Autonomous flexible manufacturing system for building a fuselage

• US 10,213,823 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2014
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Oberoi, Harinder S., Sarh, Branko, Findlay, Melissa Ann, Draper, Alan S., Arriaga, Jorge Alberto, Reese, IV, Richard Griffith, Gerosa, Alfredo Jose, Barrick, Kevin Marion, Kozak, Michael J., Do, Quang T., Miller, Jeffrey Lawrence, Hu, Yuanxin Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Besler, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US14/559,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20160009422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B21J 15/02 Riveting procedures
• CPC Class Codes: B21J 15/10 Riveting machines electric heating elements H05B
• CPC Class Codes: B21J 15/142 Aerospace structures
• CPC Class Codes: B21J 15/28 Control devices specially adapted to riveting machines not restricted to one of the preceding subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: B21J 15/32 Devices for inserting or holding rivets in position with or without feeding arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B21J 15/40 for forming rivet heads
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/10 Aligning parts to be fitted together
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 21/002 the units stationary whilst being composed
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 2700/00 Indexing scheme relating to the articles being treated, e.g. manufactured, repaired, assembled, connected or other operations covered in the subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 2700/01 Aircraft parts
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 5/163 Jaws or jaw attachments
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/005 Manipulators for mechanical processing tasks
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/007 Riveting
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1682 Dual arm manipulator; Coordination of several manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1687 Assembly, peg and hole, palletising, straight line, weaving pattern movement
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/14368 holes with means for anchoring the injected material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2793/0081 before shaping
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 39/026 characterised by the shape of the surface
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 39/10 : incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. casting around inserts or for coating articles coating a surface by casting in general B05D1/30, B29C39/126 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 39/123 : Making multilayered articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 39/22 : Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14336 : Coating a portion of the article, e.g. the edge of the article B29C45/14573 and B29C45/14598 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/70 : by moulding using a particular moulding technique, see the relevant technique , e.g. by injection B29C45/14467
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2715/00 : Condition, form or state of preformed parts, e.g. inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/748 : Machines or parts thereof not otherwise provided for conveyor belts B29L2031/7092; driving belts B29L2031/7094; bearings B29L2031/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/143 : on the vehicle body or chassis
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/418 : Bearings, e.g. ball or roller bearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2206/8207 : by screwing
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/60 : Vehicles using regenerative power
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 3/145 : the arm forming the axle housing
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 7/001 : Suspension arms, e.g. constructional features B60G7/006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 7/008 : Attaching arms to unsprung part of vehicle B60G7/005, B60G7/006 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/025 : the object being a shop, cafeteria or display the object being a theatre or stagethe object being a workshop B60P3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/00 : Fuselages; Constructional features common to fuselages, wings, stabilising surfaces or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/06 : Frames; Stringers; Longerons ; Fuselage sections
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/068 : Fuselage sections
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/069 : Joining arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/10 : Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/50 : Handling or transporting aircraft components
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 19/06 : Solid rivets made in one piece
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41805 : characterised by assembly
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45071 : Aircraft, airplane, ship cleaning manipulator, paint stripping
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 : characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 3/12 : using feedback
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 : Management or planning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 : Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/02 : Arm motion controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/41 : Tool

Abstract

A method and apparatus for building a fuselage assembly for an aircraft. A number of fixtures may be drive across a floor to an assembly area to form an assembly fixture. The fuselage assembly may be built on the assembly fixture.

Claims

1. A method for building a fuselage assembly for an aircraft, the method comprising:

driving a tower across a floor into a selected tower position relative to a utility fixture selected from a plurality of utility fixtures in an assembly area, wherein the tower comprises a top platform that is configured to provide access to a top floor of an interior of the fuselage assembly by a human operator or an internal mobile platform moving across the top platform onto the top floor of the interior of the fuselage assembly and a bottom platform that is configured to provide access to a bottom floor of the interior of the fuselage assembly by the human operator or the internal mobile platform moving across the bottom platform onto the bottom floor of the interior of the fuselage assembly;

physically coupling the tower to the utility fixture by a first physical interface such that a number of utilities flow from the utility fixture to the tower through the first physical interface, wherein the number of utilities comprise at least one of electricity, air, hydraulic fluid, and water;

driving a cradle fixture across the floor into a selected cradle position relative to the tower in the assembly area to form an assembly fixture;

