Tape laying head with curved tape laying capability and improved adaptive steering
First Claim
1. In a multi-axis tape laying machine for depositing composite tape in courses upon a work surface to produce the plies of a laminated structure, wherein said tape laying machine includes a tape laying head movable linearly along at least two of three mutually perpendicular axes and rotatable about the third axis to align the tape in the direction of linear movement of the tape head relative to the other two axes, said linear movement and rotation with respect to each of said axes being accomplished by independent positioning motors under closed loop control from a common controller, the tape being carried by a supply reel mounted on said head and passing therefrom to a presser device which deposits the tape upon the work surface with contact pressure on the back of the tape as the tape laying head is moved along the work surface axially of the tape;
- the improvement comprising;
the mounting of said presser device on said tape laying head for turning movement relative to said tape laying head independent of the aligning rotation of said tape laying head about said third axis;
a positioning motor for turning said presser device relative to said tape laying head;
a sensor for detecting sideward drift of the tape relative to the presser device; and
a power supply responsive to said sensor for operating said positioning motor to turn said presser device to restore its alignment with the oncoming tape as the tape laying head is moved along the work surface.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The tape laying head disclosed mounts the laydown rollers for steerability as a unit independently of the steering of the tape head as a whole. The separate steerability of the laydown roller unit is utilized for adaptive steering control in response to edgewise drift of the tape during normal tape laying, as determined by tape edge sensors. When laying tape along a curved path other than the natural path of the tape in free-rolling movement, the laydown roller unit is steered in counterrotation to the steering of the tape head as a whole, thereby to cause a relative axial shift of increments of the tape across its width, enabling the tape to lie flat along a curved course on the lay surface.
-
Citations
10 Claims
-
1. In a multi-axis tape laying machine for depositing composite tape in courses upon a work surface to produce the plies of a laminated structure, wherein said tape laying machine includes a tape laying head movable linearly along at least two of three mutually perpendicular axes and rotatable about the third axis to align the tape in the direction of linear movement of the tape head relative to the other two axes, said linear movement and rotation with respect to each of said axes being accomplished by independent positioning motors under closed loop control from a common controller, the tape being carried by a supply reel mounted on said head and passing therefrom to a presser device which deposits the tape upon the work surface with contact pressure on the back of the tape as the tape laying head is moved along the work surface axially of the tape;
-
the improvement comprising; the mounting of said presser device on said tape laying head for turning movement relative to said tape laying head independent of the aligning rotation of said tape laying head about said third axis; a positioning motor for turning said presser device relative to said tape laying head; a sensor for detecting sideward drift of the tape relative to the presser device; and a power supply responsive to said sensor for operating said positioning motor to turn said presser device to restore its alignment with the oncoming tape as the tape laying head is moved along the work surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
-
-
4. In a machine head for laying a tape of composite material on a work surface from a reel of such tape, said tape passing from said supply reel about a presser device which deposits the composite tape to the work surface by contact pressure as the machine head is moved along the work surface axially of the tape, said machine head being mounted for movement relative to said work surface along three mutually perpendicular linear axes and about two mutually perpendicular rotational axes one of which passes through said presser device parallel to one of said linear axes and the other is tangent to said presser device at the lateral center of its tape engaging surface and parallel to the axis of the tape engaged by the presser device,
the improvement comprising the mounting of said presser device on said machine head for independent turning movement relative to said machine head about a third rotational axis intersecting said mutually perpendicular rotational axes in a common point and swingable with said machine head about said tangent axis, a positioning motor for turning said presser device about said third rotational axis, a sensor for detecting lateral drift of the tape from a predetermined path beneath the presser device, and a controller for operating said positioning motor to turn said presser device about said third rotational axis in response to lateral drift sensed by said sensor to turn said presser device to restore the oncoming tape to said predetermined path as the tape laying head is moved along the work surface.
Specification