Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23P—METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS
  • B23P11/00—Connecting or disconnecting metal parts or objects by metal-working techniques not otherwise provided for 
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
  • G01C15/00—Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
  • G01C15/02—Means for marking measuring points
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
  • B64F—GROUND OR AIRCRAFT-CARRIER-DECK INSTALLATIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH AIRCRAFT; DESIGNING, MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLING, CLEANING, MAINTAINING OR REPAIRING AIRCRAFT, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; HANDLING, TRANSPORTING, TESTING OR INSPECTING AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B64F5/00—Designing, manufacturing, assembling, cleaning, maintaining or repairing aircraft, not otherwise provided for; Handling, transporting, testing or inspecting aircraft components, not otherwise provided for
  • B64F5/10—Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T29/00—Metal working
  • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
  • Y10T29/49826—Assembling or joining
  • Y10T29/49895—Associating parts by use of aligning means [e.g., use of a drift pin or a "fixture"]
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T29/00—Metal working
  • Y10T29/53—Means to assemble or disassemble
  • Y10T29/53004—Means to assemble or disassemble with means to regulate operation by use of templet, tape, card or other replaceable information supply

Definitions

• the invention relates to a positioning device for assembling parts on a structure. More particularly, the invention relates to a positioning device for the assembly of fixed supports on an aircraft structure.
• the fixed supports of an aircraft structure serve to position and maintain systems in said structure.
• These systems are conduits for electrical cables or pipes carrying various fluids, cabin layout elements such as rack holders or equipment.
• These supports are attached to the fuselage structure generally by riveting or structural bonding.
• the number, nature and positioning of these supports vary from one aircraft to another depending on the management options chosen by the airline operating the said aircraft. aircraft.
• the said supports must then be positioned and fixed on demand on the structure. The positioning accuracy required is of the order of a millimeter.
• the structure of an aircraft being at this stage of assembly bristling with structural elements such as frames, rails or fittings, there are optimal positions of the projector giving access to a maximum volume of visibility, c that is to say that these remarkable positions of the projector allow the projection of a maximum of outlines on the structure without concealment of the beam by constituent elements of said structure.
• the projector is placed on a tripod, often outside the structure and whose position relative to this structure can not be known precisely. Which position is, moreover, not stable. The required accuracy can not be achieved.
• the invention proposes a device for positioning a part in view of its assembly with an aircraft structure comprising:
• a laser projector capable of projecting an outline on a surface; a support fixing said projector to the structure of the aircraft in a defined position and orientation;
• a set of sights fixed to the structure of the aircraft in the visibility space of the searchlight so as to locate the latter with respect to said structure.
• the projector being fixed directly to the rigid structure, its position is stable relative to it even if said structure undergoes small deformations.
• the position of the headlamp is accurately determined by means of sights fixed to the structure of the aircraft.
• the set of sights includes 6 sights positioned in centering holes, or "datums", pre-bored into elements constituting the structure of the aircraft.
• the position of these centering holes is identical for all structures of the same type.
• the use of 6 sights allows a complete positioning in the space of the projector both in position and orientation. It is thus possible to proceed to re-calibration phases on these reference targets at regular intervals and episodically if the laser beam is to be cut.
• the projector is advantageously fixed to the structure by means of a support.
• Said support is removably connected to the structure advantageously by clamp type clamping devices.
• these clamping devices are controlled by torque screws whose torque is adjusted to ensure the immobilization of the projector support without marking the structural elements at the clamping points .
• the projector is in computer connection with a computer, which computer contains the geometric definitions of the media to be projected and the structure of the aircraft.
• the invention also relates to a method for assembling fixed supports in an aircraft structure, which method advantageously implements the device described above and comprising the steps of: a. attached to the structure of the aircraft the device according to any one of the embodiments described above; b. determine the precise position of the projector in the space of the structure using the test patterns; vs. project the outline of the supports to be installed on the constituent elements of the structure at their final location; d. assemble the supports with the structure at their location and delimited.
• This method makes it possible to fix the supports at precise locations by considerably reducing the time required for the positioning of these supports.
• the sights are fixed in step 'a' to the elements of the structure in bores pre-drilled in said elements.
• the calibration times of the projector are reduced.
