Method and a device for synthesizing an electrical and electronic architecture

1. A method of synthesizing an electrical and electronic architecture of a complete product that needs to satisfy given requirements, said architecture including wired connections connecting together some pieces of equipment of the product, the method comprising the following steps performed by at least one computer hardware unit:

defining zones of said product suitable for receiving said equipment;

defining a network of pathways within said product for receiving said wired connections, the pathway network connecting any one zone to all the other zones;

drawing up a list of pieces of equipment for installing in said product and the zones in which each equipment can be arranged;

drawing up at least one functional scheme comprising, for at least one equipment, information relating to the wired connections leaving the equipment and to their destinations;

positioning each equipment in a zone;

performing routing by connecting each piece of equipment in compliance with said information by means of wired connections following said pathway network; and

evaluating said architecture in order to determine whether it is compatible with said requirements, and storing the architecture and the evaluation in memory, wherein each piece of equipment is placed at the center of gravity of a zone.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein after storing the architecture and the evaluation, either the pathway network, or the location of at least one equipment, or both the pathway networks and the location of at least one equipment is/are modified in order to obtain an alternative architecture associated with a new evaluation.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the product extends from a front end to a rear end and in order to define a pathway network, and the following steps are performed:

defining at least one primary pathway going from said front end to said rear end;

defining a plurality of secondary pathways, each zone being connected to each primary pathway via a respective secondary pathway, a node being located at each intersection between a primary pathway and a secondary pathway, and a node being located at each intersection between a secondary pathway and a zone.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said pathway network has a plurality of pathways and each pathway includes a routing limitation, with said functional scheme including for at least one given wired connection a routing constraint corresponding to a routing limitation of at least one pathway.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein if two pieces of equipment in a given zone need to be connected together by a wired connection, the zone being connected to the pathway networks via at least one node, then during routing the wired connection connecting together two pieces of equipment in a given zone is caused to pass via a node of said given zone.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said list of equipment includes primary equipment and secondary equipment dedicated to enabling said primary equipment to operate properly, and said secondary pieces of equipment comprise at least one member selected from one of the following categories: electrical grounding means; electrical power supply distribution means; lighting distribution means; interconnection means; and data concentration means.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein with said functional scheme indicating that a given primary equipment is to be electrically connected to a secondary equipment of a given category, during routing the primary equipment is connected via a wired connection to the secondary equipment of the given category that is the closest to the given primary equipment.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in order to perform said evaluation, at least one of the elements is determined in the following selection:

the weight value of the architecture;

the center of gravity of the architecture;

for the pathway network having at least one primary pathway, each zone being connected to each primary pathway via a respective secondary pathway, a node being located at each intersection between a primary pathway and a secondary pathway, and a node being located at each intersection between a secondary pathway and a zone, the number of wires passing along a segment interconnecting two nodes, and the diameter of an associated strand including said wires;

for said pathway network having at least one interrupter socket, the number of wires connected to said interrupter socket; and

for said list of equipment including primary equipment and secondary equipment dedicated to ensuring proper operation of said primary equipment, the number of wires connected to each secondary equipment.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein in order to determine said weight value or said center of gravity, the thickness of the wires in each wired connection is determined.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein for said pathway network having at least one interrupter socket, if the number of wires connected to said interrupter socket for a given architecture is less than a first threshold, then while constructing an alternative architecture said interrupter socket is omitted.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, for said list of equipment comprising primary equipment and secondary equipment dedicated to proper operation of said primary equipment, if the number of wires connected to a secondary equipment for a given architecture is less than a second threshold, then during construction of an alternative architecture said secondary equipment is omitted.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein for said pathway network including a plurality of segments, if the number of wires passing along a segment is less than a third threshold, then during construction of an alternative architecture, said segment is omitted.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said product is a vehicle.

14. A method of synthesizing an electrical and electronic architecture of a complete product that needs to satisfy given requirements, said architecture including wired connections connecting together some pieces of equipment of the product, the method comprising the following steps performed by at least one computer hardware unit:

defining zones of said product suitable for receiving said equipment;

defining a network of pathways within said product for receiving said wired connections, the pathway network connecting any one zone to all the other zones;

drawing up a list of pieces of equipment for installing in said product and the zones in which each equipment can be arranged;

drawing up at least one functional scheme comprising, for at least one equipment, information relating to the wired connections leaving the equipment and to their destinations;

positioning each equipment in a zone;

performing routing by connecting each piece of equipment in compliance with said information by means of wired connections following said pathway network; and

evaluating said architecture in order to determine whether it is compatible with said requirements, and storing the architecture and the evaluation in memory;

wherein said list of equipment includes primary equipment and secondary equipment dedicated to enabling said primary equipment to operate properly, and said secondary pieces of equipment comprise at least one member selected from one of the following categories: electrical grounding means; electrical power supply distribution means; lighting distribution means; interconnection means; and data concentration means; and

wherein with said functional scheme indicating that a given primary equipment is to be electrically connected to a secondary equipment of a given category, during routing the primary equipment is connected via a wired connection to the secondary equipment of the given category that is the closest to the given primary equipment.

