Positioning system for electromagnetic riveting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9656319-B2
Application number	US-201414168259-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2014
Priority date	Nov 13, 2013
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a positioning system for electromagnetic riveting. The apparatus comprises a plate and a biasing system physically associated with the plate. The plate is configured to be positioned relative to a first workpiece, and is further configured to electromagnetically engage an electromagnetic tool. The biasing system is configured to physically engage a second workpiece. The biasing system is further configured to hold the plate in a desired position relative to the first workpiece during a number of operations performed by the electromagnetic tool while the plate is electromagnetically engaged with the first workpiece.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a plate configured to be positioned relative to a first workpiece and to electromagnetically engage an electromagnetic tool; and
a biasing system physically associated with the plate and configured to physically engage a second workpiece and hold the plate in a desired position relative to the first workpiece during a number of operations performed by the electromagnetic tool while the plate is electromagnetically engaged with the first workpiece.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic tool is configured to attach the first workpiece to the second workpiece using a number of fasteners.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the biasing system is configured to physically engage the second workpiece and hold the plate in the desired position relative to the first workpiece in a number of directions.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the biasing system comprises:
a number of springs configured to stabilize the plate in a number of directions by locking the biasing system in place with a number of structures in the second workpiece.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the number of springs is configured into pairs of springs, each pair of springs configured to stabilize the plate in a respective direction selected from at least one of an x-direction, a y-direction, or a z-direction.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein a spring in the number of springs is selected from one of a plate spring, a compression spring, a torsion spring, a flat spring, a leaf spring, a coil spring, a helical spring, or a cantilever spring.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the desired position of the plate is selected from at least one of being in contact with a surface of the first workpiece and a desired distance from the first workpiece.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plate is a backing plate and further comprising:
a plurality of openings in the backing plate configured to receive a number of fasteners during operation of the electromagnetic tool.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plate is a first plate and the biasing system is a first biasing system, and further comprising:
a second plate configured to engage with the first plate at an interface; and
a second biasing system physically associated with the second plate and configured to hold the second plate in the desired position relative to the first workpiece during the number of operations performed by the electromagnetic tool.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:
a group of connecting brackets coupled to the first plate and the second plate and configured to stabilize the first plate relative to at least one of the first workpiece or the second plate.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic tool is an electromagnetic riveting tool.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first workpiece is a skin of a fuselage of an aircraft and the second workpiece is a structural portion of the fuselage of the aircraft.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the biasing system stabilizes the plate against a number of structures in the second workpiece, wherein the number of structures is selected from at least one of a stringer, a frame, or a shear tie.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the number of operations is selected from at least one of drilling a hole, installing a fastener in the hole, countersinking a hole, or applying a coating to a surface of the first workpiece.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plate and the biasing system form a positioning system.

16. A system comprising:
an electromagnetic tool configured to perform a number of operations on a first workpiece and a second workpiece, in which the number of operations is selected from at least one of drilling a hole, installing a fastener in the hole, countersinking a hole, or applying a coating to a surface of the first workpiece and in which the electromagnetic tool is an electromagnetic riveting tool and in which the first workpiece is a skin of a fuselage and the second workpiece is a structural portion of the fuselage;
a first plate configured to be positioned relative to the first workpiece in a position selected from at least one of being in contact with the surface of the first workpiece and a desired distance from the first workpiece and configured to electromagnetically engage the electromagnetic tool, in which the first plate is a backing plate and further comprises a plurality of openings in the backing plate configured to receive a number of fasteners during operation of the electromagnetic tool;
a first biasing system physically associated with the first plate and configured to physically engage the second workpiece and hold the first plate in a desired position relative to the first workpiece and the second workpiece in a number of directions during the number of operations performed by the electromagnetic tool while the first plate is electromagnetically engaged with the first workpiece and the second workpiece, in which the first biasing system comprises a number of springs configured into pairs of springs and is used to stabilize the first plate in the number of directions by locking the first biasing system in place with a number of structures in the second workpiece, each pair of springs configured to stabilize the first plate in a respective direction selected from at least one of an x-direction, a y-direction, or a z-direction, in which a spring in the number of springs is selected from one of a plate spring, a compression spring, a torsion spring, a flat spring, a leaf spring, a coil spring, a helical spring, or a cantilever spring, in which the first biasing system stabilizes the plate against the number of structures in the second workpiece, wherein the number of structures is selected from at least one of a stringer, a frame, or a shear tie;
a second plate configured to engage with the first plate at an interface;
a second biasing system physically associated with the second plate and configured to hold the second plate in the desired position relative to the first workpiece and the second workpiece during the number of operations performed by the electromagnetic tool; and
a group of connecting brackets coupled to the first plate and the second plate and configured to stabilize the first plate relative to at least one of the second workpiece or the second plate, in which the first plate, the second plate, the first biasing system, the second biasing system, and the group of connecting brackets form a positioning system.

17. A method for performing a number of operations with an electromagnetic tool, the method comprising:
physically engaging a biasing system with a second workpiece in which a plate physically associated with the biasing system is held in a desired position relative to a first workpiece;
electromagnetically engaging the plate with the electromagnetic tool; and
performing the number of operations on the first workpiece while the plate is electromagnetically engaged with the electromagnetic tool.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the biasing system comprises:
a number of springs physically associated with the plate and configured to hold the plate in the desired position relative to the first workpiece in a number of directions.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein physically engaging the biasing system with the second workpiece comprises:
locking the number of springs of the biasing system in place with a number of structures in the second workpiece.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Sarh Branko
• Oberoi Harinder Singh
• Blanch Alfredo Jose Gerosa
• Barrick Kevin Marion
• Holden Ray Lanier

Classifications

• Y10T29/49885

  with coating before or during assembling · CPC title

• B21J15/32

  Devices for inserting or holding rivets in position with or without feeding arrangements · CPC title

• Y10T408/03

  Processes · CPC title

• Y10T29/49815

  Disassembling · CPC title

• Y10T29/49998

  Work holding · CPC title