Metal working – Means to assemble or disassemble – Overedge assembling means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-03
2002-08-13
Bryant, David P. (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Means to assemble or disassemble
Overedge assembling means
C029S03400A, C029S897200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06430796
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to automated assembly machines and, more particularly, to an apparatus for performing automated manufacturing and assembly operations on a panel-shaped workpiece such as a wing panel for an aircraft.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In an effort to improve productivity in the manufacture of large aircraft assemblies such as wing panels, automated assembly machinery is increasingly being used in place of the manually operated equipment that for many years has been commonly used for fabricating aircraft. A variety of types of automated assembly devices have been developed or proposed for performing tasks such as drilling, riveting, and inspecting of wing panel assemblies and the like. For example, commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,105,515 and 4,203,204 describe automated assembly tools for performing riveting and other operations on wing panels that are oriented vertically. A wing panel is held in a fixture by geared clamps positioned at the top and bottom of the panel, the clamps remaining positioned in their clamping positions throughout the manufacturing operations on the panel. Independently operable carriages on opposite sides of the panel support tools for movement along three mutually perpendicular axes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,119 issued to Bonomi et al. describes a robotic machining center having a vertical column translatable on rails along an X-axis, a ram mounted on the vertical column for vertical movement therealong in a Y-axis direction, and a U-shaped yoke mounted on the ram. The ram is extensible in a Z-axis direction. The yoke has spaced opposed legs that support tools. The yoke is rotatable relative to the ram about a horizontal axis parallel to the X-axis. The vertical column is rotatable about a vertical axis passing therethrough. The workpiece is held in an automatic flexible or adjustable fixture that is schematically illustrated but is not further described in any detail.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,702 issued to Speller, Sr. et al. describes a five-axis riveter having a large and complex frame that includes a pair of spaced-apart sides that straddle a workpiece and pass therealong as the frame is carried along a rail system formed in a supporting surface. Independently operable carriages are mounted on the frame sides, and heads are mounted on the carriages for supporting riveting tools. The carriages are movable vertically along the frame sides. The tools are movable toward and away from the workpiece. The heads are rotatable about two different axes. The workpiece is held in position for machining by a fixture that is supported above the supporting surface by a plurality of retractable supports each of which can be lowered independently of the others to provide clearance between the supporting surface and the fixture for passage of a lower portion of the frame through such clearance.
In accordance with current methods employed by the assignee of the present application, wing assemblies are fabricated with massive traveling C-frame hydraulic riveting machines. The wing panels are positioned with their major surfaces in a horizontal position. The C-frame tooling is not practical for the installation of hand fasteners and, accordingly, the automated C-frame riveting machine is used for installing rivets and workers manually install the hand fasteners. Many crane-assisted moves of the wing panels are typically required in order to accommodate the combination of machine installation of rivets and manual installation of hand fasteners.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an automated assembly apparatus for performing assembly operations on panel-shaped workpieces such as wing panels or the like, in which the workpiece is held with its major surfaces in a vertical orientation. A unique fixture is employed for holding the workpiece, enabling a frame supporting automated tools to be passed along the workpiece so as to perform various work operations such as drilling, installation of rivets, installation of hand fasteners, shaving of rivet heads, inspection, and other operations. The apparatus enables many workpiece configurations to be handled without major modification of the workpiece-holding fixture or the frame and its associated traveling support. The invention enables wing panels to be assembled in one apparatus capable of installing both machine-installed and hand-type fasteners, thus reducing tooling and facility costs relative to current methods for assembling wing panels. Crane moves of the wing panel are also substantially reduced, enabling further cost reductions.
To these ends, an apparatus in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a gantry, a tool-holding frame supported on the gantry, at least one tool mounted on the frame, and a workpiece-holding fixture for holding the workpiece. Either the gantry or the workpiece-holding fixture is operable to translate relative to the other along a first horizontal direction parallel to a first axis. The frame is mounted on the gantry and has a middle portion and opposed leg portions joined to the middle portion in spaced relation for receiving the workpiece therebetween. The frame is carried by the gantry such that the leg portions travel relative to the workpiece along opposite sides thereof for positioning of the tool carried by the frame at various positions along the workpiece. The workpiece-holding fixture holds the workpiece such that a length dimension of the workpiece extends generally parallel to the first axis. The fixture includes a plurality of holders spaced apart in the first direction, each holder being operable to extend generally horizontally along a direction generally perpendicular to the first direction so as to engage a side of the workpiece and support the workpiece, and to retract away from the side of the workpiece engaged by the holder so as to provide clearance between the workpiece and the holder for passage of the frame while the other holders remain engaged with the workpiece. The holders may support workpiece-holding devices such as clamps and/or suction devices. Advantageously, the holders can be extended or retracted to selectively variable degrees so that workpieces of various configurations can readily be supported.
The tool-holding frame advantageously comprises a U-shaped yoke having two spaced leg portions that support the tool and preferably support a plurality of tools that can be selectively operated for performing various work operations on the workpiece. The U-shaped yoke preferably is oriented such that a middle portion of the yoke from which the two leg portions project passes beneath the workpiece and the leg portions project upwardly on opposite sides of the workpiece. The leg portions of the yoke can support various types of tools, including drill motors, riveters, part-clamping tools, rivet shavers, two-piece fastener installation tools, inspection tools, and the like.
The gantry in one preferred embodiment of the invention is movable while the workpiece is held stationary in the fixture. The gantry is mounted on a pair of parallel spaced rails. Preferably, the gantry is rotatable about a vertical axis by differential movement of one wheel assembly on one of the rails relative to another wheel assembly on the other rail. The two wheel assemblies are independently driven along the rails by two actuators.
The tool-holding frame preferably is mounted on the gantry such that the frame can be moved vertically along the gantry for positioning a tool at various vertical positions along the workpiece. Alternatively or additionally, the tools can be mounted on the frame so as to be movable vertically along the frame. In accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the frame is rotatable relative to the gantry about a horizontal axis that extends generally in the lengthwise direction of the workpiece. Furthermore, the frame preferably is movable along the gantry in a horizontal direction that extends generally perpendicular to the opposite surfaces of the workpiece. Accordingly,
Buttrick Jr. James N.
Jones Darrell Darwin
Alston & Bird LLP
Blount Steven
Bryant David P.
The Boeing Company
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