This scenario puts together the functionalities from the four workbenches used successively to create an electrical product. As an example: a hair dryer.
It can be split in four phases:
the electrical system definition using Electrical System Functional Definition
the device implantation in 3D environment with Electrical Library
the physical harness creation using Electrical Harness Installation
and finally the electrical wire routing with Electrical Wire Routing.
Re-using predefined electrical systems to create a more elaborate system
1. Start an Electrical System Functional Definition session.
2. Click the New icon and assemble the electrical systems:
3. Import existing components using the contextual menu:
❍ PowerSupply
❍ HairDryer
❍ HairDryer_Signals
4. Map the functional connectors to the physical ones using the contextual menu:
(connector_M: extension cable connectors to be plugged onto the batteries)
This action makes it possible to predefine for each functional connector what device reference to be used for the 3D placement. This will simplify the 3D Designer work: he's driven by the functional data, reusing the Electrical System engineer knowledge to achieve the 3D implantation.
5. Connect terminations and signals using the Assign icon .
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This action makes it possible to define the signal extremities corresponding to the power supply and the hair dryer systems.
6. Save the electrical system assembly using this icon .
The electrical functional system is defined.
It is saved in the HairDryer_Assembly.CATProduct document in the samples folder.
7. Launch a CATIA session.
8. Open the ElectricalWorkbenchIntegration.CATProduct.
It contains two batteries with two female connectors.
9. Load the functional system.
To do so:
❍ Right-click the ElectricalWorkbenchIntegration product and select Components -> Existing Components...
❍ Select the HairDryer_Assembly.CATProduct.
The correct path is: ...\online\cfysa_C2\samples\ElectricalIntegration
10. Set up the options using the Tools -> Options... menu:
❍ Select Infrastructure -> Part Infrastructure -> General:
Activate the External References option: Keep link with selected object.
❍ Select Mechanical Design -> Assembly Design -> General:
Activate the option: Automatic update.
3D implantation of the device
You will place the physical device: the hair dryer.
1. Start the Electrical Assembly Design workbench.
2. Insert a New Product.
❍ Right-click the ElectricalWorkbenchIntegration
and select Components -> New Product,
❍ In the Properties dialog box, enter the Part Number value for the hair dryer:
Hair-DryerProd and validate.
This product will contain the hair dryer itself and later the power cable.
3. Open the Catalog Browser using this icon .
Successively:
❍ Choose the catalog: ElecIntegration.catalog
if necessary, use the Browse button . The correct path is:
...\online\cfysa_C2\samples\ElectricalIntegration
❍ Drag and drop the hair-dryer equipment onto Hair-DryerProd.
❍ Close the Catalog Browser when done.
This action places the component from the catalog at the default location.
Using the compass, you can modify the position of the equipment.
It's a first standard mode of placement.
4. Click the Add Link icon to link the respective physical and functional equipment (the hair dryer).
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This action generates the link between the component and its corresponding functional element.
❍ You can see if a component is connected or not: the equipment icon sign changes and turns from red to green,
meaning that the hair dryer is now electrically linked.
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❍ The automatic signal routing will be possible since the signal extremities defined in the functional system can be
transposed in the 3D world using the physical/functional relations.
Physical harness creation
1. Start the Electrical Harness Assembly workbench.
2. Create two new products:
one for the hair dryer power cable, the second for the extension cable.
To do so:
❍ Right-click the Hair-DryerProd, select Components -> New Product, enter the Part Number for the power
cable in the Properties dialog box and validate.
❍ Right-click the ElectricalWorkbenchIntegration, select Components -> New Product, enter the Part Number
for the extension cable in the Properties dialog box and validate.
3. Create the geometrical bundles:
❍ Select the power cable and click the Geometrical Bundle icon .
You can change the instance name to PowerCable.
❍ Select the extension cable and click the Geometrical Bundle icon again.
You can change the instance name to ExtensionCable.
❍ The power cable is part of the hair dryer: that's why you create it in the hair dryer product (Hair-DryerProd).
❍ The extension cable is an independent assembly: that's why you create it under the root product assembly.
