Research And Implementation Of Haptic Interaction In Virtual Assembly

Haptic technology is one of the research hotspots in Human-Computer Interaction Techniques. Realistic force feedbacks during the process of virtual assembly(VA) can help operator better feel and manipulate the virtual objects in the VA envioronment, and hence improve the efficiency of virtual assembly. Aiming at the existing problems in applying haptic technology to VA of mechanical parts, this work focues on the research and development of a force device and the corresponding force rendering model. The main contents are summerized as follows:(1)The structure and functionality of a force device are analyzed, and then a novel force device is designed based on the application requirements of VA. The mechanical design criterions and principles of this device are stressed. Morever, the design and implementation of hardware and software interface are presented.(2)According to the characteristics of mechanical assembly operation and VA, the process of virtual assembly operation is further divided into three phases, namely free navigation, assembly positioning, and assembly. The force rendering model of each phase is developed. More specifically, an operation force based on physical simulation is adopted for the phase of free navigation; and then a resistance/leading force model is presented for the second phase for different mechanical fit types; while for the final assembly phase, a novel virtual assembly force model for different mechanical fit types is designed.(3)A VA prototype system, which has integrated the self-developed force device and rendering force model is designed and implenmented with Visual Studio 2012. The design and development of this system is presented. Morever, a case study on a typical mechanical aassembly involved validate the prototype.(4)Several comparative case studies are conducted to evaluate the usability of the resistance force model and the virtual assembly force model with the virtual assembly prototype system. The results show that both force rendering models can improve the operational experience.