A review of cable layout design and assembly simulation in virtual environments.

The layout and assembly of flexible cables play important roles in the design and development of complex electromechanical products. The rationality of cable layout design and the reliability of cable assembly greatly affect product quality. In this paper, we review the methods of cable layout design, cable assembly process planning, and cable assembly simulation. We first review research on flexible cable layout design (both interactive and automatic). Then, research on the cable assembly process planning, including cable assembly path and manipulation planning, is reviewed. Finally, cable assembly simulation is introduced, which includes general cable information, cable collision detection data, and cable assembly process modeling. Current problems and future research directions are summarized at the end of the paper.