JP4466575B2 - Design support system, design support method, and design support program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a design support system, a design support method, and a design support program.

  Conventionally, various computer systems are used in the design and development of automobiles, for example. Examples of these systems are a CAD system (design system) for designing parts, a CAE system (evaluation system) for checking consistency between designed parts and evaluating performance and mass productivity, There is an arrangement system for managing parts drawings and issuing drawings to suppliers.

  In the design / development work of a product composed of a large number of parts such as an automobile, it is desired that the design data of the designed parts can be managed accurately and easily. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for automatically extracting attribute information from CAD drawing data and automatically registering the attribute information in a parts table.

In addition, as a technique for linking the design system and the evaluation system, a technique for determining the part evaluation level by associating the parts in the parts table database with the parts in the evaluation database based on the parts specific information (Patent Document 2) A technique (Patent Document 3) for determining a factor of evaluation based on information is known.
JP 2003-296377 A JP 2005-38126 A JP 2005-38127 A

  The design system and the evaluation system may have different methods for managing design data. In the design system, if the parts are the same shape and only the arrangement is different, or if the parts with similar shapes are managed as one data file, it is easy to use because there is no leakage in the design work. On the other hand, in the evaluation system, even if the parts have the same shape, if they are arranged differently, it is easier to grasp the data and evaluate the product if each data file is a single data file.

  As described above, since the data formats used in the design system and the evaluation system are different, when the design data is registered from the design system to the evaluation system, data conversion (processing) is required for each registration. In the past, this work was manually performed by the user. In particular, in the case of a product composed of a large number of parts such as an automobile, the number of component parts is large and the number of data to be converted is large, and the work is complicated and takes time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for facilitating data linkage in a design support system.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration. The present invention is a design support system including at least a design system and an evaluation system. The design system is a so-called CAD (Computer Aided Design) system that creates part design data using a computer. The evaluation system is a system for evaluating a product using a digital mockup (DMU) based on design data of the designed parts. The evaluation system uses a DMU to perform interference / clearance checks, evaluation of assembly workability, and design confirmation. In addition, product characteristics are analyzed by numerical simulation to evaluate performance and strength.

  In the design system, a data file having the following data format is used. That is, a data file in a data format in which one data file includes shape data indicating the shape of a plurality of parts having one or similar shapes and one or a plurality of arrangement data indicating positions where the parts are arranged in a product. Is used.

  In the evaluation system, a data file having the following data format is used. That is, a data file having a data format including only one shape data and only one arrangement data is used for one data file.

  The design support system according to the present invention includes a parts table and registration means. The parts table stores the relationship of which parts (lower components and intermediate products) a product is composed of. The parts table further stores information indicating in which data file the design data for each part is stored. Therefore, the association between the parts and the data file is stored in the parts table.

  A plurality of parts having the same shape may be included as product components. That is, the same part may take a plurality of arrangements in the product. In such a case, a plurality of arrangement data is stored in the data file. An arrangement attribute which is information indicating which arrangement is to be taken among a plurality of arrangements can be given to the parts table.

  The registration means registers part design data in the evaluation system based on the parts table. The registration unit obtains a data file of parts constituting the product to be registered from the parts table, and based on the above attribute information, the data file includes only one shape data and one arrangement data in one data file. After disassembling, the disassembled data file is registered with the evaluation system.

  As described above, since the association between the component and the data file is stored in the component table, it is not necessary to manually specify the association between the component and the data file every time the registration process is performed, and the processing becomes efficient.

  Also, although the data format used differs between the design system and the evaluation system, the registration means refers to the attribute information of the parts table, and from the data format including a plurality of shape data and arrangement data, one shape data and one arrangement data Since it is registered in the evaluation system after being disassembled into a data format including, it is possible to eliminate the process of manually disassembling the data file by the user.

  It is also preferable to use an inversion attribute indicating that the part is mirror-inverted with respect to a predetermined plane as the attribute information given to the parts table. When the inversion attribute is given to the part, it is preferable that the registration means create new design data by mirror-inversion of the shape data and arrangement data of the part. In a product, a part having a mirror image inverted shape may be arranged at a symmetrical position. In such a case, as described above, the registration unit creates design data based on the inversion attribute, so that it is possible to save time for the designer himself / her to specify the shape and arrangement.

