Topological Model for Complex CAD Assembly Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Complex CAD assemblies are difficult to navigate, making it challenging for designers to locate specific CAD models and perform design tasks such as analysis and redesign, which hinders the overall design process.
Innovation Solution
A design analysis engine generates a topological model as a graph of nodes and edges representing CAD models and their relationships, allowing users to interact with the model to navigate and perform design tasks automatically, including simulations and parameterization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If designers use CAD applications to generate complex CAD assemblies with thousands of CAD models, then the design capability and completeness are improved, but the difficulty of navigating and locating specific CAD models increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex CAD assembly into a hierarchical structure with multiple levels of abstraction. The system divides the assembly into subassemblies and individual components, allowing designers to navigate from high-level views down to specific parts. This segmentation enables efficient location of CAD models by organizing them in a tree structure where parents and children relationships are clearly defined, reducing navigation complexity in large assemblies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary data structure that acts as a mediator between the CAD assembly and the user interface. This intermediary layer processes and manages the complex relationships between CAD models, subassemblies, and components, providing a simplified interface for navigation and interaction. The intermediary handles the complexity of thousands of CAD models by abstracting them into manageable hierarchical nodes.
2Reliability
If CAD assemblies include thousands of interconnected CAD models, then the completeness of the design representation is improved, but the time required to locate and perform design tasks on specific models increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-processing the CAD assembly to build a hierarchical data structure before design tasks are executed. The system pre-establishes parent-child relationships, organizes CAD models into subassemblies, and creates an indexed structure that enables rapid retrieval. This preliminary organization allows designers to quickly locate specific CAD models without manually searching through thousands of components, significantly reducing task execution time while maintaining complete design representation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a simplified copy or representation of the CAD assembly in the form of a hierarchical data structure. This copy maintains the essential relationships and hierarchy of the original assembly but in a more manageable format for navigation and query operations. The copied structure allows rapid access to specific CAD models through the hierarchical index without requiring direct manipulation of the full complex assembly data.
3Measurement precision
If designers manually navigate complex CAD assemblies to perform design tasks, then the precision of design analysis is maintained, but the productivity and efficiency of the design process decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical navigation process with an automated computational system. Instead of designers manually browsing through thousands of CAD models, the system uses automated algorithms to traverse the hierarchical data structure, locate specific components, and execute design tasks. This substitution maintains analysis precision through systematic processing while dramatically improving productivity by eliminating time-consuming manual navigation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service functionality where the system automatically performs navigation and task execution without requiring manual intervention at each step. The hierarchical data structure enables the system to self-locate CAD models, self-traverse relationships between components, and self-execute design tasks based on user specifications. This automation maintains precision through systematic processing while freeing designers from repetitive manual navigation tasks.
Data Source
AI summary
A design analysis engine analyzes a CAD assembly to generate a topological model. The topological model is a graph of nodes coupled together via a set of edges. Each node represents a different CAD model in the CAD assembly and each edge represents a different connection between two such CAD models. The design analysis engine also analyzes the CAD assembly to generate a data model corresponding to the topological model. The data model is a structured dataset that includes component entries and connection entries. A component entry includes design data associated with a CAD model in the CAD assembly and a connection entry includes design data associated with a physical or logical connection between two or more such CAD models. A user interacts with the topological model to navigate the CAD assembly, obtain CAD model data, and initiate automatically-performed design tasks.