Form board preparation for wire bundling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11742113-B2
Application number	US-201916666261-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2019
Priority date	Oct 28, 2019
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

Systems and methods for designing and assembling form boards with attached wire routing devices for use in wire bundle assembly. The assembly method comprises: (a) establishing a coordinate system of a form board having a multiplicity of holes; (b) using a computer system to determine locations of form board devices of different types with reference to the coordinate system of the form board based on engineering data specifying a wire bundle configuration; and (c) fastening the form board devices of different types to respective holes of the form board having centers closest to respective locations determined in step (b). The form board devices may be inserted robotically or manually.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for assembling a form board with assistance of a computer system, the method comprising:
establishing a coordinate system of the form board having a multiplicity of holes;
providing engineering data specifying a wire bundle configuration, the engineering data including form board geometry models with metadata, tabulated connector and wire data, equipment configuration rules, and process rules;
using the computer system to determine locations of a multiplicity of form board devices of different types with reference to the established coordinate system of the form board based on the engineering data, wherein each location of each form board device of the multiplicity of form board devices being determined in a form of an associated hole coordinate of a respective hole of the multiplicity of holes in which the form board device is to be inserted and an associated device angle of a multiplicity of device angles representing a respective orientation of the form board device; and
fastening the multiplicity of form board devices of different types to the respective holes of the multiplicity of holes in the form board having centers at the associated hole coordinates with the associated device angles of the multiplicity of device angles.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising robotically inserting the form board devices into the respective holes of the multiplicity of holes.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising inserting the form board devices into the respective holes of the multiplicity of holes manually by an operator.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising providing a three-dimensional model of the wire bundle, wherein using the computer system to determine locations of form board devices of different types with reference to the coordinate system of the form board further comprises:
flattening the three-dimensional model of the wire bundle into a two-dimensional map of an envelope of the wire bundle; and
determining type and location of each form board device from a multiplicity of form board devices needed to form the wire bundle, wherein the determining avoids positions corresponding to locations of other form board devices from the multiplicity of form board devices.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the flattening comprises transforming first digital data representing the three-dimensional model of the wire bundle into second digital data representing the two-dimensional map of the envelope of the wire bundle.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising using the computer system to determine a first sequence, wherein the first sequence is configured to fasten the multiplicity of form board devices to the form board by moving a pick-and-place end effector to avoid colliding with previously fastened form board devices.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising using the computer system to determine a second sequence, wherein the second sequence is configured to remove the form board devices after completion of a wire bundle assembly procedure, wherein the second sequence is a reverse of the first sequence.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising identifying tie locations using the computer system, wherein the determining locations of form board devices of different types further comprises avoiding the tie locations.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
comparing digital data representing locations of form board devices fastened to the form board with an existing layout to digital data representing locations of form board devices based on a desired layout by the computer system; and
removing currently attached form board devices having locations not included in the locations of form board devices based on the desired layout.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising identifying tie locations using the computer system, wherein the determining locations of form board devices further comprises avoiding the tie locations.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising calculating a preliminary tool center point path for a routing end effector and checking for collisions between the routing end effector and the form board devices by the computer system.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
(a) acquiring a three-dimensional model of the wire bundle;
(b) flattening the three-dimensional model of the wire bundle into a two-dimensional map of an envelope of the wire bundle;
(c) calculating diameters of every branch in the wire bundle;
(d) calculating the envelope of the wire bundle as routed through the form board devices; and
(e) checking for collisions between the routing end effector and the wire bundle envelope,
wherein steps (a) through (e) are performed by the computer system.

13. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
checking for collisions between a device placement end effector and the form board devices using the computer system;
writing a form board layout control file for controlling operation of the device placement end effector using the computer system; and
fastening form board devices to respective holes of the form board in accordance with the form board layout control file using the device placement end effector.

14. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
storing coordinates of form board devices fastened to the form board in accordance with an existing layout in a first file in a non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium; and
storing coordinates of form board devices in accordance with a desired layout in a second file in the non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein operations performed by the computer system further comprise:
retrieving the first and second files from the non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium; and
comparing the coordinates of the form board devices in accordance with the existing layout to the coordinates of the form board devices in accordance with the desired layout.

16. The method according to claim 15 , using the computer system to determine which fastened form board devices should be removed.

17. The method according to claim 15 , using the computer system to determine which fastened form board devices should be moved to new locations on the form board.

18. The method according to claim 15 , using the computer system to determine which fastened form board devices should remain in place.

19. The method according to claim 15 , using the computer system to determine which fastened form board devices should be retrieved from inventory and attached to the form board.

20. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
writing a manual form board preparation control file that provides instructions for form board devices that need to be installed manually on the form board by using the computer system; and
manually fastening form board devices to respective holes of the form board in accordance with the manual form board preparation control file.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Martin Damien O
• Blacken Lars E
• Mitchell Bradley J
• Duncan Grace L
• Helmick Eerik J

Classifications

• H01B13/01209 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• G05B19/4097

  characterised by using design data to control NC machines, e.g. CAD/CAM (G05B19/4093 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05B19/41805

  characterised by assembly · CPC title

• G05B2219/35134

  3-D cad-cam · CPC title

• H01B13/01227 Primary

  using a layout board · CPC title