CAD pipe arrangement and pipe relationship database validation

1. A design assist device which verifies a piping order of a plurality of pipes to be arranged, comprising:

a storage unit,

an arrangement possible/impossible determination part, and

an arrangement possible/impossible display creation part,

wherein the storage unit stores therein: a pipe list constituted by an ordered set made up of a plurality of the pipes whose piping order is subjected to verification, and a main-branched pipe relationship database in which a given pipe is made to correspond to none or more main pipes each of which is arranged before the given pipe, and also to none or more branched pipes each of which is arranged after the given pipe,

wherein the arrangement possible/impossible determination part:

reads the pipe list from the storage unit and determines a pipe in the pipe list as a pipe subjected to determination,

searches the given pipe in the main-branched pipe relationship database using identification information on the pipe subjected to determination as a search key, acquires a main pipe and a branched pipe corresponding to the searched given pipe, and identifies positions of the acquired main pipe and branched pipe in the pipe list, and,

if there is a branched pipe which is situated in a position before the pipe subjected to determination in the pipe list or if there is a main pipe which is situated in a position after the pipe subjected to determination in the pipe list, determines that arrangement of the pipe subjected to determination is impossible, and, if not, determines that the arrangement of the pipe subjected to determination is possible, and

wherein the arrangement possible/impossible display creation part makes a display device display the arrangement possible/impossible of the pipe subjected to determination determined by the arrangement possible/impossible determination part.

2. The design assist device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the arrangement possible/impossible determination part, after the determination of the arrangement possible/impossible of each of the pipes in the pipe list, selects a pipe whose arrangement is impossible, searches the main-branched pipe relationship database for a branched pipe corresponding to the selected pipe using identification information on the selected pipe as a search key, acquires the searched branched pipe, and corrects the arrangement possible/impossible of the acquired branched pipe from “possible” to “not recommended”.

3. The design assist device according to claim 1 , further comprising a main-branched pipe relationship display unit,

wherein, if a pipe to be highlighted is selected from among the pipes in the pipe list via an input device, the main-branched pipe relationship display unit:

searches the main-branched pipe relationship database for the given pipe using identification information on the pipe to be highlighted as a search key, acquires a main pipe and a branched pipe each corresponding to the searched given pipe, and identifies each position of the acquired main pipe and the acquired branched pipe, in the pipe list, and

makes the display device display information on orders of the each pipe in the pipe list, and also makes the display device connectedly display: a highlighted display showing the pipe to be highlighted in the information on orders; an icon representing the main pipe acquired in the information on orders; and an icon representing the acquired branched pipe in the information on orders.

4. The design assist device according to claim 2 , further comprising a main-branched pipe relationship display unit,

wherein, if a pipe to be highlighted is selected from among the pipes in the pipe list via an input device, the main-branched pipe relationship display unit:

searches the main-branched pipe relationship database for the given pipe using identification information on the pipe to be highlighted as a search key, acquires a main pipe and a branched pipe each corresponding to the searched given pipe, and identifies each position of the acquired main pipe and the acquired branched pipe, in the pipe list, and

makes the display device display information on orders of the each pipe in the pipe list, and also makes the display device connectedly display: a highlighted display showing the pipe to be highlighted in the information on orders; an icon representing the main pipe acquired in the information on orders; and an icon representing the acquired branched pipe in the information on orders.

5. The design assist device according to claim 3 , further comprising a piping order edit processing unit,

wherein the piping order edit processing unit, upon receipt of an operation of changing an order of the pipe to be highlighted via the input device, switches the order of the pipe to be highlighted with that of another pipe according to the received operation, updates the information on orders of the pipe list, and writes the updated information on orders to the storage unit, and

wherein the arrangement possible/impossible determination part recalculates the arrangement possible/impossible of the each pipe constituting the updated pipe list.