  In addition, this invention can also be grasped | ascertained as the design support method containing the said process, or the program for implement | achieving this method.

  For example, a design support method as one aspect of the present invention includes a design system that creates part design data, and an evaluation system that evaluates a part designed by the design system, and the design system includes: Data management is performed in a first data format in which one data file includes shape data indicating the shape of a plurality of parts having one or a similar shape and arrangement data indicating one or a plurality of arrangements that the part can take, The evaluation system is a design support method in a design support system for performing data management in a second data format in which only one shape data and only one arrangement data are included in one data file, The support system manages which parts the product is composed of, and the data file corresponds to the design data of each part And the design system stores attribute information including an arrangement attribute indicating the arrangement of the parts constituting the product in the parts table in association with the part, and the design system stores the attribute information based on the parts table. A data file is decomposed from the first data format to the second data format, and the decomposed data file is registered in the evaluation system.

  The design support program as one aspect of the present invention includes a design system that creates part design data, and an evaluation system that evaluates a part designed by the design system, and the design system includes: Data management is performed in a first data format including shape data indicating the shape of a plurality of parts having one or a similar shape in one data file and arrangement data indicating one or a plurality of arrangements that the part can take, The evaluation system is a design support program in a design support system that performs data management in a second data format in which only one shape data and only one arrangement data is included in one data file, For the support system, in the bill of materials that manages which parts the product is composed of, the data data of the design data of each part The attribute information including the arrangement attribute indicating the arrangement of the parts constituting the product is stored in the parts table in association with the part, and stored in the design system. The data file is decomposed from the first data format to the second data format based on the parts table, and the decomposed data file is registered in the evaluation system.

  According to the present invention, data linkage is facilitated in a design support system.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

<System configuration>
As shown in FIG. 1, a design support system 1 according to this embodiment is a system configured by a design system 2, an evaluation system 3, and a production management system 4 in cooperation. The design support system 1 is a system that performs from design to manufacturing management by these subsystems. Hereinafter, these subsystems will be described.

  The design system 2 is a system used by a designer for designing parts. As will be described later, the design system 2 designs parts using a CAD terminal. In the design system 2, design data is stored in a database that can be accessed from all CAD terminals, and parts are designed while other designers refer to data in charge of design. Synchronous design can be performed by storing data in the middle of design in a database and making it available to other designers.

The evaluation system 3 confirms the consistency of the parts designed in the design system 2 for consistency such as interference and evaluates performance and mass productivity. Specifically, the evaluation system 3 performs interference / clearance check, evaluation of assembly workability, confirmation of design, and the like using a digital mockup (DMU). In addition, product characteristics are analyzed by numerical simulation to evaluate performance and strength. The evaluation system 3 also evaluates manufacturing costs and is used for cost reduction purposes.

  At a predetermined time in the development process, all designers once match the design data and register the design data in the evaluation system 3. It is possible to improve the completeness of the product by performing the above evaluation based on this registered data and feeding back to the design process again.

  The production management system 4 is a system that manages the shape of a part that has been designed and entered a production stage. When the product reaches a predetermined degree of completion through the above evaluation process, a part manufacturing instruction is issued by issuing part diagram data (drawing data) to the supplier. The production management system 4 is a place for registering this part drawing data. The production management system 4 is a system for instructing and managing the shape and characteristics of a part that is actually manufactured, and also for managing information such as the number of parts, the ordering party, and the delivery date of each part.

<Data format>
A data format used in the present embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the granularity of data used in the subsystems of the design system 2 and the production management system 4 is unified. That is, one CAD data file employs a data format in which design data relating to one part or a plurality of parts having a similar shape is included. The CAD data file also stores a plurality of arrangement data indicating the positions where these parts are arranged in the product. The evaluation system 3 in the present embodiment employs a data format that is one data file for each component and arrangement. That is, the evaluation system 3 uses a data file having a data format in which only one shape data and only one arrangement data are included in one data file.

  Since each system has a different purpose and application, the required data is different. In the design system 2 and the evaluation system 3, not only the shape of the part but also its arrangement information is necessary. However, the production management system 4 does not need information on where the parts are arranged, and only information on the shape of the parts.

