INFORMATION GENERATING PROGRAM, INFORMATION GENERATING
METHOD, AND INFORMATION GENERATING APPARATUS
FIELD
The embodiments discussed herein are related to an
information generating program, an information generating
method, and an information generation apparatus generating
information.
BACKGROUND
Conventionally, when generating 3D assembly
animation using 3D models, a user must define motions one
by one for each component making up a product. For example,
a digital appliance, a personal computer (PC), or an office
device such as a multifunctional machine has several tens
to several thousands of components or, in some cases,
several tens of thousands of components. The work involved
in generating assembly animation of such a product consumes
an immense amount of time.
Therefore, technologies exist that automatically
generate assembly animation. Conventional techniques
recognized as an automatic creating function for assembly
animation using 3D models include a technology (1) in which
the user defines a motion of each component to generate
animation based on the information.
The conventional technology (1) includes a technique
of defining the motion of a 3D model based on disassembly
definition information set by the user (see, for example,
Japanese Patent No. 4291321). The conventional technology
(1) also includes a technique of defining motions based on
assembly order, component data, and assembly direction data
set by the user (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open
Patent Publication No. H8-106486).
Although assembly animation is automatically
generated by the conventional technology (1), motions such
as the pullout direction and movement amount of a component
serving as a basis of the animation must be defined.
Therefore, a technology (2) exists in which a system
automatically defines the motion of a component to generate
animation. The conventional technology (2) includes a
technique of using an interference check technique to
detect the occurrence of interference for six axes of a
coordinate system of a component making up the product so
as to determine a disassembly direction based on the
interpretation that the component can be disassembled in a
direction that causes no interference (see, for example,
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. H10-312208).
Nonetheless, since the interference check is
performed in the conventional technology (2), a great deal
of time is consumed until a result is obtained. For a
product scale (several tens of thousands of components)
used in actual operation, an immense amount of computation
time is consumed to extract an interference result.
Therefore, the conventional technology (2) consumes a great
deal of time to extract a result, i.e., to generate
animation.
The conventional technology (2) has a problem of low
versatility. For example, one product includes a
multiplicity of components based on the premise that
interference occurs at the time of assembly or in the
middle of assembly. In many products, interference
generating components such as E-rings, clips, and screws
account for 70% or more of the components.
An E-ring or a clip is fit to a shaft component in a
direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the shaft
component. Therefore, if the E-ring or the clip is pulled
out from the shaft component, the E-ring or the clip is
pulled out in an orthogonal direction instead of the axial
direction and therefore, the E-ring or the clip interferes
with the shaft component.
A screw may be designed such that a thread groove is
not formed on the shaft of a screw or on the inner surface
of a screw hole. In this case, the screw is caused to
interfere with the screw hole by making the diameter of the
screw shaft larger (or smaller) than the diameter of the
screw hole. Since interference is caused by E-rings, clips,
and screws accounting for the large portion of components,
the conventional technology (2) has a problem the
components that can be disassembled are limited.
SUMMARY
According to an aspect of an embodiment, a computer-
readable recording medium stores a program for causing a
computer to execute an information generating process that
includes selecting an arbitrary model from a storage device
storing assembly data of an assembly assembled from
multiple models; projecting in multiple directions, the
selected arbitrary model to a first area in a color
different from a background color of the first area to
generate first projection images, and projecting in the
directions and to a second area of the same size as the
first area, the arbitrary model in a color different from
the background color and another model other than the
arbitrary model in the same color as the background color
to generate second projection images; comparing among the
generated first and second projection images, projection
images having identical verification directions selected
from among the directions, to calculate a score indicative
of a matching degree between the projection images for each
of the verification directions; and determining from the
assembly data and as a disassembly direction for
disassembling the arbitrary model, a direction opposite to
the verification direction of the projection image having
the highest score among the calculated scores, to associate
and store the disassembly direction and the arbitrary model
to the storage device.
The object and advantages of the invention will be
realized and attained by means of the elements and
combinations particularly pointed out in the claims.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing
general description and the following detailed description
are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of
the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of information
generation according to an embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example of data input to
the information generating apparatus according to the
embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example of an assembly
tree 202 depicted in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example of an assembly;
FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example of a data
structure of component information;
FIG. 6 is a diagram of an example of a data
structure of assembly information;
FIG. 7 is a diagram of the relative coordinate value
and the relative orientation depicted in FIGs. 5 and 6;
FIGs. 8A and 8B are explanatory views of a
conversion example of the assembly tree 202;
FIG. 9 is a diagram of separated manufacturing flows
901 to 907 obtained by separating a manufacturing flow 802
depicted in FIG. 8B based on parent-child relationships;
FIG. 10 is a diagram of an example of a data
structure of a node;
FIG. 11 is a diagram of an example of a list
structure of a separated manufacturing flow;
FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a hardware
configuration of the information generating apparatus
according to the embodiment;
FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an example of a
functional configuration of an information generating
apparatus 1300;
FIGs. 14A, 14B and 14C are explanatory views of
examples of a rotating body judgment;
FIG. 15 is an explanatory view of an example of a
plate-like body judgment;
FIGs. 16A and 16B are explanatory views of a first
interference judgment example;
FIG. 17 is an explanatory view of a second
interference judgment example;
FIGs. 18A, 18B and 18C are explanatory views of a
viewpoint setting example;
FIG. 19 is a diagram of an example of a setting of a
movement amount;
FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of an information generating process by the
information generating apparatus 1300;
FIG. 21 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of the information setting process {step S2001)
depicted in FIG. 20;
FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of the disassembly direction detecting process
(step S2109) depicted in FIG. 21;
FIG. 23 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of a score calculating process (step S2209)
depicted in FIG. 22;
FIG. 24 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of a projection silhouette process (step S2301)
depicted in FIG. 23;
FIG. 25 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of a rotating body judging process (step S2303)
depicted in FIG. 23;
FIG. 26 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of a plate-like body judging process (step S2304)
depicted in FIG. 23;
FIG. 27 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of a disassembly direction judging process (step
S2305) depicted in FIG. 23;
FIG. 28 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of an interference judging process (step S2306)
depicted in FIG. 23;
FIG. 29 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of a viewpoint setting process (step S2110)
depicted in FIG. 21;
FIG. 30 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of a movement amount setting process (step S2111)
depicted in FIG. 21; and
FIG. 31 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of the reproducing process (step S2002) depicted
in FIG. 20.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of an information generating
program, an information generating method, and an
information generating apparatus according to the present
invention will be explained with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of information
generation according to the embodiment. FIG. 1 depicts an
example of assembly data (hereinafter, "assembly") 103
representing an assembly of a shaft 102, which is
represented by component data (hereinafter, "component"),
and an E-ring 101, which also is represented by component
data. The E-ring 101 is not assembled in an axial
direction of the shaft 102 (+Z or -Z in FIG. 1) and is
assembled in a +X direction orthogonal to the axial
direction. The E-ring 101 interferes with the shaft 102 by
being attached to the shaft 102. The E-ring 101 is not
disassembled in an axial direction of the shaft 102 ( + Z or
-Z direction in FIG. 1) and is disassembled in a -X
direction orthogonal to the axial direction.
In this case, in a conventional interference check,
a large computation load is created and the E-ring 101
interferes with the shaft 102 in the assembly direction
(+X) , the disassembly direction (-X), and the axial
directions (+Z, -Z). Therefore, the information generating
apparatus generates projection images (a) to (f) of the E-
ring 101 with respect to the six directions +X to -Z.
The projection images (a) to (f) are images
projected to a bitmap image area of a predetermined size
(e.g., 200x200 pixels) at a predetermined magnification.
In the present example, the background color of bitmap
images is assumed to be black and the color of the object,
i.e., the E-ring 101, is assumed to be white, The colors
are not limited to the combination of black and white
provided the background color and the color of the object
differ from one another.
Similarly, the information generating apparatus
displays another component, sets the color thereof to black,
which is the same as the background color, and generates
projection images (A) to (F) of the E-ring 101 from the
respective directions. The projection images (A) to (F)
are images projected to a bitmap of the same size as the
projection images (a) to (f) at the same magnification.
The information generating apparatus compares the
projection images (a) to (f) and the projection images (A)
to (F), respectively according to direction and, for
example, for each of projection image sets {(a),(A)} to
{(f)/(F)}. The information generating apparatus detects
the set having the highest matching degree, i.e., the
largest number of matching white bits, and determines the
projection direction of the projection image to be the
assembly direction. In the case of the example depicted in
FIG. 1, the projection image set {(a),(A)} has the highest
matching degree and no other obstructive component exists
when the E-ring 101 is disassembled. Therefore, the +X
direction is determined as the assembly direction and the
opposing -X direction is determined as the disassembly
direction. As a result, the E-ring 101 is attached to the
shaft 102 in the +X direction and can be disassembled in
the -X direction.
