Automated tool positioning system

• US 4,752,160 A
• Filed: 01/20/1987
• Issued: 06/21/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vought Aircraft Company
• Original Assignee: LTV Aerospace & Defense Co. (LTV Corp.)
• Inventors: Murray, William J., Earle, George A. III
• Primary Examiner(s): DESMOND, EUGENE
• Application Number:
  US07/005,123
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 29/26 A, 408/3, 408/16, 408/88, 408/234, 409/107, 409/117, 409/201, 409/211, 409/216, 409/199
• US Class Current: 408/16
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 2215/04 Aircraft components
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 1/5412 followed perpendicularly by a single rotating pair
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 1/621 a single sliding pair followed perpendicularly by a single sliding pair
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 1/626 followed perpendicularly by a single sliding pair
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 3/157 of rotary tools in combination with non-rotary tools B23Q3/15506, B23Q3/15513
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 41/00 Combinations or associations of metal-working machines not directed to a particular result according to classes B21, B23, or B24 B23Q37/00, B23Q39/00 take precedence; features relating to operations performed, if the different metal-working operations are of the same kind, see the subclass for the kind of operation, e.g. punching B21D, welding B23K, grinding B24B; features relating to technically specified combinations of different metal-working operations B23P23/00
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 17/0258 Two-dimensional joints
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 18/007 the end effector rotating around a fixed point
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/023 Cartesian coordinate type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5107 Drilling and other
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 408/21 with signal, indicator, illuminator or optical means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 409/30756 Machining arcuate surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 409/308512 Compound angular adjustment

Abstract

An automated tool positining system is disclosed. The system includes a plurality of work stations, each having a set of guide rails disposed along the length thereof. A single control device is provided and includes a set of guide rails adapted to be temporarily aligned with the guide rails of each work station. The control device is thus movable from work station to work station and operates with a novel tool support member which may be selectively positioned along any guide rail to support a cutting tool at a selected position on a particular work station. The tool support member includes arcuate bearing surfaces which permit the cutting tool to be rotated through a conical section having its vertex at the cutting point of the tool in reponse to the output of a workpiece surface detection circuit. In this manner, the cutting tool may be automatically and accurately positioned normal to the contoured surface of the workpiece.

Claims

1. An automatic tool positioning and drilling system for drilling a workpiece comprising;

a cutting tool;

a cutting implement mounted within said cutting tool;

means for moving said cutting tool along X, Y &

Z axis coordinates, said Y coordinate being orthogonal to the X axis and said Z axis being orthogonal to both of the X &

Y axes to position the cutting tip of said cutting implement to a desired point on a perpendicular from the point on the workpiece surface to be drilled;

means independent of said means for moving said cutting tool for adaptively rotating said cutting tool, after being positioned at said desired point, through a conical section having its vertex at said cutting tip of said cutting implement to position the axis of said cutting implement normal to the surface of said workpiece; and

means for advancing said cutting implement along its longitudinal axis to drill said workpiece.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said means for rotating said cutting tool to position the axis of said cutting implement normal to the surface of said workpiece comprises:

means for detecting the surface of said workpiece and means responsive to said detection of the surface of said workpiece to position said cutting implement normal to the surface of said workpiece.

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein said means for detecting the surface of said workpiece comprises a plurality of ultrasonic transceivers disposed on said cutting tool and directed at said workpiece.

4. The system according to claim 1 further comprising an appropriately programmed computer coupled to said means for moving said cutting tool to move said cutting tool along the X, Y and Z axis coordinates.

5. The system according to claim 4 wherein said means for detecting the surface of said workpiece and for adaptively rotating said cutting tool is independent of control of the movement of the cutting tool through the X, Y and Z axis coordinates by said programmed computer.

6. An automated tool positioning and drilling system for drilling a workpiece comprising:

a drill assembly having a drill bit mounted therein, said drill bit having a cutting tip on the end thereof,

first control means for moving said drill assembly to position the cutting tip of said drill bit at a desired point on a drill axis normal to the point on the surface of the workpiece to be drilled, said means comprising means for moving said cutting tool along X, Y and Z axes coordinates, said Y coordinate being orthogonal to said X coordinate and said Z axis being orthogonal to both said X axis and Y axis;

second means independent of said first means for adaptively rotating said drill assembly about the cutting tip of said drill bit to position the axis of said drill bit along said drill axis; and

means for advancing said drill bit along said drill axis to drill said workpiece.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said means for rotating said drill assembly to position the axis of said drill normal to the surface of said workpiece comprises:

means for detecting the surface of said workpiece and means responsive to said detection of the surface of said workpiece to position said drill normal to the surface of said workpiece.

8. The system according to claim 7 wherein said means for detecting the surface of said workpiece comprises a plurality of ultrasonic transceivers disposed on said drill assembly and directed at said workpiece.

9. The system according to claim 6 further comprising an appropriately programmed computer coupled to said means for moving said cutting tool to move said drill assembly along the X, Y and Z axis coordinates.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein said means for detecting the surface of said workpiece and for adaptively rotating said drill assembly is independent of control of the movement of the drill assembly through the X, Y and Z axis coordinates by said programmed computer.