Patent ID: 6661930
Filing Date: 2003-12-09
Classification: G05B,Y02P

Abstract:
A method of nesting a computer model of a part into a computer model of a fixture, the method comprising the steps of:a) generating a model of a part in a computer tool, the part having a part model surface; b) generating a model of a fixture in the computer tool, the fixture model having a fixture model surface; c) generating a model of an inset fixture in the computer tool, the inset fixture having an inset fixture model surface that is inset from the fixture model surface by a distance D sufficient to eliminate any interference between the inset fixture model surface and the part model surface; d) identifying a first minimum normal distance segment between the inset fixture model surface and the part model surface, the first minimum normal distance segment having as endpoints a part surface minimum distance point and an inset fixture surface minimum distance point; e) constructing a vector extending a distance D in the direction of the first minimum normal distance segment beginning at the inset fixture surface minimum distance point and extending to a fixture contact point on the fixture model surface; f) identifying a part contact point on the part model surface corresponding to the fixture contact point, the part contact point being a minimum normal distance from the fixture contact point; g) recording the part contact point as (X1,Y1,Z1) and the fixture contact point as x1,y1,z1); h) transforming points of the part model to corresponding points of a transformed part model by applying a transformation matrix that minimizes the distance between the fixture contact point and a transformed part contact point; i) recording the transformation matrix.