As described, the information generating apparatus
according to the embodiment can detect assembly direction
and disassembly direction, which are undetectable in a
conventional interference check, for components such as the
E-ring 101 included among an immense number of components.
Since a conventional interference check is not performed,
the information generating apparatus can reduce the
computation load. Since the assembly direction and the
disassembly direction are detected by a simple comparison
of projection images, the information generating apparatus
can achieve faster detection speeds. In FIG. 1, although
the E-ring 101 is taken as an example, the information
generating apparatus is applicable to components, such as
clips and screws, that interfere with the assembly
counterpart. Therefore, the information generating
apparatus is not dependent on the type of product to be
assembled and can improve versatility.
FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example of data input to
the information generating apparatus according to the
embodiment. Input data 200 is data transmitted from a
three-dimensional, computer aided design (CAD) system, for
example. FIG. 2 depicts the input data 200 of a mouse as
an example.
The input data 200 includes a three-dimensional
model 201 of the target product (mouse in FIG. 2) that is
to be the subject of information generation, and an
assembly tree 202 of the three-dimensional model 201. The
assembly tree 202 is hierarchically structured information
representing configurations of assemblies and components
making up the three-dimensional model 2 01.
FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example of the assembly
tree 202 depicted in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, a top assembly A0
represents the three-dimensional model 201 of the mouse.
In the example depicted in FIG. 3, the top assembly A0
includes assemblies A1 and A5 and a component p10.
Assembly Al includes assemblies A2 and A3, Assembly A2
includes components p1 and p2.
An assembly in the next higher hierarchy is referred
to as a parent assembly. For example, the parent assembly
of assembly A2 is assembly A1. An assembly in the next
lower hierarchy is referred to as a child assembly. For
example, the child assemblies of assembly Al are the
assemblies A2 and A3.
An assembly is a model made up of components and
assemblies. A component is a minimum unit model that
cannot be further reduced. Therefore, assemblies and
components are collectively referred to as a model.
Description will hereinafter be made with reference to FIG.
4.
FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example of an assembly.
In FIG. 4, an assembly 400 includes a gear 401 and an
assembly 404 of shafts 402 and 403.
FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example of a data
structure of component information. Component information
500 is information belonging to components in a three-
dimensional model and is information extracted from the
input data 200 by the information generating apparatus when
the information generating apparatus acquires the input
data 200.
In FIG. 5, the component information 500 includes an
identification information field, a shape information field,
a relative coordinate value field, a relative orientation
field, a top-priority direction field, a 6-axis score field,
a viewpoint field, and a movement amount field. The
identification information field stores identification
information uniquely identifying a component. In FIG, 5,
pi is stored as the identification information.
The shape information field further includes a facet
field and a facet normal vector field. The facet field
stores facets of a component. In FIG. 5, ni facets fi-1 to
fi-ni are stored. Each of the facets fi-1 to fi-ni is
polygon data of a triangle making up the component and has
triangle vertex coordinate values based on a local
coordinate system of the component. The facet normal
vector field stores ni normal vectors vi-1 to vi-ni for the
facets fi-1 to fi-ni.
The relative coordinate value field stores a
relative coordinate value from an origin of a parent
assembly in a local coordinate system of the parent
assembly (a global coordinate system if the parent assembly
is the top assembly AO). In FIG. 5, a relative coordinate
value Ci is stored. The relative orientation field stores
a relative orientation Ri from an orientation of a parent
assembly in the local coordinate system of the parent
assembly (the global coordinate system if the parent
assembly is the top assembly AO). The relative orientation
Ri is expressed by a 3x3 matrix, for example.
The top-priority direction field includes an
assembly direction field and a disassembly direction field.
At the stage of acquiring the input data 200, nothing is
stored in the assembly direction field and the disassembly
direction field. If the assembly direction and the
disassembly direction are detected as depicted in FIG. 1,
the detected directions are stored. For example, in the
component information 500 of the E-ring 101 depicted in FIG.
1, "+X" and "-X" are stored as the assembly direction and
the disassembly direction, respectively.
The 6-axis score field includes fields of the axes
(+X1 to -Zl) of the local coordinate system and fields of
the axes (+Xg to -Zg) of the global coordinate system. At
the stage of acquiring the input data 200, nothing is
stored in the 6-axis score field, and when 6-axis scores
are calculated, the calculated scores are stored. A 6-axis
score is an index value indicative of the suitability of
each axis as the assembly direction. In this example, a
higher score is assumed to indicate better suitability.
The calculation of the 6-axis score will be described later.
The viewpoint field stores a viewpoint coordinate
value. When a model is moved in a disassembly direction,
if the disassembly direction is identical to a viewpoint
direction, the movement in the disassembly direction is
less visible even when animation of the disassembly state
is reproduced. Therefore, a viewpoint coordinate value of
a shifted viewpoint position is stored and when the
animation of the disassembly state is reproduced, the
animation is displayed in the viewpoint direction from the
viewpoint coordinate value so as to facilitate visibility.
FIG. 6 is a diagram of an example of a data
structure of assembly information. Assembly information
600 is information belonging to assemblies in a three-
dimensional model and is information extracted from the
input data 200 by the information generating apparatus when
the input data 200 is acquired.
In FIG. 6, the assembly information 600 includes an
identification information field, an immediately lower
constituent model count field, parent assembly
identification information, a relative coordinate value
field, a relative orientation field, a top-priority
direction field, a 6-axis score field, a viewpoint field,
and a movement amount field. The fields other than the
immediately lower constituent model count field and the
parent assembly identification information are the same as
those in the component information 500 and will not be
described.
The immediately lower constituent model count field
stores an immediately lower constituent model count mj.
The immediately lower constituent model count is the number
of constituent models in the next lower hierarchy of the
target assembly. Even if located in the next lower
hierarchy, a model other than a constituent model is not
counted. For example, in the case of assembly A3 depicted
FIG. 3, although assembly A4 and the components pi to p4,
p7, and p8 are in the next lower hierarchy, the constituent
models in the next lower hierarchy of assembly A3 are
assembly A4 and the components p3 and p4. Therefore, the
immediately lower constituent model count mj in the case of
assembly A3 is mj=3.
The parent assembly identification information field
stores parent assembly identification information Aj. For
example, in the case of assembly A3, the parent assembly is
assembly Al and therefore, Al is stored in the parent
assembly identification information field. This enables
the information generating apparatus to identify parent-
child relationships among the assemblies.
FIG. 7 is a diagram of the relative coordinate value
and the relative orientation depicted in FlGs. 5 and 6. In
this example, the relative coordinate value and the
relative orientation of a model M will be described. In
FIG. 7, a global coordinate system including an Xg axis, a
Yg axis, and a Zg axis are defined as Cg. QO is the origin
of the global coordinate system Cg. The global coordinate
system Cg is a space for defining a model MO that is the
top assembly AO depicted in FIG. 3. The coordinate values
of facets making up the model MO are set based on the
origin QO.
Ql is the origin of a local coordinate system Cll
including an Xll axis, a Yll axis, and a Zll axis. The
local coordinate system Cll is a space for defining a model
Ml that is assembly Al having the top assembly AO depicted
in FIG. 3 as the parent assembly, for example. The origin
Ql of the local coordinate system Cll is determined by a
relative position to the origin QO of the global coordinate
system Cg. The coordinate values of facets making up the
model Ml are set based on the origin Ql. A relative
orientation Rl of the local coordinate system Cll is a
relative orientation from the orientation of the model MO
in the global coordinate system Cg.
Q2 is the origin of a local coordinate system C12
including an X12 axis, a Y12 axis, and a Z12 axis. The
local coordinate system C12 is a space for defining a model
M2 that is assembly A2 having assembly Al depicted in FIG.
3 as the parent assembly, for example. The origin Q2 of
the local coordinate system C12 is determined by a relative
position to the origin Ql of the local coordinate system
Cll. The coordinate values of facets making up the model
M2 are set based on the origin Q2. A relative orientation
R2 of the local coordinate system Cll is a relative
orientation from the orientation of the model Ml in the
local coordinate system Cll.
