Systems and methods for in situ manufacturing of minimally tooled stringers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11565460-B2
Application number	US-202117186937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2021
Priority date	Nov 2, 2017
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

Provided are systems and apparatuses for manufacturing aircraft support structures. An example robotic end effector comprises a rotatable reel with a flat strip of material wound around the reel. The end effector further includes a forming shoe including a forming surface contacting the strip of material. A first end of the forming surface corresponds to a start shape and a second end of the forming surface corresponds to an end shape. As the strip of material passes from the first end of the forming surface to the second end of the forming surface, the strip of material transitions from the first shape to the end shape and is deposited as a formed stringer ply onto an application surface. The forming shoe may further include a vacuum system to suction air through a plurality of ports along the forming surface to urge the strip of material against the forming surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robotic end effector comprising:
a forming shoe including a forming surface including a first end corresponding to a first geometric profile that transitions to a second geometric profile corresponding to a second end of the forming surface, wherein the first geometric profile is different from the second geometric profile;
wherein a strip of material is passed along the forming surface from the first end to the second end such that the strip of material transitions from the first geometric profile to the second geometric profile and is deposited as a formed stringer ply onto an application surface.

2. The robotic end effector of claim 1 , wherein the forming shoe further includes a set of rails extending from the forming surface to guide the strip of material between the first end and the second end of the forming surface.

3. The robotic end effector of claim 1 , wherein the forming surface is configured with a plurality of ports along the forming surface, and wherein a vacuum system is configured to suction air through the plurality of ports to urge the strip of material against the forming surface.

4. The robotic end effector of claim 1 , further comprising a compression mechanism for applying pressure to the formed stringer ply to position the formed stringer ply on the application surface.

5. The robotic end effector of claim 4 , wherein the compression mechanism is further configured to join the formed stringer ply to one or more of the following: the application surface and another formed stringer ply.

6. The robotic end effector of claim 4 , wherein the compression mechanism comprises a disk including a contact surface for contacting one or more portions of the formed stringer ply.

7. The robotic end effector of claim 1 , further comprising a rotatable reel, wherein the strip of material is wound around the rotatable reel, and wherein the rotatable reel is configured to dispense the strip of material to the forming surface.

8. The robotic end effector of claim 7 , further comprising a collection spool,
wherein the strip of material includes a backing substrate which is separated from the strip of material and collected around the collection spool as the strip of material is dispensed from the rotatable reel,
wherein the backing substrate includes a plurality of perforations, wherein the plurality of perforations are evenly spaced along a length of the backing substrate, and
wherein the collection spool comprises a plurality of protrusions configured to interface with the plurality of perforations for collecting the backing substrate as the strip of material is dispensed from the rotatable reel.

9. The robotic end effector of claim 1 , wherein the second geometric profile is an “L” shape.

10. The robotic end effector of claim 1 , wherein the second geometric profile is a hat-shape.

11. A system comprising:
a robotic arm; and
an end effector coupled to the robotic arm, the end effector comprising:
a forming shoe including a forming surface including a first end corresponding to a first geometric profile that transitions to a second geometric profile corresponding to second end of the forming surface wherein the first geometric profile is different from the second geometric profile;
wherein a strip of material is passed along the forming surface from the first end to the second end such that the strip of material transitions from the first geometric profile to the second geometric profile and is deposited as a formed stringer ply onto an application surface.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the forming shoe further includes a set of rails extending from the forming surface to guide the strip of material between the first end and the second end of the forming surface.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the forming surface is configured with a plurality of ports along the forming surface, and wherein the system further comprises a vacuum system to suction air through the plurality of ports to urge the strip of material against the forming surface.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the end effector further comprises a compression mechanism for applying pressure to the formed stringer ply to position the formed stringer ply on the application surface.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the compression mechanism is further configured to join the formed stringer ply to one or more of the following: the application surface and another formed stringer ply.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the compression mechanism comprises an angled clamping jaw.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the end effector further comprises a rotatable reel, wherein the strip of material is wound around the rotatable reel, and wherein the rotatable reel is configured to dispense the strip of material to the forming surface.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the end effector further comprises a collection spool,
wherein the strip of material includes a backing substrate which is separated from the strip of material and collected around the collection spool as the strip of material is dispensed from the rotatable reel,
wherein the backing substrate includes a plurality of perforations, wherein the plurality of perforations are evenly spaced along a length of the backing substrate, and
wherein the collection spool comprises a plurality of protrusions configured to interface with the plurality of perforations for collecting the backing substrate as the strip of material is dispensed from the rotatable reel.

19. A method of constructing aircraft stiffeners, the method comprising:
passing a strip of material along a forming surface of a forming shoe, the forming surface including a first end corresponding to a first geometric profile that transitions to a second geometric profile corresponding to a second end of the forming surface, wherein the first geometric profile is different from the second geometric profile, wherein the strip of material transitions from the first geometric profile to a formed stringer ply with the second geometric profile as it is passed along the forming surface; and
depositing the formed stringer ply onto an application surface.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:
urging the formed stringer ply away from the second end of the forming surface; and
positioning the formed stringer ply relative to the application surface.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Chungbin Jerry D
• Watanabe Narumi

Classifications

• B25J11/005

  Manipulators for mechanical processing tasks · CPC title

• B25J15/0019

  End effectors other than grippers · CPC title

• B29L2031/3076

  Aircrafts (blades, propellers B29L2031/08) · CPC title

• Y10S901/41

  Tool · CPC title

• B29D99/0003

  Producing profiled members, e.g. beams · CPC title