Visual Assembly Workbench Using Digital Twins Instead of AR Headsets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for aircraft component maintenance and assembly are complex and cumbersome, requiring written instructions or cumbersome augmented reality hardware, which restricts operator movement and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A benchtop visual prototyping and assembly system that uses a work surface, vision subsystems to capture images, and processors to generate and display digital twin models of aircraft components, allowing for virtual representation of assembly states without the need for cumbersome hardware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If head-mounted displays are used to provide virtual animations of maintenance and assembly operations, then the operator receives visual guidance, but the operator's movement is restricted and operation becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital twin model that copies the physical aircraft component and its assembly state. This digital replica provides visual guidance without requiring physical head-mounted displays on the operator, thus maintaining movement freedom while delivering comprehensive visual information about assembly steps and component states
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical head-mounted display system with a computer vision-based digital twin system. Instead of using optical-hardware overlays on the operator's field of view, the system uses cameras, processors, and display devices to present visual guidance information, eliminating the physical constraints of head-mounted equipment
2Loss of information
If written instructions are used to guide maintenance and assembly operations, then the operator receives step-by-step guidance, but the process becomes tedious and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously captures images of the work-in-progress unit, compares the actual assembly state with the target state in the digital twin model, and provides real-time feedback to the operator. This closed-loop feedback mechanism replaces static written instructions with dynamic, adaptive guidance that updates based on the current assembly progress, reducing errors and improving efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The digital twin model pre-calculates and stores the complete assembly sequence and target states before the actual assembly operation begins. This preliminary preparation allows the system to provide immediate, context-aware guidance without requiring the operator to search through written manuals or interpret complex procedures during the assembly process
3Loss of information
If augmented reality hardware is used to animate maintenance and assembly operations, then the operator can watch operations in a virtual environment, but the hardware is cumbersome and inhibitive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital twin model that copies the physical aircraft component and its assembly state. This digital replica provides visual guidance without requiring physical head-mounted displays on the operator, thus maintaining movement freedom while delivering comprehensive visual information about assembly steps and component states
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a general-purpose computer vision setup with cameras and processors that can be applied to various assembly tasks and components. This universal approach replaces specialized augmented reality hardware with a flexible software-based solution that can adapt to different assembly scenarios without requiring dedicated hardware for each application
Data Source
AI summary
A visual prototyping and assembly system includes a work surface configured to hold one or more work-in-progress units during an assembly operation. The visual prototyping and assembly system may receive the one or more images of the work-in-progress units; determine a current assembly state of the work-in-progress units based on the one or more images of the work-in-progress units; generate a current digital twin model of the -in-progress units corresponding to the current assembly state of the work-in-progress units and display the current digital twin model a user interface; determine a subsequent assembly state of the work-in-progress units; and generate a subsequent digital twin model of the work-in-progress units corresponding to the subsequent assembly state of the work-in-progress units and display the subsequent digital twin model on the user interface.