As described above, a relative coordinate value of a
model is determined based on an origin determined by a
relative position from the origin of the parent assembly,
and an orientation of a model is set based on the
orientation of the parent assembly.
FIGs. 8A and 8B are explanatory views of a
conversion example of the assembly tree 202. FIG. 8A
depicts a state of the assembly tree 202 depicted in FIG. 3
converted into an equivalent manufacturing flow 8 01. The
conversion into the manufacturing flow 801 may be performed
manually or automatically. In the manufacturing flow 801
depicted in FIG. 8A, the top-to-bottom direction indicates
assembly order such as combining the components p7 and p8
into assembly A6 and combining the component p9 and
assembly A6 into assembly A5, for example. Therefore, the
opposite bottom-to-top direction indicates disassembly
order.
In a manufacturing flow 802 depicted in FIG. 8B,
processes are inserted at desired positions. The processes
are inserted via user operation. The processes indicate
operations necessary for assembling. For example, in FIG.
8B, the component p2 is subjected to a process F2 and then
combined with the component pi to obtain assembly A2.
FIG. 9 is a diagram of separated manufacturing flows
901 to 907 obtained by separating the manufacturing flow
802 depicted in FIG. 8B based on parent-child relationships.
For example, the separated manufacturing flow 902 is a flow
depicting assembly of the assemblies A2 and A3 to generate
assembly Al. The separated manufacturing flow 903 is a
flow depicting assembly of the components pi and p2 to
generate assembly A2.
A data structure of the manufacturing flow 802 will
be described. In the embodiment, as an example, the
component information 500 and the assembly information 600
described above are managed in a list structure that links
nodes.
FIG. 10 is a diagram of an example of a data
structure of a node. In FIG. 10, a node includes a node
number, node information, and a pointer to next node. The
node number is a number indicative of assembly order and is
assigned sequentially from one according to the
manufacturing flow 802. The ascending order of the node
number indicates the assembly order and the reverse order
thereof indicates the disassembly order.
The node information includes model identification
information, a type flag, a flow symbol, and process
information. The model identification information is
identification information of the component or the assembly
corresponding to the node. The model identification
information can be used as a pointer to specify the
component information 500 or the assembly information 600.
The type flag is a flag identifying the type
(component, assembly, and process) of the node. For
example, the type flags of component, assembly, and process
are "0", "1", and "2", respectively. The flow symbol is a
symbol depicted in FIG. 8. The process information is a
character string indicative of details of a process if the
type of the node is "process". The character string is
input via user operation
The pointer to next node stores the node number of
the next node. As a result, the next node can be specified.
A node is also specified from the next node. If the next
node does not exist, the node is the last node and
therefore, "NULL" is stored.
FIG. 11 is a diagram of an example of a list
structure of a separated manufacturing flow. A list
structure 1101 depicted in FIG. 11 is a list structure of
the separated manufacturing flow 901 depicted in FIG. 9 and
nodes Nl to N5 are concatenated.
FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a hardware
configuration of the information generating apparatus
according to the embodiment. As depicted in FIG. 12, the
information generating apparatus includes a central
processing unit (CPU) 1201, a read-only memory (ROM) 1202,
a random access memory (RAM) 1203, a magnetic disk drive
1204, a magnetic disk 1205, an optical disk drive 1206, an
optical disk 1207, a display 1208, an interface (I/F) 1209,
a keyboard 1210, a mouse 1211, a scanner 1212, and a
printer 1213, respectively connected by a bus 1200.
The CPU 1201 governs overall control of the
information generating apparatus. The ROM 1202 stores
therein programs such as a boot program. The RAM 1203 is
used as a work area of the CPU 1201. The magnetic disk
drive 1204, under the control of the CPU 1201, controls the
reading and writing of data with respect to the magnetic
disk 1205. The magnetic disk 1205 stores therein data
written under control of the magnetic disk drive 1204.
The optical disk drive 1206, under the control of
the CPU 1201, controls the reading and writing of data with
respect to the optical disk 1207. The optical disk 1207
stores therein data written under control of the optical
disk drive 1206, the data being read by a computer.
The display 1208 displays, for example, data such as
text, images, functional information, etc., in addition to
a cursor, icons, and/or tool boxes. A liquid crystal
display, a plasma display, and the like may be employed as
the display 1208.
The I/F 1209 is connected to a network 1214 such as
a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and
the Internet through a communication line and is connected
to other apparatuses through the network 1214. The I/F
1209 administers an internal interface with the network
1214 and controls the input/output of data from/to external
apparatuses. For example, a modem or a LAN adaptor may be
employed as the I/F 1209.
The keyboard 1210 includes, for example, keys for
inputting letters, numerals, and various instructions and
performs the input of data. Alternatively, a touch-panel-
type input pad or numeric keypad, and the like may be
adopted. The mouse 1211 is used to move the cursor, select
a region, or move and change the size of windows. A track
ball or a joy stick may be adopted provided each
respectively has a function similar to a pointing device.
The scanner 1212 optically reads an image and takes
in the image data into the information generating apparatus.
The scanner 1212 may have an optical character reader (OCR)
function as well. The printer 1213 prints image data and
text data. The printer 1213 may be, for example, a laser
printer or an ink jet printer.
FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an example of a
functional configuration of an information generating
apparatus 1300. The information generating apparatus 1300
includes a storage unit 1301, an input unit 1302, a
selecting unit 1303, a generating unit 1304, a calculating
unit 1305, a judging unit 1306, a determining unit 1307, a
setting unit 1308, and a reproducing unit 1309.
For example, the function of the storage unit 1301
is implemented by a storage device such as the ROM 1202,
the RAM 1203, the magnetic disk 1205, and the optical disk
1207 depicted in FIG. 12. For example, the functions of
the input unit 1302 to the reproducing unit 1309 are
implemented by the CPU 1201 executing programs stored in a
storage device such as the ROM 1202, the RAM 1203, the
magnetic disk 12 05, and the optical disk 1207 depicted in
FIG. 12, or by the I/F 1209.
The input unit 1302 receives data input. For
example, the input unit 1302 receives the input of the
three-dimensional model 201 and the assembly tree 202 as
depicted in FIG. 2. The input data 200 is stored to the
storage unit 1301. The storage unit 1301 is assumed to
subsequently store the component information 500 depicted
in FIG. 5, the assembly information 600 depicted in FIG. 6,
the manufacturing flow depicted in FIG. 8B, and the list
structure depicted in FIG. 11.
The selecting unit 1303 selects a model from the
storage device storing an assembly assembled from multiple
models. In this example, a list structure of a separated
manufacturing flow to be processed is assumed to have been
specified. The selecting unit 1303 sequentially selects
the models from the last node of the list structure.
For example, in the case of the list structure 1101
depicted in FIG. 11, the selecting unit 1303 sequentially
selects models beginning from the last node N5 and thus,
selects the component plO 1 and then selects assembly A5 of
the node N4 . Since the next node N3 is a process, no
selection is made, and the selecting unit 1303 selects
assembly Al of the node N2. After selection has been made
from the leading node Nl, the selecting operation ends
since no models to be selected remain.
The generating unit 1304 projects the model selected
by the selecting unit 1303 to a first area in a color
different from the background color of the first area in
multiple directions to generate first projection images.
For example, the generating unit 1304 respectively
generates the first projection images of the selected model
in the six directions (+X1 to -Zl) of the local coordinate
system and the six directions (+Xg to -Zg) of the global
coordinate system. The first area acting as the projection
area is a bitmap image area of a predetermined size (e.g.,
200x200 pixels) as depicted in FIG. 1, for example. If the
local coordinate system is identical to the global
coordinate system, the generating unit 1304 generates the
projection images in the six directions of either
coordinate system, thereby preventing redundant processing
from being performed and increasing the speed of processing.
If the local coordinate system is identical to the
global coordinate system, the generating unit 1304
generates the projection images (a) to (f) as the first
projection images as depicted in FIG. 1. In this case, the
selected model (the E-ring 101) is projected in a color
(white) different from the background color (e.g., black).
Therefore, the bits of projected portions of the selected
model are counted. The local coordinate system may not be
identical to the global coordinate system. For example, in
the global coordinate system, a model may obliquely be
assembled relative to the local coordinate system of the
model. In such a case, the first and the second projection
images are generated in 12 directions, respectively.
