector object CTR-34 (see FIG. 2(a)), the wire harness design support system according to the present invention reads harness part numbers including the specification code "SP1" or the specification code "SP2" from the specification table (see FIG. 2(c)) based on the specification table (see FIG. 2(c)), and converts the specification composition formula "SP1|SP2" into harness part numbers "H1," "H2," and "H3" (see FIG. 2(b)).

[0056] Such a specification table may be configured as an electronic file in, for example, CSV format or XML format, or may be configured as electronic data such as a specific table or record in a database, or may be configured to be included as part of drawing data (described later) such as OEM drawing data (described later).When the drawing data includes a specification table, the specification table is read into the control unit 12 (described later) by inputting the drawing data to a specification table input / output unit (specification table I / O unit) 24 (described later).

[0057] The specification table described above is provided to the supplier by the OEM together with the OEM drawings, for example.

[0058] Next, the definition of "drawing data" will be explained with reference to FIG.

[0059] Drawing data: This refers to electronic data that holds design information necessary for manufacturing wire harnesses, such as objects, dimensional values, costs, manufacturing instructions, etc. Drawing data also includes drawing data in which the design information of multiple wire harnesses is held in the same electronic data (see arrow A in Figure 3). From such drawing data in which the design information of multiple wire harnesses is held in the same electronic data (see arrow A in Figure 3), by selecting a harness part number from the pull-down list (see arrow C in Figure 3) in the display filter (see arrow B in Figure 3), it is possible to extract electronic data of only the design information of the wire harness corresponding to the selected harness part number (see arrow D in Figure 3). For example, when creating drawing data for each part of a vehicle, such as an engine harness, by displaying (see arrow D in FIG. 3) only the symbol object corresponding to the harness part number selected via a pull-down list (see arrow C in FIG. 3) in a display filter (see arrow B in FIG. 3) from drawing data (see arrow A in FIG. 3) in which design information for multiple wire harnesses is held in the same electronic data, it is possible to reduce the total number of drawing data to be managed while maintaining the visibility of the design data. Note that, since conventionally known technology can be applied to the process of displaying only the selected object and reducing the total number of drawing data to be managed while maintaining the visibility of the design data, a detailed description of the configuration and operation thereof will be omitted.

[0060] Such drawing data may be configured as an electronic file in, for example, a CSV format or an XML format, or may be configured as electronic data such as a specific table or record in a database.

[0061] Next, the definitions of "OEM drawing data" and "supplier drawing data" will be explained with reference to Figures 1(b) and 1(c).

[0062] OEM drawing data: This refers to drawing data of an OEM drawing, and is drawing data designed by the OEM. Specifications are expressed by specification codes or specification formulas. In the following description of an example of an embodiment of the wire harness design support system according to the present invention, the case where the "first drawing data" is "OEM drawing data" will be mainly described.

[0063] Supplier drawing data: This refers to the drawing data of the supplier drawing, and is the drawing data designed by the wire harness supplier. The specifications are expressed by the harness part number. In the following explanation of an example of an embodiment of the wire harness design support system according to the present invention, the case where the "second drawing data" is "supplier drawing data" will be mainly explained.

[0064] (II) Description of the hardware configuration of a wire harness design support system according to an embodiment of the present invention FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an example of an embodiment of a wire harness design support system according to the present invention.

[0065] A wire harness design support system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as the "design support system of the present invention") is realized by a personal computer system, a general-purpose computer system, or the like, and its overall operation is controlled by a control unit 12 equipped with a central processing unit (CPU). This design support system 10 of the present invention is connected to a data server 100 via a network, and the connection relationship between the design support system 10 of the present invention and the data server 100 will be described in detail later.

[0066] The control unit 12 is connected via a data bus to a main memory unit 14, an auxiliary memory unit 16, a display unit 18, an operation unit 20, a library input / output unit (library I / O unit) 22, a specification table input / output unit (specification table I / O unit) 24, and a drawing data input / output unit (drawing data I / O unit) 26.

[0067] The data server 100 also includes a parts library 102 that provides information on various parts, a specification table section 104 that provides various specification tables, an OEM drawing data section 106 that provides various OEM drawing data, and a supplier drawing data section 108 that provides various supplier drawings.

[0068] Here, the main memory unit 14 is composed of memories such as a read-only memory (ROM) that stores programs and various data for control performed by the control unit 12, and a random access memory (RAM) that has a memory area used as a working area for the control unit 12.

