System and method for aligning aircraft coordinate systems

• US 6,484,381 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2001
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc. (Triumph Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc. (Triumph Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Moore, Eric D., Koesters, James P., Cunningham, Clifton D., Leenhouts, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuda-Rosenbaum, I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRINH T
• Application Number:
  US10/040,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20020066192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 294/070.1, 294/070.4, 294/070.9, 294/071, 294/64, 294/66, 297/09, 297/20, 295/59, 298/972, 332/86, 335/53, 336/13, 336/45, 332/88, 356/620, 356/614
• US Class Current: 29/407.09
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/002 for measuring two or more coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49764 with testing or indicating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49769 Using optical instrument [excludes mere human eyeballing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49778 with aligning, guiding, or instruction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4978 Assisting assembly or disassembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49899 by multiple cooperating aligning means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53039 with control means energized in response to activator stimulated by condition sensor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53087 with signal, scale, illuminator, or optical viewer

Abstract

A system and method for aligning aircraft coordinate systems includes determining a first coordinate in the first coordinate system from a first reflector using a first coordinate positioning device, and determining second and third coordinates in the second coordinate system from second and third reflectors, respectively, using a second coordinate positioning device. The second and third reflectors are disposed at predetermined distances from the first reflector. The system aligns the first and second coordinate systems based on the first, second, and third coordinates and the predetermined distances using a processor.

Claims

1. A method for aligning a structure, comprising:

releasably securing a first reflector to the structure at a first position;

releasably securing a second reflector to the structure at a second position a first predetermined distance from the first reflector;

releasably securing a third reflector to the structure at a third position a second predetermined distance from the first reflector;

locating the first reflector using a first positioning device to generate coordinates representative of the first position;

locating the second and third reflectors using a second positioning device to generate coordinates representative of the second and third positions; and

determining relative positions of the first, second and third reflectors using the first and second predetermined distances and the coordinates for the first, second and third positions generated by the first and second positioning devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the structure comprises a first object and a second object, the first positioning device locates the first reflector in a first coordinate system corresponding to the first object, and the second positioning device locates the second and third reflectors in a second coordinate system corresponding to the second object.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising aligning the first object with the second object using the relative positions of the first, second and third reflectors.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first object is a first aircraft subassembly and the second object is second aircraft subassembly.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an as-built geometry of the structure using the relative positions of the first, second and third reflectors;

comparing the as-built geometry to a design dataset for the structure; and

generating a computer representation of the structure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reflectors are releasably secured to a control point fitting on the structure, the control point fitting comprising a base adapted to be releasably secured to a plurality of locations on the structure and further comprising a plurality of mounts, each mount operable to couple one of the reflectors to the control point fitting and further operable to allow selective adjustment of the orientation of the reflector in three degrees of freedom.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first reflector comprises a spherical reflector.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first positioning device comprises a first laser, the second positioning device comprises a second laser, and the first, second and third reflectors are operable to receive and reflect laser light.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first positioning device is aligned along a first direction, and the second positioning device is aligned along a second direction different from the first direction.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a new position for the structure based on the relative positions of the first, second and third reflectors; and

moving the structure to the new position.

11. A method for placing control points on a structure, comprising:

releasably securing a control point fitting to a structure;

mounting on the control point fitting a first reflector oriented to receive and reflect a signal from a first positioning device associated with a first coordinate system;

mounting on the control point fitting a second reflector disposed a first predetermined distance from the first reflector and oriented to receive and reflect a signal from a second positioning device associated with a second coordinate system; and

mounting on the control point fitting a third reflector disposed a second predetermined distance from the first reflector and oriented to receive and reflect a signal from the second positioning device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the control point fitting is releasably securable to a plurality of locations on the structure.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first, second and third reflectors are mounted to allow selective adjustment of the orientation of each reflector in three degrees of freedom.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first reflector comprises a spherical reflector.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the structure comprises a first object and a second object, and the control point fitting comprises a first portion releasably securable to the first object and a second portion releasably securable to the second object.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first object comprises a first aircraft subassembly and the second object comprises a second aircraft subassembly.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the first, second and third reflectors are magnetically mounted on the control fitting.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the first, second and third reflectors are operable to receive and reflect laser light.