The generating unit 1304 projects the selected model
to a second area of an identical size to the first area,
sets the color of the selected model to a color different
from the background color, sets models other than the
selected model to the same color as the background, and
thereby, generating the second projection images. For
example, the generating unit 1304 respectively generates
the second projection images of the selected model in the
six directions (+X1 to -Zl) of the local coordinate system
and the six directions f+Xg to -Zg) of the global
coordinate system. The second area acting as a projection
area and having the same size as the first area is a bitmap
image area of a predetermined size (e.g., 200x200 pixels)
depicted in FIG. 1, for example. If the local coordinate
system is identical to the global coordinate system, the
generating unit 1304 generates the projection images in the
six directions of either coordinate system, thereby
preventing redundant processing from being performed and
increasing the speed of processing.
Similarly, if the local coordinate system is
identical to the global coordinate system, the generating
unit 1304 generates projection images (A) to (F) as the
second projection images as depicted in FIG. 1. In this
case, the selected model (e.g., the E-ring 101 depicted in
FIG. 1) is projected in a color (white) different from the
background color (e.g., black) and another model (e.g., the
shaft 102 depicted in FIG. 1) is projected in the
background color. Therefore, the bits of projected
portions of the selected model in an interference state are
counted.
The calculating unit 1305 compares the first and the
second projection images generated by the generating unit
1304. The calculating unit 1305 compares projected images
having the same verification direction that is selected
from among multiple directions. The calculating unit 1305
thereby calculates a score indicative of a matching degree
between the projection images for each verification
direction. Details will be described with reference to FIG.
1. In this description, the coordinate system depicted in
FIG. 1 is considered a local coordinate system.
The verification direction selected from among
multiple directions is a direction sequentially selected
from +X to -Z in the case depicted in FIG. 1. The
calculating unit 1305 compares the projection images having
the same verification direction. For example, if the
verification direction is +X, the calculating unit 1305
compares the projection images (a) and (A), and if the
verification direction is -X, the calculating unit 1305
compares the projection images (b) and (B). For example,
the comparison is made as follows.
Below are count results WB1 of the number of white
bits representative of the E-ring that is the selected
model in the projection images (a) to (f) in FIG. 1.
WB1(a)- 2000
WB1(b)= 2000
WB1(c)= 2000
WB1(d) = 2000
WB1(e)=13000
WB1(f)-13000
Below are count results WB2 of the number of white
bits representative of the E-ring that is the selected
model in the projection images (A) to (F) in FIG. 1.
WB2(A)-2000
WB2(B)=1700
WB2(C)=2000
WB2(D)=1700
WB2(E)=9000
WB2(F)=9500
The calculating unit 1305 calculates a score between
the results of the same direction. By way of example, the
score is calculated by the following Equation (1).
score Bp=(WBl/WB2)xl00 (1)
Therefore, scores Bp for each verification direction
are as follows.
Bp(+Xl}=100
Bp(-Xl)= 85
Bp(+Yl)=100
Bp(-Yl)= 85
Bp(+Zl)= 70
Bp(-Zl)= 73
Since the second projection images represent an
interference state with another model and an interference
portion is indicated by black bits, the score Bp is a score
equal to or less than 100. When the interference state is
not generated in the second projection image, the score Bp
is the maximum score of 100. Therefore, when the score Bp
is higher, the number of matches becomes higher between the
projected locations (white bits) of the selected model in
the first projection image and the projected locations
(white bits) of the selected model in the second projection
image. In other words, a higher number of matches means
fewer locations of interference with the selected model in
the direction opposite to the verification direction.
Therefore, the selected model is more likely to be pulled
out in the direction opposite to the verification direction.
In the example described above, since the score Bp is 100
in both the +X direction and the +Y direction, this
indicates that the selected model is likely to be
disassembled in the opposite direction, i.e., the -X
direction or the -Y direction.
The judging unit 1306 has a rotating body judging
unit 1361, a plate-like body judging unit 1362, a direction
judging unit 1363, and an interference judging unit 1364.
Through the judgments performed by the rotating body
judging unit 1361 to the interference judging unit 1364,
the judging unit increases or decreases the score Bp. The
rotating body judging unit 1361 to the interference judging
unit 1364 are arbitrarily implemented. For example, the
rotating body judging unit 1361 to the interference judging
unit 1364 may all be implemented, or at least one of the
units may be implemented. In other cases, none of the
units may be implemented.
The rotating body judging unit 1361 will be
described. The rotating body judgment is made as a
condition for increasing the score Bp since "with regard to
an assembly direction of a model having a shape of a
rotating body, the model has a high rate of being assembled
in the rotational axis direction" in actual assembly
operation. If the selected model is judged to be a
rotating body when viewed in the verification direction,
the current viewpoint direction, i.e., the verification
direction, is the rotational axis direction. The details
of the rotating body judgment will hereinafter be described.
The rotating body judging unit 1361 judges whether
the selected model is a rotating body based on the
dimensions of a rectangle circumscribing a projection image
of the selected model projected in the verification
direction and the dimensions of a rectangle circumscribing
a rotated projection image when the projected image is
rotated by a predetermined angle.
For example, the rotating body judging unit 1361
calculates a bounding box of the selected model in the
coordinate system of the verification direction. The
coordinate system of the verification direction is the
local coordinate system of the selected model if the
verification direction is +X1 to -Zl and is the global
coordinate system of the selected model if the verification
direction is +Xg to -Zg. The bounding box is a rectangular
parallelepiped circumscribing the selected model.
The rotating body judging unit 1361 projects the
bounding box to a projection plane of two axes orthogonal
to the verification direction to generate a projection
image. For example, if the verification direction is +X1,
the rotating body judging unit 1361 projects the bounding
box to the projection plane including +Y1 and +Z1
orthogonal to +X1. The rotating body judging unit 1361
defines a vertical length and a horizontal length of the
projection image of the bounding box as V and H,
respectively, to obtain an aspect ratio V/H.
The rotating body judging unit 1361 generates
projection images of the rotated selected model when the
projection image of the selected model projected along with
the bounding box is rotated counterclockwise (or clockwise)
by 0, 15, 30, and 45 degrees using the center of the
projection image as the rotation center. Although the
projection image is rotated thrice by 15 degrees, a user
can arbitrarily set the incremental angle and the number of
rotations.
When the projection image of the selected model is
rotated, the projection image of the bounding box
circumscribing the selected model is changed in the
vertical length H and the horizontal length H. If a change
in the aspect ratio V/H due to the rotation falls within an
acceptable range, the selected model is judged to be a
rotating body.
FIGs. 14A, 14B, 14C are explanatory views of
examples of the rotating body judgment. FIG. 14A is an
example when the projection image of the selected model is
a square; FIG. 14B is an example when the projection image
of the selected model is a pentagon; and FIG. 14C is an
example when the projection image of the selected model is
a regular octagon.
In FIGs. 14A and 14C, the aspect ratio V/H is 1.0 at
each rotation angle and therefore, the selected model is
judged to be a rotating body. In contrast, in FIG. 14B,
since the aspect ratio V/H is out of an acceptable range
(1.010.05) at the rotation angles of 15, 30, and 45 degrees,
it is judged that the selected model is not a rotating body.
In this example, although it is judged that the selected
model is not a rotating body if the aspect ratio V/H is out
of the acceptable range at all the rotation angles of 15,
30, and 45 degrees, the selected model may be judged to not
be a rotating body if at least one angle causes the aspect
ratio V/H to be outside the acceptable range.
If the selected model is judged to be a rotating
body, the calculating unit 1305 adds an additional score
Apl of the selected model to the score Bp.
The plate-like body judging unit 1362 will be
described. The plate-like body judgment is made because "a
direction normal to a plate surface is desirable in terms
of support at the time of assembly (grabbing with arms) and
position adjustment" in actual assembly operation. The
details of the plate-like body judgment will hereinafter be
described.
The plate-like body judging unit 13 62 judges whether
the selected model is a plate-like body assembled in the
verification direction based on the length of the selected
model in the verification direction and the length in a
direction other than the verification direction and the
opposite direction thereof among multiple directions. For
example, the plate-like body judging unit 1362 calculates a
bounding box of the selected model in the coordinate system
of the verification direction.
The plate-like body judging unit 1362 obtains the
lengths of the bounding box in three axial directions
defined in the coordinate system of the verification
direction. The plate-like body judging unit 1362 judges
whether the lengths in the directions of two axes other
than the verification direction are equal to a
predetermined multiple of (e.g., 20 times longer than) the
length in the verification direction. If the lengths are
equal to or greater than the predetermined multiple, the
selected model is judged to be a plate-like body
FIG. 15 is an explanatory view of an example of the
plate-like body judgment. In FIG. 15, B denotes a bounding
box of a selected model and D(j) denotes a verification
direction. LI to L3 denote the lengths of the bounding box
B in the axial directions of the coordinate system of the
verification direction D{j). LI denotes a length in the
verification direction D(j). In this case, if L2 and L3
have lengths equal to or greater than a predetermined
multiple of LI, the selected model used for the calculation
of the bounding box B is judged to be a plate-like body.
