On geometric assembly planning

Abstract

This dissertation addresses the problem of generating feasible assembly sequences for a mechanical product from a geometric model of the product. An operation specifies a motion to bring two subassemblies together to make a larger subassembly. An assembly sequence is a sequence of operations that construct the product from the individual parts. I introduce the non-directional blocking graph, a succinct characterization of the blocking relationships between parts in an assembly. I describe efficient algorithms to identify removable subassemblies by constructing and analyzing the NDBG. For an assembly A of n parts and m part--part contacts equivalent to k contact points, a subassembly that can translate a small distance from the rest of A can be identified in O(mk 2 ) time. When rotations are allowed as well, the time bound is O(mk 5 ). Both algorithms are extended to find connected subassemblies in the same time bounds. All free subassemblies can be identified in output-dependent ...