Development of a virtual manufacturing assembly simulation system

Assembly operations are a key component of modern manufacturing systems. Designing, planning, and conducting assembly operations represent an important part of the cost of a product. Virtual reality provides an efficient and cost-effective solution to manufacturing design, planning, and prototyping. Still there are certain issues (such as data translation, integration of various hardware and software systems, and real-time collision detection) faced while applying this advanced technology to the assembly domain. For example, existing works focus on using virtual reality systems and environments mainly to design new products and to plan for assembly. Little focus has been given to develop virtual reality environments that contribute to train operators on assembly operations and to bridge the gap between design and implementation/execution of assembly. Therefore, the research work presented in this article focuses on developing a fully functional virtual manufacturing assembly simulation system that solves the issues related to virtual reality environments. The proposed system uses a virtual environment to create an interactive workbench that can be used for evaluating assembly decisions and training assembly operations. It is a comprehensive system that provides visual, auditory, tactile, as well as force feedback. The system works successfully even with large components.

[1]  E. Salas,et al.  A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING PRE‐PRACTICE CONDITIONS AND THEIR IMPACT ON LEARNING , 1998 .

[2]  Paul G. Maropoulos,et al.  Design verification and validation in product lifecycle , 2010 .

[3]  Ding Guo.  Collision Detection between Virtual Hand and Virtual Parts in VA , 2003 .

[4]  Abdulrahman Al-Ahmari,et al.  Development and Evaluation of a Virtual Assembly Trainer , 2012 .

[5]  Joe Cecil,et al.  Virtual engineering approaches in product and process design , 2007 .

[6]  Kjell Ivar Øvergård,et al.  Impact of training methods on Distributed Situation Awareness of industrial operators , 2015 .

[7]  R. Iacob.  Evaluation Of A Haptic-based Interaction System For Virtual Manual Assembly , 2015 .

[8]  Kevin W. Lyons,et al.  Virtual assembly using virtual reality techniques , 1997, Comput. Aided Des..

[9]  Ying Zhang,et al.  Evaluation of auditory feedback on task performance in virtual assembly environment , 2004, The Fourth International Conference onComputer and Information Technology, 2004. CIT '04..

[10]  Faieza Abdul Aziz,et al.  A REVIEW OF HAPTIC FEEDBACK IN VIRTUAL REALITY FOR MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY , 2009 .

[11]  Yusri Yusof,et al.  Survey on computer-aided process planning , 2014, The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology.

[12]  Francis M. Dwyer,et al.  The Effect of Online Gaming, Cognition and Feedback Type in Facilitating Delayed Achievement of Different Learning Objectives , 2005 .

[13]  Andrew Y. C. Nee,et al.  Assembly planning and evaluation in an augmented reality environment , 2013 .

[14]  Gabriel Zachmann,et al.  Virtual reality as a tool for verification of assembly and maintenance processes , 1999, Comput. Graph..

[15]  Lindley R. Higgins,et al.  Maintenance Engineering Handbook , 1967 .

[16]  Dianliang Wu,et al.  Virtual human hybrid control in virtual assembly and maintenance simulation , 2014 .

[17]  L. J. De Vin,et al.  Advanced machine service support using Internet-enabled three-dimensional-based virtual engineering , 2008 .

[18]  Guozhong Dai,et al.  MIVAS: A Multi-Modal Immersive Virtual Assembly System , 2004 .

[19]  Judy M. Vance,et al.  Virtual reality for assembly methods prototyping: a review , 2011, Virtual Reality.

[20]  Jan C. Aurich,et al.  Improvement of manufacturing processes with virtual reality-based CIP workshops , 2009 .

[21]  Ernie Appleton,et al.  Product Design for Manufacture and Assembly , 2008 .

[22]  K. Okulicz.  Virtual reality-based approach to manufacturing process planning , 2004 .

[23]  Yue Qi,et al.  Constraint-Based Virtual Assembly Training System for Aircraft Engine , 2012 .

[24]  E. Salas,et al.  The science of training: a decade of progress. , 2001, Annual review of psychology.

[25]  Steffen Strassburger,et al.  Combining Virtual Reality and Assembly Simulation for Production Planning and Worker Qualification , 2005 .

[26]  Chris Dede,et al.  The evolution of distance education: Emerging technologies and distributed learning , 1996 .

[27]  Amaury Peniche,et al.  Combining virtual and augmented reality to improve the mechanical assembly training process in manufacturing , 2012 .

[28]  Antonio Jimeno,et al.  State of the art of the virtual reality applied to design and manufacturing processes , 2007 .

[29]  Georges Dumont,et al.  Interactive simulation of CAD models assemblies using virtual constraint guidance , 2010 .

[30]  Dylan D. Schmorrow,et al.  The PSI Handbook of Virtual Environments for Training and Education [Three Volumes]: Developments for the Military and Beyond , 2008 .

[31]  R. Lloréns,et al.  BioTrak virtual reality system: effectiveness and satisfaction analysis for balance rehabilitation in patients with brain injury. , 2013, Neurologia.