If the selected model is judged to be a plate-like
body, the calculating unit 1305 adds an additional score
Ap2 to the score Bp.
The direction judging unit 1363 will be described.
The direction judgment is made as a score-increasing
process based on the concept that a score is increased when
unnecessary rotation and reversal of a model of the
assembly destination is avoided since it is preferred that
the same assembly direction be continuously used in
consideration of "assembly operation". Therefore, the
direction judging unit 13 63 checks the disassembly
direction determined for the previously-selected model from
the component information 500 or the assembly information
600 of the previously-selected model. If the disassembly
direction is opposite to the verification direction, the
calculating unit 1305 adds an additional score Ap3 to the
score Bp.
The interference judging unit 1364 will be described.
The interference judgment is made as a process of improving
the determination accuracy of the disassembly direction
although occurrence of interference itself is not a direct
factor for the possibility of assembly or the possibility
of disassembly. The interference judgment is particularly
effective when a model shape is a concave shape as in the
case of the E-ring 101 frequently used in industrial
products or a slide component of a curtain rail. Even when
a model having such a shape is seemingly disassembled in an
axial direction of a ring (or assembled in the axial
direction), if the model is pulled out in a direction
orthogonal to the axis (or assembled in an orthogonal
direction) in actual assembling, the determination accuracy
of the pull-out direction (disassembly direction) can be
improved. The details of the interference judgment will
hereinafter be described.
The interference judging unit 1364 moves the
selected model in the direction opposite to the
verification direction by a predetermined amount not
exceeding the length of the verification model in the
verification direction to determine whether interference
occurs before and after the movement. For example, the
interference judging unit 1364 obtains a bounding box of
the selected model in the coordinate system of the
verification direction. The interference judging unit 13 64
calculates parameters (height, width, and depth) from the
bounding box. The interference judging unit 13 64 moves the
selected model in the disassembly direction opposite to the
verification direction by 1/4 or 1/2 of the length of the
value of the parameter having the same direction as the
verification direction among the parameters. The
interference judging unit 1364 performs the interference
check for the selected model before the movement and the
selected model after the movement.
FIGs. 16A and 16B are explanatory views of a first
interference judgment example. In FIGs. 16A and 16B, the
E-ring 101 is taken as an example of the selected model.
FIGs. 16A and 16B depict an example of the selected model
moved in the direction opposite to the verification
direction D(j) by 1/2 of a value L of the parameter having
the same direction as the verification direction. In FIGs.
16A and 16B, Bl denotes a bounding box before the movement;
B2 denotes a bounding box after the movement; Ml denotes a
selected model before the movement; and M2 denotes a
selected model after the movement. MO denotes a model of
the assembly destination of the selected model M.
In the case depicted in FIG. 16A, when the selected
model Ml is moved in the direction opposite to the
verification direction D(j), the selected models Ml and M2
cause no interference. Therefore, an additional score AP4
is added to the score Bp of the verification direction D(j).
On the other hand, in the case depicted in FIG. 16B, when
the selected model Ml is moved in the direction opposite to
the verification direction D(j), the selected models Ml and
M2 cause interference. Therefore, the additional score AP4
is not added to the score Bp of the verification direction
D(j) .
FIG. 17 is an explanatory view of an second
interference judgment example. In FIG. 17, an O-ring is
taken as an example of the selected model. In FIG. 17,
because of the O-ring, when the selected model Ml is moved
in the direction opposite to the verification direction
D(j), the selected models Ml and M2 cause interference
regardless of the verification direction D(j). Therefore,
the additional score AP4 is not added to the score Bp of
the verification direction D(j).
Since the interference judging unit 13 64 uniformly
moves a model by a constant amount to make the interference
j udgment between models before and after the movement
instead of performing an interference check each time the
model is moved by a minute amount as in the conventional
interference check, the interference judgment process can
be simplified. The movement amount is set to a
predetermined amount not exceeding the length of the
verification model in the verification direction, for
example, 1/2 or 1/4 of the length in the verification
direction. Therefore, the interference judging unit 1364
can detect a state in which a non-annular component such as
the E-ring 101 and a clip does not interfere with an
assembly counterpart. Therefore, the interference judging
unit 1364 can identify in which direction the selected
model is assembled or in which direction the selected model
is disassembled if the selected model is a non-annular
component.
If the interference judging unit 1364 determines
that no interference occurs, the calculating unit 1305 adds
the additional score AP4 to the score Bp.
The determining unit 1307 determines a direction
opposite to the verification direction of the projection
image having the highest score among the scores calculated
by the calculating unit 1305 as a disassembly direction for
disassembling the selected model from assembly data and
stores the disassembly direction in the storage unit 1301
in correlation with the selected model. For example, the
determining unit 1307 determines, as the disassembly
direction, a direction opposite to the verification
direction used for projecting the projection image having
the highest score among the scores Bp obtained from a total
of 12 directions, i.e., the six directions of the local
coordinate system and the six directions of the global
coordinate system. Alternatively, the determining unit
1307 determines, as the assembly direction, the
verification direction used for projecting the projection
image having the highest score. The determining unit 1307
stores the determined disassembly direction and assembly
direction in the top-priority direction field of the
component information 500 or the assembly information 600
of the selected model.
The setting unit 1308 has a viewpoint setting unit
1381 and a movement amount setting unit 1382. The
viewpoint setting unit 1381 sets a viewpoint in a viewpoint
direction having the gaze point same as the disassembly
direction of the selected model and an orientation
different from the disassembly direction, and stores the
viewpoint in the storage unit 1301 in correlation with the
selected model. Since a model moves in a direction
parallel to the depth dimension from a viewpoint in the
disassembly direction, an animation becomes difficult to
understand. Therefore, the viewpoint setting unit 1381
sets a viewpoint to a coordinate value at a position
acquired by tilting each of a zenith angle and an azimuth
angle by a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees) and
stores the viewpoint in the viewpoint field of the
component information 500 or the assembly information 600.
FIGs. 18A, 18B, 18C are explanatory views of a
viewpoint setting example. In FIGs. 18A to 18C, M denotes
a given model; Pc denotes a viewpoint; Pp denotes a gaze
point; D- denotes a disassembly direction of the model M
determined by the determining unit 1307; and Dc denotes a
changed viewpoint direction. The viewpoint setting unit
1381 sets the viewpoint direction Dc with only the
viewpoint position changed without changing the gaze point
Pp. FIG. 18A depicts a state before setting the viewpoint.
FIG. 18B depicts a state when the viewpoint Pc is rotated
about the gaze point Pp by a horizontal angle 0. FIG. 18C
depicts a state when the viewpoint Pc is rotated about the
gaze point Pp by a zenith angle <|> from the state depicted
in FIG. 18B.
In the setting by the viewpoint setting unit 1381,
the rotation may be performed only by the horizontal angle
6 or the rotation may be performed only by the zenith angle
<(>. Alternatively, the rotation may be performed by a
rotation angle using the viewpoint direction as a
rotational axis. The viewpoint P is not limited to the
rotation above but also may be translated. The viewpoint
setting unit 1381 sets the viewpoint as described above,
thereby improving the viewability when an animation is
reproduced.
The movement amount setting unit 1382 sets the
movement amount of the selected model moved in the
disassembly direction based on the length of the selected
model in the disassembly direction and stores the movement
amount into the storage device in correlation with the
selected model. For example, the movement amount setting
unit 1382 calculates the parameters (height, width, and
depth) of the bounding box of the selected model in the
coordinate system of the disassembly direction of the
selected model. The movement amount setting unit 1382
multiplies a value of the parameter having the same
direction as the disassembly direction of the selected
model out of the parameters by a predetermined number (e.g.,
three) to set the movement amount.
FIG. 19 is a diagram of an example of the setting of
the movement amount. In FIG. 19, MO denotes a model of the
assembly destination and Ml denotes a selected model. In
FIG. 19, the length of the selected model Ml in the
bounding box in the disassembly direction is assumed to be
200. In this case, for example, the movement amount is set
to 200x3=600. Since the selected model is sufficiently
separated from the assembly by multiplying the value of the
parameter having the same direction as the disassembly
direction of the selected model by a predetermined value to
set the movement amount, disassembling is easily visible.
FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of an information generating process by the
information generating apparatus 1300. The information
generating apparatus 1300 executes the information setting
process (step S2001) and a reproducing process (step S2002).
In the information setting process (step S2001),
disassembly and assembly directions, a viewpoint, and a
movement amount are set for each selected model and, in the
reproducing process (step S2002), disassembly animation is
reproduced by using the information set in the information
setting process (step S2001). Assembly animation may also
be reproduced. The details of the information setting
process (step S2001) will be described with reference to
FIG. 21 and the details of the reproducing process (step
S2002) will be described with reference to FIG. 31.
FIG. 21 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of the information setting process (step S2001)
depicted in FIG. 20. First, the information generating
apparatus 1300 waits until a target assembly is specified
(step S2101: NO). For example, the information generating
apparatus 1300 waits until a target assembly is specified
from a manufacturing flow via user operation.
When a target assembly has been specified (step
S2101: YES), the information generating apparatus 1300
detects the number N of models in the immediately lower
hierarchy of the target assembly (step S2102). For example,
the information generating apparatus 1300 extracts a value
stored in the immediately lower constituent model count
field of the assembly information 600 of the target
assembly. This value is identical to the number of models
in a separated manufacturing flow for the target assembly.
The information generating apparatus 1300 identifies
the separated manufacturing flow of the target assembly
from the separated manufacturing flows stored in the
storage device and acquires the list structure thereof
(step S2103). For example, if the target assembly is A0,
the information generating apparatus 1300 acquires the list
structure 1101 (FIG. 11) corresponding to the separated
manufacturing flow 901 depicted in FIG. 9.
The information generating apparatus 1300 sets an
index i of a counter to i=l (step S2104) and determines
whether i>N is satisfied (step S2105). In other words, it
is determined whether the information generating apparatus
1300 has selected all the models in the acquired list
structure.
If i>N is not satisfied (step S2105: NO), the
information generating apparatus 1300 selects the last node
among unselected nodes in the list structure of the target
assembly (step S2106). Although nodes may be selected in
an arbitrary order, the models can be selected sequentially
from the last assembled model in the manufacturing flow by
starting the selection from the last node.
The information generating apparatus 1300 extracts a
type flag from the selected node (step S2107) to determine
whether the selected node is a model (step S2108). If the
type flag is "0" or "1", the selected node is a model and,
in the case of "2", which denotes a process, the selected
node is not a model.
If it is determined that the selected node is not a
model (step S2108: NO), the procedure transitions to step
S2112. In contrast, if it is determined that the selected
node is a model (step S2108: YES), the information
generating apparatus 1300 executes a disassembly direction
detecting process (step S2109), a viewpoint setting process
(step S2110), and a movement amount setting process (step
S2111) and transitions to step S2112.
The disassembly direction detecting process (step
S2109) is a process of detecting a disassembly direction of
a selected node determined as a model, i.e., a selected
model. Details will be described with reference to FIG. 22.
The viewpoint setting process (step S2110) is a process of
setting a viewpoint of a selected model. Details will be
described with reference to FIG. 29. The movement amount
setting process (step S2111) is a process of setting a
movement amount of a selected model. Details will be
described with reference to FIG. 30.
At step S2112, the information generating apparatus
1300 increments the index i of the counter (step S2112) and
returns to step S2105. If it is determined at step S2105
that i>N is satisfied (step S2105: YES), the information
generating apparatus 1300 transitions to the reproducing
process (step S2002) depicted in FIG. 20. As described
above, with the information setting process (step S2001),
disassembly and assembly directions, a viewpoint, and a
movement amount can be set for each selected model.
FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of the disassembly direction detecting process
(step S2109) depicted in FIG. 21. In FIG. 21, the
information generating apparatus 1300 initializes the score
Bp and the additional scores Apl to AP4 (=0) (step S2201)
and acquires the local coordinate system of the selected
model (step S2202). The information generating apparatus
1300 acquires the global coordinate system of the selected
model (step S2203). The local coordinate system and the
global coordinate system are acquired with the technique
depicted in FIG. 7.
The information generating apparatus 1300 determines
whether the acquired local coordinate system and global
coordinate system are identical to each other (step S2204).
If identical (step S2204: YES), the information generating
apparatus 1300 determines the directions to be verified as
six directions (+X1 to -Zl), which are the positive and
negative axial directions of the local coordinate system
(step S2205) and transitions to step S2207. If not
identical (step S2204: NO), the information generating
apparatus 1300 determines the directions to be verified as
12 directions {+X1 to -Zl and +Xg to -Zg) that are the
positive and negative axial directions of the local and
global coordinate systems (step S2206). The information
generating apparatus 1300 transitions to step S2207.
The information generating apparatus 1300 sets an
index j of the verification direction to j=l (step S2207)
to set the verification direction D(j) (step S2208). The
verification direction D(j) is set from among the six
directions (+X1 to -Zl) if six directions are determined at
step S2205 and is set from among 12 directions (+X1 to -Zl
and +Xg to -Zg) if 12 directions are determined at step
S2206.
The information generating apparatus 1300 executes a
score calculating process (step S2209). The score
calculating process (step S2209) is a process of
calculating the score Bp indicative of whether the
direction opposite to the verification direction D(j) is
the disassembly direction of the selected model for each
verification direction D(j). The details of the score
calculating process (step S2209) will be described with
reference to FIG. 23.
After the score calculating process (step S2209),
the information generating apparatus 1300 stores the
calculated score Bp (step S2210). For example, if the
selected model is a component and the verification
direction D(j) is "+X1", the calculated score Bp is stored
in the +X1 field of the six-axis score field in the
component information 500 of the selected model. If the
selected model is an assembly and the verification
direction D(j) is "+Xg", the calculated score Bp is stored
in the +Xg field of the six-axis score field in the
assembly information 600 of the selected model.
The information generating apparatus 1300 determines
whether j>M is satisfied {step S2211). M denotes the
number of directions to be verified. For example, M=6 is
defined if six directions are determined at step S2205 and
M=12 is defined if 12 directions are determined at step
S2206.
If j>M is not satisfied (step S2211: NO), an
unverified direction exists and therefore, the information
generating apparatus 1300 increments j (step S2212),
initializes the score Bp (step S2213), and returns to step
S2208. On the other hand, If j>M is satisfied (step S2211:
YES), the information generating apparatus 1300 identifies
the highest score among the scores of the M directions and
determines the disassembly direction to be the direction
opposite to the direction having the highest score
(assembly direction) (step S2214). The disassembly
direction and the assembly direction are stored to the top-
priority direction field of the component information 500
or the assembly information 600. The information
generating apparatus 1300 transitions to the viewpoint
setting process (step S2110).
FIG. 23 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of the score calculating process (step S2209)
depicted in FIG. 22. The information generating apparatus
1300 executes a projection silhouette process (step S2301).
The projection silhouette process (step S2301) is a process
of calculating the score Bp as described with reference to
FIG. 1 and the calculating unit 1305. The details of the
projection silhouette process (step S2301) will be
described with reference to FIG. 24.
After the projection silhouette process (step S2301),
the information generating apparatus 1300 determines if the
score Bp calculated in the projection silhouette process
(step S2301) is equal to or greater than a threshold value
(step S2302). In this example, the threshold value is
assumed to be set to 50 since the upper limit of the score
Bp is 100. If the score Bp is equal to or greater than the
threshold value (step S2302: YES), the information
generating apparatus 1300 executes a rotating body judging
process (step S2303), a plate-like body judging process
(step S2304), a disassembly direction judging process (step
S2305), and an interference judging process (step S2306) to
update the score Bp (step S2307). The information
generating apparatus 1300 then transitions to step S2210.
In contrast, if the score Bp is not equal to or
greater than the threshold value (step S2302: YES), it is
determined that disassembly cannot be done in the direction
opposite to the direction having the highest score.
Therefore, the information generating apparatus 1300
transitions to step S2210 without executing the rotating
body judging process (step S2303) to the interference
judging process (step S2306) .
FIG. 24 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of the projection silhouette process (step S2301)
depicted in FIG. 23. The information generating apparatus
1300 sets the background color of a bitmap used as a
drawing work area to black, for example (step S24 01). The
information generating apparatus 1300 displays the selected
model of the target assembly in a given color different
from the background color, for example, in white (step
S2402). At this step, models other than the selected model
are not displayed.