  The designer determines the shape and arrangement of the parts using the design system 2. In the design system 2, design data relating to a plurality of parts having similar shapes is stored in one CAD data file, so that these parts can be designed collectively. Since processing can be performed in a lump, it is possible to prevent mistakes such as omission of correction when correcting a plurality of similar parts. In designing parts, it is necessary to perform design work while referring to surrounding parts. However, it is also possible to identify surrounding parts from the parts list and automatically obtain the corresponding CAD data file in the CAD terminal. It becomes possible.

  In the evaluation system 3, the shape and arrangement of parts constituting the product are required. Therefore, by using a data format in which one shape data and one arrangement data are included in one CAD data file, it becomes easier to sort data, check products, etc., and increase the degree of product development completion. it can. The evaluation system 3 in the present embodiment can also use a CAD data file in a data format used in the design system 2 and the production management system 4. That is, one CAD data file can include a plurality of shape data and a plurality of arrangement data. In this case, the evaluation system 3 refers only to the shape data and arrangement data of the necessary parts.

In the production management system 4, the management is performed only by the shape of the part regardless of which product the part is used for and the arrangement in the product. Therefore, only the shape data from the CAD data file is used based on the product number. Since design data of parts having similar shapes is stored in one CAD data file, the production management system 4 can collectively manage these similar parts.

  The CAD data is created by the design system 2 and is used by registering the created CAD data in the evaluation system 3 or the production management system 4. In the present embodiment, the design system 2 performs registration by storing (copying) a CAD data file in a predetermined storage location of the evaluation system 3 or the production management system 4. However, the data delivery method is not limited to this, and data may be delivered by any method.

<Design system>
Below, the design system 2 is demonstrated in detail. FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of the design system 2. In the design system 2, a DB (database) server 10 and a plurality of CAD terminals 20 are communicably connected via a communication line such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. Each designer designs each component stored in the DB server 10 by operating the CAD terminal 20. Each designer is configured so that other designers can perform design work while referring to the parts for which the designer is responsible. In this way, a plurality of designers can collaborate and perform design work using the design system 2.

  The DB server 10 includes a parts table DB 11 and a CAD data storage unit 12. The parts table DB 11 manages the association between parts and CAD data (design data) files and what kind of parts a product is composed of. The CAD data storage unit 12 stores a CAD data file of parts.

  In the present embodiment, one DB server 10 includes the parts table DB 11 and the CAD data storage unit 12, but different servers may be used for the respective databases. One database may be configured using a plurality of servers. In other words, the database may be constructed using any existing technique.

  In the design support system according to the present embodiment, a part number, which is an identifier corresponding to a part shape, is assigned to a part and managed. Accordingly, in the design system 2 as well, parts (design data) are managed using the product number corresponding to the shape.

[Bill List DB]
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the data structure of the parts table DB 11. In the present embodiment, the parts table DB 11 is composed of a parts table master that manages which CAD data file the part design data is associated with, and what kind of components (subordinate components / intermediate products) the product is. It is composed of two tables of the parts list book that manages whether or not it is done.

  FIG. 3A shows the structure of the parts table master. One or more parts are associated with one CAD data file. In the present embodiment, the part numbers “A”, “A ′”, “Am”, and “A′m”, which are parts having similar shapes, are associated with one CAD data file “File1”.

FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the structure of the parts cover sheet. Each product is managed by a product ID. In the present embodiment, the product ID includes a basic shape ID and an arrangement variation (specification). For example, the product ID “1001RH01” indicates that the basic shape ID is “1001”, the product on the right side (RH), and the specification is “01”. Here, the basic shape ID “1001” is, for example, a door side panel. Also, as a specification, high-grade specifications ("
01 ") and general specifications (" 02 "). In this way, on the parts cover sheet, the configurations of products having a plurality of specifications are managed even for the same vehicle type. In this embodiment, for example, it can be seen from the parts cover sheet that two parts “A” and one part “A ′” and “B” are required to create the product “1001RH01”. Further, it can be seen from the parts cover sheet that the product “1001LH02” requires one part “Am”, “A′m”, and “B ′”.