[0069] The auxiliary storage unit 16 is configured by a hard disk drive (HDD), a USB flash drive, a solid state drive (SSD), or the like, and various types of data can be written to it.

[0070] The display unit 18 is configured by a monitor having a screen such as a CRT or liquid crystal panel that displays various information under the control of the control unit 12.

[0071] The operation unit 20 is composed of a pointing device such as a mouse, which is an input device for specifying any position on the screen of the display unit 18, and a character input device such as a keyboard, which is an input device for inputting any character.

[0072] The library input / output unit 22 is an interface for inputting data of parts specified by operation of the operation unit 20 from the parts library 102 to the control unit 12, and for outputting data of parts specified by operation of the operation unit 20 from the control unit 12 to the parts library 102.

[0073] The specification table input / output unit 24 is an interface that inputs the specification table specified by operation of the operation unit 20 from the specification table unit 104 to the control unit 12, and outputs the specification table specified by operation of the operation unit 20 from the control unit 12 to the specification table unit 104.

[0074] The drawing data input / output unit 26 is an interface that inputs OEM drawing data specified by operation of the operation unit 20 from the OEM drawing data unit 106 to the control unit 12, inputs supplier drawing data specified by operation of the operation unit 20 from the supplier drawing data unit 108 to the control unit 12, outputs OEM drawing data specified by operation of the operation unit 20 from the control unit 12 to the OEM drawing data unit 106, and outputs supplier drawing data specified by operation of the operation unit 20 from the control unit 12 to the supplier drawing data unit 108.

[0075] (III) Description of the functional configuration of the control unit in the wire harness design support system according to an example of the embodiment of the present invention, related to the implementation of the present invention FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the control unit in the wire harness design support system shown in FIG. 4, which is related to the implementation of the present invention.

[0076] The control unit 12 is configured to have a specification conversion unit 12a and a conversion result output unit 12b as functional components related to the implementation of the present invention.

[0077] The specification conversion unit 12a performs processing to convert the specification code or specification composition formula held by the object included in the OEM drawing data into a harness part number based on the specification table input from the specification table unit 104 to the control unit 12 via the specification table input / output unit 24.

[0078] The conversion result output unit 12b outputs the conversion result by the specification conversion unit 12a to the display unit 18 and the auxiliary storage unit 16.

[0079] (IV) Description of a processing routine related to the implementation of the present invention in a wire harness design support system according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention (Description of a wire harness design support method according to the present invention) FIG. 6 shows a flowchart illustrating a control unit processing routine, which is a main routine of processing related to the implementation of the present invention, executed by the control unit in the wire harness design support system shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows a flowchart illustrating an automatic conversion processing routine that is executed as a subroutine of the control unit processing routine, which is the main routine shown in FIG.

[0080] When the OEM drawing data, supplier drawing data, and specification table to be processed are specified by operating the operation unit 20, and an instruction is given to start the control unit processing routine, which is the main routine of the processing related to the implementation of the present invention executed by the control unit 12, the file of the OEM drawing data specified as the first drawing data is first opened in a readable state, i.e., the file of the OEM drawing data specified as the first drawing data is opened in read mode (step S602).

[0081] After completing the processing of step S602, the processing proceeds to step S604, where the file of the supplier drawing data designated as the second drawing data is opened in a writable state, i.e., the file of the supplier drawing data designated as the second drawing data is opened in write mode.

[0082] When the process of step S604 is completed, the process proceeds to step S606, where the file of the specified specification table is opened in read mode.

[0083] After the process of step S606 is completed, the process proceeds to step S608, where an object to be processed by the automatic conversion process is read from the OEM drawing data, which is the first drawing data opened in step S602.

[0084] After the processing of step S608 is completed, the process proceeds to step S610, where an automatic conversion processing routine, which is a subroutine of the control unit processing routine, which is the main routine, is executed to automatically convert the specification code or specification configuration formula of the object into a harness part number, as shown in Fig. 1. The automatic conversion processing routine executed in step S610 will be described in detail later with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 7.

[0085] When the processing of step S610 is completed, the processing proceeds to step S612, and the object whose specification code or specification composition formula has been automatically converted into a harness part number by the automatic conversion processing in step S610 is written to the supplier drawing, which is the second drawing data opened in step S604.

