Harness Flattening That Preserves 3D Route Segment Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing CAD software fails to accurately represent the 3D orientation of wire route segments and components in flattened 2D drawings of electrical harnesses, leading to inaccuracies in manufacturing, especially in tight spaces and with inflexible bundled wires.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced to maintain 3D orientation of route segments and components during the flattening process by calculating translation and rotation transformations to align 2D and 3D tangents at junction points, ensuring that the flattened representation accurately reflects the 3D design, including correct wire orientations and connector positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If all wires are flattened in 2D representation, then the harness can be presented for manufacturing, but the 3D orientation details of route segments and components are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by calculating transformation matrices that map 3D route segment orientations to 2D flattened representations. The system computes tangent vectors in 3D space, applies rotation and translation transformations, and projects these onto the 2D plane while maintaining orientation relationships. This allows the 2D drawing to encode 3D orientation information through mathematical transformation rather than visual preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes parameters by computing transformation matrices that include rotation angles and translation offsets. These parameter transformations allow the system to represent 3D orientation data in 2D space by adjusting positional and angular parameters. The tangent vectors and their transformations serve as parameter changes that preserve orientation information across dimensional reduction.
2Manufacturing precision
If 3D details are maintained in flattened drawings, then manufacturing accuracy improves, but the complexity of the flattening process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the harness into individual route segments with distinct tangent vectors at junction points. Each segment is processed independently through the transformation matrix calculation, allowing the system to maintain 3D orientation details without requiring complex global transformations. This segmentation approach reduces overall process complexity by breaking down the problem into manageable per-segment operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual or mechanical methods of preserving 3D details with automated mathematical transformations. Instead of physical 3D modeling or complex graphical operations, the system uses tangent vector calculations and matrix transformations to automatically maintain orientation accuracy. This substitution of mechanical processes with computational mathematics reduces process complexity while improving precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A 3D modeled CAD object is flattened to a two dimensional 2D representation while maintaining a user selected wiring component represented in 3D. A user selected 3D component has a connector and a route segment with at least one stored sketch segment. A 3D and 2D tangent are calculated at a junction point of the route segment. A translation and rotation transformation is calculated to align the 2D and 3D tangents at the junction point. A calculated transformation matrix based on the translation and rotation transformation is used to display a flattened unconnected route segment aligned with the user selected 3D component.