Aircraft floor grid transport system for assembling an aircraft fuselage barrel and method of calibrating said transport system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12252272-B2
Application number	US-202318357741-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2023
Priority date	Jul 25, 2022
Publication date	Mar 18, 2025
Grant date	Mar 18, 2025

Abstract

An aircraft floor grid transport system for assembling an aircraft fuselage barrel and method of calibrating the transport system are disclosed. The transport system includes a rectangular beam, a stabilizer device to be associated with referential positioning devices of an assembly platform and a plurality of fixing devices to be fixed to the floor grid, each of the fixing devices having a vertically adjustable length. The transport system makes it possible to handle the floor grid without deforming it in order to assemble a fuselage barrel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for transporting an aircraft floor grid configured to manipulate a floor grid of an aircraft to assemble a fuselage barrel, comprising:
a rectangular spreader having an upper face and a lower face, the rectangular spreader having two longitudinal ends;
a stabilizer device configured to associate with referential positioning devices of an assembly platform, the stabilizer device is located at and fixed to the two longitudinal ends of the rectangular spreader;
a plurality of fixing devices distributed over the lower face of the rectangular spreader and configured for fixing the floor grid to the rectangular spreader, each of the fixing devices including a fixing element configured to fix to the floor grid, each of the fixing devices having an adjustment length (L) between the fixing element and the lower face of the rectangular spreader that is adjustable vertically.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the fixing devices further includes:
a threaded rod having a longitudinal axis and passing completely through the rectangular spreader, the threaded rod having a first end projecting on the upper face of the rectangular spreader and a second end projecting on the lower face, the second end is connected to the fixing element,
a threaded bearing immobile along an axis perpendicular to the rectangular spreader, the threaded rod is screwed into the threaded bearing,
an adjuster screw screwed onto and fastened to the first end of the threaded rod, the adjustment length (L) is adjustable vertically by rotation of the adjustment nut driving rotation of the threaded rod about its longitudinal axis, rotation of the threaded rod screwed into the threaded bearing driving movement of the threaded rod along its longitudinal axis, the movement of the threaded rod driving movement of the fixing element relative to the lower face of the rectangular spreader.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein each of the fixing devices further comprises a ball joint connecting the second end of the threaded rod to the fixing element.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the fixing devices further comprises:
a cylindrical sleeve passing perpendicularly and completely through the rectangular spreader, the threaded rod is housed in the cylindrical sleeve, and
a ball disposed on a shoulder in the cylindrical sleeve and having a center about which the ball is able to rotate, the ball having the threaded bearing pass through it, the ball allowing movement of the threaded rod about the center of the ball, the movement is limited by the cylindrical sleeve.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the stabilizer device further includes two pairs of retractable arms each disposed at a longitudinal end of the rectangular spreader, the retractable arms of each of the two pairs of arms is spaced from one another on either side of a central plane of symmetry,
wherein each of the retractable arms of each of the two pairs is configured to locate alternately in a deployed position in which the retractable arm projects laterally from the rectangular spreader and a retracted position in which the retractable arm does not project laterally from the rectangular spreader, and
wherein each of the retractable arms includes a free end configured to place on a referential positioning device of an assembly platform when each of the retractable arms is in the deployed position for assembly of the fuselage barrel.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5 , wherein each of the retractable arms includes at least a first part mounted to slide on the rectangular spreader, a second part having a longitudinal axis perpendicular to the rectangular spreader and a third part connecting the first part and the second part, the second part including the free end intended to place on a referential positioning device of an assembly platform.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the rectangular spreader further comprises rails fixed to two sides of the rectangular spreader at the longitudinal ends, the rails are parallel to the lower face of the rectangular spreader, and each of the retractable arms includes at least one slider fixed to the first part, the slider or sliders of each of the retractable arms are intended to slide on at least one of the rails fixed to the rectangular spreader to go from the deployed position to the retracted position and vice versa.

8. The system as claimed in claim 5 , wherein each of the retractable arms further includes an immobilizer device configured to immobilize the retractable arms alternately in the retracted position or the deployed position.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the fixing devices further includes a laser target configured to receive an alignment laser beam emitted by a laser alignment system intended to evaluate the position of each fixing element of each of the fixing devices.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rectangular spreader further comprises:
a rectangular grid including weft bars and warp bars,
a reinforcing structure that projects on the upper face of the rectangular spreader, the reinforcing structure including U-shaped bars extending between the two longitudinal ends, the U-shape having an opening directed toward the rectangular grid,
wherein each of the U-shaped bars is aligned vertically with a warp bar of the rectangular grid, and
wherein each of the U-shaped bars is fixed to the rectangular grid with the aid of spacers at each crossover between the weft bars and the warp bars of the rectangular grill.

11. A method of calibrating the cabin floor grid transport system as claimed in claim 1 , comprising:
a step (E 1 ) of installing the transport system on the referential positioning devices by means of the stabilizer device,
a first evaluation step (E 2 ) of evaluating the position of the fixing element of each of the fixing devices,
a step (E 3 ) of comparing positions evaluated in the evaluation step with positions evaluated from a numerical simulation simulating the rectangular spreader deformed by its own weight when not loaded,
a step (E 4 ) of adjusting the adjustment length (L) of each of the fixing devices on the basis of a numerical simulation simulating the transport system deformed by its own weight when not loaded and by the floor grid attached to the rectangular spreader,
a step (E 5 ) of attaching the floor grid to the transport system by means of the fixing elements,
a second evaluation step (E 6 ) of evaluating the position of the fixing element of each of the fixing devices, and
a step (E 7 ) of adjusting the adjustment length (L) of at least one fixing device if the second evaluation step (E 6 ) indicates that the fixing elements of all the fixing devices are not in a common horizontal plane.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the step (E 1 ) of installing the transport system further includes deploying the retractable arms before depositing the free end of each of the retractable arms on a referential positioning device.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the first evaluation step (E 2 ) and the second evaluation step (E 6 ) are performed by the laser alignment system emitting an alignment laser beam onto the laser target of each of the fixing devices.

14. A method of installing an aircraft floor grid on referential positioning devices of an assembly platform receiving a lower shell of a fuselage barrel in order to assemble the fuselage barrel using a transport system as claimed in claim 1 , comprising:
a step (S 1 ) of procuring the floor grid,
a step (S 3

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sas

Inventors

• Datas Jean-Marc
• Cartereau Thomas
• Bouriquet Jacques
• Aquila André
• Darbonville Nicolas
• Autret Thomas
• Barboule Joël
• Bayonne Sébastien
• Guerin Patrick
• Van Der Veen Sjoerd

Classifications

• B64C1/18

  Floors · CPC title

• B64F5/10 Primary

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

• B64F5/50 Primary

  Handling or transporting aircraft components · CPC title