The information generating apparatus 1300 projects
the selected mode to the drawing work area by using the
verification direction D(j) as a viewpoint direction and
magnification allowing the selected model to fit into the
drawing work area (step S2403). The information generating
apparatus 1300 counts the number WB1 of the bits of the
qiven color (white), i.e., projection portions, of the
selected model (step S2404).
The information generating apparatus 1300 displays
the target assembly (step S2405) and uses a given color
(white) for the selected model and the background color for
other models to project the selected model to the drawing
work area at the same magnification as step S2403 (step
S2406). The information generating apparatus 1300 counts
the number WB2 of bits projected in the given color (step
S2407) . The information generating apparatus 1300 then
calculates the score Bp using Equation (1) described above
(step S2408) and temporarily stores the score Bp to memory
(step S2409). The information generating apparatus 1300
transitions to step S2302 to determine if the score Bp is
equal to or greater than the threshold value.
FIG. 25 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of the rotating body judging process (step S2303)
depicted in FIG. 23. The information generating apparatus
1300 initializes the additional score API (step S2501) and
generates a bounding box of the selected model in the
coordinate system of the verification direction D(j) (step
S2502) . The information generating apparatus 1300 projects
the bounding box to a projection plane including two axes
exclusive of the verification direction D(j) (step S2503) .
The information generating apparatus 1300 obtains the
aspect ratios V/H of vertical lengths Vxhorizontal lengths
H of four projection images acquired by rotating the
projection image by 0, 15, 30, and 45 degrees (step S2504).
The information generating apparatus 1300 then
determines whether the selected model is a rotating body
when viewed from the verification direction D(j) according
to the aspect ratios of the respective rotation angles
(step S2505). If the selected model is a rotating body
(step S2505: YES), the information generating apparatus
1300 adds the additional score API to the score Bp to
update the score BP (step S2506) and transitions to the
plate-like body judging process (step S2304). In contrast,
if the selected model is not a rotating body (step S2505:
NO) , the information generating apparatus 1300 transitions
to the plate-like body judging process (step S2304) without
adding the additional score API.
FIG. 26 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of the plate-like body judging process (step
S2304) depicted in FIG. 23. The information generating
apparatus 1300 initializes the additional score AP2 (step
S2 601) and generates a bounding box of the selected model
in the coordinate system of the verification direction D(j)
(step S2602) . The information generating apparatus 1300
determines whether the selected model is a plate-like body
as depicted in FIG. 15 (step S2603).
If the selected model is a plate-like body (step
S2603: YES), the information generating apparatus 1300 adds
the additional score AP2 to the score Bp to update the
score BP (step S2604) and transitions to the disassembly
direction judging process (step S2305). In contrast, if
the selected model is not a plate-like body (step S2603:
NO), the information generating apparatus 1300 transitions
to the disassembly direction judging process (step S2305)
without adding the additional score AP2.
FIG. 27 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of the disassembly direction judging process
(step S2305) depicted in FIG. 23. The information
generating apparatus 1300 initializes the additional score
AP3 (step S2701) and acquires the disassembly direction of
the previous selected model (step S2702). The information
generating apparatus 1300 determines whether the
disassembly direction is opposite to the verification
direction D(j) (steps 2703).
If the disassembly direction is opposite (step
S2703: YES), the information generating apparatus 1300 adds
the additional score AP3 to the score Bp to update the
score BP (step S2704) and transitions to the interference
judging process (step S2306). In contrast, if the
disassembly direction is not opposite (step S2703: NO), the
information generating apparatus 1300 transitions to the
interference judging process (step S2306) without adding
the additional score AP3.
FIG. 28 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of the interference judging process (step S2306)
depicted in FIG. 23. The information generating apparatus
1300 initializes the additional score AP4 (step S2801) and
generates a bounding box of the selected model in the
coordinate system of the verification direction D(j) (step
S2802). The information generating apparatus 1300
calculates parameters (height, width, and depth) of the
three axial directions of the coordinate system of the
verification direction D(j) for the bounding box (step
S2803) .
The information generating apparatus 1300 moves the
bounding box in the direction opposite to the verification
direction D(j) by 1/2 of the value of the parameter of the
opposite direction (step S2804). The information
generating apparatus 1300 compares the selected model
before and after the movement to determine whether
interference occurs (step S2805). If no interference
occurs (step S2805: NO), the information generating
apparatus 1300 adds the additional score AP4 to the score
Bp to update the score BP (step S2806) and transitions to
step S2307. If interference occurs (step S2805: YES), the
information generating apparatus 1300 transitions to step
S2307 without adding the additional score AP4.
FIG. 29 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of the viewpoint setting process (step S2110)
depicted in FIG. 21. The information generating apparatus
1300 acquires the disassembly direction of the selected
model (step S2901) and sets a viewpoint at a position
acquired by tilting each of a zenith angle and an azimuth
angle by a predetermined angle without moving the gaze
point (center of a screen) (step S2902). The information
generating apparatus 1300 stores the coordinate value of
the viewpoint (step S2903). For example, the information
generating apparatus 1300 stores the coordinate value of
the viewpoint to the viewpoint field of the component
information 500 of the selected model if the selected model
is a component, and stores the coordinate value of the
viewpoint to the viewpoint field of the assembly
information 600 of the selected model if the selected model
is an assembly. The information generating apparatus 1300
then transitions to the movement amount setting process
(step S2111) .
FIG. 30 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of the movement amount setting process (step
S2111) depicted in FIG. 21. The information generating
apparatus 1300 acquires the disassembly direction of the
selected model (step S3001) and generates a bounding box of
the selected model in the coordinate system of the
verification direction D(j) (step S3002).
The information generating apparatus 1300 calculates
parameters (height, width, and depth) of the three axial
directions of the coordinate system of the verification
direction D(j) for the bounding box (step S3003). The
information generating apparatus 1300, among the parameters,
multiplies the value of a parameter having a direction
identical to the disassembly direction by a given amount
and sets the result as the movement amount (step S3004).
The information generating apparatus 1300 then transitions
to step S2112.
FIG. 31 is a flowchart of a detailed process
procedure of the reproducing process (step S2002) depicted
in FIG. 20. The information generating apparatus 1300 sets
the index i of the counter to i=l (step S3101) and
determines whether i>N is satisfied {step S3102). In other
words, it is determined whether the information generating
apparatus 1300 has reproduced all the models in the
acquired list structure.
If i>N is not satisfied (step S3102: NO}, the
information generating apparatus 1300 selects the last node
out of unselected nodes in the list structure of the target
assembly (step S3103). The information generating
apparatus 1300 extracts a type flag from the selected node
(step S3104) to determine whether the selected node is a
model (step S3105). If the type flag is "0" or "1", the
selected node is a model and, in the case of "2", which
denotes a process, the selected node is not a model.
If it is determined that the selected node is not a
model (step S3105: NO), the procedure transitions to step
S3107. In contrast, if it is determined that the selected
node is a model (step S3105: YES), the information
generating apparatus 1300 reproduces disassembly animation
of the selected model (step S3106). For example, if the
selected model is a component, the information generating
apparatus 1300 reads the disassembly direction, the
viewpoint, and the movement amount of the component
information 500 to reproduce the disassembly animation. If
the selected model is an assembly, the information
generating apparatus 1300 reads the disassembly direction,
the viewpoint, and the movement amount of the assembly
information 600 to reproduce the disassembly animation.
The information generating apparatus 1300
subsequently increments i at step S3107 (step S3107) and
returns to step S3102. If i>N is satisfied at step S3102
(step S3102: YES), a series of processes is terminated.
As described above, the embodiment enables the
detection of assembly direction and disassembly direction,
which are undetectable with the conventional interference
check, for the models of the E-rings 101 and the like among
the immense number of components. Therefore, higher
accuracy can be achieved in the detection of the direction
used in animation reproduction. Since a conventional
interference check is not performed, a computation load can
be reduced. Since the assembly direction and the
disassembly direction are detected by a simple comparison
of projection images, the detection speed can be increased.
Since the direction detection can be performed for any
model, the versatility can be improved without dependency
on the type of the target product.
The information generating apparatus according to
the embodiment automatically generates a 3D animation from
a manufacturing flow by utilizing the characteristics of
the manufacturing flow arranged in the assembly order
examined by a creator of the flow, based on past assembly
data. As a result, the order of components having motions
automatically defined can be identified from the
manufacturing flow. As compared to a technique used in the
conventional interference check randomly verifying the
order of disassembled components, the computation time
consumed to obtain a result can be reduced. A user can
watch animation automatically generated according to
assumed assembly order so as to visibly determine whether
the assembly order itself is identical to the assumed order.
