Tolerance-Maps Applied to a Point-Line Cluster of Features

In this paper, groups of individual features, i.e., a point, a line, and a plane, are called clusters and are used to constrain sufficiently the relative location of adjacent parts. A new mathematical model for representing size and geometric tolerances is applied to a point-line cluster of features that is used to align adjacent parts in two-dimensional space. First, tolerance-zones are described for the point-line cluster. A Tolerance-Map^® (Patent no. 69638242), a hypothetical volume of points, is then established which is the range of a mapping from all possible locations for the features in the cluster. A picture frame assembly of four parts is used to illustrate the accumulations of manufacturing variations, and the T-Maps^® provide stackup relations that can be used to allocate size and orientational tolerances. This model is one part of a bilevel model that we are developing for size and geometric tolerances. At the local level the model deals with the permitted variations in a tolerance zone, while at the global level it interrelates all the frames of reference on a part or assembly.