[32]  Glyn Lawson,et al.  Understanding the complex needs of automotive training at final assembly lines. , 2015, Applied ergonomics.

[33]  Andrew Y. C. Nee,et al.  Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Applications in Manufacturing , 2004 .

[34]  F Zorriassatine,et al.  A survey of virtual prototyping techniques for mechanical product development , 2003 .

[35]  Bilalis Nikolaos,et al.  Industrial applications ’ simulation technologies in virtual environments Part 1 : Virtual Prototyping , .

[36]  Lawrence J. Najjar,et al.  An interactive environment for virtual manufacturing: the virtual work bench , 1999 .

[37]  Roberto Llorens,et al.  BioTrak: análisis de efectividad y satisfacción de un sistema de realidad virtual para la rehabilitación del equilibrio en pacientes con daño cerebral , 2013 .

[38]  Ahmet Çakir,et al.  Handbook of virtual environments: design, implementation, and applications, second edition, edited by Kelly S. Hale and Kay M. Stanney, CRC Press, 2014 , 2015, Behav. Inf. Technol..

[39]  Yong Wang,et al.  VADE: A Virtual Assembly Design Environment , 1999, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications.

[40]  Mehdi Ammi,et al.  VR-CAD integration: Multimodal immersive interaction and advanced haptic paradigms for implicit edition of CAD models , 2010, Comput. Aided Des..

[41]  Bernard Hon.  A Virtual Assembly Approach for Product Assemblability Analysis , 2011 .

[42]  David W. Rosen,et al.  A virtual prototyping approach to product disassembly reasoning , 1997, Comput. Aided Des..

[43]  Mao-Jiun J. Wang,et al.  Motion generation and virtual simulation in a digital environment , 2012 .

[44]  John Simmons,et al.  The generation and practical use of plans for manual assembly using immersive virtual reality , 1999 .

[45]  Umberto Cugini,et al.  Evaluation of a Haptic-Based Interaction System for Virtual Manual Assembly , 2009, HCI.

[46]  Alan Lipschultz,et al.  Virtual Reality Technology, 2nd edition , 2004 .

[47]  Dianliang Wu,et al.  Integrated Virtual Assembly Environment and its application in ship piping layout , 2008 .

[48]  Shih-Ching Yeh,et al.  An innovative virtual reality system for mild cognitive impairment: Diagnosis and evaluation , 2012, 2012 IEEE-EMBS Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Sciences.

[49]  M.S.J. Hashmi,et al.  Virtual reality applications in manufacturing process simulation , 2004 .

[50]  M. Figueiredo,et al.  A Survey on Collision Detection Techniques for Virtual Environments , 2002 .

[51]  G. Gary Wang,et al.  Definition and Review of Virtual Prototyping , 2002, J. Comput. Inf. Sci. Eng..

[52]  Ann L. Brown,et al.  How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. , 1999 .

[53]  Saeid Nahavandi,et al.  Design and evaluation of a haptically enable virtual environment for object assembly training , 2009, 2009 IEEE International Workshop on Haptic Audio visual Environments and Games.

[54]  Philippe Coiffet,et al.  Virtual Reality Technology , 2003, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[55]  António M. Lopes,et al.  A new type haptics-based virtual environment system for assembly training of complex products , 2011, The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology.

[56]  T. Kuhlen,et al.  Integration of virtual reality based assembly simulation into CAD/CAM environments , 1998, IECON '98. Proceedings of the 24th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (Cat. No.98CH36200).

[57]  Yao Yingxue,et al.  Optimising assembly planning based on virtual reality and bionic algorithm , 2006 .

[58]  Bijan Shirinzadeh,et al.  Solid modelling in a virtual reality environment , 2004, The Visual Computer.

[59]  Imre Horváth,et al.  Special issue of Computer-Aided Design on virtual and augmented reality technologies in product design , 2010, Comput. Aided Des..

[60]  Judy M. Vance,et al.  SHARP: A System for Haptic Assembly and Realistic Prototyping , 2006 .

[61]  Grigore C. Burdea.  Haptic Feedback for Virtual Reality 1 , 1999 .

[62]  Theodore Lim,et al.  Development of a Haptic Virtual Reality System for Assembly Planning and Evaluation , 2013 .

[63]  Davy Monticolo,et al.  A collaborative Design for Usability approach supported by Virtual Reality and a Multi-Agent System embedded in a PLM environment , 2010, Comput. Aided Des..

[64]  Amaury Peniche Eafit.  An Immersive Virtual Reality Training System for Mechanical Assembly , 2011 .

[65]  Judy M. Vance,et al.  Desktop haptic virtual assembly using physically based modelling , 2007, Virtual Reality.

[66]  H. J. Bullinger,et al.  Virtual assembly planning , 2000 .

[67]  Christian Lauer,et al.  Collaborative Factory Planning in Virtual Reality , 2012 .

[68]  Wenjian Liu,et al.  A desktop virtual reality-based interactive modular fixture configuration design system , 2010, Comput. Aided Des..