Rigging methods to calibrate control bodies of vehicles, and related systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016202148-A1
Application number	US-201414289314-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 28, 2014
Priority date	May 28, 2014
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Rigging methods to calibrate control surfaces, and related systems are disclosed. A rotatable control body may steer a vehicle. Deviations of the control body shape may distort a relationship between vehicle controls and the control body. Calibration restores the relationship by establishing an alignment surface as part of the control body which may be aligned to a rigging point on the vehicle associated with a known control setting. A metrology device and/or computer software may be used for calibration. The metrology device may define a positional relationship between a reference surface, a rotational axis, and a target location of the alignment surface. By manipulating a surface of the control body to a target relationship relative to the reference surface, the location of the alignment surface may be achieved relative to the control body. In this manner, a rigging feature with the alignment surface may be formed to improve vehicle performance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
positioning a control surface of a control body of a vehicle into a facing relationship with a reference surface defined by a metrology device; manipulating the control body and the metrology device relative to each other until a target relationship is achieved between the reference surface and a control surface of the control body; and determining a location for a rigging feature on the control body while maintaining the target relationship.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning the control body comprises rotatably mounting the control body on at least one spindle of the metrology device at a pivot point of the control body.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reference surface defines a nominal control surface.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the location of the rigging feature on the control surface comprises aligning the rigging feature with a reference point external to the control body.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the reference surface of the metrology device is collectively defined by respective reference surfaces of a plurality of contour elements.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming the rigging feature on the control body at the determined location.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the forming the rigging feature comprises removing material from the control body to create an alignment surface with a material removal tool located in a predetermined location with respect to the metrology device.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising rotatably attaching the control body to a vehicle at a pivot point of the control body.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising calibrating to a zero point of operator controls that are operably connected to the control body by rotating the control body at the pivot point to align the rigging feature with a rigging point on the vehicle.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the manipulating further comprises changing an angular position of the control body about a pivot point of the control body and with respect to the reference surface of the metrology device until the target relationship is achieved.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the positioning further includes establishing a gap between the control surface of the control body and the reference surface of the metrology device, wherein an average width of the gap is in a range from an eighth (0.125) of an inch to a half (0.5) inch.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the manipulating further comprises achieving the target relationship upon minimizing a variance of the a of the gap between the reference surface and the control body.

13 . A metrology device, comprising:
a reference structure comprising:
a plurality of contour elements comprising a plurality of reference component surfaces, wherein each of the plurality of contour elements includes a first side and a second side opposite the first side; and
a frame attached to the first side and the second side of each of the plurality of contour elements and the frame defines a positional relationship between the plurality of contour elements to collectively define a reference surface from the plurality of reference component surfaces, wherein the reference surface is associated with a nominal surface of a control body; and
a detail located to the reference structure defining a reference to locate a rigging feature with respect to the control body.

14 . The metrology device of claim 13 , wherein the reference structure further comprises at least one spindle configured to allow relative rotation of the control body with respect to the frame.

15 . The metrology device of claim 14 , wherein the material removal device comprises at least one of a router, a mill, a drill, and a laser.

16 . The metrology device of claim 13 , wherein the adjacent ones of the plurality of contour elements are separated by a distance in a range from nine (9) inches to thirty (30) inches.

17 . A computer program product for rigging a control body, the computer program product comprising:
a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code comprising:
computer-readable program code configured to measure, by instructing at least one metrology device, topology data of a control surface of the control body relative to a pivot point of the control surface;
computer-readable program code configured to determine deviations of the control surface measured with respect to a reference surface;
computer-readable program code configured to calculate an angular position of the control body relative to a pivot point of the control body which minimizes a variance of the deviations; and
computer-readable program code configured to calculate at least one of a dimension of a rigging feature and an attachment location of the rigging feature with respect to the control body, so that an alignment surface of the rigging feature is aligned to a predetermined location of a rigging point on a vehicle upon rotatable assembly of the control body to the vehicle.

18 . The computer program product of claim 15 , further comprising computer-readable program code configured to instruct a photogrammetry device to measure the topology data.

19 . The computer program product of claim 17 , further comprising computer-readable program code to calculate the angular position of the control body to minimize a net torque applied to the vehicle collectively by a fluid to the control body and a second control body of the vehicle.

20 . The computer program product of claim 17 , further comprising computer-readable program code to initiate removal of material to form the alignment surface of the rigging feature.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Buchheit Jack G

Classifications

• G07C5/0808 Primary

  Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005) · CPC title

• G01M17/06 Primary

  Steering behaviour; Rolling behaviour · CPC title

• B64F5/60 Primary

  Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems · CPC title

• G01M17/00

  Testing of vehicles (testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00) · CPC title