Advanced automated process for the wing-to-body join of an aircraft with predictive surface scanning

• US 10,275,565 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2015
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Vasquez, Christina Michelle, Valenzuela, Dario I., Collins, Ronald J., Bode, Aksel
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Thai Q
• Application Number:
  US14/935,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20170132355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 703 2, 703 22, 25922714, 25022714
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/26 Attaching the wing or tail units or stabilising surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/10 Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/402 characterised by control arrangements for positioning, e.g. centring a tool relative to a hole in the workpiece, additional detection means to correct position G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design

Abstract

Disclosed aircraft wing-to-body join methods include (a) applying targets to a wing and a body assembly at the respective wing root and wing stub, (b) determining the 3D locations of the targets by photogrammetry, (c) generating 3D surface profiles for the interface surfaces of the wing root and wing stub by combining scans of the interface surfaces, (d) calculating a virtual fit between the wing and the body assembly that defines one or more gaps between the generated 3D surface profiles of the wing root and wing stub, (e) positioning at least three position sensors within the wing root and/or the wing stub, and (f) aligning the wing to the body assembly to achieve a real fit consistent with the calculated virtual fit using feedback from the position sensors. Methods of determining the target locations and/or the 3D surface profiles may utilize a mobile scanning platform.

Claims

1. An aircraft wing-to-body join method, the method comprising:

applying photogrammetry targets to a wing root of an aircraft wing and to a wing stub of an aircraft body assembly, wherein the wing root includes at least one wing root interface surface, wherein the wing stub includes at least one wing stub interface surface;

measuring the wing root and the wing stub with a photogrammetry sensor to determine 3D locations of the photogrammetry targets;

generating a wing root 3D surface profile for the at least one wing root interface surface and a wing stub 3D surface profile for the at least one wing stub interface surface by combining scans of a series of wing root inspection regions encompassing the at least one wing root interface surface and combining scans of a series of wing stub inspection regions encompassing the at least one wing stub interface surface, each wing root inspection region including at least two photogrammetry targets, each wing stub inspection region including at least two photogrammetry targets;

calculating a virtual fit between the aircraft wing and the aircraft body assembly that defines one or more gaps between the wing root 3D surface profile and the wing stub 3D surface profile;

positioning at least three position sensors, wherein each position sensor is positioned within at least one of the wing root and the wing stub, wherein each position sensor is arranged to observe a distinct alignment pair of reference features for each position sensor, wherein each alignment pair of reference features includes a reference feature on the wing root and a reference feature on the wing stub; and

aligning the aircraft wing to the aircraft body assembly to achieve a real fit consistent with the virtual fit using feedback from the at least three position sensors regarding relative positions of the reference features of each alignment pair of reference features.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the photogrammetry sensor is a photogrammetry sensor of a mobile scanning platform, wherein the method further comprises moving the mobile scanning platform to a wing measurement site, wherein the measuring includes measuring the wing root at the wing measurement site, wherein the method further comprises moving the mobile scanning platform to a body measurement site, and wherein the measuring includes measuring the wing stub at the body measurement site.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein applying photogrammetry targets includes affixing a wing target fence to the wing root and affixing a body scan target fence to the wing stub, wherein the wing target fence includes one or more of the photogrammetry targets, and wherein the body target fence includes one or more of the photogrammetry targets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein applying photogrammetry targets includes applying photogrammetry targets at a density of between 1 and 20 photogrammetry targets per square meter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring the wing root and the wing stub includes determining 3D locations of all of the photogrammetry targets of the wing root in a first common coordinate system and determining 3D locations of all of the photogrammetry targets of the wing stub in a second common coordinate system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating includes measuring the wing root 3D surface profile and the wing stub 3D surface profile by photogrammetry, wherein the measuring the wing root 3D surface profile and the wing stub 3D surface profile includes illuminating each wing root region and each wing stub region with a corresponding array of projected features.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the illuminating includes illuminating each wing root region and each wing stub region with a corresponding array of projected features at a density of greater than 1,000 projected features per square meter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the position sensors each independently include at least one of a camera and a laser tracker.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for at least one alignment pair, at least one of (i) applying the reference feature on the wing root to the wing root and (ii) applying the reference feature on the wing stub to the wing stub.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the aligning includes determining an alignment path to move the aircraft wing to the aircraft body assembly and initially moving the aircraft wing along the alignment path until the position sensors observe each reference feature of the respective alignment pair of reference features.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the aligning includes repeating (i) moving the aircraft wing and (ii) measuring with each position sensor a relative distance between reference features of the respective alignment pair in a feedback loop until a total of the relative distances is below a predetermined threshold.

