eVAS: A product network virtual assembly system

According to network collaborative virtual assembly characteristics, the architecture of product virtual assembly system in network environment is put forward. The system includes four layers: Client Layer, Function Layer and Data layer. The system includes main program and all kinds of agent, which can be divided into assembly agent, communication agent and Collaboration agent. Collaborative processes among all agents were designed. A client/server structure of the programming model based on winsock technology was studied. Then the Collaborative assembly process based on multi-agent and realization technologies of real-time collaboration were studied, a new prototype system was developed as well. A case study showed that the system made it possible for collaborators in different places to realize collaborative analysis and optimization of product assembly design under network.