# US 2012/0084061 A1 · Three dimensional simulation method

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- Number: US 2012/0084061 A1
- Document ID: US20120084061A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/230,312
- Filed: 2011-09-12
- Published: 2012-04-05
- Earliest claimed: 2010-09-30
- Assignees: Fujitsu Limited
- Inventors: Yukihiko FURUMOTO; Kouji Demizu; Naoyuki Nozaki; Masayuki Kidera
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20120084061A1

## CPC

- G06F 30/10: Geometric CAD
- G06F 30/20: Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30)
- G06F 2113/16: Cables, cable trees or wire harnesses
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

A three-dimensional simulation apparatus includes a memory storing shape data on a three-dimensional model of a linear flexible object, and a processor executing specifying data that forms sections of the linear flexible object from the shape data, determining reference positions on the sections, specifying data that forms a side surface that connects together the sections, extracting a curve that passes on the side surface, specifying a distance from an outer edge of the section that the extracted curve passes to the reference position, specifying a normal direction of the side surface at the position, specifying a path that connects together the reference positions by shifting the curve by the amount corresponding to the specified distance in a direction opposite to the specified normal direction of the side surface, and specifying a flexible model of the linear flexible object from the shape of each section, the reference positions and the path.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a three-dimensional simulation program that is executed in a three-dimensional simulation apparatus including a memory that stores shape data of a three-dimensional model of a designing object device including a linear flexible object, the three-dimensional simulation program causing the three-dimensional simulation apparatus to:
read out the shape data stored in the memory;
specify data that forms sections of the linear flexible object from the read-out shape data;
determine reference positions on the specified sections;
specify data that forms a side surface that connects together the sections of the linear flexible object from the read-out shape data;
extract a curve that passes on the side surface that connects together the sections from the specified side surface forming data;
specify a distance from an outer edge of the section that the extracted curve passes to the reference position on the section;
specify a normal direction of the side surface at the position of the extracted curve;
specify a path that connects together the reference positions on the sections by shifting the curve by the amount corresponding to the specified distance in a direction opposite to the specified normal direction of the side surface; and
specify a flexible body model of the linear flexible object from the shape of each section, the reference positions and the path.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the shape data includes a plurality of pieces of polygon data including vertices and normal directions of the vertices and the normal direction of the side surface is specified from the normal line direction of the vertex of each polygon data.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein other pieces of polygon data that coincide with the above polygon data in normal direction of vertex and are adjacent to the above polygon data are sequentially extracted to specify the sections of the linear flexible object from the extracted polygon data.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein in the case that the section of the linear flexible object is circular, a polyline that connects together polygon data forming the specified sections is extracted, and the polyline is shifted by the amount corresponding to the length of the radius of the specified section in a direction opposite to the normal direction of the vertex of each polygon data included in the extracted polyline to specify the path of the linear flexible object.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the shape data includes a plurality of pieces of surface data that allow to specify a normal line on a curved surface that defines a surface of a component, and surface data that forms a plane is extracted from the plurality of pieces of surface data to specify the section of the linear flexible object.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein in the case that the section of the linear flexible object is circular, a curve that passes on the side surface that connects together the sections is shifted by the amount corresponding to the length of the radius of the section in a direction opposite to the normal direction of the curve.

### Claim 7

A three-dimensional simulation apparatus comprising:
a memory that stores shape data on a three-dimensional model of a designing object device including a linear flexible object; and
a processing unit executing:
reading out the shape data stored in the memory,
specifying data that forms sections of the linear flexible object from the read-out shape data;
determining reference positions on the specified sections;
specifying data that forms a side surface that connects together the sections of the linear flexible object from the read-out shape data;
extracting a curve that passes on the side surface that connects together the sections from the specified side surface forming data;
specifying a distance from an outer edge of the section that the extracted curve passes to the reference position on the section;
specifying a normal direction of the side surface at the position of the extracted curve;
specifying a path that connects together the reference positions on the sections by shifting the curve by the amount corresponding to the specified distance in a direction opposite to the specified normal direction of the side surface; and
specifying a flexible body model of the linear flexible object from the shape of each section, the reference positions and the path.

### Claim 8

A three-dimensional simulation method to be executed by a computer comprising:
to read out the shape data stored in a memory;
to specify data that forms sections of the linear flexible object from the read-out shape data;
to determine reference positions on the specified sections;
to specify data that forms a side surface that connects together the sections of the linear flexible object from the read-out shape data;
to extract a curve that passes on the side surface that connects together the sections from the specified side surface forming data;
to specify a distance from an outer edge of the section that the extracted curve passes to the reference position on the section;
to specify a normal direction of the side surface at the position of the extracted curve;
to specify a path that connects together the reference positions on the sections by shifting the curve by the amount corresponding to the specified distance in a direction opposite to the specified normal direction of the side surface; and
to specify a flexible body model of the linear flexible object from the shape of each section, the reference positions and the path.