CAD Assembly Connection Entity for Rigid and Moving Parts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional CAD software methods for assembling parts into assemblies are complex and inefficient, as they rely on multiple mates to define attachments and movements, which can lead to user error, computational issues, and performance problems, and do not effectively represent limited movement or rigid connections.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of 'connections' as a single entity to represent the attachment and movement relationship between parts, replacing the traditional 'mate' concept, allowing for rigid and moving connections that encapsulate all attachment information, reducing the need for lower-level mates and constraint solvers, and enabling more intuitive definition of positions and movement limits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple mates are used to define attachment relationships between parts, then the assembly can represent complex movement and positioning, but the device complexity and computational requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate mate relationships into a single connection entity that encapsulates the attachment between two parts. Instead of using multiple mates to define position and movement, one connection object is created that contains all the necessary constraint information, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining the ability to represent complex assembly movements.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple mates and constraint solvers are used to define part attachments, then positioning can be achieved, but user errors and computational issues increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the constraint solving functionality from the user's direct control and encapsulates it within the connection object. The connection automatically manages the constraints between parts without requiring users to manually configure multiple mates, thereby reducing user errors. The system internally handles the computational aspects through the connection's constraint definition, improving reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional mate concepts are used for assembly, then geometric relationships can be defined, but the representation of limited movement and rigid connections becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic characteristics directly into the connection object, allowing it to represent different types of movements (rigid, limited, or flexible) based on the connection's properties. This dynamic approach enables the connection to adapt its behavior to match the actual physical attachment between parts, providing efficient representation of various movement types without requiring multiple static mate configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus that allows the user of a computer aided design (CAD) system to connect three-dimensional parts to create a three-dimensional assembly using connections that completely define the attachment between the parts attached to each other by that connection. The user can simultaneously define the orientations of the parts and their behavior. “Behavior” includes whether parts are rigidly connected or allowed to move relative to one and other, and if allowed to move, the nature and limits on that movement. Within any movement allowed, the user may specify key discrete orientations known to be important to the function of the assembly, such as orientations that limit movement within the assembly. The connection method creates a smaller, more consistent representation of the underlying constraints of the assembly, improving the reliability, performance, and ease of use of a CAD system in which it is used.