6. The design assist device according to claim 4 , further comprising a piping order edit processing unit,

wherein the piping order edit processing unit, upon receipt of an operation of changing an order of the pipe to be highlighted via the input device, switches the order of the pipe to be highlighted with that of other pipe according to the received operation, updates the information on orders of the pipe list, and writes the updated information on orders to the storage unit, and

wherein the arrangement possible/impossible determination part recalculates the arrangement possible/impossible of the each pipe constituting the updated pipe list.

7. The design assist device according to claim 1 , further comprising a piping order edit processing unit,

wherein the pipe list stored in the storage unit includes the identification information on the each pipe as well as attribute information on the each pipe, which are made to correspond to each other,

wherein the piping order edit processing unit, upon receipt of an operation of selecting attribute information of a pipe via the input device, sorts an order of the pipes in the pipe list using attribute information on the selected pipe as a sort key, updates the information on orders in the pipe list, and writes the updated information on orders to the storage unit, and

wherein the arrangement possible/impossible determination part recalculates the arrangement possible/impossible of the each pipe constituting the updated pipe list.

8. The design assist device according to claim 2 , further comprising a piping order edit processing unit,

wherein the pipe list stored in the storage unit includes the identification information on the each pipe as well as attribute information on the each pipe, which are made to correspond to each other,

wherein the piping order edit processing unit, upon receipt of an operation of selecting attribute information of a pipe via the input device, sorts an order of the pipes in the pipe list using attribute information on the selected pipe as a sort key, updates the information on orders in the pipe list, and writes the updated information on orders to the storage unit, and

wherein the arrangement possible/impossible determination part recalculates the arrangement possible/impossible of the each pipe constituting the updated pipe list.

9. The design assist device according to claim 3 , further comprising a piping order edit processing unit,

wherein the pipe list stored in the storage unit includes the identification information on the each pipe as well as attribute information on the each pipe, which are made to correspond to each other,

wherein the piping order edit processing unit, upon receipt of an operation of selecting attribute information of a pipe via the input device, sorts an order of the pipes in the pipe list using attribute information on the selected pipe as a sort key, updates the information on orders in the pipe list, and writes the updated information on orders to the storage unit, and

wherein the arrangement possible/impossible determination part recalculates the arrangement possible/impossible of the each pipe constituting the updated pipe list.

10. The design assist device according to claim 4 , further comprising a piping order edit processing unit,

wherein the pipe list stored in the storage unit includes the identification information on the each pipe as well as attribute information on the each pipe, which are made to correspond to each other,

wherein the piping order edit processing unit, upon receipt of an operation of selecting attribute information of a pipe via the input device, sorts an order of the pipes in the pipe list using attribute information on the selected pipe as a sort key, updates the information on orders in the pipe list, and writes the updated information on orders to the storage unit, and

wherein the arrangement possible/impossible determination part recalculates the arrangement possible/impossible of the each pipe constituting the updated pipe list.

11. A design assist method performed by a design assist device which verifies a piping order of a plurality of pipes to be arranged, the design assist device including a storage unit, an arrangement possible/impossible determination part, and an arrangement possible/impossible display creation part, the storage unit storing therein a pipe list constituted by an ordered set made up of a plurality of the pipes whose piping order is subjected to verification, and a main-branched pipe relationship database in which a given pipe is made to correspond to none or more main pipes each of which is arranged before the given pipe, and also to none or more branched pipes, each of which is arranged after the given pipe, the design assist method comprising:

reading the pipe list from the storage unit and determining a pipe in the pipe list as a pipe subjected to determination,

searching for the given pipe in the main-branched pipe relationship database using identification information on the pipe subjected to determination as a search key,

acquiring a main pipe and a branched pipe corresponding to the searched given pipe,

identifying positions of the acquired main pipe and branched pipe in the pipe list,

determining, if there is a branched pipe which is situated in a position before the pipe subjected to determination in the pipe list or if there is a main pipe which is situated in a position after the pipe subjected to determination in the pipe list, that arrangement of the pipe subjected to determination is impossible, and, if not, that the arrangement of the pipe subjected to determination is possible, and

making a display device display an arrangement possible/impossible condition of the pipe subjected to determination by the arrangement possible/impossible determination part.