15. A method of synthesizing an electrical and electronic architecture of a complete product that needs to satisfy given requirements, said architecture including wired connections connecting together some pieces of equipment of the product, the method comprising the following steps performed by at least one computer hardware unit:

defining zones of said product suitable for receiving said equipment;

defining a network of pathways within said product for receiving said wired connections, the pathway network connecting any one zone to all the other zones;

drawing up a list of pieces of equipment for installing in said product and the zones in which each equipment can be arranged;

drawing up at least one functional scheme comprising, for at least one equipment, information relating to the wired connections leaving the equipment and to their destinations;

positioning each equipment in a zone;

performing routing by connecting each piece of equipment in compliance with said information by means of wired connections following said pathway network; and

evaluating said architecture in order to determine whether it is compatible with said requirements, and storing the architecture and the evaluation in memory;

wherein in order to perform said evaluation, at least one of the elements is determined in the following selection:

the weight value of the architecture;

the center of gravity of the architecture;

for the pathway network having at least one primary pathway, each zone being connected to each primary pathway via a respective secondary pathway, a node being located at each intersection between a primary pathway and a secondary pathway, and a node being located at each intersection between a secondary pathway and a zone, the number of wires passing along a segment interconnecting two nodes, and the diameter of an associated strand including said wires;

for said pathway network having at least one interrupter socket, the number of wires connected to said interrupter socket; and

for said list of equipment including primary equipment and secondary equipment dedicated to ensuring proper operation of said primary equipment, the number of wires connected to each secondary equipment; and

wherein in order to determine said weight value or said center of gravity, the thickness of the wires in each wired connection is determined.

16. A method of synthesizing an electrical and electronic architecture of a complete product that needs to satisfy given requirements, said architecture including wired connections connecting together some pieces of equipment of the product, the method comprising the following steps performed by at least one computer hardware unit:

defining zones of said product suitable for receiving said equipment;

defining a network of pathways within said product for receiving said wired connections, the pathway network connecting any one zone to all the other zones;

drawing up a list of pieces of equipment for installing in said product and the zones in which each equipment can be arranged;

drawing up at least one functional scheme comprising, for at least one equipment, information relating to the wired connections leaving the equipment and to their destinations;

positioning each equipment in a zone;

performing routing by connecting each piece of equipment in compliance with said information by means of wired connections following said pathway network; and

evaluating said architecture in order to determine whether it is compatible with said requirements, and storing the architecture and the evaluation in memory;

wherein for said pathway network having at least one interrupter socket, if the number of wires connected to said interrupter socket for a given architecture is less than a first threshold, then while constructing an alternative architecture said interrupter socket is omitted.

17. A method of synthesizing an electrical and electronic architecture of a complete product that needs to satisfy given requirements, said architecture including wired connections connecting together some pieces of equipment of the product, the method comprising the following steps performed by at least one computer hardware unit:

defining zones of said product suitable for receiving said equipment;

defining a network of pathways within said product for receiving said wired connections, the pathway network connecting any one zone to all the other zones;

drawing up a list of pieces of equipment for installing in said product and the zones in which each equipment can be arranged;

drawing up at least one functional scheme comprising, for at least one equipment, information relating to the wired connections leaving the equipment and to their destinations;

positioning each equipment in a zone;

performing routing by connecting each piece of equipment in compliance with said information by means of wired connections following said pathway network; and

evaluating said architecture in order to determine whether it is compatible with said requirements, and storing the architecture and the evaluation in memory;

wherein, for said list of equipment comprising primary equipment and secondary equipment dedicated to proper operation of said primary equipment, if the number of wires connected to a secondary equipment for a given architecture is less than a second threshold, then during construction of an alternative architecture said secondary equipment is omitted.

18. A method of synthesizing an electrical and electronic architecture of a complete product that needs to satisfy given requirements, said architecture including wired connections connecting together some pieces of equipment of the product, the method comprising the following steps performed by at least one computer hardware unit:

defining zones of said product suitable for receiving said equipment;

defining a network of pathways within said product for receiving said wired connections, the pathway network connecting any one zone to all the other zones;

drawing up a list of pieces of equipment for installing in said product and the zones in which each equipment can be arranged;

drawing up at least one functional scheme comprising, for at least one equipment, information relating to the wired connections leaving the equipment and to their destinations;

positioning each equipment in a zone;

performing routing by connecting each piece of equipment in compliance with said information by means of wired connections following said pathway network; and

evaluating said architecture in order to determine whether it is compatible with said requirements, and storing the architecture and the evaluation in memory;

wherein for said pathway network including a plurality of segments, if the number of wires passing along a segment is less than a third threshold, then during construction of an alternative architecture, said segment is omitted.