Tool-support system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10183367-B2
Application number	US-201615217438-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2016
Priority date	Jul 29, 2015
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

A tool-support system for working on holes of a surface. The tool-support system includes two rails fixed to the surface and having imprints regularly distributed over their length, and a mobile tool-support including a mobile optical system capturing an image of the surface. For each rail, at least one wheel is adapted to be moved on the rail, and includes on its rolling strip counter-imprints complementary to the imprints. A mobile tool carries a working tip, and a control unit is configured to control the movement of the mobile tool-support, of the tool and of the optical system to analyze an image captured by the optical system and to detect the presence of a hole. A tool-support system of this kind can therefore move along the rails without slipping while detecting the holes to work on them.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tool-support system for working on holes of a surface of a workpiece, the tool-support system comprising:
parallel first and second rails fixed to the surface of the workpiece, each of the first and second rails having imprints regularly distributed over lengths thereof, respectively,
a mobile tool-support including:
an optical system configured to capture at least one image of the surface of the workpiece, wherein the optical system is movable on the mobile tool-support,
for each rail, at least one wheel that is movable on the rail, and
a tool that is movable on the mobile tool-support and comprises a working tip, and

a control unit configured to control movement of the mobile tool-support on the rails, movement of the tool on the mobile tool-support, and movement of the optical system on the mobile tool-support;
wherein at least one of the at least one wheel has counter-imprints on a rolling strip thereof, each of the counter-imprints having a shape complementary to that of the imprints of the rails, and
wherein the control unit is configured to:
analyze an image captured by the optical system and to detect both a presence of a first hole in the surface of the workpiece and a real position of the first hole in the surface of the workpiece;
calculate a distance between the real position of the first hole and an expected position of the first hole,
compare the distance to a predefined threshold; and
verify if a part of the surface of the workpiece that can be reached by the tool has been entirely scanned by the optical system.

2. The tool-support system of claim 1 , wherein each of the imprints is a perforation and each of the counter-imprints is a lug.

3. The tool-support system of claim 1 , comprising:
a driving carriage including:
a driving chassis,
a longitudinal slide mounted on the driving chassis to slide parallel to a longitudinal direction of the rails,
a first motorized drive system configured to move the longitudinal slide along the driving chassis, and
two driving wheels that are each motorized and mounted on the driving chassis to rotate about a rotation axis, parallel to a plane of the first rail and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, wherein each of the two driving wheels comprise counter-imprints,

a driven carriage including:
a driven chassis, and
two driven wheels, wherein each of the two driven wheels are mounted on the driven chassis to be freely mobile in rotation about a rotation axis, parallel to a plane of the second rail and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and wherein each of the two driven wheels comprise counter-imprints,

an assembly bar including:
a beam with a first end that is fastened to the longitudinal slide,
a transverse slide that is mounted on the beam to slide parallel to a transverse direction, parallel to the surface of the workpiece and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction,
a second motorized drive system configured to move the transverse slide in translation along the beam, parallel to the transverse direction, and
a self-locking adjustment slide, which is mounted on the beam to slide in the transverse direction and is fastened to the driven chassis, and

a support module including:
a shoe fastened to the transverse slide,
a chassis mounted on the shoe to slide in a vertical direction, wherein the tool is fixed to the chassis, and
a third motorized drive system configured to move the chassis in translation relative to the shoe, parallel to the vertical direction.

4. The tool-support system of claim 3 , wherein the optical system is fixed to the support module.

5. A method of operating a tool-support system for working on holes of a surface of a workpiece, the tool-support system comprising:
parallel first and second rails fixed to the surface of the workpiece, each of the first and second rails having imprints regularly distributed over lengths thereof, respectively,
a mobile tool-support including:
an optical system that is movable on the mobile tool-support,
for each rail, at least one wheel that is movable on the rail, and
a tool that is movable on the mobile tool-support and comprises a working tip, and

a control unit configured to control movement of the mobile tool-support on the rails, movement of the tool on the mobile tool-support, and movement of the optical system on the mobile tool-support;
wherein at least one of the at least one wheels has counter-imprints on a rolling strip thereof, each of the counter-imprints having a shape complementary to that of the imprints of the rails, and

the method comprising:
a movement step, comprising moving, using the control unit, the optical system above an area, including an expected position of a first hole formed in the surface of the workpiece;
a capture step, comprising capturing, using the optical system, an image of the area and transmitting the image to the control unit;
an analysis step, comprising analyzing, using the control unit, the image of the area to detect the first hole and a real position of the first hole;
if the real position does not correspond to the expected position, a positioning step, comprising moving, using the control unit, the tool to position the working tip in vertical alignment with the first hole, and a looping step, during which the method loops to the capture step;
if the real position of the first hole corresponds to the expected position of the first hole, a lowering step, comprising descending, using the control unit, the tool to position the working tip of the tool in a working position;
a working step, comprising working the tool using the control unit;
a raising step, comprising raising the tool,
a verification step, comprising verifying, using the control unit, if a part of the surface of the workpiece that can be reached by the tool has been entirely scanned by the optical system;
if not, a second looping step, during which the method loops to the movement step;
if yes, a repositioning step comprising moving, using the control unit, the tool-support above another part of the surface of the workpiece to be scanned; and
a third looping step, during which the method loops to the movement step.

6. The method of claim 5 , the method comprising, between the working step and the raising step, a results step, comprising sending data relating to work effected from the tool to the control unit, and storing the data in the control unit.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sas

Inventors

• Jesu Plu Marion
• Lelay Marc
• Le Henaff Perig
• Loiacono Giovanni
• Vaselli Fabio

Classifications

• G05B2219/45091

  Screwing robot, tighten or loose bolt · CPC title

• B23Q17/2471

  of workpieces · CPC title

• B23P2700/01

  Aircraft parts · CPC title

• B64F5/10

  Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor · CPC title

• G05B2219/49113

  Align elements like hole and drill, centering tool, probe, workpiece · CPC title