Automated modular fixture planning based on linkage mechanism theory

A new approach to automated modular fixture planning is presented. The approach identifies all the location plan candidates of a workpiece using linkage mechanism theory and excludes the infeasible location plan candidates by evaluating their accessibility and fixturability. The algorithms for analyzing accessibility and fixturability and generating feasible clamp positions of a fixture plan are developed based on several new concepts including IRC triangle, locator visible cone, etc. The approach is capable of handling the workpiece whose side clamping faces consist of planar faces or cylindrical faces. To illustrate the effect of the approach, some test results are described.