Referential positioning device intended to position relative to each other at least one cabin floor grid and one side shell of an aircraft in order to assemble a fuselage barrel of the aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12319441-B2
Application number	US-202318357768-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2023
Priority date	Jul 25, 2022
Publication date	Jun 3, 2025
Grant date	Jun 3, 2025

Abstract

A referential positioning device configured to position relative to each other at least one cabin floor grid and one side shell of an aircraft in order to assemble a fuselage barrel of the aircraft is disclosed having at least one fixing support for fixing the referential positioning device to the top of an alignment post of an assembly platform, and a partially spherical support having a spherical surface (S) intended to receive the V-shaped surface of an end of an arm of a transport system for a cabin floor grid of an aircraft. The referential positioning device makes it possible to arrange the cabin floor grid precisely on the assembly platform with respect to the other elements of the fuselage barrel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A referential positioning device configured to position relative to each other at least one cabin floor grid and one side shell of an aircraft (AC) in order to assemble a fuselage barrel of the aircraft, the cabin floor grid being able to be transported by a transport system comprising two pairs of arms, each pair disposed at a longitudinal end of a rectangular spreader (P) to which the cabin floor grid is able to be fixed, each arm of the two pairs of arms having an end with a V-shaped surface, the V-shaped surface having a first plane portion and a second plane portion extending away from each other to form a V, the fuselage barrel, after assembly, being linked to an orthogonal frame of reference (R) defined by an axis X parallel to a longitudinal axis of the fuselage barrel, a horizontal axis Y and a vertical axis Z, the referential positioning device being configured to be used in cooperation with three other referential positioning devices,
wherein a first fixing support is configured to fix the referential positioning device to the top of an alignment post of an assembly platform;
a partially spherical support fixed to the first fixing support, the partially spherical support having at least in part a spherical surface (S) with a center, the spherical surface (S) being intended to receive the V-shaped surface of an end of an arm of the transport system,
the referential positioning device further comprising a rod passing diametrically all the way through the partially spherical support, the rod having a longitudinal axis (L 2 ) parallel to the axis X and passing through the center of the spherical surface (S), the rod having two ends protruding from either side of the spherical surface (S), the two ends of the rod each being intended to receive a tooth of an end of a fork that has two teeth of a device for positioning a side shell, to which device a side shell is fixed.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 , the spherical surface (S) is configured to come into contact with the first plane portion and the second plane portion of the V-shaped surface ( 8 ) respectively at a first contact zone (Z 1 ) of the first plane portion and a second contact zone (Z 2 ) of the second plane portion, a first normal (N 1 ) to the first plane portion of the V-shaped surface at the level of the first contact zone (Z 1 ) and a second normal (N 2 ) to the second plane portion of the V-shaped surface at the level of the second contact zone (Z 2 ) intersecting at the center of the spherical surface (S) when the spherical surface (S) comes into contact with the first plane portion and the second plane portion of the V-shaped surface.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a referential pin fixed to the partially spherical support, the referential pin protruding from the spherical surface (S), the referential pin having a longitudinal axis (L 1 ) parallel to the axis Y and passing through the center of the spherical surface (S), the referential pin being intended to receive a notch arranged at the end of the arm of the transport system.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rod is movable in translation along the axis X with respect to the partially spherical support.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rod is movable in rotation about its longitudinal axis (L 1 ).

6. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the two ends of the rod each comprises a groove, each groove intended to receive a tooth of the end of the fork.

7. A method of positioning at least one cabin floor grid and one side shell of an aircraft relative to one another during an assembly of an aircraft fuselage using the device of claim 1 .

8. A device for positioning at least one cabin floor grid relative to one side shell of an aircraft during an assembly of a fuselage, comprising:
a rectangular spreader,
a transport system comprising two pairs of arms, wherein each pair of arms is disposed at a longitudinal end of the rectangular spreader,
wherein each arm further includes a first end having a V-shaped surface with a first plane portion and a second plane portion extending away from,
wherein the fuselage is linked to an orthogonal frame of reference defined by an axis X parallel to a longitudinal axis of the fuselage, a horizontal axis Y and a vertical axis Z,
a first fixing support configured to fix the referential positioning device to an alignment post of an assembly platform,
a partially spherical support having a center and a partial spherical surface (S), fixed to the first fixing support, wherein the partial spherical surface (S) is configured to receive the V-shaped surface,
a rod having a longitudinal axis parallel to the axis X, passing diametrically through the partially spherical support,
wherein a first end and second end of the rod protrude from either side of the partial spherical surface (S), and
wherein first and second ends the rod are configured to receive a tooth of an end of a fork having two teeth of a device for positioning a side shell, to which device a side shell is fixed.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sas
• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

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

Classifications

• B64C1/18

  Floors · CPC title

• B64F5/50

  Handling or transporting aircraft components · CPC title

• B64F5/10 Primary

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