Optics: measuring and testing – Angle measuring or angular axial alignment – Alignment of axes nominally coaxial
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-14
2003-06-24
Rosenberger, Richard A. (Department: 2877)
Optics: measuring and testing
Angle measuring or angular axial alignment
Alignment of axes nominally coaxial
C356S601000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06583869
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a non-contact positioning apparatus and method suitable particularly, but not exclusively, for positioning a surface working, testing or inspection device relative to a surface to be worked, tested or inspected at a desired position and orientation relative thereto.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Conventional techniques used in aircraft wing assembly include the use of drilling templates to define hole positions therealong for components such as fasteners. Frequently, additional tooling is required to ensure that the holes are drilled normal to the wing surface, each of which holes is drilled by a worker and requires considerable skill to achieve the required tolerances. Once inserted into their designated hole location, if the fasteners protrude from the wing skin, an additional operation is required to remove the protruding part. As tolerances are typically tighter than 0.5° off normal, the number of holes failing to meet the specifications can be significant. Current practice is thus costly in terms of the additional tooling set up time, drilling time and costs of parts. Various non-contact measurement systems have been developed in an attempt to address these issues, concentrating on measuring the orientation and position of the surface to be worked relative to a working component. Specifically, laser line rangefinders have been used to project a cross-hair onto a surface and the angle between the two cross-hair arms provides information regarding the orientation of the surface relative to rangefinder arrangement. However, the non-Gaussian spread of the laser line has proven to be significant, reducing the ability of the system to measure the surface position and orientation and thus failing to satisfy tolerancing requirements. A system including four lasers in an integrated unit has also been developed, which lasers project laser spots on a surface. The spots are imaged using a single camera to measure the relative spot centre positions and the degree of ellipticality thereof. In this case the accuracy and functionality are limited by the proximity of the laser spots within the integrated unit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There is therefore a need for a device positioning apparatus which enables accurate positioning of a device relative to a surface within a specified tolerance, reduces extraneous procedures and components on the wing surface, and reduces the time taken to perform the drilling operation.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a non-contact apparatus for positioning a surface working, testing or inspection device relative to a surface to be worked, tested or inspected at a desired position and orientation relative thereto, including a baseplate locatable at a distance away from the surface, means for mounting the surface working, testing or inspection device on the baseplate, three or more range finder units removably mounted in spaced array on the baseplate, each of which units includes a source for impinging a beam of electromagnetic radiation on the surface, and a detector for imaging the impinging radiation and for calculating a distance measurement from a datum location on the respective source to a point corresponding to the surface beam impingement, the apparatus also including transformation means for translating each of said range finder distance measurements into a common baseplate co-ordinate frame of reference, a processor for receiving and processing the distance measurements to establish therefrom a first orientation and position of the surface relative to the baseplate, and thus to the surface working, testing or inspection device when mounted thereon, and indexing means in operative association with the processor for positioning the baseplate and surface working, testing or inspection device when mounted thereon at the desired position and orientation relative to the surface.
Preferably the means for mounting the surface working, testing or inspection device on the baseplate includes at least four equi-spaced holes through the baseplate, at least four externally threaded shank bolts locatable through said holes, and a substantially rigid removable housing attachable to the surface working, testing or inspection device, which removable housing is a hollow cylinder with at least one end partially open, which partially open end has at least, four transverse internally threaded equi-spaced holes for threadable engagement by said shank bolts for securing the housing to the baseplate.
Conveniently the transformation means includes mapping vector means operable to provide a position mapping vector and a direction mapping vector for each of the range finders, which position mapping vectors describe each range finder datum location by axial, transverse and perpendicular components in the baseplate co-ordinate frame of reference, which baseplate co-ordinate frame is characterised by axial, transverse and perpendicular orthogonal axes, and which direction mapping vectors describe the normality of each range finder sensor relative to the surface to be worked, tested or inspected by vectoral axial, transverse and perpendicular components in the baseplate co-ordinate frame of reference.
Advantageously the mapping vector means includes a substantially rigid, substantially planar calibration plate locatable at an array of calibration positions between the baseplate and the surface, which calibration plate is, at each of the calibration positions, located substantially parallel to the baseplate, gauge blocks of a pre-determined thickness locatable between the baseplate and the calibration plate, which gauge blocks provide means for determining the axial components of the position mapping vectors, and a surface measuring instrument, which surface measuring instrument provides means for determining the transverse and perpendicular components of the position mapping vectors and thence the direction mapping vectors.
Preferably there is a series of communication links between the processor and each range finder unit for receiving the distance measurements, which links include a control box in operative association with a power supply, which control box is operable to sample the range finder distance measurements at a desired rate, a multi-core cable connecting the range finder unit to the control box, and a serial cable connected between the control box and the processor for communicating the sampling rate to the control box.
Conveniently the indexing means includes a robotic arm having six servo motors attached thereto, which arm is rigidly connected to the removable housing and thereby to the surface working, testing or inspection device when attached thereto, a robot controller for controlling the servo motors, which robot controller is connected to the processor by a serial cable for receiving therefrom a 4×4 (four row four column) homogenous matrix describing a rotation and translation required to position the baseplate and thereby the surface working, testing or inspection device when mounted thereon, at the desired position and orientation relative to the surface to be worked, tested or inspected.
Advantageously the baseplate is a substantially rigid substantially regular hexagonal plate with a hole therethrough substantially in the centre thereof, which hole is of sufficient diameter to allow any axially protruding parts of the surface working, testing or inspection device to pass therethrough when the surface working, testing or inspection device is attached to the substantially rigid removable housing and thence to the baseplate.
Preferably each of the three or more range finder units is attachable to an outer perimeter of the baseplate by bolt means, and wherein the units are equi-spaced therearound.
Conveniently each range finder unit has a radiation source with a laser spot of 635 nm wavelength.
Advantageously the surface working, testing or inspection device is a drill.
Preferably the surface working, testing or inspection device is a wel
BAE Systems PLC
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Rosenberger Richard A.
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