Mobile platforms for performing operations along an exterior of a fuselage assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10016805-B2
Application number	US-201615352524-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2016
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

A method and apparatus for performing an assembly operation. A tool may be macro-positioned relative to an exterior of a fuselage assembly. The tool may be micro-positioned relative to a particular location on the exterior of the fuselage assembly. An end effector is removably associated with an external robotic device associated with an external mobile platform. The tool is removably associated with the end effector. An assembly operation may be performed at the particular location on the panel using the tool.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for performing an assembly operation, the method comprising:
using a controller to perform the steps of:
macro-positioning a tool relative to an exterior of an assembly, wherein macro-positioning comprises:
driving an assembly fixture to a position using an autonomous vehicle, and
driving, using the autonomous vehicle, an external mobile platform having a tool, into a position relative to the assembly fixture such that the tool is positioned relative to the exterior of the assembly;

micro-positioning the tool relative to a particular location on the exterior of the assembly;
performing the assembly operation at the particular location using the tool.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
exchanging the tool with another one of a number of tools being held by a tool magazine station associated with a platform base of the external mobile platform.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
removably associating an end effector with an external robotic device associated with the external mobile platform;
removably associating the tool with the end effector; and
exchanging the end effector with another one of a number of end effectors being held in an end effector storage associated with a platform base of the external mobile platform.

4. An apparatus comprising:
a macro-positioning system associated with an external mobile platform, the external mobile platform comprising a platform base, wherein the macro-positioning system comprises:
an autonomous vehicle configured to drive an assembly fixture to a position, and
the external mobile platform having a tool that is configured to be driven, using the autonomous vehicle, into a position relative to the assembly fixture such that the tool is positioned relative to an exterior of an assembly;

a micro-positioning system associated with the external mobile platform; and
an external robotic device associated with the external mobile platform, wherein the tool is associated with the external robotic device.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:
an end effector that is removably associated with the external robotic device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising:
the tool that is removably associated with the end effector.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the tool is selected from one of an external riveting tool for performing a riveting operation, a drilling tool for performing a drilling operation, a fastener insertion tool for performing a fastener insertion operation, and a fastener installation tool for performing a fastener installation operation.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the external riveting tool is a hammer.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the micro-positioning system comprises a movement system comprising at least one of an actuator device, a motor, a rail system, a track system, a slide system, a roller, a wheel, an elbow movement system, a wrist movement system, a swivel system, or an X-Y table.

10. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the external mobile platform comprises:
a coupling unit that is coupleable to a corresponding coupling unit associated with a cradle fixture, wherein the coupling unit comprises:
a number of utility connections for a number of utilities.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the number of utilities include at least one of power, air, communications, water, or hydraulic fluid.

12. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:
a tool exchange station associated with the external mobile platform.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the tool exchange station retains a number of tools.

14. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:
an end effector storage associated with the external mobile platform.

15. An external mobile platform comprising:
a platform base;
a macro-positioning system associated with the platform base, wherein the macro-positioning system comprises:
an autonomous vehicle configured to drive an assembly fixture to a position, and
the external mobile platform having a tool that is configured to be driven, using the autonomous vehicle, into a position relative to the assembly fixture such that the tool is positioned relative to an exterior of an assembly; and

a micro-positioning system associated with the platform base.

16. The external mobile platform of claim 15 , wherein the macro-positioning system comprises:
the autonomous vehicle that is fixedly associated with the platform base.

17. The external mobile platform of claim 15 , wherein the micro-positioning system comprises at least one of an external robotic device or a movement system.

18. The external mobile platform of claim 17 , wherein the movement system comprises at least one of an actuator device, a motor, a rail system, a track system, a slide system, a roller, a wheel, an elbow movement system, a wrist movement system, a swivel system, or an X-Y table.

19. The external mobile platform of claim 18 further comprising:
an end effector storage, wherein an end effector is exchangeable with one of a number of end effectors stored in the end effector storage.

20. The external mobile platform of claim 15 further comprising:
a tool exchange station, wherein the tool is exchangeable with one of a number of tools retained by the tool exchange station.

21. A method for performing fastening processes using an external mobile platform, the method comprising:
driving an assembly fixture to a position using an autonomous vehicle;
driving, using the autonomous vehicle, the external mobile platform into a position relative to a panel of an assembly on the assembly fixture;
identifying a set of locations on the panel for performing a fastening process; and
performing the fastening process at each of the set of locations.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein identifying the set of locations comprises:
locating a first temporary fastener installed in the panel;
locating a second temporary fastener installed in the panel; and
identifying the set of locations between the first temporary fastener and the second temporary fastener.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein locating the first temporary fastener comprises:
identifying a first location of the first temporary fastener with respect to a reference coordinate system using an imaging system.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein locating the second temporary fastener comprises:
moving the imaging system in a translational direction until the second temporary fastener enters a field of view of the imaging system; and
identifying a second location of the second temporary fastener with respect to the reference coordinate system using the imaging system.

25. The method of claim 21 , wherein driving the external mobile platform into the position relative to the panel of the assembly comprises:
driving the autonomous vehicle fixedly associated with the external mobile platform to position the external mobile platform at the panel of the assembly.

26. The method of claim 21 , wherein performing the fastening processes comprises:
positioning a tool at a particular location in the set of locations; and
performing an operation of the fastening processes at the particular location.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein performing the fastening processes further comprises:
exchanging the tool for a different tool; and
performin

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Oberoi Harinder S
• Reese Iv Richard Griffith
• Barrick Kevin Marion
• Do Quang T
• Miller Jeffrey Lawrence
• Stojanoski Vanco

Classifications

• G05B19/41865

  characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow · CPC title

• B21J15/02 Primary

  Riveting procedures · CPC title

• B29L2031/748

  Machines or parts thereof not otherwise provided for (conveyor belts B29L2031/7092; driving belts B29L2031/7094; bearings B29L2031/04) · CPC title

• B64C1/12

  Construction or attachment of skin panels · CPC title

• B60G7/008

  Attaching arms to unsprung part of vehicle (B60G7/005, B60G7/006 take precedence) · CPC title