  The component table cover sheet can be provided with attribute information indicating an arrangement attribute indicating a position where the component is arranged and an inversion attribute indicating a mirror inversion arrangement (mirror image inversion arrangement) for each of the parts constituting the product. It has a configuration. In FIG. 3B, “L1”, “L2”, and “L3” are arrangement attributes, and “M” is a reverse attribute. The actual arrangement corresponding to the arrangement attributes “L1”, “L2”, and “L3” is stored in the CAD data file in the arrangement data. That is, the arrangement attribute indicates which of the plurality of arrangement data stored in the CAD data file is the arrangement that the component takes.

  FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the data structure of the parts table DB (parts table master and parts table book), and does not show the actual data structure of the database. Any actual data structure may be used as long as the data can be managed.

[CAD data file]
One CAD data file may store design data of a plurality of parts having similar shapes. For example, the shape data of parts having product numbers “A”, “A ′”, “Am”, and “A′m” are stored in one CAD data file. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, since these components can have the arrangement attributes “L1”, “L2”, and “L3”, the arrangement data corresponding to each of them is stored in the CAD data file.

  The three-dimensional shapes of the parts “A”, “A ′”, “Am”, and “A′m” are as shown in FIG. The part “A ′” has the same basic shape as the part “A”, but differs only in that there is a hole. The parts “Am” and “A′m” are mirror images of the parts “A” and “A ′”, and can be generated from the shape data of the parts “A” and “A ′”.

  The arrangement data included in the CAD data file indicates the arrangement (position) that can be taken by the parts included in the CAD data file. As shown in FIG. 4B, the arrangement data of the arrangement attributes “L1”, “L2”, and “L3” are stored in the CAD data file. For the arrangement data, a coordinate system is determined for each product, and is specified as a position in this coordinate system.

  Since the parts table DB 11 and the CAD data file are managed in association with each other as described above, it is preferable to perform the following processing on the system side. That is, when a new part number is added to the parts table DB 11 (parts table master), it is preferable to add the shape data of the corresponding part number in the corresponding CAD data file in the CAD data storage unit 12. Further, when a new arrangement attribute is added to the parts table DB 11 (the parts table book), it is preferable to add the corresponding arrangement data in the corresponding CAD data file in the CAD data storage unit 12.

[CAD terminal]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing functional blocks of the CAD terminal 20 in the design system 2. The CAD terminal 20 includes an editing unit 21, an evaluation system registration unit 22, a production management system registration unit 23, an input unit 24, and an output unit 25. The CAD terminal 20 has a hardware configuration such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a main storage device such as a RAM, an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk device, an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an output such as a display / printer / plotter. Consists of devices. In the CAD terminal 20, the functions of the editing unit 21, the evaluation system registration unit 22, and the production management system registration unit 23 are realized by the CPU executing various programs (OS and applications) stored in the auxiliary storage device. .

[[Editorial department]]
The editing unit 21 edits the CAD data file according to the input from the designer. The CAD data file includes shape data and arrangement data of one or a plurality of parts having similar shapes. When data of a plurality of parts is included, the plurality of parts can be collectively edited. That is, the designer can design a shape common to a plurality of parts by designating a plurality of parts included in one CAD data file. In addition, by designating only a part of the plurality of parts, it is possible to design different shapes among the plurality of parts.

[[Evaluation System Registration Department]]
The evaluation system registration unit 22 registers the CAD data file stored in the CAD data storage unit 12 in the evaluation system 3. As already described, the evaluation system 3 in the present embodiment requires either a data format including a plurality of shape data and a plurality of arrangement data, or a data format including only one shape data and one arrangement data. You can also

  When the design system 2 requests a CAD data file in a data format including a plurality of shape data and a plurality of arrangement data, it is the same as the data format used in the design system 2 and is therefore an object of evaluation. Registration is performed by copying the CAD data file of the parts constituting the product to a predetermined storage location. Since this registration process is automatically performed by the evaluation system registration unit 22 with reference to the parts table, manual work by the user is not necessary. Further, no CAD data file processing is required for registration.

  When the evaluation system 3 requests a CAD data file in a data format that includes only one shape data and one arrangement data, the evaluation system registration unit 22 uses a CAD data file that includes a plurality of shape data and arrangement data. Then, the decomposed data file is registered in the evaluation system 3. The evaluation system registration unit 22 obtains a combination of the shape and arrangement of the parts that make up the product with reference to the parts list sheet. Then, necessary shape data and arrangement data are acquired from the CAD data file corresponding to the component, and decomposition is performed by creating a new data file including only the acquired shape data and arrangement data.