[0086] After the process of step S612 is completed, the process proceeds to step S614, where it is determined whether or not the OEM drawing data, which is the first drawing data opened in step S602, contains an object to be processed by the automatic conversion process.

[0087] In the judgment process of step S614, if it is determined that there is an object to be processed by the automatic conversion process in the OEM drawing data, which is the first drawing data opened in step S602 (Yes), the process returns to the process of step S608, and the process of steps S608 → step S610 → step S612 → step S614 is repeated, and processing is performed on all objects to be processed by the automatic conversion process in the OEM drawing data, which is the first drawing data opened in step S602.

[0088] On the other hand, if it is determined in the judgment process of step S614 that the OEM drawing data, which is the first drawing data opened in step S602, does not contain any objects to be processed by the automatic conversion process (No), the process proceeds to step S616, where the specification table file opened in step S606 is closed.

[0089] When the process of step S616 is completed, the process proceeds to step S618, where the file of the supplier drawing, which is the second drawing data, opened in step S604, is closed.

[0090] After the process of step S618 is completed, the process proceeds to step S620, where the file of the OEM drawing data, which is the first drawing data, opened in step S602 is closed, and the process of the control unit processing routine, which is the main routine, is completed.

[0091] Therefore, according to the processing of the control unit processing routine, which is the main routine described above, the OEM drawing data file and specification table are read as the first drawing data, the specification code or specification composition formula as the first specification read from the OEM drawing data is automatically converted into the harness part number as the second specification, and the object with the automatically converted specifications is written into the supplier drawing data file as the second drawing data, thereby newly creating supplier drawing data as the second drawing data.

[0092] Next, an automatic conversion processing routine that is executed as a subroutine of the control unit processing routine, which is the main routine, will be described.

[0093] This automatic conversion processing routine returns the array of converted harness part numbers. Then, in step S612, the converted harness part numbers are set as objects based on the array of converted harness part numbers, and the objects are written to the supplier drawing via the drawing data input / output unit 26.

[0094] When this automatic conversion processing routine is started, the specification code or specification composition formula of the object to be processed, which was read in the processing of step S608, is converted into reverse Polish notation under the control of the specification conversion unit 12a (step S702).

[0095] When the process of step S702 is completed, the process proceeds to step S704, where the values ​​of the specification table read in the process of step S606 are substituted.

[0096] When the process of step S704 is completed, the process proceeds to step S706, where calculations are performed based on reverse Polish notation.

[0097] When the process of step S706 is completed, the process proceeds to step S708, where it is determined whether the calculation result of the process of step S706 is "TRUE".

[0098] In the judgment process of step S708, if it is determined that the calculation result of the process of step S706 is "TRUE" (Yes), the process proceeds to the process of step S710, where it is added to the array as a valid harness part number, and then the process proceeds to the process of step S712.

[0099] On the other hand, if the result of the calculation in step S706 is not determined to be "TRUE" (No) in the judgment process in step S708, that is, if the result of the calculation is "FALSE", the process proceeds to step S712 without performing the process in step S710.

[0100] In the process of step S712, it is determined whether all the harness part numbers defined in the rows of the specification table have been processed.

[0101] If it is determined in the judgment process of step S712 that all harness part numbers have not been processed (No), the process returns to the process of step S704, and the processes of steps S704 → S706 → S708 → S710 → S712 are repeated for the harness part numbers defined in the next row of the specification table, and processing is performed for all harness part numbers.

[0102] On the other hand, if it is determined in the determination process of step S712 that all harness part numbers have been processed (Yes), the process proceeds to the process of step S714, where error handling is performed. Note that this error handling process will be described in detail later.

[0103] When the process of step S714 is completed, the process proceeds to step S716, where it is determined whether the conversion was successful.

[0104] If it is determined in the judgment process of step S716 that the conversion was successful (Yes), the process proceeds to the process of step S718, and the conversion result indicating that "the conversion was successful" is output under the control of the conversion result output unit 12b, and then the process returns to the control unit processing routine, which is the main routine.

[0105] On the other hand, if it is determined in the determination process of step S716 that the conversion was not successful (No), the process proceeds to the process of step S720, where the array to which the valid harness part number had been added is cleared.

[0106] When the process of step S720 is completed, the process proceeds to step S722, where the conversion result output unit 12b outputs a conversion result indicating that "conversion failed", and then the process returns to the main routine, which is the control unit processing routine.

