System and method for precisely drilling matched hole patterns using surface mapped features

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10646930-B2
Application number	US-201715423806-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2017
Priority date	Feb 3, 2017
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for performing matched drilling operations on mating first and second workpieces. A microscopic camera is mounted on a movable spindle holding a tool. A micro-adjustment mechanism on the spindle controllable moves the tool. A template is provided that is mounted to the first workpiece and to the second workpiece. A controller receives images of the template from the microscopic camera at each of the predetermined positions on the first workpiece and identifies microscopic features on the template associated with each of the predetermined positions on the first workpiece. The controller compares microscopic features within received images of the template at each of the predetermined positions on the second workpiece associated with microscopic features of a corresponding image of the first workpiece to calculate a necessary offset adjustment that is applied to the micro-adjustment mechanism before each operation on the second workpiece.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for performing matched operations on a first workpiece and a second workpiece, the system comprising:
a movable spindle having a chuck for holding a tool;
a microscopic camera mounted on the movable spindle; and
a controller configured to:
provide signals to move the movable spindle to a series of predetermined positions for performing operations on the first workpiece;
receive, from the microscopic camera at each of the predetermined positions, an image of a template mounted to the first workpiece;
identify and store microscopic features of the template associated with each of the predetermined positions;
perform a comparison of the microscopic features with second microscopic features identified in a second image of the template mounted to the second workpiece; and
responsive to the comparison indicating a distance between the microscopic features and the second microscopic features that does not satisfy a threshold distance, provide second signals to move the movable spindle such that the threshold distance is satisfied.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the movable spindle is part of a computer numerical control machine or a computer-controlled robot arm system.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to provide signals to move the movable spindle to a series of predetermined positions for performing operations on the second workpiece.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to receive, from the microscopic camera at each of the predetermined positions, an image of the template mounted on the second workpiece, and wherein performing the comparison is configured to identify when there is more than a predetermined distance between relative positions of the stored microscopic features and the second microscopic features in the second image, in response to which the controller provides second signals to move the movable spindle.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the controller is further configured to identify a temperature differential of the template when mounted to the first workpiece and when mounted to the second workpiece wherein the distance between the microscopic features and the second microscopic features is determined based on the temperature differential.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the matched operations comprise matched drilling operations.

7. A system for performing matched operations on a first workpiece and a second workpiece, the system comprising:
a movable spindle having a chuck for holding a tool;
a microscopic camera mounted on the movable spindle;
a micro-adjustment mechanism mounted on the movable spindle and configured to controllably move the tool installed in the chuck on the movable spindle; and
a controller configured to:
provide signals to move the movable spindle to a series of predetermined positions for performing operations on the second workpiece;
receive, from the microscopic camera at each of the predetermined positions, an image of a template mounted to the first workpiece;
identify microscopic features of the template associated with each of the predetermined positions;
perform a comparison of the microscopic features with second microscopic features identified in a second image of the template mounted to the second workpiece; and
responsive to the comparison indicating a distance between the microscopic features and the second microscopic features that does not satisfy a threshold distance, provide second signals to move the movable spindle via the micro-adjustment mechanism such that the threshold distance is satisfied.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the movable spindle is part of a computer numerical control machine or a computer-controlled robot arm system, and wherein the controller is configured to perform the comparison to identify when there is more than a predetermined distance between relative positions of the microscopic features and the second microscopic features in the second image, in response to which the controller provides second signals to move the movable spindle.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the matched operations comprise matched drilling operations.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the controller is further configured to provide signals to move the movable spindle to a series of predetermined positions for performing operations on the first workpiece.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
receive, from the microscopic camera at each of the predetermined positions, an image of the template mounted to the second workpiece, and
identify the microscopic features of the template associated with each of the predetermined positions.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein the controller is further configured to identify a temperature differential of the template when mounted to the first workpiece and when mounted to the second workpiece wherein the distance between the microscopic features and the second microscopic features is determined based on the temperature differential.

13. A method for performing matched operations on mating a first workpiece and a second workpiece, the method comprising:
moving a first spindle having a first chuck for holding a first tool to a series of predetermined positions for performing operations on the first workpiece;
capturing an image of a template mounted to the first workpiece using a microscopic camera mounted on the first spindle at each of the predetermined positions;
identifying and storing, in a memory, microscopic features of the template associated with each of the predetermined positions;
performing a comparison of the microscopic features with second microscopic features identified in a second image of the template mounted to the second workpiece; and
responsive to the comparison indicating a distance between the microscopic features and the second microscopic features that does not satisfy a threshold distance, providing second signals to move the first spindle such that the threshold distance is satisfied.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
detachably mounting the template on a third workpiece;
moving a second spindle having a second chuck for holding a second tool to a series of predetermined positions for performing operations on the third workpiece;
capturing an image of the template mounted to the third workpiece using the microscopic camera mounted on the second spindle at each of the predetermined positions; and
identifying third microscopic features of the template associated with each of the predetermined positions for performing operations on the third workpiece.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising performing a second comparison of the third microscopic features of the template associated with each of the predetermined positions for performing operations on the third workpiece with the microscopic features in a stored version of an image of the template associated with a corresponding predetermined position for performing an operation on the first workpiece.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
providing signals to move the second tool installed in the second chuck on the second spindle to adjust a position the second tool based on the second comparison; and
performing operations at each of the predetermined positions on the third workpiece.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising identify a temperature differential of the template when mounted to the first workpiece and when mounted to the second workpiece, wherein the distance be

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Szarski Martin A
• Fletcher Luke

Classifications

• G05B2219/45129

  Boring, drilling · CPC title

• B64F5/10

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

• G05B19/404

  characterised by control arrangements for compensation, e.g. for backlash, overshoot, tool offset, tool wear, temperature, machine construction errors, load, inertia (G05B19/19, G05B19/41 take precedence) · CPC title

• G05B19/402 Primary

  characterised by control arrangements for positioning, e.g. centring a tool relative to a hole in the workpiece, additional detection means to correct position (G05B19/19 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B23B39/08 Primary

  Devices for program control · CPC title