Geometrical instruments – Gauge – Pipe layout or fitting
Patent
1983-09-06
1986-06-10
Little, Willis
Geometrical instruments
Gauge
Pipe layout or fitting
33568, 33551, 33553, 33545, G01B 520
Patent
active
045934762
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The checking of intricately bent tubing presents considerable difficulty in the situations where the tolerance is critical. One of the better methods of checking this tubing for production use is to provide permanent hard checking fixtures. These fixtures are very accurate, however, they are expensive to produce and require considerable storage area. Another known method uses a coordinate measuring machine. The accuracy of this depends to some extent upon the flexibility of the formed tube being checked, it requires an experienced operator to get acceptable measurements, and it is time consuming. An accurate inexpensive, easily storable system was found to check tubing and is the subject of this invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Tube checking templates are used in conjunction with adjustable checking fixtures to check formed tubing. A computer aided system is used to determine and to inscribe a plan view of shaped tubing on a film surface along with inscribing checking fixture locations, height and angle of the locations to form a template. The template is placed on a flat metallic surface, the checking fixtures are each set for height and angle, placed at the proper locations, and the formed tubing placed in the fixtures for checking.
It is an object of this invention to provide a simplified tube checking system.
It is another object of this invention to provide a storage efficient tube checking system.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the tube checking system of this invention.
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a holding fixture used in this tube checking system.
FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 respectively show a side elevation, a front elevation, and a plan view of the holding fixture of FIG. 2.
FIG. 6 shows a fragmented perspective view of a different embodiment of a tube holder for the holding fixture.
FIG. 7 shows a plan view of the tube holder of FIG. 6.
FIG. 8 shows a computer aided schematic for preparing the template used in the tube checking system.
FIG. 9 shows a plan view of the template used in the tube checking system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Tube checking system 10, utilizes a flat metallic surface 12, on which is placed a template 14, and series of adjustable holding fixtures 16.
The holding fixture has a base 18, with an upwardly extending offset 20. A pair of parallel upwardly extending tubes 22 are mounted on the offset of the base, and are mounted at their upper end to a cap 24. A head 26, is mounted to slideably move up and down on the tubes. It may be selectively secured at any position along the tubes by use of knob screw assembly 28; which threads into the side of the head and when the knob is tightened secures to one of the tubes. A disc 30, pivotally mounted about its axis to the front of the head has a series of markings 32, extending around its outer face for indicating the angle of rotation of the disc. The angle is read with reference to an angular vernier 34, which is located on a member 36, that is secured by fasteners 38, to the top of the head. An adapter 40, is secured to the face of the disc 30, and a tube holder 42, is secured to the front of the adapter. The tube holder has a U-shaped recess 44, sized to accept and to hold a tube 46, being checked. A cylindrical block 48, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, is shaped and located to rotate freely in a recess 50, located in the head 26. The block is held in position with knobbed bolt 52, which extends in from the back of the head and threads into the block. The bolt and block are then free to rotate. Tightening this bolt locks the block in place. The tube holder, adapter, and the disc are secured together and are joined to the front of the block; so that they all rotate with the block. This is accomplished by use of bolt 54, that has knob 56, for ease of operation. The bolt extends through the tube holder, and is threaded into the adapter. Nut 58 acts as a lock. The adapter is secured to the disc and the block by bolt 60, and the tube holder is secured to the adapter, di
REFERENCES:
patent: 2807092 (1957-09-01), Jones
patent: 3203100 (1965-08-01), Hegedus
patent: 4061005 (1977-12-01), Kawanami et al.
patent: 4122608 (1978-10-01), Hopf
patent: 4333240 (1982-06-01), Searcy
Clark Kevin E.
Jones Richard P.
DeVogel Nicolaas
Donahue Bernard
Little Willis
The Boeing Company
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