System and method for manufacturing and after-market support using as-built data

• US 7,725,206 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Richey, Michael C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Paul L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Laughlin; Nathan
• Application Number:
  US10/704,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20050102050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,386 Days
• Field of Search: 700 97- 98, 700/118, 700/182, 345/964, 703/1, 703/7, 703/8
• US Class Current: 700/98
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/401 characterised by control arrangements for measuring, e.g. calibration and initialisation, measuring workpiece for machining purposes G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41875 characterised by quality surveillance of production
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32014 Augmented reality assists operator in maintenance, repair, programming, assembly, use of head mounted display with 2-D 3-D display and voice feedback, voice and gesture command
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32189 Compare between original solid model and measured manufactured object
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37205 Compare measured, vision data with computer model, cad data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

An integrated manufacturing and a maintenance system include a metrology device and a CAD system which has access to parametric data from the metrology device, said “as-built” data being used by the CAD system to morph a CAD model reflecting the “as-built” data, which can be used in manufacturing and aftermarket support.

Claims

1. A system for manufacturing an assembly, comprising:

(a) a metrology device for measuring the location of at least one characteristic of a statistically significant part or plurality of parts of an as-built assembly relative to a parametric reference point of the as-built assembly during manufacture and creating parametric coordinate data regarding said location in-real time;

(b) a computer-readable storage medium storing a first theoretical computer-aided design model for said part or plurality of parts; and

(c) a computer-aided design system coupled to said metrology device and said compute readable storage medium using a communications link, wherein said computer-aided design system;

obtains said parametric coordinate data from said metrology device representative of the location of the characteristic relative to the parametric reference point;

creates an as-built computer-aided design model in synchronized real-time reflecting the parametric coordinate data of the as-built assembly; and

imports data associated with said first theoretical computer-aided design model into the as-built computer-aided design model.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a statistical analyzer determining at least one of a standard deviation and the variance linking parametric contextual behavior of said data for a plurality of assemblies based on pre-determined dimensional constraints.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said standard deviation or said linked conceptual variance is used to create a new institutionalized as-built authority model for the part, assembly or installation.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said system does not contain a tooling fixture for quality assurance purposes.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a less complex holding fixture utilizing said as-build model to define authority for manufacturing.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said computer-aided design system compares said as-built computer-aided design model with said first theoretical computer-aided design model to determine whether the location of said characteristic is within a tolerance.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said computer readable medium stores said theoretical computer aided design model in a relational database.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the as-built computer-aided design model in synchronized real-time being graphically displayed.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein during manufacturing, said computer-aided design system obtains said parametric data from said metrology device, and said computer-aided design system creates an as-built computer-aided design model in synchronized real-time.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a statistical analyzer dispositions a deviation or variance of a feature in dynamic real-time.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the metrology device compares a change about to be made during manufacture of the at least one characteristic of the statistically significant part.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the metrology device measuring location in synchronized real-time of the part being manufactured.

13. A system for manufacturing an assembly, comprising:

(a) a metrology device for measuring the location of at least one characteristic of a statistically significant plurality of ones of an as-built assembly relative to a parametric reference point and creating parametric data regarding the location of the characteristic in real-time;

b) a computer-readable storage medium storing a first computer-aided design model for one of the as-built assembly and a theoretical authority model having relational tolerance information of the characteristic; and

(c) a computer-aided design system coupled to said metrology device and said computer readable storage medium using a unified contextual import interface;

wherein said computer-aided design system;

obtains said parametric data from said metrology device;

creates in synchronized, real-time said first computer-aided design model for the as-built assembly to reflect said parametric data representing the parametric feature relative to the parametric reference point of the as-built assembly; and

imports the relational tolerance information for the characteristic associated with the theoretical authority model into said first computer-aided design model for the as-built assembly.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a statistical analyzer determining at least one of a standard deviation and a variance linking parametric contextual behavior of said part or plurality of parts.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said standard deviation or said variance is used to create new institutionalized authority model for the assembly.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein said system does not contain a large scale tooling fixture for quality assurance purposes.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein said computer-aided design system compares said modified first computer-aided design model parameters with said first computer-aided design model to determine whether the location of said characteristic is within a tolerance.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein said computer-readable storage medium stores said first computer-aided design model in a relational database.