12. An aircraft wing-to-body join method, the method comprising:

applying wing scan targets to a wing root of an aircraft wing, wherein the wing root includes at least one wing root interface surface;

measuring the wing root with a photogrammetry sensor to determine 3D locations of the wing scan targets;

measuring a 3D surface contour of each wing root interface surface by scanning a series of wing root inspection regions of the at least one wing root interface surface with the photogrammetry sensor, wherein each wing root inspection region includes at least two wing scan targets;

combining the 3D surface contours of the at least one wing root interface surface based upon the 3D locations of the wing scan targets to form a complete wing root 3D surface profile of the at least one wing root interface surface;

applying body scan targets to a wing stub of an aircraft body assembly, wherein the wing stub includes at least one wing stub interface surface;

measuring the wing stub with the photogrammetry sensor to determine 3D locations of the body scan targets;

measuring a 3D surface contour of each wing stub interface surface by scanning a series of wing stub inspection regions of the at least one wing stub interface surface with the photogrammetry sensor, wherein each wing inspection region includes at least two body scan targets;

combining the 3D surface contours of the at least one wing stub interface surface based upon the 3D locations of the body scan targets to form a complete wing stub 3D surface profile of the at least one wing stub interface surface;

calculating a virtual fit between the aircraft wing and the aircraft body assembly that defines one or more gaps between the at least one wing root interface and the at least one wing stub interface surface;

positioning at least three position sensors, wherein each position sensor is positioned within at least one of the wing root and the wing stub, wherein each position sensor is arranged to observe a distinct alignment pair of reference features for each position sensor, wherein each alignment pair of reference features includes a reference feature on the wing root and a reference feature on the wing stub;

aligning the aircraft wing to the aircraft body assembly to achieve a real fit consistent with the virtual fit using feedback from the at least three position sensors regarding relative positions of the reference features of each alignment pair of reference features;

determining shim dimensions of one or more shims to fit between the wing root and the wing stub to fill at least one of the gaps to achieve the virtual fit;

forming the shims with the shim dimensions;

installing the shims between the wing root and the wing stub; and

assembling the aircraft wing to the aircraft body assembly after the real fit is achieved by the aligning.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the aligning includes repeating (i) moving the aircraft wing and (ii) measuring with each position sensor a relative distance between reference features of the respective alignment pair in a feedback loop until a total of the relative distances is below a predetermined threshold.

14. An assembly method of joining an aircraft wing to an aircraft body assembly, the method comprising:

virtually fitting the aircraft wing and the aircraft body assembly together based on a measured 3D surface profile of a wing root interface surface of a wing root of the aircraft wing, a measured 3D surface profile of a wing stub interface surface of a wing stub of the aircraft body assembly, and aerodynamic considerations, to generate a virtual fit of the wing root and the wing stub;

installing at least three position sensors within at least one of the wing stub and the wing root, wherein each position sensor is arranged to observe a distinct alignment pair of reference features for each position sensor, wherein each alignment pair of reference features includes a reference feature on the wing root and a reference feature on the wing stub; and

aligning the aircraft wing to the aircraft body assembly using position feedback from the position sensors to achieve a real fit consistent with the virtual fit, wherein the position feedback includes, for each alignment pair, a measured relative distance between the reference features of the alignment pair.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising identifying one or more gaps between the wing root interface surface and the wing stub interface surface in the virtual fit, determining shim dimensions of one or more shims to fit the one or more gaps, forming the shims according to the shim dimensions, and installing the shims between the wing root and the wing stub.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising assembling the aircraft wing to the aircraft body assembly after the real fit is achieved by the aligning.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the position sensors each independently include at least one of a camera and a laser tracker.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising, for at least one alignment pair, at least one of (i) applying the reference feature on the wing root to the wing root, and (ii) applying the reference feature on the wing stub to the wing stub.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the aligning includes determining an alignment path to move the aircraft wing to the aircraft body assembly and initially moving the aircraft wing along the alignment path until the position sensors observe each reference feature of the respective alignment pair of reference features.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the aligning includes repeating (i) moving the aircraft wing and (ii) measuring with each position sensor a relative distance between reference features of the respective alignment pair in a feedback loop until a total of the relative distances is below a predetermined threshold.