Towards modelling of assemblies for product design

Abstract Current cad systems provide exhaustive capabilities for specifying detailed component geometry in support of the product-design process. However, before detailed geometric designs are finally produced, the designer must first map the product requirements into functional specifications, and realize the functional specifications in the form of conceptual designs. While it may not be possible to automate these more creative steps fully in the design process, cad systems can support the design process better, by consistently representing and maintaining the functional intent of the designer. To provide such support, the cad systems must address the assembly level, since only at this level is it possible to model the functionality of the design in terms of the functionally significant geometry and assembly relations. The literature survey first establishes basic information requirements for a cad framework in support of the broader design process. The literature is reviewed in the context of this framework. The following areas are reviewed: the choice of modelling primitives for the specification of assembly information, the choice of various model structures for the aggregation of the assembly information and the use of this information for design analysis, and the choice of strategies for relative part positioning for the computation of the final assembly configuration. Even though research is well developed in individual aspects of assembly modelling, there are major gaps that must be addressed before cad systems can make use of assembly modelling as an integrated framework for product design.

[1]  Brown,et al.  PADL-2: A Technical Summary , 1982, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications.

[2]  Alan Fleming.  Analysis of Uncertainties in a Structure of Parts , 1985, IJCAI.

[3]  J.U. Turner,et al.  Constraint representation and reduction in assembly modeling and analysis , 1992, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[4]  Ibrahim Zeid,et al.  Cognitive model of memory for mechanical-design problems , 1992, Comput. Aided Des..

[5]  Ann Patricia Fothergill,et al.  An Interpreter for a Language for Describing Assemblies , 1980, Artif. Intell..

[6]  John R. Dixon,et al.  Creating and using a features data base , 1986 .

[7]  David G. Ullman,et al.  The Evolution of Commitments in the Design of a Component , 1992 .

[8]  John R. Dixon,et al.  A review of research in mechanical engineering design. Part I: Descriptive, prescriptive, and computer-based models of design processes , 1989 .

[9]  David C. Gossard,et al.  Reasoning on the Location of Components for Assembly Packaging , 1991 .

[10]  Ann Patricia Fothergill,et al.  Reasoning About the Spatial Relationships Derived From a RAPT Program for Describing Assembly by a Robot , 1983, IJCAI.

[11]  Joseph M. Miller,et al.  Automatic assembly planning with fasteners , 1989, Proceedings, 1989 International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[12]  J. J. Shah,et al.  Feature based modeling shell: Design and implementation , 1988 .

[13]  Masatomo Inui,et al.  Algebraic reasoning of position uncertainties of parts in an assembly , 1991, SMA '91.

[14]  Kunwoo Lee,et al.  Inference of the positions of components in an assembly: part 2 , 1985 .

[15]  Ann Patricia Fothergill,et al.  Inferring the Positions of Bodies from Specified Spatial Relationships , 1974, Artif. Intell..

[16]  Kunwoo Lee,et al.  An assembly modelling system for dynamic and kinematic analysis , 1989 .

[17]  James H. Oliver,et al.  Inference of link positions for planar closed-loop mechanisms , 1992, Comput. Aided Des..

[18]  Jarek Rossignac,et al.  Constraints in constructive solid geometry , 1987, I3D '86.

[19]  Arthur C. Sanderson,et al.  A correct and complete algorithm for the generation of mechanical assembly sequences , 1991, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[20]  Glenn A. Kramer,et al.  Using degrees of freedom analysis to solve geometric constraint systems , 1991, SMA '91.

[21]  Robin J. Popplestone,et al.  The Edinburgh designer system as a framework for robotics , 1987, Proceedings. 1987 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[22]  Kunwoo Lee,et al.  A hierarchical data structure for representing assemblies: part I , 1985 .

[23]  Glen Mullineux.  Optimization scheme for assembling components , 1987 .

[24]  M. Mäntylä.  A modeling system for top-down design of assembled products , 1990 .

[25]  Heedong Ko,et al.  Automatic assembling procedure generation from mating conditions , 1987 .

[26]  Carme Torras,et al.  A group-theoretic approach to the computation of symbolic part relations , 1988, IEEE J. Robotics Autom..

[27]  Ehud Kroll,et al.  Rule-based generation of exploded-views and assembly sequences , 1989, Artif. Intell. Eng. Des. Anal. Manuf..

[28]  Joshua U. Turner.  Relative positioning of parts in assemblies using mathematical programming , 1990, Comput. Aided Des..

[29]  Alan Fleming,et al.  Geometric Relationships Between Toleranced Features , 1988, Artif. Intell..

[30]  Giuseppe Catania,et al.  Form-features for Mechanical Design and Manufacturing , 1991 .

[31]  Fumihiko Kimura,et al.  A product modeling system for top-down design of machine assembly with kinematic motion , 1993 .

[32]  Utpal Roy,et al.  Design of an automated assembly environment , 1989 .

[33]  David N. Rocheleau,et al.  System for interactive assembly modelling , 1987 .

[34]  Michael A. Wesley,et al.  AUTOPASS: An Automatic Programming System for Computer Controlled Mechanical Assembly , 1977, IBM J. Res. Dev..

[35]  Leonard S. Haynes,et al.  Robotic assembly by constraints , 1986, Proceedings. 1987 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[36]  Joshua U. Turner,et al.  Relative positioning of variational part models for design analysis , 1994, Comput. Aided Des..

[37]  佐藤 孝紀,et al.  A Hierarchical Data Structure for Picture Processing , 1976 .

[38]  Jami J. Shah,et al.  Analysis of design abstraction, representation and inferencing requirements for computer-aided design , 1989 .