Immersive Dimensional Variation Modeling for Vehicle Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies lack effective mechanisms for visually representing and controlling dimensional variations in complex products like vehicles, which affect their quality and structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
An immersive virtual reality system is developed to model and simulate dimensional variations by generating a virtual vehicle environment, using a DVA mesh and FEA model, allowing users to interactively evaluate various component configurations and tolerances, thereby predicting and managing dimensional variations within acceptable ranges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If dimensional variations are modeled and simulated using traditional methods, then manufacturing precision can be improved, but the complexity of the analysis system increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the physical assembly process through simulation. A virtual model of the assembly system is constructed, allowing dimensional variations to be simulated and analyzed without physically building multiple variants. This virtual copying enables repeated analysis of the same assembly process under different tolerance conditions, improving manufacturing precision while avoiding the complexity of physical prototyping and measurement systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical measurement and inspection systems with computational simulation. Instead of building physical test fixtures, measurement equipment, and multiple physical assemblies to analyze dimensional variations, the system uses computer-based simulation to model and analyze the same variations. This substitution of mechanical/physical systems with information processing systems reduces device complexity while maintaining or improving analysis precision.
2Reliability
If multiple component configurations and tolerances are evaluated interactively, then product quality improves, but the computational resources and processing time required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary computational actions by pre-calculating and storing dimensional variation data for different component configurations and tolerance levels. The system pre-processes assembly models to generate variation ranges and probability distributions before actual analysis is needed. This preliminary action allows rapid query and evaluation of product quality without requiring computationally intensive real-time simulations for each configuration, reducing overall resource consumption while maintaining high reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing device is used for creating a dimensional model of at least a portion of a product, the dimensional model including a range of possible conditions with respect to at least one component in the product. The dimensional model is used to create a set of geometries for the product, a geometry being a representation of at least a portion of the product, wherein each of the geometries corresponds to one or more of the conditions. A display is provided of a first one of the geometries, and then, upon receiving an input requesting a second one of the geometries, a display is provided of the requested second one of the geometries.