4. Double-click to activate the Geometrical Bundle2 (the extension cable) in the specification tree.
5. Switch to Electrical Library workbench.
6. Click the Place Physical Device icon to import the 3D connector for each battery.
7. Select the first connector in the PowerSupply system. The catalog pops up.
An alternative to steps 6 and 7 is to use the contextual menu, by right-clicking the connector in the PowerSupply system and choose Place Physical Device.
❍ Select the connector in the catalog and click OK to validate. The connector is added to the specification tree and
appears in the geometry at the origin (0, 0). You can change its location using the compass.
❍ Repeat these steps for the second connector.
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automatically get the correct part reference.
The 3D connector is automatically placed in the active product (Geometrical Bundle2) at the product origin.
8. Use the Electrical Assembly Design workbench to create the electrical connection with the batteries.
❍ Double-click to activate the ElectricalWorkbenchIntegration in the specification tree.
❍ Click the Connect Electrical Devices icon to connect the connector_M to the battery.
❍ Select successively in the geometry each connector_M connection point from the Geometrical
Bundle2(ExtensionCable) then the corresponding connector_F connection point of the battery.
1.
2.
The connectors are linked and shifted to the batteries.
This action creates the assembly constraints between connector and battery.
9. Double-click to activate the Geometrical Bundle2 (the extension cable) in the specification tree.
10. From the catalog, drag and drop the connector_F onto the Geometrical Bundle2 for the extension cable. If needed, position it between the hair dryer and the batteries using the compass (ExtensionCable must be active).
This action places the connector from the catalog onto the extension cable.
11. From the catalog, drag and drop the Backshell_F directly onto the Connector_F in the Geometrical Bundle2.
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This action places the back shell from the catalog onto the extension cable connector.
❍ it places the connector in the assembly
❍ it creates the assembly constraints between connector and back shell
❍ it establishes the electrical link between connector and back shell.
It is a second placement mode.
When the back shell is selected, the electrical link is displayed in the Related Objects viewer.
12. Double-click to activate the Geometrical Bundle1 (PowerCable) in the specification tree.
13. From the catalog, drag and drop the Connector_M directly onto the Connector_F of the extension cable.
This action adds the power cable connector (connector_M) from the catalog to the extension cable connector. The assembly constraints as well as the electrical constraints have been created between the power cable and the extension cable connectors. When the female connector is selected, the electrical link is displayed in the Related Objects viewer.
14. From the catalog, drag and drop the Backshell_M directly onto the Connector_M of the power cable.
This action places the back shell from the catalog onto the power cable connector. The assembly constraints as well as the electrical constraints have been created between the connector and the back shell.
You can repeat this step to place back shells on the extension cable male connectors (at the other extremity).
15. Start the Electrical Harness Assembly workbench to create the bundle segments for the power and extension cables.
To do so:
❍ Define a bundle segment in the Geometrical Bundle1(PowerCable):
(Diameter = 10mm, Bend Radius = 15mm, Slack = 10%)
❍ Define a point in the Geometrical Bundle2(ExtensionCable):
(Mode Between + Middle)
❍ Define a bundle segment in the Geometrical Bundle2(ExtensionCable):
(Diameter = 10mm, Bend Radius = 15mm, Slack = 5%)
❍ Define their routes.
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This action creates the bundle segments that will be used to route the wires of the power and extension cables.
Electrical wire routing
1. Start the Electrical Wire Routing workbench to create the wires.
2. Create two electrical bundles using the New Bundle icon . They will contain the wires for:
❍ the power cable (first electrical bundle)
❍ the extension cable (second electrical bundle).
3. Associate each of them to the respective geometrical bundle.
The wires will be created in the correct bundle according to their route.
4. Select Signal_check.
Boxes are displayed to help you recognize the extremities of the signal.
5. Click the Automatic Routing icon .
❍ The bundle segments diameter are updated according to the signal section.
❍ The specification tree is updated.
6. Multi-select Signal_plus and Signal_minus using the Signal icon .
7. Click the Automatic Routing icon .
❍ The specification tree is updated: the wires and wire connections are created.
❍ The length of the wire linked to a back shell is extended with an extra-length, defined as a back shell attribute.
However, an alternative is to connect the bundle segment through the back shell: in this case, the wire length is equal to the total length of the bundle segments of the wire route.
❍ The bundle segments diameter is updated using the section defined on the signals (with EFD).
❍ When only one signal is selected, the wire connections are displayed (as shown below).
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