1 A method of optimising a design of a component by conducting analyses on a set of design variants, each analysis comprising the steps of:
(a) representing the design variant as a CAD model comprising a plurality of geometric entities,
(b) assigning a tag name to each geometric entity,
(c) creating a computerised analysis model from the CAD model wherein the tag names remain associated with the respective geometric entities,
(d) assigning boundary conditions to at least one of the geometric entities in the analysis model by reference to the tag name, and
(e) determining an output condition of the analysis model in response to the boundary conditions,
the method further comprising the step of selecting an optimum variant on the basis of the results of the analyses.
2 A method of optimising a design of a component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determination of an output condition comprises determining an output condition of at least one of the geometric entities in the analysis model by reference to the tag name of that entity.
3 A method of optimising a design of a component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set of design variants is generated by use of a computer algorithm.
4 A method of optimising a design of a component as claimed in claim 3, the geometric entities comprising at least one dimension, wherein the set of design variants is generated by modifying a dimension of at least one of the geometric entities.
5 A method of optimising a design of a component as claimed in claim 3, wherein the set of design variants is generated by the addition or removal of at least one geometric entity.
6 A method of optimising a design of a component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the generation of the set of design variants includes generating a design variant by modifying a previous design variant in response to the output condition of the previous design variant.
7 A method of optimising a design of a component as claimed in claim 5, wherein the association between each tag name and corresponding geometric entity is unaffected by the removal or addition of a geometric entity.
8 A method of optimising a design of a component as claimed in claim 1, wherein a mesh density is associated with at least one of the geometric entities by reference to the tag name of that entity.
9 A method of optimising a design of a component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analysis model is a thermo-mechanical finite element analysis model.
10 A method of optimising a design of a component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analysis model is a computational fluid dynamics model.
11 A method of optimising a design of a component as claimed in claim 1, the geometric entities having at least one model property applied to it, wherein at least one of said model properties of at least one of the geometric entities is associated with the tag name of that geometric entity.
12 A method of optimising a design of a component as claimed in claim 11, wherein the model property is a material property of said geometric entity.
13 A method of optimising a design of a component as claimed in claim 11, wherein the model property is a temperature of said geometric entity.
14 A method of optimising a design of a component as claimed in claim 1, which is performed as a batch process, the design variants being generated automatically as the process proceeds until an optimum design variant is achieved.
15 A method of manufacturing a component, the method comprising:
(a) optimising the design of the component by a method in accordance with claim 1;
(b) manufacturing the component in accordance with the optimised design.
16 A method of manufacturing a component as claimed in claim 15, in which the component is a component of a gas turbine engine.
17 A method as claimed in claim 16, in which the component is a turbine blade having a fir tree root, the design of at least the fir tree root being optimised by a method in accordance with claim 1.
18 A component having a design optimised by conducting analyses on a set of design variants, each analysis comprising the steps of:
(a) representing the design variant as a CAD model comprising a plurality of geometric entities,
(b) assigning a tag name to each geometric entity,
(c) creating a computerised analysis model from the CAD model wherein the tag names remain associated with the respective geometric entities,
(d) assigning boundary conditions to at least one of the geometric entities in the analysis model by reference to the tag name, and
(e) determining an output condition of the analysis model in response to the boundary conditions; and
selecting an optimum variant on the basis of the results of the analyses.
19 A component manufactured by optimising the design of the component by conducting analyses on a set of design variants, each analysis comprising the steps of:
(a) representing the design variant as a CAD model comprising a plurality of geometric entities,
(b) assigning a tag name to each geometric entity,
(c) creating a computerised analysis model from the CAD model wherein the tag names remain associated with the respective geometric entities,
(d) assigning boundary conditions to at least one of the geometric entities in the analysis model by reference to the tag name, and
(e) determining an output condition of the analysis model in response to the boundary conditions;
selecting an optimum variant on the basis of the results of the analyses, and manufacturing the component in accordance with the optimised design.
20 A computer program product comprising code for carrying out a method of optimising a design of a component by conducting analyses on a set of design variants, each analysis comprising the steps of:
(a) representing the design variant as a CAD model comprising a plurality of geometric entities,
(b) assigning a tag name to each geometric entity,
(c) creating a computerised analysis model from the CAD model wherein the tag names remain associated with the respective geometric entities,
(d) assigning boundary conditions to at least one of the geometric entities in the analysis model by reference to the tag name, and
(e) determining an output condition of the analysis model in response to the boundary conditions,
the method further comprising the step of selecting an optimum variant on the basis of the results of the analyses.