19. A method of manufacturing an assembly, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) measuring the location of at least one parametric feature relative to a parametric reference point of a statistically significant plurality of ones of an as-built assembly and creating parametric data regarding said location of the parametric feature relative to the parametric reference point in real-time;

(b) storing a first computer-aided design model for one of the as-built assembly and a theoretical authority model for the assembly; and

(c) obtaining said parametric data from said metrology device and morphing in synchronized, real-time said first computer-aided design model to reflect said parametric data regarding the location of the parametric feature and further including importing parametric data associated with the theoretical authority model into the first computer-aided design model.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of determining at least one of the standard deviation and the variance linking parametric contextual behavior of said data for the assembly.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of using said standard deviation or said variance to create a new institutionalized authority model for the assembly, maintenance and repair.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein said method is performed without using a tooling fixture for quality assurance purposes.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of comparing said modified first computer-aided design model with said first computer-aided design model to determine whether the location of said characteristic is within a tolerance.

24. A method of manufacturing an assembly, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) measuring the location of at least one characteristic of a statistically significant plurality of ones of an as-built assembly and creating parametric data of the characteristic relative to a parametric reference point of the as-built assembly regarding said location in real-time;

(b) storing a first computer-aided design model for one of the as-built assembly and a theoretical authority model; and

(c) obtaining said parametric data from said metrology device representing the location of the characteristic relative to the parametric reference point of the as-built assembly, and creating a second computer-aided design model in synchronized, real-time that represents said parametric data and said first computer-aided design model by importing said parametric data into the second computer-aided design model.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of determining at least one of the standard deviation and the variance of said data and linking parametric contextual behavior of part or plurality of parts.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of using said standard deviation or said variance to create a new institutionalized theoretical authority model for the assembly, maintenance and repair.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein said method is performed without using a tooling fixture for quality assurance purposes.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of comparing said second computer-aided design model with said first computer-aided design model to determine whether the location of said characteristic is within a tolerance.

29. A computer-readable storage medium comprising code executable by a computer for performing the steps of:

(a) storing a first computer-aided design model for one of an as-built assembly and a theoretical authority model for said assembly; and

(b) obtaining parametric data from a metrology device reflecting the location of at least one characteristic of a statistically significant plurality of ones of said as-built assembly relative to a parametric reference point of the as-built assembly in real-time, and morphing in synchronized, real-time said first computer-aided design model to reflect said parametric data including importing said parametric data representing the location of the characteristic relative to the parametric reference point of the as-built assembly into the first computer-aided design model for maintenance and repair of interchangeable and replaceable parts and assemblies.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 29, further comprising code executable by a computer for performing the step of determining at least one of the standard deviation and the variance of said data and linking parametric contextual behavior of part or assembly.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, further comprising code executable by a computer for performing the step of using said standard deviation or said variance to create a new institutionalized theoretical authority model for the part assembly, maintenance and repair.

32. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 29, further comprising code executable by a computer for performing the step of comparing said modified first computer aided design model with said first computer-aided design model to determine whether the location of said characteristic is within a tolerance.

33. A computer-readable storage medium comprising code executable by a computer for performing the steps of:

(a) storing a first computer-aided design model for one of an as-built assembly and a theoretical authority model for said assembly; and

(b) obtaining parametric data from a metrology device reflecting the location of at least one characteristic of a statistically significant plurality of ones of said as-built assembly, the parametric data representing the location of the characteristic relative to a parametric reference point of the as-built assembly in real-time, and morphing in synchronized, real-time a second computer-aided design model to reflect said parametric data and said first computer-aided design model and including importing said parametric data representing the location of the characteristic into the second computer-aided design model.

34. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, further comprising code executable by a computer for performing the step of determining at least one of the standard deviation and the variance linking parametric contextual behavior of said data for a plurality of assemblies.

35. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 34, further comprising code executable by a computer for performing the step of using said standard deviation or said variance to create a new institutionalized theoretical authority model for the assembly.

36. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, further comprising code executable by a computer for performing the step of comparing said second computer-aided design model with said first computer-aided design model to determine whether the location of said characteristic is within a tolerance.