Automated sequencing and sub-assembly detection in automobile body assembly planning

This paper describes a procedure to automatically derive all the feasible assembly sequences for automobile body assembly. This procedure is based on a mathematical model of the automobile body, obtained through the definitions of the connection matrix and the contracted matrix. These two matrices represent the precedence constraint knowledge among components and sub-assemblies. The possible sub-assemblies are automatically detected by satisfying some mathematical conditions applicable to these matrices. For each sub-assembly and the whole product, all the possible assembly sequences are generated by rearranging the initial connection sub-matrix and the contracted matrix.