[0107] The processes of steps S702 to S716 and step S720 are mainly executed under the control of the specification conversion unit 12a, while the processes of steps S718 and S722 are mainly executed under the control of the conversion result output unit 12b.

[0108] Therefore, according to the processing of the automatic conversion processing routine, which is a subroutine of the main routine described above, it is possible to convert the specification code or specification composition formula, which is the first specification, into the harness part number, which is the second specification, using the well-known reverse Polish notation.

[0109] (V) Explanation of a specific example of conversion from the first specification (specification code or specification composition formula) to the second specification (harness part number) using reverse Polish notation FIG. 8 shows an explanatory diagram of a specific example of conversion from a first specification (specification code or specification composition formula) to a second specification (harness part number) using reverse Polish notation.

[0110] With reference to FIG. 8, an example of converting "SP1|SP2", which is a specification composition formula of a connector object CTR-34, into a harness part number will be described.

[0111] First, in the process of step S702, when the specification composition formula "SP1|SP2" is converted into reverse Polish notation, it becomes "SP1, SP2, OR" (see FIG. 8(a)).

[0112] Next, in the process of step S704, when the value of the specification table is substituted for the harness part number "H1" shown in the specification table, the result is "1, 0, OR" (see FIG. 8(b)).

[0113] Then, in step S706, a calculation is performed on the harness part number "H1" based on reverse Polish notation, and the calculation result is "TRUE." This calculation result indicates that the specification composition formula "SP1|SP2" can be converted to the harness part number "H1," and the harness part number can be added to the array as a valid harness part number in step S708.

[0114] The results of performing the same calculation as above for all harness part numbers shown in the specification table are as shown in the array in Figure 8(c), and harness part numbers "H1", "H2", and "H3" become the specifications after conversion of the specification composition formula "SP1|SP2" (see Figure 1(c-2)).

[0115] (VI) Detailed explanation of error handling FIG. 9 shows an explanatory diagram relating to Case 1 as a first example of error handling shown in step S714. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of case 2 as a second example of error handling. Furthermore, FIG. 11 shows an explanatory diagram showing details of case 2 of the error handling shown in FIG.

[0116] First, with reference to FIG. 9, case 1 will be described as a first example of the error handling process in step S714.

[0117] As shown in Figure 9, when multiple specifications are set for a part in an OEM drawing, this means that the part is an object that uses different parts depending on the specifications (a different object), and they are not used simultaneously with the same harness part number. Therefore, if multiple specifications are converted to the same harness part number, an error occurs. The behavior in the event of an error will be described later (see Section (VIII)).

[0118] Next, case 2 will be described as a second example of the error handling process in step S714 with reference to FIGS.

[0119] As shown in Figure 10, if the specifications of a part cannot be converted into a harness part number in the OEM drawing, the part will not be used with any harness part number, and this will result in an error.

[0120] Regarding this case 2, an example of converting the specification composition formula "(SP1|SP2)&SP4" of the connector object CTR-41 into a harness part number will be described with reference to FIG.

[0121] First, in the process of step S702, when the specification composition formula "(SP1|SP2)&SP4" is converted into reverse Polish notation, it becomes "SP1, SP2, OR, SP4, AND".

[0122] Next, in the process of step S704, when the value of the specification table is substituted for the harness part number "H1" shown in the specification table, the result is "1, 0, OR, 0, AND" (see FIG. 11(a)).

[0123] Then, in step S706, when the harness part number "H1" is calculated based on the reverse Polish notation, the calculation result is "FALSE." This calculation result indicates that the specification composition formula "(SP1|SP2)&SP4" could not be converted to the harness part number "H1."

[0124] The results of performing the same calculation as above for all harness part numbers listed in the specification table are as shown in the array in Figure 11(b). Since it was not possible to convert to any harness part number, it is considered that the specification conversion has failed.

[0125] Cases 1 and 2 described above are design errors in the OEM drawings at the OEM, so by treating them as errors using the design support system 10 of the present invention, the OEM can be informed of the design defect through early feedback, enabling the design defect to be resolved quickly.

[0126] (VII) Explanation of the operation example of the drawing data input / output unit FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of an example of an operation example when the drawing data input / output unit outputs drawing data as a drawing data output unit.

[0127] When outputting supplier drawing data as a drawing data output unit, the drawing data input / output unit 26 may output supplier drawing data including an object that holds only the specifications converted into harness part numbers as the second specifications. In addition, as conceptually shown in Figure 12(a), the drawing data input / output unit 26 may output supplier drawing data including an object that holds the harness part number as the second specification and a specification code or specification composition formula as the first specification corresponding to the harness part number of the second specification, as an independent specification different from the specification that indicates only the harness part number as the second specification.

