Method and apparatus for machine vector loop extraction
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsNarendra Amalendu Soman, Murali Mohan Reddy Nagella, N. Deva Prasanna Kumar, Chandrakant Naik Tari
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for performing a gap stack-up analysis for a machine gap. The gap is defined by opposing faces of two machine parts. A vector loop is determined beginning at one of the opposing faces, traversing through the machine parts that affect the gap dimension and terminating on the other opposing face. The dimensions and the tolerances associated with each of the parts in the vector loop are combined to yield the gap dimension and the gap tolerance. In one embodiment the gap stack-up is determined by a computer program product for execution by a computer processor.
Claims28
A method for determining a one-dimensional gap stack-up for a gap within an assembly of parts, the method comprising:
- identifying a gap for stack-up analysis;
- identifying a first surface and a second surface defining the gap, wherein a first part of the assembly of parts comprises the first surface and a second part of the assembly of parts comprises the second surface;
- determining a vector loop comprising a plurality of elements from the first surface through the assembly of parts to the second surface, wherein the plurality of elements comprise the gap stack-up;
- determining at least one of a dimension and a tolerance for each one of the plurality of elements;
- and
- providing a list of each one of the plurality of elements and the at least one of the dimension and the tolerance associated therewith in a spreadsheet format to allow correction of tolerance values associated with an out-of-tolerance gap prior to completing the assembly of parts.
A method for determining a vector loop within an assembly of parts, comprising:
- (a) identifying a loop from-face of a first part and a loop to-face of a second part of the assembly of parts, wherein the vector loop extends therebetween;
- (b) identifying parts in contact at a contact face within the assembly of parts, wherein a normal to the contact face is collinear with the vector loop, and wherein each identified part comprises a part from-face and a part to-face, and wherein the vector loop extends from the loop from-face of the first part, through the from-face and the to-face of each succeeding part in contact at the contact face, to the loop to-face of the second part;
- (c) for each part identified in the step (b), determining at least one of a dimension and a tolerance between the loop from-face and the loop to-face to allow correction of tolerance values associated with an out-of-tolerance gap;
- and
- (d) providing the corrected tolerance values to allow completing the assembly of parts.
A computer program product for performing a one-dimensional gap stack-up for a gap within an assembly of parts, the computer program product comprising:
- a storage medium readable by a computer processor and storing program code for execution by the computer processor, the program code comprising:
- a program code module for identifying a gap for stack-up analysis;
- a program code module for identifying a first surface and a second surface defining the gap, wherein a first part of the assembly of parts comprises the first surface and a second part of the assembly of parts comprises the second surface;
- and
- a program code module for determining a vector loop comprising a plurality of elements from the first surface through the assembly of parts to the second surface, wherein the plurality of elements comprise the gap stack-up to allow correction of tolerance values associated with an out-of-tolerance gap prior to completing the assembly of parts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.