Apparatus and method for realizing a plurality of riveted connections along the surface of a workpiece

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9579712-B2
Application number	US-201214351309-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2012
Priority date	Oct 13, 2011
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

A riveting apparatus for creating a plurality of rivet joints along the surface of a workpiece includes a tool device controllable by tool control data in order to create countersunk holes on the workpiece and to set countersunk rivets in the created countersunk holes. The riveting apparatus also includes a programmable control device to generate the tool control data for the tool device and an optical sensing device for optically sensing the workpiece surface and for supplying sensing data. The control device evaluates the sensing data in order to obtain geometric data that represent at least one geometric parameter of a countersunk hole that has already been created, and to correct as required the tool control data for a countersunk hole that is subsequently to be created based on the result of an evaluation of the obtained geometric data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A riveting apparatus for creating a plurality of rivet joints along the surface of a workpiece, comprising:
a tool device that is controllable by tool control data in order to create countersunk holes on the workpiece and to set countersunk rivets in the created countersunk holes;
a programmable control device configured to generate the tool control data for the tool device; and
an optical sensing device configured to optically sense the workpiece surface and supply sensed data to the programmable control device,
wherein the control device is configured to
evaluate the sensed data in order to obtain geometric data of a countersunk hole that has already been created,
determine at least a first geometric parameter and at least a second geometric parameter independently from the first geometric parameter using the obtained geometric data,
determine whether the first geometric parameter is accurate using the independently determined second geometric parameter,
determine whether correction data to be used for a countersunk hole subsequently to be created should be generated based on a comparison between at least one actual geometric parameter of the countersunk hole that has already been created and a corresponding specified desired geometric parameter,
generate the correction data based on the determination, and
correct the tool control data for the countersunk hole subsequently to be created using the correction data.

2. The riveting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical sensing device is a camera that supplies image data.

3. The riveting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least first geometric parameter or the at least second geometric parameter is a countersinking depth of the countersunk hole that has already been created.

4. The riveting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least first geometric parameter or the at least second geometric parameter is a countersinking diameter of the countersunk hole that has already been created.

5. The riveting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to first determine a countersinking diameter of the countersunk hole that has already been created based on the sensed data in order then to determine, based on the determined countersinking diameter, a countersinking depth of the countersunk hole that has already been created by taking into account a countersinking angle of the countersunk hole that has already been created.

6. The riveting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tool control data is corrected for a countersinking depth of the countersunk hole that is subsequently to be created.

7. The riveting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the correction is a closed control loop correction.

8. The riveting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the workpiece is an extensive planar component and a longitudinally extended reinforcement element that is mounted on the flat side of the component.

9. The riveting apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the extensive planar component and the longitudinally extended reinforcement element form a reinforced fuselage shell of a an aircraft.

10. A method for creating a plurality of rivet joints along the surface of a workpiece, comprising the steps of:
creating countersunk holes in the workpiece;
setting countersunk rivets on the created countersunk holes using a tool device that is controlled by tool control data;
generating, by a control device, the tool control data for the tool device;
optical sensing, by an optical sensor, the workpiece surface in order to supply sensed data;
evaluating, by the control device, the sensed data to obtain geometric data of a countersunk hole that has already been created;
determining, by the control device, at least a first geometric parameter and at least a second geometric parameter independently from the first geometric parameter using the obtained geometric data;
determining, by the control device, whether the first geometric parameter is accurate using the independently determined second geometric parameter;
determining, by the control device, whether correction data to be used for a countersunk hole that is subsequently created should be generated based on a comparison between at least one actual geometric parameter of the countersunk hole that has already been created and a corresponding specified desired geometric parameter;
generating, by the control device, the correction data based on the step of determining; and
correcting, by the control device, the tool control data for the countersunk hole that is subsequently to be created using the correction data.

Assignees

• Premium Aerotec Gmbh

Inventors

• Schneider Michael
• Morisse Juergen
• Halbmeyer Torsten
• Eisenhauer Fredo

Classifications

• B21J15/28

  Control devices specially adapted to riveting machines not restricted to one of the preceding subgroups · CPC title

• B21J15/02 Primary

  Riveting procedures · CPC title

• Y10T29/53065

  with means to fasten by deformation · CPC title

• Y10T29/49769

  Using optical instrument [excludes mere human eyeballing] · CPC title

• B21J15/142

  Aerospace structures · CPC title