Interoperability, Shape Representation, and Geometric Processing for Network-Enabled Virtual Prototyping

Swing movable teeth reducer is a new type of small teeth difference planetary gear reducer, which is used to transmit the rotary motion and power between two shafts with same axis. It is important to carry on the systematic design and performance simulation of the reducer and seek the optimization design of the products by the virtual prototyping. Based on the study of the principles and characteristics of the swing movable teeth transmission, this study established the virtual prototype and achieved the dynamical simulation of the reducer by CAD/CAE software. The rotate speed and force analysis proved the feasibility of the model.

The proficiency of Computer Aided Design (CAD) to save, communicate and render realistic virtual prototypes allows for easier communication and review of proposed design decisions via design reviews. However, the use of virtual prototypes is limited by the realism of the human computer interface. This paper builds on previous research investigating if increasing the realism of input and output interactions between subjects and virtual prototypes will affect user’s ability to analyze an assembly for errors. For this end, two experiments were conducted which asked participants to perform design reviews on assembly models and identify errors in the assembly. The first experiment tested virtual prototype output display factors through subject point of view movement and virtual prototype rotation. The second experiment tested human input factors using different controller setups. It is expected the more realistic virtual prototype rendering and controller input experience will result in more accurate design reviews.

The paper introduces virtual prototyping modelling technology of beam pumping unit by Pro/E software. The model is imported to ADAMS software to make kinematics and dynamics simulation; and then is imported to ANSYS software to make finite element method analysis. After optimising parts and structures by ADAMS simulation and ANSYS engineering analysis, virtual prototyping model of beam pumping unit is obtained; it provides a basis for beam pumping unit design.

Nowadays, a robotic excavator is widely applied in several fields of mining industry, agriculture, and forestry. Due to the complexity of dig environment such as slope of terrain profile, hardness of soil and unknown disturbances inside the soil, a versatile dig strategy avoiding obstacles has become a challenge to be addressed. This article presents an engineering model that describes the mechanical behavior of the robot excavators when it interacts with soil and generates an appropriate bucket path to adapt with each soil type, terrain profile and avoids buried obstacles as well. Based on a concept of the digging process, a robot excavator was designed in SOLIDWORKS and then exported to ADAMS environment. Whereas a soil model was modeled and analyzed by finite-element analysis (FEA) in ANSYS, then exported to ADAMS environment. The interactive simulation was implemented in ADAMS environment to investigate the dynamic behavior of robot and soil. Through the self-optimizing behavior of the robot in the digging process, an optimal bucket trajectory and an intelligent control strategy were generated in MATLAB/Simulink to control the robot tracking the desired bucket trajectory. The self-optimizing strategy was evaluated by effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in testing scenarios with many soil types and obstacles on the virtual prototype model.

The ability to rapidly prototype a proposed design is becoming a key contributor towards fulfilling the business requirements embodied in a short time-to-market, in cost-effective and high quality manufacturing, and in easy support and maintenance. Reorganizing the design and development process along the lines implied by the concept, Concurrent Engineering, means that advanced information technologies must be taken advantage of. However, most of today’s generic, commercial, off-the-shelf technologies have to be extended and adapted to the needs of the product development process. The integration of existing technologies in CAD modelling, design, analysis, simulation, networked cooperation, and virtual reality leads to a distributed desktop-environment which provides the basis to take the greatest advantage of the Virtual Prototyping technique.

We present a framework to support design refinement during the virtual prototyping of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). By instantiating MEMS components and connecting them to each other via ports, the designer can both configure complex systems and simulate them. We examine design refinement in the context of ease of use and representation of the virtual prototype. We propose the use of a common, formal grammar representation for the design entities in the virtual prototype—MEMS components, behavioral models and CAD models. We show that the formal grammar approach leads to easy creation of virtual prototypes. In this paper, we focus on ports—the fundamental building blocks of a virtual prototype. Ports mediate all interactions within and between aspects of the virtual prototype. For even moderately complex designs, there can be many interactions present. The representation and organization of all possible ports is important in the context of design refinement. We provide a set-theoretic formalism that defines the algebra of ports. We present a formal grammar for ports that represents a port as a set of attributes, and provide a design refinement mechanism that involves adding or modifying attributes in the port. We illustrate our framework with a MEMS example. We demonstrate that the MEMS designer can evaluate multiple design alternatives quickly and accurately with our framework.

Reconciling scene realism with interactivity has emerged as one of the most important areas in making virtual reality feasible for large-scale CAD data sets consisting of several millions of primitives. Level of detail (LoD) and multi-resolution modeling techniques in virtual reality can be used to speed up the process of virtual design and virtual prototyping. In this paper, we present an automatic LoD generation and rendering algorithm, which is suitable for CAD models and propose a new multi-resolution representation scheme called MRM (multi-resolution model), which can support efficient extraction of fixed resolution and variable resolution for multiple objects in the same scene. MRM scheme supports unified selective simplifications and selective refinements over the mesh. Furthermore, LoD and multi-resolution models may be used to support real-time geometric transmission in collaborative virtual design and prototyping.

In order to solve the problem of some cracks appearing in certain parts of the crankshaft for 6L21/31 diesel engine, the completed multi-rigid body virtual prototyping (VP) model of the diesel engine was established on the basis of the virtual prototyping technology, and the dynamics characteristic analysis was finished. Then, based on the completed flexible-rigid model of 6L21/31 diesel engine, the dynamic stress analysis of the crankshaft was accomplished, and the maximum stress value and its location were got. The results provided the basis for the improvement and optimization of the crankshaft.