The information generating apparatus according to
the embodiment employs logic that does not use the
interference check and therefore, can automatically
generate "disassembly animation using 3D models", which is
impossible when interference check logic is used. A
shorter process time and higher accuracy are achieved
regardless of the model shape.
The information generating apparatus according to
the embodiment can shorten the time consumed for creating
animation as the number of models increases. The
information generating apparatus according to the
embodiment does not perform the conventional interference
check causing a high computation load and therefore, can
detect the disassembly direction and the assembly direction
with a low-performance computer that cannot perform the
conventional interference check.
If multiple candidates exists for the assembly order,
the information generating apparatus according to the
embodiment can generate animation on-site, for each of the
candidates. Therefore, the user can compare the generated
animation to check "which assembly order is preferable in
consideration of the motions in each animation".
The information generating apparatus according to
the embodiment can immediately generate an assembly 3D
animation according to an assembly order defined as a
result of examination and, therefore, a user can create a
3D animation to visibly check an error in the assembly
order itself. Therefore, an error in the assembly order
can immediately be corrected.
When identifying the disassembly direction and the
assembly direction, since the information generating
apparatus according to the embodiment sets multiple modes
and conditions to calculate a score, false detection can be
prevented in determination in a given mode and verification
can be performed from various angles so as to
comprehensively make the determination as a system.
Therefore, the disassembly direction can be detected with
higher accuracy.
With the information generating apparatus according
to the embodiment, the user can arbitrarily set the weights
of the additional scores AP1 to AP4 for customization
according to product characteristics. For example, the
values of the additional scores AP1 to AP4 can be increased
or decreased according to product characteristics.
Alternatively, at least one judging process can be removed
as needed so as to detect the disassembly direction
according to product characteristics.
In some cases, not only while an animation is
running but also while an animation is stopped to perform a
close check and the like, the assembly direction is visibly
checked in terms of from where and in which direction a
relevant component is assembled. In such a case, the
disassembly animation can be made more understandable by
displaying an arrow indicative of the disassembly direction
when the selected model is disassembled from a model of the
assembly counterpart.
According to one aspect of the present invention,
higher accuracy can be achieved in the detection of a
disassembly direction of a model.
All examples and conditional language provided
herein are intended for pedagogical purposes of aiding the
reader in understanding the invention and the concepts
contributed by the inventor to further the art, and are not
to be construed as limitations to such specifically recited
examples and conditions, nor does the organization of such
examples in the specification relate to a showing of the
superiority and inferiority of the invention. Although one
or more embodiments of the present invention have been
described in detail, it should be understood that the
various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be
made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of
the invention.
We Claim:
1. A computer-readable recording medium storing a
program for causing a computer to execute an information
generating process comprising:
selecting an arbitrary model from a storage device
storing assembly data of an assembly assembled from a
plurality of models;
projecting in a plurality of directions, the
selected arbitrary model to a first area in a color
different from a background color of the first area to
generate first projection images, and projecting in the
directions and to a second area of the same size as the
first area, the arbitrary model in a color different from
the background color and another model other than the
arbitrary model in the same color as the background color
to generate second projection images;
comparing among the generated first and second
projection images, projection images having identical
verification directions selected from among the directions,
to calculate a score indicative of a matching degree
between the projection images for each of the verification
directions; and
determining from the assembly data and as a
disassembly direction for disassembling the arbitrary model,
a direction opposite to the verification direction of the
projection image having the highest score among the
calculated scores, to associate and store the disassembly
direction and the arbitrary model to the storage device.
2. The computer-readable recording medium according to
claim 1, the information generating process further
comprising determining whether the arbitrary model is a
rotating body, based on a shape of a rectangle
circumscribing a projection image of the arbitrary model
projected in the verification direction and a shape of a
rectangle circumscribing the rotated projection image when
the projection image is rotated by a predetermined angle,
wherein
the calculating includes updating a score for the
verification direction when the arbitrary model has been
determined to be a rotating body.
3. The computer-readable recording medium according to
claim 1, the information generating process further
comprising determining whether the arbitrary model is a
plate-like body assembled in the verification direction,
based on a length of the arbitrary model in the
verification direction, a length in a direction other than
the verification direction and the opposite direction
thereof among the directions, wherein
the calculating includes updating a score for the
verification direction when the arbitrary model has been
determined to be a plate-like body.
4 . The computer-readable recording medium according to
claim 1, the information generating process further
comprising determining whether a verification direction
selected, from among the directions, for the arbitrary
model specified in order of disassembly based on the
assembly data is identical to a direction opposite to a
disassembly direction determined for a previously selected
model, wherein
the calculating includes updating a score for the
verification direction when the directions have been
determined to be identical.
5. The computer-readable recording medium according to
claim 1, the information generating process further
comprising moving the arbitrary model in the direction
opposite to the verification direction by a predetermined
amount not exceeding a length of the arbitrary model in the
verification direction to determine whether interference
occurs before and after movement, wherein
the calculating includes updating a score for the
verification direction when interference has been
determined to not occur.
6. The computer-readable recording medium according to
claim 1, the information generating process further
comprising setting a viewpoint in a viewpoint direction
having the same gaze point as the disassembly direction of
the arbitrary model and a different orientation,
associating and storing the viewpoint and the arbitrary
model to the storage unit.
7. The computer-recording medium according to claim 1,
the information generating process further comprising
setting a movement amount of the arbitrary model moved in
the disassembly direction, based on a length of the
arbitrary model in the disassembly direction, associating
and storing the movement amount and the arbitrary model to
the storage device.
8 . The computer-readable recording medium according to
claim 1, the information generating process further
comprising reproducing animation that specifies the models
in order of disassembly to move the specified model in a
disassembly direction associated with the specified model.
9. The computer-readable recording medium according to
claim 6, the information generating process further
comprising reproducing animation that specifies the models
in order of disassembly to move the specified model in a
disassembly direction associated with the specified model
and display the specified model in a direction from a
viewpoint associated with the specified model toward the
gaze point.
10. The computer-readable recording medium according to
claim 6, the information generating process further
comprising reproducing animation that specifies the models
in order of disassembly to move the specified model by a
set movement amount in a disassembly direction associated
with the specified model.
11. An information generating method executed by a
computer, the information generating method comprising:
selecting an arbitrary model from a storage device
storing assembly data of an assembly assembled from a
plurality of models;
projecting in a plurality of directions, the
selected arbitrary model to a first area in a color
different from a background color of the first area to
generate first projection images, and projecting in the
directions and to a second area of the same size as the
first area, the arbitrary model in a color different from
the background color and another model other than the
arbitrary model in the same color as the background color
to generate second projection images;
comparing among the generated first and second
projection images, projection images having identical
verification directions selected from among the directions,
to calculate a score indicative of a matching degree
between the projection images for each of the verification
directions; and
determining from the assembly data and as a
disassembly direction for disassembling the arbitrary model,
a direction opposite to the verification direction of the
projection image having the highest score among the
calculated scores, to associate and store the disassembly
direction and the arbitrary model to the storage device.
12. An information generating apparatus comprising a
processor configured to:
select an arbitrary model from a storage device
storing assembly data of an assembly assembled from a
plurality of models,
project in a plurality of directions, the selected
arbitrary model to a first area in a color different from a
background color of the first area to generate first
projection images, and project in the directions and to a
second area of the same size as the first area, the
arbitrary model in a color different from the background
color and another model other than the arbitrary model in
the same color as the background color to generate second
projection images,
compare among the generated first and second
projection images, projection images having identical
verification directions selected from among the directions,
to calculate a score indicative of a matching degree
between the projection images for each of the verification
directions, and
determine from the assembly data and as a
disassembly direction for disassembling the arbitrary model,
a direction opposite to the verification direction of the
projection image having the highest score among the
calculated scores, to associate and store the disassembly
direction and the arbitrary model to the storage device.

ABSTRACT

A computer-readable medium stores a program causing
a computer to execute a process including selecting a model
from a storage device storing assembly data of an assembly;
projecting in multiple directions, the selected model to a
first area in a color different from a background color of
the first area to generate first projection images, and to
a second area equivalent in size to the first area, the
model in a different color and another model in the same
color as the background color, to generate second
projection images; comparing the first and second
projection images, according to verification direction to
calculate scores indicating matching degree between the
projection images; and determining as a disassembly
direction for the model, a direction opposite to the
verification direction of the projection image having the
highest calculated score, to associate and store the
disassembly direction and the model to the storage device.