[[Production Management System Registration Department]]
The production management system registration unit 23 registers the CAD data file stored in the CAD data storage unit 12 in the production management system 4. Specifically, registration is performed by copying a CAD data file of the parts constituting the product to a predetermined storage location. One CAD data file includes design data of one part or a part having a similar shape, and a plurality of pieces of data having the same shape are not registered.

<Operation example>
Next, the flow of processing when performing design development using the design / manufacturing support system according to the present embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

[Flow of overall processing]
At the beginning of the design and development work, the definition of the parts constituting the product and the correspondence between each part and the CAD data file are created in the parts table (S101). Based on this parts table, each part is designed using the design system 2 (S102). When the design has progressed to a certain level, each designer is matched and the design data is registered in the evaluation system 3 (S103). This registration process is performed by the evaluation system registration unit 22 based on the parts table, and the designer performs the registration process automatically only by instructing the CAD terminal 20 to start registration. Details of this registration process will be described later. The evaluation system 3 evaluates the product using the registered part design data (S104). If a defect is found in this evaluation work or if the performance is inferior (S105-NO), the process returns to the design work again. When it is recognized that there is sufficient performance in the evaluation work (S105-YES), the designed data is registered in the production management system 4 (S106). This registration process is performed by the production management system registration unit 23 based on the parts table. The production management system 4 performs processing such as ordering parts using the registered part design data (S107).

[Evaluation system registration process]
Next, details of the registration process (S103) of the CAD data file to the evaluation system 3 performed by the evaluation system registration unit 22 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the evaluation system registration unit 22 refers to the parts list master and the parts list book, and identifies parts associated with one CAD data file on the parts list book (S201). In the parts table master (FIG. 3A), the product numbers “A”, “A ′”, “Am”, and “A′m” surrounded by bold lines in FIG. 8 are managed in the same CAD data file. You can see by reference. Next, the evaluation system registration unit 22 determines an ID (registration ID) of component data to be registered in the evaluation system based on the attribute information and the product number (S202). Here, since the attribute information used in the parts table master is an arrangement attribute and a reverse attribute, the registration ID to be created is created by combining the arrangement attribute, the product number, and the reverse attribute (if any). That is, six evaluation system registration IDs of “L1_A”, “L2_A ′”, “L3_A”, “L1_Am_M”, “L2_A′m_M”, and “L3_Am_M” are created from the parts table master of FIG.

  The evaluation system registration unit 22 acquires corresponding shape data and arrangement data from the CAD data file for each component data to be registered (S203). If it is the component data of the registration ID “L1_A”, “A” as shape data and “L1” as arrangement data are acquired from CAD data. In the case of the component data of the registration ID “L2_A′m_M”, an arrangement obtained by reversing the mirror image of “A′m” as the shape data and “L2” as the arrangement data is acquired. The mirror image inversion is performed on a reference plane determined for each product. In this manner, an evaluation system registration data file including the acquired shape data and arrangement data is created for each registration ID (S204). Therefore, one evaluation system registration data file includes only one shape data and one arrangement data. The evaluation system registration unit 22 registers the created registration data file in the evaluation system 3 by storing it in a predetermined storage location (S205).

<Effect of embodiment>
By unifying the granularity of data used in each system of the design system 2, the evaluation system 3, and the production management system 4, it becomes possible to perform data management centrally, and data when data is linked between the systems. It becomes possible to omit processing such as processing.

  Also, by defining the association between the parts table and the CAD data and referring to the association, it is not necessary to associate the CAD data with the component each time the registration process is performed, and the registration process is greatly improved in efficiency.

Further, since the evaluation system 3 can use a data format including only one shape data and arrangement data of one data file, it becomes easy to sort data and check the product status. As described above, the evaluation system 3 requires conversion (processing) of the data file in response to requesting data in a data format different from that of the design system 2.
Since the system automatically disassembles the CAD data file based on the parts table, it is easy to link data between the systems.

<Others>
In the above description, it is assumed that the shape data of the product numbers “Am” and “A′m” exist in the CAD data file before performing the registration process in the evaluation system 3 and the production management system 4. . However, when performing registration processing in the evaluation system 3 and the production management system 4, the shape data of the product numbers “A” and “A ′” are mirror-inverted to obtain the shape data of “Am” and “A′m”. It is good also as a structure which creates automatically.

