ASSEMBLY PARTITIONING ALONG SIMPLE PATHS - THE CASE OF MULTIPLE TRANSLATIONS

We consider the following problem that arises in mechanical assembly p lanning: given an assembly, identify a subassembly that can be removed as a rigid object without disturbing the rest of the assembly. This i s the assembly partitioning problem. Specifically, we consider planar assemblies of simple polygons and subassembly removal paths consisting of a single finite translation followed by a translation to infinity. Such paths are typical of the capabilities of simple actuators in fix ed automation and other high-volume assembly machines. We present a po lynomial-time algorithm to identify such a subassembly and removal pat h or report that none exists. In addition, we extend this algorithm an d analysis to removal paths consisting of a small number k > 2 of tran slations. We discuss extending the algorithm to three dimensions and t o other types of motions typical in non-robotic automated assembly.