Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Product assembly or manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-10
2004-10-12
Picard, Leo (Department: 2125)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Product assembly or manufacturing
C700S182000, C700S017000, C703S002000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06804568
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 11-201972, filed Jul. 15, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a 3-D CAD (Computer-Aided Design)/CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) apparatus for generating NC data for processing a work from 3-D model data produced by a 3-D CAD apparatus.
In particular, this invention relates to a 3-D CAD/CAM data transfer method for data transfer between a 3-D CAD apparatus and a 3-D CAM apparatus, as well as the 3-D CAD apparatus, the 3-D CAM apparatus, a 3-D CAD/CAM apparatus, an NC process apparatus to which the 3-D CAD/CAM apparatus is applied, and a storage medium storing programs of the 3-D CAD/CAM data transfer method.
A 3-D CAD/CAM apparatus has been utilized in product manufacturing process, for example, in steps from product design to forming of casted components, etc.
The steps in the manufacturing process will now be described in brief with reference to FIG.
1
. To start with, product design is carried out using a 3-D CAD apparatus
1
in a design division, and a 3-D CAD model of the product is prepared.
3-D model data of the 3-D CAD model is converted by a standardized data exchange format
2
such as IGES or STEP. The converted data is sent to a 3-D CAM APPARATUS
3
.
In parallel with this, a product shape
4
is converted to a 2-D drawing (design drawing)
5
by a designer using the 3-D CAD apparatus
1
. Information
6
on items such as dimensions, process type and surface roughness is described on the 2-D drawing
5
, and thus another 2-D drawing
7
is prepared.
On the other hand, the 3-D CAM APPARATUS
3
receives 3-D model data from the 3-D CAD apparatus
1
. With reference to the 2-D drawing
7
, this 3-D model data is combined with information
8
on items such as a process location, a process type and surface roughness in an interactive mode with a manufacturing engineer.
The 3-D CAM APPARATUS
3
acquires development data, etc. of the product from the 3-D model data is combined with the information
8
on items such as a process location, a process type and surface roughness. On the basis of the development data, the 3-D CAM apparatus
3
calculates a path (process path) of a tool such as a cutter in an NC process machine. NC data
11
for actuating the NC process machine
9
and performing an NC process is generated from the cutter path
10
.
In this 3-D CAD/CAM apparatus, 3-D model data is converted by the data exchange format
2
such as IGES or STEP, and the converted data is transferred from the 3-D CAD apparatus
1
to the 3-D CAM apparatus
3
.
There is also known a apparatus, as shown in
FIG. 2
, which has a function wherein a material shape (or work shape)
12
as well as the product shape
4
is transferred to the 3-D CAM apparatus
3
, and the 3-D CAM apparatus
3
performs an arithmetic operation of (material shape—product shape) and automatically recognizes (
13
) a process location. “A-B” indicates to cut off essential shape B from foundation shape A. Model data representing the essential shape is called like a “feature”.
With the current data exchange standard, IGES or STEP, however, the product shape can be transferred to the 3-D CAM apparatus
3
as 3-D model data, but information on items such as a process type indicating a process to be carried out, and a dimensional tolerances, cannot be de transferred to the 3-D CAM apparatus
3
.
Under the circumstances, the designer, after designing the product shape
4
and component shapes using the 3-D CAD apparatus, has to take the trouble to convert the acquired 3-D model data to the 2-D drawing
5
and to describe the information on the dimensions, surface roughness and tolerances on the 2-D drawing
5
.
Moreover, the manufacturing engineer is required to determine the process location and process type by referring to the 2-D drawing
7
on which the dimensions, surface roughness and tolerances are described, and to produce the process path
10
by operating the 3-D CAM apparatus
3
in the interactive mode.
On the other hand, in order to adopt the method of performing the arithmetic operation of material shape product shape in the 3-D CAM apparatus
3
, the material shape
12
, too, needs to be produced on the 3-D CAD apparatus
1
. No problem arises if the material shape
12
can be defined by blocks as in the case of mold and die. However, in the case of a mold components with a complex shape such as a casted components, many steps are required to produce the material shape
12
.
Furthermore, in the above method, information on the process type and tolerances cannot be obtained on the basis of the process location extracted from the 3-D model data. Consequently, software for automatically determining the process type needs to be used, or a work for adding process information by referring to the 2-D drawing
7
, as mentioned above, needs to be performed.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a 3-D CAD/CAM data transfer method capable of transferring process information such as a process location, a process type and an tolerances by directly using 3-D model data, without the need to produce a material shape or a 2-D drawing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a 3-D CAD apparatus capable of adding process information such as a process location, a process type and tolerances to 3-D model data, without the need to produce a material shape or a 2-D drawing.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a 3-D CAM apparatus capable of extracting process information such as a process location, a process type and tolerances from 3-D model data transferred from a 3-D CAD apparatus.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a 3-D CAD/CAM apparatus capable of adding process information such as a process location, a process type and tolerances to 3-D model data, and extracting the process information such as a process location, a process type and tolerances from the 3-D model data, without the need to produce a material shape or a 2-D drawing.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an NC process apparatus for performing an NC process, with application of a 3-D CAD/CAM apparatus capable of adding process information such as a process location, a process type and tolerances to 3-D model data, and extracting the process information such as a process location, a process type and tolerances from the 3-D model data, without the need to produce a material shape or a 2-D drawing.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a storage medium storing programs of a 3-D CAD/CAM data transfer method capable of transferring process information such as a process location, a process type and tolerances by directly using 3-D model data, without the need to produce a material shape or a 2-D drawing.
In order to achieve the above objects, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data transfer method for transferring 3-D model data representing a 3-D model of a product to a 3-D CAM apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:
adding at least one of color attribute and line attribute corresponding to a process, as attribute data, to data of the 3-D model data, which data relates to a portion where the product represented by the 3-D model data is to be subjected to the process; and
storing the 3-D model data including the added attribute data in a file for use by the 3-D CAM apparatus, thereby transferring the 3-D model data including the added attribute data to the 3-D CAM apparatus.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a 3-D CAD apparatus comprising:
means for generating 3-D model data representing a 3-D model of a product; and
means for adding at least one of color attribute and line attribute corresponding to a process, as attribute data, to data of the generated 3-D model data, which data relates to a portion where the product r
Miyazaki Kouichi
Oouchi Noboru
Bahta Kidest
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Picard Leo
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