Automatic assembly sequences generation by pattern-matching

The problem of automatically finding all the feasible assembly sequences for a set of n parts that compose a mechanical object is presented. The method proposed is feasible and practical in generating all the feasible assembly sequences when the number of parts is greatly increased. Previous work has shown that the question-answer pattern required 2l operations (here l is the total number of the liaisons and is bound between n-1 and (n/sup 2/-n)/2). An efficient network partitioning and pattern-matching operation is proposed to obtain precedence relations of the parts. This approach results in only l questions to be answered. The performance shows that the proposed algorithm can achieve a 50% reduction of questions asked. The proposed method shows feasibility and economy for the assembly of a large number of parts. Detailed algorithms, analysis, and examples are presented to show the effectiveness of the scheme.<>