Assembly simulation using haptic devices

Optimization and realistic simulation of the Assembly and Disassembly (A/D) process represent important research topics considering the role played by these operations throughout the Product Life-Cycle (PLC), from the design stage and up to the recycling at the end-of-life of a product. Although there are numerous studies in this field, many aspects are not yet completely developed or validated. In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) technology has evolved to new levels of complexity and integration. Now it combines several Human-Computer Interfaces (HCIs) in order to provide users various haptic sensations and to enable them becoming more immersed in the Virtual Environment (VE). Thus, VEs are starting to be frequently used in simulating operations from different domains of activity, among which the A/D process represents a key research area. Many of these applications are currently using haptic feedback and are facing significant difficulties in simulating some detailed operations – e.g. assembly components’ insertion/extraction. After a review of existing haptic devices and immersive simulation platforms, the main purpose of this research is to improve the A/D process simulation by proposing a new method and associated tools and better integration with commercial haptic devices. To this end, the first objective is to evaluate the impact of a mobility module, based on predefined kinematic constraints between components, able to guide user’s movements when simulating A/D operations. This can be achieved through an intelligent management of the assembly components relative mobilities in contact situations. The second objective is to find out if the proposed approach can be integrated with a new moderate cost haptic system: hardware plus software, for industrial use. In this sense, a comparative analysis of the simulation quality provided by two haptic devices is proposed.