21 A computer system adapted to carry out a method of optimising a design of a component by conducting analyses on a set of design variants, each analysis comprising the steps of:
(a) representing the design variant as a CAD model comprising a plurality of geometric entities,
(b) assigning a tag name to each geometric entity,
(c) creating a computerised analysis model from the CAD model wherein the tag names remain associated with the respective geometric entities,
(d) assigning boundary conditions to at least one of the geometric entities in the analysis model by reference to the tag name, and
(e) determining an output condition of the analysis model in response to the boundary conditions,
the method further comprising the step of selecting an optimum variant on the basis of the results of the analyses.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A system comprising:
a manual device including:
a first writing element operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a manual movement of the first writing element upon the surface;
a second writing element operable to discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller; and
the controller operable to encode information corresponding to an environment of the manual device by regulating a discharge of the second marking substance; and
a sensor operable to acquire data indicative of an environment of the manual device.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second writing element operable to discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller further includes:
a second writing element operable to discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller and in response to another manual movement.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor operable to acquire data indicative of an environment of the manual device further includes:
a sensor operable to acquire data indicative of at least one of time, location, global position, acceleration, temperature, user identification andor user data.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor operable to acquire data indicative of an environment of the manual device further includes:
a sensor operable to acquire data indicative of an environment of the manual device and including a storage device configurable by a file that includes data useful in characterizing the environment of the manual device.
5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:
an electronic device including the sensor operable to acquire data indicative of an environment of the manual device.
6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:
an electronic device operable to wirelessly communicate with the manual device and including the sensor operable to acquire data indicative of an environment of the manual device.
7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:
an electronic device including the sensor operable to acquire data indicative of an environment of the manual device and including a storage device configurable by a file that includes data useful in characterizing the environment of the manual device.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the manual device further includes:
a manual device including the sensor operable to acquire data indicative of an environment of the manual device.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the manual device further includes:
a manual device including the sensor operable to acquire data indicative of an environment of the manual device and including a storage device configurable by a file that includes data useful in characterizing the environment of the manual device.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the manual device including a first writing element and a second writing element further includes:
a manual device including a first writing element spaced apart from a second writing element.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the manual device including a first writing element and a second writing element further includes:
a manual device including a first writing element proximate to a second writing element.
12. A method comprising:
discharging a first marking substance from an electronic printhead of a device and onto a surface in response to a first manual movement of the device;
including information corresponding to an environment of the device by regulating the discharging of the first marking substance on the surface; and
discharging a second marking substance from a writing element of the device and onto the surface in response to a second manual movement of the device.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the discharging a first marking substance from an electronic printhead of a device and onto a surface in response to a first manual movement of the device further includes:
discharging at least one of ink, graphite, paint, particles, nanoparticles, andor quantum dots from an electronic printhead of a device and onto a surface in response to a first manual movement of the device.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the discharging a first marking substance from an electronic printhead of a device and onto a surface in response to a first manual movement of the device further includes:
discharging at least one of a visible andor an invisible marking substance from an electronic printhead of a device and onto a surface in response to a first manual movement of the device.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein the discharging a first marking substance from an electronic printhead of a device and onto a surface in response to a first manual movement of the device further includes:
discharging a fluorescent ink from an electronic printhead of a device and onto a surface in response to a first manual movement of the device.
16. The method of claim 12, wherein the including information corresponding to an environment of the device by regulating the discharging of the first marking substance on the surface further includes:
including information corresponding to an environment of the device by regulating at least one of volume, continuity, color, andor pattern of the discharging of the first marking substance on the surface.
17. The method of claim 12, wherein the including information corresponding to an environment of the device by regulating the discharging of the first marking substance on the surface further includes:
including information corresponding to an environment of the device by regulating a width of a line formed on the surface by the discharging of the first marking substance on the surface.
18. The method of claim 12, wherein the including information corresponding to an environment of the device by regulating the discharging of the first marking substance on the surface further includes:
including information corresponding to an environment of the device by regulating at least one of amplitude, frequency, differential shift, andor parameter of an orthogonal formation of the discharging of the first marking substance on the surface.
19. The method of claim 12, wherein the discharging a second marking substance from a writing element of the device and onto the surface in response to a second manual movement of the device further includes:
discharging a second marking substance from another electronic printhead of the device and onto the surface in response to a second manual movement of the device.
20. The method of claim 12, wherein the discharging a second marking substance from a writing element of the device and onto the surface in response to a second manual movement of the device further includes:
discharging a second marking substance from a writing element of the device and onto the surface in response to a second manual movement of the device, wherein the second manual movement of the device is at least substantially similar to the first manual movement of the device.
21. The method of claim 12, wherein the discharging a second marking substance from a writing element of the device and onto the surface in response to a second manual movement of the device further includes:
discharging a second marking substance from a writing element of the device and onto the surface in response to a second manual movement of the device, wherein the second manual movement of the device is at least substantially dissimilar from the first manual movement of the device.
22. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
acquiring data indicative of an environment of the manual device.
23. A device comprising:
means for discharging from an electronic printhead of the device a first marking substance on a surface in response to a first manual movement of the device;
means for including information corresponding to an environment of the device by regulating the discharging of the first marking substance on the surface; and
means for discharging from a writing element of the device a second marking substance on the surface in response to a second manual movement of the device.
24. The device of claim 23, further comprising:
means for acquiring data indicative of an environment of the manual device.