Virtual prototyping is always used to validate a design by simulating the behavior of mechanical products. As concerning problems of the current researches on product integrated information modeling technology, this paper presents a new systematic integrated information modeling technology based on virtual prototyping. After the 800t jacking system of an offshore platform is introduced, the design process of virtual prototyping-based jacking system is discussed in detail, and then the virtual prototyping modeling of the jacking system is also put forward. A computer aided virtual prototyping software system is developed, which has been put into practice in a plant of offshore engineering. The realization of the driving function module is given as an example, which demonstrates that the methodology is obviously helpful for product integrated information modeling.

Based on MBSE, a TSRFA method was proposed to solve the problem of multi-parameter coupling design. The method is divided into three parts: Digital model analysis, Virtual prototype model, and Physical prototype model. By integrating methods such as qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis and evaluation integration (QQE) to build a unified demand analysis with multiple parameters of coupled agronomy; by integrating industrial design ideas, using CAD modeling and CAE performance simulation. Finally, the feasibility of TSRFA method is verified with the subject case, and the design process is provided for the subsequent development of intelligent agricultural equipment.

Network and Internet technology open up another domain for building future CAD/CAM environments. The environment will be global, network-centric, and spatially distributed. In this paper, we present Web-enabled feature-based modeling in a distributed design environment. The presented approach combines the current feature-based modeling technique with distributed computing and communication technology for supporting product modeling and collaborative design activities over the network. The approach is implemented in a client/server architecture, in which Web-enabled feature modeling clients, neutral feature model server, and other applications communicate with one another via a standard communication protocol. The paper discusses how the neutral feature model supports multiple views and maintains naming consistency between geometric entities of the server and clients as the user edits the part in a client. Moreover, it explains how to minimize the network delay between the server and client according to dynamic feature modeling operations.

Digital Mockups (Virtual Prototypes) significantly reduce risk and cost on large aerospace programs, but their accuracy hinges on the creation of 3D models of existing facilities, based on "as-built" field conditions instead of less-accurate design blueprints. Methods for creating as-built models vary from tedious hand-measurements, to photograph-rectification-survey techniques (collectively known as photogrammetry), to the evolving technology of terrestrial laser scanning. Lockheed Martin has proven through robust field testing that the accuracy of each technology is variable to specific applications. Therefore, we have developed a hybrid method that leverages the strengths of each technology, including edge recognition, targeting accuracy, and complex-surface collection. This hybridization has helped to identify key technical deficiencies in the current state-of- practice for as-built CAD modeling, such as automatic modeling and feature extraction. In addition, Lockheed Martin has refined a statistical evaluation technique to objectively measure the accuracy of the final model against the field conditions, regardless of the technology utilized. The advantages and disadvantages of each technology are presented here, as well as methodologies for effectively combining the technologies into a more-accurate and efficient hybrid process. This overall capability is crucial to Lockheed Martin for reducing reliance on physical prototypes, and optimizing project return on cost, schedule, and risk.

The article describes how we can use the virtual prototyping technology validate mechanism design of multi-joint manipulator and its grabbing performance and loading abilities per minute. It completes the three-dimensional model of virtual prototype with Solid Edge ST5, and be imported into ADAMS software. And then the manipulator kinematics simulation is carried out in ADAMS. Using the kinematics simulation technology of ADAMS, we can get the various joints in a working cycle of the displacement characteristic curve, the velocity and acceleration curves of working conditions. This paper introduces how to establish the geometric model of articulated robot virtual prototype model. And some key technology details such as adding a constraint to model are also described. Kinematics simulation analysis of the manipulator with ADAMS software can greatly shorten the design cycle, improve design accuracy and reduce the cost of product development.

Virtual prototyping technology is widely used in various industries. Adams/View software is a classic and widely applied simulation and optimization software. In Adams/View, there are two kinds of virtual prototype modeling methods. One is importing a geometry model established in CAD software. The other is direct modeling geometry model by tools for creating in Adams/View. This article compares the advantages and disadvantages of the two methods. Using the second method can build a parametric virtual prototype, and it is easy to modify dimension of prototype, rapidly test different design and do a parametric analysis and optimization design. The common method of parameterize model is point-driven. And the author has put forward a new method of parameterize model called as dimension-driven. In this paper the detailed introduction of modeling ideas and the key technology for both is given. And an example is used to compare two methods for disadvantage and advantage.

Based on the structure model of the parallel hybrid electric vehicle (PHVE) driving system, this paper has been established the solid model of the parts and assemblies of the above system. Based on the virtual prototyping technology, the solid models of driving system has been added tangent force and gear pair, the numerical solution of the virtual prototype has been discussed. The virtual prototype model of driving system has been established and simulated by software. The simulation had been taken under the following conditions of the vehicle: start stage, braking stage and the FUD2 cycling stage by simulating input and output rotational speed of the driving system. The simulation indicated the rotational speed matching conditions of the two power sources. The results of simulation are the PHVE can reduce the energy loss of braking and idling, which is contributed to energy saving and environmental protection. The virtual prototyping technology for PHVE simulation can save the prototype manufacturing costs and shorten the researching cycle. This paper provides a reference to the design of similar products and the manufacture of prototype in the future.