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Computer-aided assembly planning for complex products is an important engineering and scientific problem. The assembly sequence and content of assembly operations largely depend on the mechanical structure and geometric properties of a product. An overview of geometric modeling methods that are used in modern computer-aided design systems is provided. Modeling geometric obstacles in assembly using collision detection, motion planning, and virtual reality is very computationally intensive. Combinatorial methods provide only weak necessary conditions for geometric reasoning. The important problem of minimizing the number of geometric tests during the synthesis of assembly operations and processes is considered. A formalization of this problem is based on a hypergraph model of the mechanical structure of the product. This model provides a correct mathematical description of coherent and sequential assembly operations. The key concept of the geometric situation is introduced. This is a configuration of product parts that requires analysis for freedom from obstacles and this analysis gives interpretable results. A mathematical description of geometric heredity during the assembly of complex products is proposed. Two axioms of heredity allow us to extend the results of testing one geometric situation to many other situations. The problem of minimizing the number of geometric tests is posed as a non-antagonistic game between decision maker and nature, in which it is required to color the vertices of an ordered set in two colors. The vertices represent geometric situations, and the color is a metaphor for the result of a collision-free test. The decision maker’s move is to select an uncolored vertex; nature’s answer is its color. The game requires you to color an ordered set in a minimum number of moves by decision maker. The project situation in which the decision maker makes a decision under risk conditions is discussed. A method for calculating the probabilities of coloring the vertices of an ordered set is proposed. The basic pure strategies of rational behavior in this game are described. An original synthetic criterion for making rational decisions under risk conditions has been developed. Two heuristics are proposed that can be used to color ordered sets of high cardinality and complex structure.

Computer-aided assembly planning of complex products is an important area of modern information technology. The sequence of assembly and decomposition of the product into assembly units largely depend on the mechanical structure of a technical system (machine, mechanical device, etc.). In most modern research, the mechanical structure of products is modeled using a graph of connections and its various modifications. The coordination of parts during assembly can be achieved by implementing several connections at the same time. This generates a $k$-ary basing relation on a set of product parts, which cannot be correctly described by graph means. A hypergraph model of the mechanical structure of a product is proposed. Modern discrete manufacturing uses sequential coherent assembly operations. The mathematical description of such operations is the normal contraction of edges of the hypergraph model. The sequence of contractions that transform the hypergraph into a point is a description of the assembly plan. Hypergraphs for which such a transformation exists are called $s$-hypergraphs. $S$-hypergraphs are correct mathematical models of the mechanical structures of any assembled products. A theorem on necessary conditions for the contractibility of $s$-hypergraphs is given. It is shown that the necessary conditions are not sufficient. An example of a noncontractible hypergraph for which the necessary conditions are satisfied is given. This means that the design of a complex technical system may contain hidden structural errors that make assembly of the product impossible. Therefore, finding sufficient conditions for contractibility is an important task. Two theorems on sufficient conditions for contractibility are proved. They provide a theoretical basis for developing an efficient computational procedure for finding all $s$-subgraphs of an $s$-hypergraph. An $s$-subgraph is a model of any part of a product that can be assembled independently. These are, first of all, assembly units of various levels of hierarchy. The set of all $s$-subgraphs of an $s$-hypergraph, ordered by inclusion, is a lattice. This model can be used to synthesize all possible sequences of assembly and disassembly of a product and its components. The lattice model of the product allows you to analyze geometric obstacles during assembly using algebraic means.