[0128] By outputting supplier drawing data such as that shown in FIG. 12(a), it becomes possible to switch between the OEM specifications and the supplier specifications on the same drawing data displayed on the display unit 18.

[0129] That is, by outputting supplier drawing data as shown in FIG. 12(a), when the display of OEM specifications is selected, the display unit 18 can display the specification code or the specification of the specification composition formula as the first specification (see FIG. 12(b)).

[0130] On the other hand, when display of the OEM specifications is not selected, the specifications of the harness part number can be displayed as the second specifications as the supplier specifications on the display unit 18 (see FIG. 12(c)).

[0131] Therefore, when an OEM inspects supplier drawing data delivered by a wire harness supplier, it is possible to check the OEM specifications without separately displaying the OEM drawing data corresponding to the supplier drawing data, enabling inspection to be carried out efficiently.

[0132] (VIII) Explanation of an example of operation when the conversion result output unit outputs the conversion result to the display unit FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the conversion result output unit, in which the conversion result is output to the display unit when the conversion is successful.

[0133] Also, FIG. 14(a) shows an explanatory diagram relating to error case 1, which is a first operation example of outputting the conversion result to the display unit when the conversion fails, as an example of an operation example of the conversion result output unit.

[0134] Furthermore, FIG. 14(b) shows an explanatory diagram relating to error case 2, which is a second operation example of the conversion result output unit, in which the conversion result is output to the display unit when the conversion fails, as an example of the operation of the conversion result output unit.

[0135] A case where the conversion result output unit 12b outputs the conversion result via the display unit 18 will be described with reference to FIG. 13 and FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b).

[0136] Here, if it is determined in the judgment process of step S716 that the conversion is successful, in the process of step S718, the conversion result indicating that "the conversion was successful" is output to and displayed on the display unit 18 under the control of the conversion result output unit 12b, as shown in Figure 13.

[0137] On the other hand, if it is determined in the judgment process of step S716 that the conversion has failed due to the above-mentioned error case 1, in the process of step S722, as shown in Figure 14(a), under the control of the conversion result output unit 12b, the conversion result indicating that "the conversion has failed due to error case 1" is output to and displayed on the display unit 18.

[0138] Furthermore, if it is determined in the judgment process of step S716 that the conversion has failed due to the above-mentioned error case 2, in the process of step S722, the conversion result indicating that "the conversion has failed due to error case 2" is output to and displayed on the display unit 18 under the control of the conversion result output unit 12b, as shown in Figure 14(b).

[0139] (IX) Explanation of the effects of the wire harness design support system, wire harness design support method, program, and computer-readable recording medium according to an embodiment of the present invention As described above, the wire harness design support system 10 and the wire harness design support method automatically convert a first specification (specification code or specification composition formula), which is information used to uniquely determine a wire harness, into a second specification (harness part number) different from the first specification, thereby improving work efficiency and eliminating the need for a designer to manually perform the conversion work, thereby reducing the burden on the worker.

[0140] (X) Other embodiments It should be noted that the above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention can be embodied in various other forms. In other words, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various omissions, substitutions, or modifications can be made as appropriate within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, the above-described embodiment may be modified as described in (X-1) to (X-6) below.

[0141] (X-1) In the above-described embodiment, the automotive industry has been used as an example. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to the automotive industry, and the present invention can be applied to the design of wire harnesses in various industries such as the computer industry and the home appliance industry.

[0142] (X-2) In the above embodiment, the control unit processing routine shown in the flowchart of Fig. 6 describes a case where a file of supplier drawing data is newly created as second drawing data, but it goes without saying that this is not limited to this. For example, if the identifier of the OEM drawing data and the identifier of the supplier drawing data are the same value, the supplier drawing data may be overwritten on the OEM drawing data, thereby overwriting the first specification held in the OEM drawing data with the second specification, and outputting drawing data identical to the OEM drawing data as the supplier drawing data.

[0143] (X-3) In the above embodiment, the automatic conversion processing routine shown in the flowchart of Figure 7 was described as converting specifications using the well-known Reverse Polish Notation, but it goes without saying that this is not limited to this.