  In the above embodiment, the evaluation system registration unit 22 and the production management system registration unit 23 are implemented as functions in the CAD terminal 20 in the design system 2, but are not limited thereto. That is, these functions may be mounted on terminals other than the CAD terminal 20 in the design system 2. Further, this function may be implemented by a system other than the design system. The evaluation system registration unit 22 and the production management system registration unit 23 are realized on any hardware as long as they can communicate with the parts table DB 11 in the design system 2, the CAD data storage unit 12, the evaluation system 3, and the production management system 4. It does not matter.

It is a figure which shows the system configuration | structure of the design support system in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the system configuration | structure of the design system in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the data structure of parts table DB in this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the shape data and arrangement | positioning data which are contained in the CAD data file in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the functional block of the CAD terminal in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process at the time of performing the design development in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the registration process to the evaluation system in this embodiment. It is a figure explaining ID extraction processing for registration in registration processing to an evaluation system.

Explanation of symbols

1 Design / Manufacturing Support System 2 Design System 3 Evaluation System 4 Production Management System 10 DB Server 11 Parts List DB
12 CAD data storage unit 20 CAD terminal 21 editing unit 22 evaluation system registration unit 23 production management system registration unit 24 input unit 25 output unit

Claims (4)

A parts table database that stores information indicating the configuration of the parts used in the product, the placement attributes of each part , and the relationship between the design data and data file of each part;
Design data for storing a data file of design data in a first data format including shape data indicating the shape of one or a plurality of parts having a similar shape and arrangement data indicating one or a plurality of arrangements that the part can take A design system comprising storage means and editing means for editing the data file of the first data format;
An evaluation system that receives a data file of a part design data in a second data format including only one shape data and only one arrangement data, and evaluates the part;
Referring to the parts table database, the first format data file stored in the design data storage means of the design system is obtained, and the parts stored in the parts table database and their arrangement attributes are obtained. Registration means for creating a data file of the second data format using the shape data and arrangement data included in the acquired data file for each combination, and registering in the evaluation system;
A design support system comprising: In the parts table database, in association with a part used for the product, the other part of the part used for the product is mirror-inverted with respect to a predetermined plane. Is stored, and the reverse attribute is stored.
The registration means, when creating the data file of the second data format, if the reverse attribute is given to the part in the parts table database, the shape data included in the acquired data file and / or The arrangement data is mirror-inverted with respect to the predetermined plane to create new shape data and / or arrangement data, and the data file of the second data format is created using the new shape data and / or arrangement data. The design support system according to claim 1, wherein the design support system is created. A parts table database that stores information indicating the configuration of the parts used in the product, the placement attributes of each part , and the relationship between the design data and data file of each part;
Design data for storing a data file of design data in a first data format including shape data indicating the shape of one or a plurality of parts having a similar shape and arrangement data indicating one or a plurality of arrangements that the part can take a storage unit, a design system having an editing means for editing the data file of the first data format,
An evaluation system that receives a data file of a part design data in a second data format including only one shape data and only one arrangement data, and evaluates the part;
A design support method in a design support system comprising:
The design system refers to the parts table database, acquires the first format data file stored in the design data storage means of the design system, and stores the parts stored in the parts table database And a design support for creating a data file of the second data format using the shape data and the arrangement data included in the acquired data file for each combination of the arrangement attributes and registering them in the evaluation system Method. A parts table database that stores information indicating the configuration of the parts used in the product, the placement attributes of each part , and the relationship between the design data and data file of each part;
Design data for storing a data file of design data in a first data format including shape data indicating the shape of one or a plurality of parts having a similar shape and arrangement data indicating one or a plurality of arrangements that the part can take A design system comprising storage means and editing means for editing the data file of the first data format ;
An evaluation system that receives a data file of design data of a part as a data file in a second data format including only one shape data and only one arrangement data; and
A design support program in a design support system comprising:
The design system is made to refer to the parts table database to acquire the first format data file stored in the design data storage means of the design system and stored in the parts table database. Creating a data file of the second data format using the shape data and the arrangement data included in the acquired data file and registering them in the evaluation system for each combination of the component and the arrangement attribute thereof. Design support program.

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