• the projection of step 'c' comprises the location of the bores to be made in the structural element on which a support is fixed.
• the projection may comprise other information such as a carrier identification code or elementary operating conditions relating to the installation of said support.
• This information is aids to installation and keying elements for the operator in charge of the installation. They make the installation process more reliable and increase its productivity.
• a computer processing of the geometric definition of the supports and the structure of the aircraft is carried out on the basis of the data from a digital model, which processing comprises steps consisting of:
• This treatment makes it possible to reduce the volume of data to be processed by the device and thus to simultaneously project more media locations to be installed.
• FIGS. 1 to 5 The invention will now be more specifically described in the context of preferred embodiments, in no way limiting, represented in FIGS. 1 to 5 in which:
• FIG. 1 represents an exploded perspective view of an aircraft structure without its outer covering in which a device according to a particular embodiment of the invention is installed;
• FIG. 2 shows in perspective a detail view of the installation according to a particular embodiment of the device of the invention in an aircraft structure
• FIG. 3 shows in perspective a particular embodiment of the projector support
• FIG. 5 illustrates the principle of computer processing of the geometric data relating to a support in order to carry out the projection of its contour on an element of the structure.
• the invention proposes to use a laser projector (2), able to project on the elements of said structure the contours of the supports which must be installed there.
• the laser projector is fixed to the structure of the aircraft by means of a support (3) preferably fixed removably to rigid elements such as frames (10, 1 1) or other elements of the appropriate stiffness structure.
• the projector support (3) consists of a support platform (30) which is rotatably fixed to two parallel rails (31, 32) which rails are suspended from the primary structure by means of clamp-type devices (34) connected to pinch-like structural members (12, 13)
• the projector support further comprises two straps (35, 35 ') for securing installation on the structure.
• the support makes it possible to adjust the position of the headlight, in translation along X, by sliding the rails (31, 32) and to block this position by tightening the set screws (37).
• the adjustment of the position in translation in Y and in rotation in Z is obtained during the installation of the support on the structure and the tightening of the clamping devices (34, 34 ', 34 "and 34"') on the elements. of structure.
• These clamp devices comprise two keys (341, 342) made of a sufficiently soft material not to mark the structural parts during tightening.
• they may consist of a polyoxymethylene commercially available under the name Delrin®.
• One of the keys (341) is connected to a screw (340) by its action to bring the two keys (341, 342) and thus obtain the desired tightening.
• this screw is a torque screw whose maximum tightening torque is adjustable by a friction device integrated into its operating form.
• torque screws are commercially available under the Norelem® brand.
• the platform (30) is Y-axis pivotally connected to the rails by means of a rotatable biocable pivot (36).
• patterns (40 to 45) are fixed to said structure, preferably in holes pre-bored in frames (101, 102).
• the position of the projector in the space of the structure of the aircraft can thus be perfectly known by measuring the distance separating it from each of the sights.
• This position and orientation information is used in cooperation with the geometrical information from a digital model of the aircraft and the definition of the supports in order to calculate the exact location of these in the reference of the projector, as well as the optical corrections to be made to the projections so that the contour projected on each structural element receiving a support corresponds well to the theoretical contour of the bearing surface of said support on this structural element.
• the support surface of the support (5) to be installed in the structure is determined from the digital model of the aircraft structure and the CAD definition of said support.
• the CAD entity representing the support Prior to its projection, is reduced to a two-dimensional entity (51) oriented in space and corresponding to the support surface of said support on the structural element considered, as well as the location (510, 51 1) possible holes. This reduced geometric definition is used by the projector and its software to project the contour (51).

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
• Remote Sensing (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Automatic Assembly (AREA)
• Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)
• Connection Of Plates (AREA)
• Projection Apparatus (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=43432299

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (8)

Family Cites Families (10)

• 2010
  • 2010-05-25 FR FR1054037A patent/FR2960521B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2011
  • 2011-05-23 CN CN201180025476.5A patent/CN102905976B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2011-05-23 CA CA2799037A patent/CA2799037A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 2011-05-23 EP EP11727251.8A patent/EP2576348A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2011-05-23 WO PCT/FR2011/051158 patent/WO2011148085A2/fr not_active Ceased
• 2012
  • 2012-11-21 US US13/683,055 patent/US9272373B2/en active Active

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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