[0144] In other words, as long as the design support system 10 of the present invention is equipped with a specification conversion unit 12a that converts the first specification of an object into the second specification by referring to a specification table, the specifications may be converted using various methods other than the reverse Polish notation, such as the well-known Polish notation or infix notation.

[0145] (X-4) In the above embodiment, the first specification is a specification code or a specification formula, and the second specification is a harness part number. However, this is not necessarily limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to cases where the first specification is a harness part number and the second specification is a specification code or a specification formula.

[0146] This point will be explained with reference to FIG. 15 by taking as an example a case where harness part numbers "H1", "H2", and "H3" of connector object CTR-34 are converted into specification composition formulas.

[0147] First, when the harness part number is expanded into a specification composition formula, it is expanded in accordance with the following rules (a) to (c).

[0148] [Rules] (a) A row in the specification table corresponding to the harness part number of the object is determined. (b) The following calculation is performed on all columns in the determined row in the specification table to obtain the specification composition formula for each harness part number. · If a "○" is marked in the specification table, connect the specification code with a logical AND (&). If there is no "○" mark in the specification table, connect the logically negated (!) configuration formulas with a logical AND (&). (c) The above calculation is repeated for the harness part numbers of the object, and the specification composition formulas for each harness part number are connected with a logical sum (|).

[0149] Here, when the above rules are applied to the harness part numbers "H1," "H2," and "H3" based on the specification table shown in FIG. 15, the following results are shown in (A) to (C).

[0150] (A) In the case of harness part number "H1," the specification code "SP1" in the column marked with "○" in the specification table and the specification code in the column not marked with "○" in the specification table are logically negated (!) to form specification composition formula "!SP2," "!SP3," and "!SP4," which are connected with a logical AND (&) to form the specification composition formula shown in Formula 1 below. ·Harness part number "H1": SP1&!SP2&!SP3&!SP4 ··· Formula 1

[0151] (B) In the same manner as above, the specification composition formulas for each harness part number "H2" and harness part number "H3" based on the specification table are as shown in Formula 2 and Formula 3 below. ·Harness part number "H2": !SP1&SP2&!SP3&!SP4 ··· Expression 2 ·Harness part number "H3": !SP1&SP2&SP3&!SP4 ··· Expression 3

[0152] (C) When Expression 1, Expression 2, and Expression 3, which are the specification configuration expressions for each of the harness part numbers described above, i.e., harness part number "H1," harness part number "H2," and harness part number "H3," are connected with a logical OR (|), the following Expression 4 is obtained. ·(SP1&!SP2&!SP3&!SP4)|(!SP1&SP2&!SP3&!SP4)|(!SP1&SP2&SP3&!SP4) ··· Formula 4

[0153] As a result, the harness part number of the connector object CTR-34 can be converted into the specification composition formula shown in formula 4.

[0154] The above conversion method is merely an example, and it goes without saying that various methods may be used to convert specifications as long as the first specification of the object, which is the harness part number, can be converted into the second specification, which is the specification code or specification composition formula, by referring to the specification table.

[0155] For example, in the specification composition formula of Equation 4 above, the logical expression can be simplified using a known method, and the result can be used as the converted specification composition formula. Specifically, methods such as factorization by regarding duplicate specification codes as common terms, Karnaugh maps, or the Quine-McCluskey method can be used.

[0156] (X-5) In the above embodiment, the case where the conversion result output unit 12b outputs the conversion result to the display unit 18 has been described, but it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this.

[0157] That is, the design support system 10 of the present invention may be provided with a conversion result output unit 12b that outputs a conversion result including at least information (e.g., an object ID) that can identify either or both of an object that holds the second specification acquired by the specification conversion unit 12a, i.e., an object whose specification conversion has been successful, and an object that does not hold the second specification acquired by the specification conversion unit 12a, i.e., an object whose specification conversion has failed.

[0158] For example, the conversion result output unit 12b may output the conversion result to a text file stored in the auxiliary storage unit 16, as shown in FIG. 16, instead of outputting the conversion result to the display unit 18.

