Adaptive control of coating thickness

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10969216-B2
Application number	US-201816054705-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2018
Priority date	Aug 4, 2017
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

An example method that includes receiving a geometry of a component that includes a plurality of locations on a surface of the component; determining a first target trajectory including a first plurality of target trajectory points and a second target trajectory including a second plurality of target trajectory points, the first and second trajectories offset in a first direction, and the first and second plurality of trajectory points offset in a second direction; determining a respective target coating thickness of the coating based on a target coated component geometry and the geometry; and determining a respective motion vector of a coating device based on the first and second target trajectories to deposit the respective target coating thickness.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device, a geometry of a component, the geometry comprising a plurality of locations on a surface of the component;
determining, by the computing device, a first target trajectory comprising a first plurality of target trajectory points based on the plurality of locations and a second target trajectory comprising a second plurality of target trajectory points based on the plurality of locations, wherein the first trajectory and the second trajectory are offset in a first direction relative to each other, and wherein the plurality of first trajectory points and the plurality of second trajectory points are offset in a second direction relative to each other;
determining, by the computing device, a respective target coating thickness of a coating for each respective location of the plurality of locations based on a target coated component geometry and the geometry of the component; and
determining, by the computing device, a respective motion vector of a coating device relative to the component for each first target trajectory point of the plurality of first target trajectory points based on the first target trajectory and each second target trajectory point of the plurality of second target trajectory points based on the second target trajectory to define a path of the coating device to deposit the respective target coating thickness for each respective location.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising controlling, by the computing device, the coating device based on the respective motion vectors.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective motion vectors are based on a respective spray law of a plurality of spray laws.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein each respective spray law is based on at least one of an amount of the coating applied at each respective location on one or more previous passes, the location of the coating device relative to each respective target trajectory point, the orientation of the coating device relative to each respective target trajectory point, or a predetermined velocity of the coating device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first target trajectory and the second target trajectory are substantially parallel to a first axis, wherein the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the first axis, wherein the second direction is substantially parallel to the first axis.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises determining, by the computing device, a third target trajectory comprising a third plurality of target trajectory points based on the plurality of locations, wherein third trajectory and the second trajectory are offset in the first direction relative to each other, and wherein the third plurality of trajectory points and the plurality of second trajectory points are offset in a second direction relative to each other.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises, before determining the respective motion vector of the coating device, determining, by the computing device, a number of passes of the coating device for each respective target trajectory point of the plurality of target trajectory points to deposit the respective target coating thickness for each respective location, wherein the number of passes are based on a respective spray law of a plurality of spray laws.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the respective motion vector comprises determining, by the computing device, a respective coating subroutine of a plurality of coating subroutines defining a path of travel of the coating device, a velocity of travel of the coating device, and an orientation of the coating device for coating a portion of the component.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the respective motion vector comprises reducing a value of an objective function based on at least one of an error value representing respective differences between the target coated component geometry and the simulated geometry of the component for each location, a time to form the coating, or a total acceleration experienced by the coating device while applying the coating.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the component comprises a ceramic component or a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) component.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Nam Tech Inc

Inventors

• Bourne Keith
• Gold Matthew R
• Zimmerman Benjamin

Classifications

• G01B21/08 Primary

  for measuring thickness · CPC title

• B05B7/0006

  Spraying by means of explosions · CPC title

• C23C4/134

  Plasma spraying · CPC title

• B05B12/122

  responsive to presence or shape of target (B05B12/124 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B05B12/084

  responsive to condition of liquid or other fluent material already sprayed on the target, e.g. coating thickness, weight or pattern · CPC title