Holding fixture fixing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11034464-B2
Application number	US-201616073098-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2016
Priority date	Feb 2, 2016
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

An object is to provide a holding fixture fixing apparatus which can ensure positioning accuracy and shape accuracy of a moving holding fixture, thus allowing an aircraft panel to be assembled with high accuracy. A holding fixture fixing apparatus includes a plurality of fixing units configured to support and fix a holding fixture, which holds a fuselage panel having a curved shape in cross section, from a lower surface of the holding fixture, the fixing units being provided on an installation surface, wherein the plurality of fixing units are provided corresponding to at least four corners of the lower surface of the holding fixture.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A holding fixture fixing apparatus comprising:
a plurality of fixing units configured to support and fix a holding fixture, which holds an aircraft panel having a curved shape in cross section and being movable, from a lower surface of the holding fixture, the fixing units being provided on an installation surface, wherein
the plurality of fixing units is provided corresponding to at least four corners of the lower surface of the holding fixture,
the fixing units are connected to each other by way of a plurality of bar-shaped cross beam members,
the fixing units comprise a positioning unit configured to define a position of the holding fixture in a horizontal plane or in a height direction,
the positioning unit comprises a self-aligning clamp which projects in a vertical direction and is fitted into a positioning hole formed at a position corresponding to the self-aligning clamp, and a rod-shaped rough guide mounted in a vertical direction and is inserted into a guide hole,
wherein the self-aligning clamp and the rough guide are provided to an upper surface of each of the plurality of the fixing units, and the positioning hole and the guide hole are provided to the lower surface of the holding fixture, or the self-aligning clamp and the rough guide are provided to the lower surface of the holding fixture, and the positioning hole and the guide hole are provided to the upper surface of each of the plurality of the fixing units, and

the holding fixture is mounted on and removed from the plurality of fixing units.

2. The holding fixture fixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the holding fixture includes:
two straight members opposedly facing each other and extending parallel to each other; and
two curved members each having a curved shape which corresponds the curved shape of the aircraft panel, the curved members being disposed on planes perpendicular to an axis direction of the straight member, and opposedly facing each other, wherein
both end portions of each of the straight members are coupled to an end portion of one of the curved members and an end portion of the other of the curved members.

3. The holding fixture fixing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a stage unit to which the positioning unit is fixed;
a laser tracker configured to emit a laser beam to a reflector installed on the stage unit and configured to receive the laser beam reflected on the reflector so as to detect a position of the reflector; and
a control unit configured to adjust a position of the stage unit based on the position of the reflector detected by the laser tracker.

4. The holding fixture fixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of bar-shaped cross beam members disposed perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the holding fixture fixing apparatus is configured to be removable.

5. The holding fixture fixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the guide hole is set to a size obtained by adding a tolerance, which does not allow the self-aligning clamp or the positioning hole to come into contact at a displaced position, to a diameter of the rough guide.

6. The holding fixture fixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case the rough guide is provided to the upper surface of each of the plurality of the fixing units, the rough guide is inserted into the guide hole so that the holding fixture can be moved along the rough guide.

7. A holding fixture fixing apparatus comprising:
a plurality of fixing units configured to support and fix a holding fixture, which holds an aircraft panel having a curved shape in cross section, from a lower surface of the holding fixture, the fixing units being provided on an installation surface, wherein
the plurality of fixing units is provided corresponding to at least four corners of the lower surface of the holding fixture,
the fixing units are connected to each other by way of a plurality of bar-shaped cross beam members,
the fixing units comprise a positioning unit configured to define a position of the holding fixture in a horizontal plane or in a height direction,
the positioning unit comprises a self-aligning clamp which projects in a vertical direction and is fitted into a positioning hole formed at a position corresponding to the self-aligning clamp, and a rod-shaped rough guide mounted in a vertical direction and is inserted into a guide hole,
wherein the self-aligning clamp and the rough guide are provided to an upper surface of each of the plurality of the fixing units, and the positioning hole and the guide hole are provided to the lower surface of the holding fixture, or, the self-aligning clamp and the rough guide are provided to the lower surface of the holding fixture, and the positioning hole and the guide hole are provided to the upper surface of each of the plurality of the fixing units,

the holding fixture includes:
two straight members opposedly facing each other and extending parallel to each other; and
two curved members each having a curved shape which corresponds to the curved shape of the aircraft panel, the curved members being disposed on planes perpendicular to an axis direction of the straight member, and opposedly facing each other,

both end portions of the straight member are coupled to an end portion of one of the curved members and an end portion of the other of the curved members, and
the fixing unit and the holding fixture are fixed to each other at a position directly below a portion at which the straight member and the curved member are coupled to each other.

8. The holding fixture fixing apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a stage unit to which the positioning unit is fixed;
a laser tracker configured to emit a laser beam to a reflector installed on the stage unit and configured to receive the laser beam reflected on the reflector so as to detect a position of the reflector; and
a control unit configured to adjust a position of the stage unit based on the position of the reflector detected by the laser tracker.

9. The holding fixture fixing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of bar-shaped cross beam members disposed perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the holding fixture fixing apparatus is configured to be removable.

10. The holding fixture fixing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein a diameter of the guide hole is set to a size obtained by adding a tolerance, which does not allow the self-aligning clamp or the positioning hole to come into contact at a displaced position, to a diameter of the rough guide.

11. The holding fixture fixing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein, in a case the rough guide is provided to the upper surface of each of the plurality of the fixing units, the rough guide is inserted into the guide hole so that the holding fixture can be moved along the rough guide.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Hirai Makoto
• Azuma Hiroki
• Takahagi Michinobu

Classifications

• B21J15/28 Primary

  Control devices specially adapted to riveting machines not restricted to one of the preceding subgroups · CPC title

• B64F5/10 Primary

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

• B64C1/12

  Construction or attachment of skin panels · CPC title

• B21J15/142

  Aerospace structures · CPC title

• B23P2700/01

  Aircraft parts · CPC title