[0159] (X-6) It goes without saying that the above-described embodiment and the embodiments and modifications shown in (X-1) to (X-5) above may be combined as appropriate. [Industrial Applicability]

[0160] The present invention is extremely useful in designing wire harnesses in various industries, including the automobile industry, computer industry, and home appliance industry. [Explanation of symbols]

[0161] 10. Wire harness design support system (design support system of the present invention) 12 Control Unit 12a Specification conversion unit (specification conversion means) 12b Conversion result output unit (conversion result output means) 14 Main memory 16 Auxiliary storage 18 Display 20 Control section 22 Library Input / Output Unit (Library I / O Unit) 24 Specification table input / output unit (specification table I / O unit) (specification table input means) 26 Drawing data input / output unit (drawing data I / O unit) (drawing data input means) (drawing data output means) 100 Data Servers 102 Parts Library 104 Specification table 106 OEM Drawing Data Section 108 Supplier Drawing Data Section

Claims

1. In the wire harness design support system, drawing data input means for inputting first drawing data including an object holding at least a first specification for uniquely determining a wire harness; a specification table input means for inputting a specification table that defines a relationship between the first specification and a second specification that is different from the first specification and that uniquely determines at least the wire harness; a specification conversion means for converting the first specification held by the object included in the first drawing data input by the drawing data input means into the second specification based on the relationship between the first specification and the second specification defined in the specification table input by the specification table input means; drawing data output means for outputting second drawing data including the object holding the second specification converted by the specification conversion means; A wire harness design support system comprising:

2. 2. The wire harness design support system according to claim 1, The object is: a conductor object representing a conductor component constituting the wire harness; an insulator object representing an insulator component constituting the wire harness; a sheet object for arranging components that constitute the wire harness; Contains at least one of the following: A wire harness design support system characterized by:

3. 2. The wire harness design support system according to claim 1, The first specification is: A specification code for uniquely determining the wire harness, a specification composition formula connecting a plurality of the specification codes with a logical operator, or a harness part number which is a part number of the wire harness. A wire harness design support system characterized by:

4. 4. The wire harness design support system according to claim 3, The second specification is: When the first specification is the specification code or the specification composition formula, The harness part number is A wire harness design support system characterized by:

5. 4. The wire harness design support system according to claim 3, The second specification is: When the first specification is the harness part number, The specification code or the specification composition formula A wire harness design support system characterized by:

6. 2. The wire harness design support system according to claim 1, When the first drawing data includes the specification table, The first drawing data is input to the specification table input means. A wire harness design support system characterized by:

7. 2. The wire harness design support system according to claim 1, The drawing data output means When the identifier of the first drawing data and the identifier of the second drawing data are the same value, The second drawing data is overwritten on the first drawing data. A wire harness design support system characterized by:

8. The wire harness design support system according to claim 1, further comprising: a conversion result output means for outputting a conversion result including at least information for identifying either or both of the object having the second specification converted by the specification conversion means and the object not having the second specification converted by the specification conversion means; A wire harness design support system comprising:

9. 3. The wire harness design support system according to claim 2, The conductor object or the insulator object is a distinguishing object that further holds either a plurality of the first specifications and part numbers corresponding to each of the specifications or a plurality of the second specifications and part numbers corresponding to each of the specifications. A wire harness design support system characterized by:

10. The wire harness design support system according to claim 9, further comprising: a conversion result output means for outputting a conversion result including at least information for specifying the use-differentiating object when the use-differentiating object includes the same value in a plurality of second specifications corresponding to a plurality of first specifications converted by the specification conversion means; A wire harness design support system comprising:

11. The wire harness design support system according to claim 1, further comprising: a conversion result output means for outputting a conversion result including at least information specifying the object that could not be converted when the specification conversion means is unable to convert the first specification into the second specification; A wire harness design support system comprising:

12. 2. The wire harness design support system according to claim 1, The drawing data output means outputting second drawing data including the object further holding the first specification corresponding to the second specification as a specification different from the second specification; A wire harness design support system characterized by:

13. In a method for supporting design of a wire harness, a drawing data input step of inputting first drawing data including an object holding at least a first specification for uniquely determining a wire harness; a specification table input step of inputting a specification table that defines a relationship between the first specification and a second specification that is different from the first specification and that uniquely determines at least the wire harness; a specification conversion step of converting the first specification held by the object included in the first drawing data inputted in the drawing data input step into the second specification based on the relationship between the first specification and the second specification defined in the specification table inputted in the specification table inputting step; a drawing data output step of outputting second drawing data including the object holding the second specification converted by the specification conversion step; A wire harness design support method comprising:

14. A program for causing a computer to function as the wire harness design support system according to claim 1.

15. A program for causing a computer to execute the wire harness design support method according to claim 13.

16. A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 14 or 15 is recorded.

Images