An intelligent system for routing automation

We present an outline of an intelligent routing environment developed for design automation of aircraft electrical wiring harness and pipe routing. The system interfaces with domain experts for capture of engineering knowledge and rules. System users specify only a few parameters to define individual routing problems. Geometry obstacles are specified using a discrete Finite Element (FE) mesh. Resultant paths are output in IGES form as CAD-readable geometry, and as an FE mesh consisting of geometry, routed path and knowledge layers. The knowledge layer provides detail of the rules and knowledge implemented throughout the routing process.