physically coupling the cradle fixture to the tower by a second physical interface to such that the number of utilities flow downstream from the tower to the cradle fixture through the second physical interface; and

building the fuselage assembly on the assembly fixture;

driving a number of the internal mobile platforms autonomously from the tower into the interior of the fuselage assembly; and

building the fuselage assembly on the assembly fixture.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein building the fuselage assembly comprises:

building the fuselage assembly on the assembly fixture using a plurality of mobile platforms.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

distributing the number of utilities to the plurality of mobile platforms through a distributed utility network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein driving the cradle fixture comprises:

driving the cradle fixture autonomously into the selected cradle position to form the assembly fixture.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein coupling the tower to the utility fixture comprises:

coupling the tower to the utility fixture autonomously.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein building the fuselage assembly comprises:

engaging a plurality of fuselage sections for the fuselage assembly with the assembly fixture.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein engaging the plurality of fuselage sections comprises:

engaging a plurality of panels with the assembly fixture.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein engaging the plurality of panels with the assembly fixture comprises:

engaging keel panels in the plurality of panels with the assembly fixture;

engaging side panels in the plurality of panels with the keel panels; and

engaging crown panels in the plurality of panels with the side panels.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein engaging the plurality of panels with the assembly fixture further comprises:

engaging an end panel with the assembly fixture and at least one of the keel panels, the side panels, or the crown panels, wherein the end panel is selected from one of a cone-shaped panel, a cylindrically-shaped panel, and a tapered cylindrical panel.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein engaging the keel panels of the plurality of panels with the assembly fixture comprises:

engaging the keel panels with a number of retaining structures.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein building the fuselage assembly further comprises:

connecting, temporarily, the plurality of panels to each other.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein connecting, temporarily, the plurality of panels comprises:

tacking the plurality of panels together with temporary fasteners.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein building the fuselage assembly further comprises:

joining the plurality of panels together while the plurality of panels are being supported by the assembly fixture.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein joining the plurality of panels together comprises:

joining a first panel and a second panel together by at least one of fastening the first panel directly to the second panel, joining a first member associated with the first panel to a second member associated with the second panel, joining a member associated with the first panel directly to the second panel, joining one member associated with both the first panel and the second panel to another member, or joining a selected member to both the first panel and the second panel.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein joining the plurality of panels together comprises:

installing a plurality of fasteners substantially autonomously to join the plurality of panels together.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

supporting a plurality of panels and a plurality of members associated with the plurality of panels for the fuselage assembly using the assembly fixture during building of the fuselage assembly.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

maintaining a shape and a configuration of the fuselage assembly within selected tolerances using the assembly fixture during the building of the fuselage assembly.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adjusting cradle fixture during building of the fuselage assembly to maintain compliance with outer mold line requirements and inner mold line requirements for the fuselage assembly within selected tolerances.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein building the fuselage assembly comprises:

joining a plurality of panels together using an autonomous tooling system.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein building the fuselage assembly comprises:

driving an external mobile platform to an external position relative to a location on the fuselage assembly; and

driving the internal mobile platform to an internal position relative to the location on the fuselage assembly.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein driving the external mobile platform comprises:

driving the external mobile platform autonomously to the external position; and

wherein driving the internal mobile platform comprises;

driving the internal mobile platform autonomously to the internal position.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein building the fuselage assembly further comprises:

performing a fastening process autonomously at the location on the fuselage assembly using the internal mobile platform and the external mobile platform.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein performing the fastening process comprises:

drilling a hole at the location autonomously using at least one of the external mobile platform or the internal mobile platform;

inserting a fastener into the hole autonomously using the at least one of the external mobile platform or the internal mobile platform; and

installing the fastener autonomously using the at least one of the external mobile platform or the internal mobile platform.

24. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

accessing the interior of the fuselage assembly using the tower.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein building the fuselage assembly comprises:

performing operations autonomously within the interior of the fuselage assembly using the number of internal mobile platforms.

26. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing a distributed utility network between the utility fixture, the tower, the assembly fixture, and at least one of the number of internal mobile platforms or a number of external mobile platforms to enable autonomous building of the fuselage assembly.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein building the fuselage assembly comprises:

building the fuselage assembly autonomously using the number of internal mobile platforms and the number of external mobile platforms.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising physically coupling a plurality of cradle fixtures to the tower in series.