Apparatus and methods for testing suction cups mounted to a track

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9823160-B2
Application number	US-201514677647-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2015
Priority date	Apr 2, 2015
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus ( 100 ) for testing suction cups ( 138 ) mounted on a track ( 162 ) is disclosed. The apparatus ( 100 ) comprises a base ( 102 ) comprising a first surface ( 104 ) and a second surface ( 106 ) opposite the first surface ( 104 ). The apparatus further comprises ports ( 108 ) penetrating the base ( 102 ) from the first surface ( 104 ) to the second surface ( 106 ) and vacuum sensors ( 112 ) pneumatically coupled to the ports ( 108 ). The ports ( 108 ) in the base ( 102 ) are arranged in a geometric pattern ( 110 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for testing a plurality of suction cups mounted on a track the apparatus comprising:
a base comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface
a plurality of ports penetrating the base from the first surface to the second surface, wherein the plurality of ports in the base are arranged in a geometric pattern; and
a plurality of vacuum sensors pneumatically coupled to the plurality of ports.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a logic circuit in communication with the plurality of vacuum sensors.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising means for causing the logic circuit to select a mode of receiving signals from the plurality of vacuum sensors.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the mode of receiving signals from the plurality of vacuum sensors is one of:
receiving signals from at least two of the plurality of vacuum sensors in fluid communication with one of the plurality of suction cups, or
receiving signals from the plurality of vacuum sensors with each of the plurality of vacuum sensors in fluid communication with a single one of the plurality of suction cups.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a visual indicator in communication with the logic circuit, wherein the visual indicator is configurable responsive to at least one signal received by the logic circuit from at least one of the plurality of vacuum sensors.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the visual indicator comprises components individually configurable to one of a plurality of states responsive to the at least one signal received by the logic circuit from the at least one of the plurality of vacuum sensors.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising a user interface, wherein the visual indicator is an element of the user interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the user interface further comprises a mode selector configured to control the means for selecting the mode of acquiring signals from the plurality of vacuum sensors.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising blind slots on the first surface of the base, wherein the blind slots at least partially overlap the plurality of ports.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the base further comprises a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a mounting lock coupled to the first surface of the base at the first end.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the base further comprises a receiver coupled to the first surface at the second end.

12. A method of testing a plurality of suction cups mounted on a track, the method comprising:
generating a vacuum in at least one of the plurality of suction cups while a plurality of fluid-communication paths between the plurality of suctions cups and a plurality of vacuum sensors concurrently exist; and
collecting signals from the plurality of vacuum sensors.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of fluid-communication paths between the plurality of suction cups and the plurality of vacuum sensors comprise two or more of the plurality of fluid-communication paths between one of the plurality of suction cups and two or more of the plurality of vacuum sensors.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of fluid-communication paths between the plurality of suction cups and the plurality of vacuum sensors comprise one of the plurality of fluid-communication paths between one of the plurality of suction cups and a corresponding one of the plurality of vacuum sensors.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
collecting the signals from the plurality of vacuum sensors comprises collecting a plurality of the signals from each of the plurality of vacuum sensors and recording magnitude values of the plurality of the signals, and
each of the plurality of the signals has a corresponding magnitude value.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising comparing the corresponding magnitude value of each of the plurality of the signals from each of the plurality of vacuum sensors to a performance threshold.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising generating an error message if the corresponding magnitude value of each of the plurality of the signals from each of the plurality of vacuum sensors is outside the performance threshold.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
calculating a mean value of the magnitude values of the plurality of the signals from each of the plurality of vacuum sensors to obtain a mean magnitude value;
calculating a divergence of the magnitude values from the mean magnitude value to obtain a single-sensor divergence value for each of the plurality of vacuum sensors; and
comparing the single-sensor divergence value for each of the plurality of vacuum sensors to a single-sensor divergence threshold.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising displaying performance indicators based on comparing the single-sensor divergence value for each of the plurality of vacuum sensors to the single-sensor divergence threshold.

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
collecting the signals from the plurality of vacuum sensors comprises collecting a first plurality of the signals from a first one of the plurality of vacuum sensors in fluid communication with a first one of the plurality of suction cups and recording first magnitude values of the first plurality of the signals,
each of the first plurality of the signals has a corresponding first magnitude value,
collecting the signals from the plurality of vacuum sensors further comprises collecting a second plurality of the signals from a second one of the plurality of vacuum sensors in fluid communication with the first one of the plurality of suction cups and recording second magnitude values of the second plurality of the signals, and
each of the second plurality of the signals has a corresponding second magnitude value.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:
calculating a mean value of the first magnitude values of the first plurality of the signals from the first one of the plurality of vacuum sensors to obtain a first mean magnitude value and a mean value of the second magnitude values of the second plurality of the signals from the second one of the plurality of vacuum sensors to obtain a second mean magnitude value;
calculating a mean of the first mean magnitude value and the second mean magnitude value to obtain a multi-sensor mean magnitude value;
calculating a divergence of the first mean magnitude value and the second mean magnitude value from the multi-sensor mean magnitude value to obtain a multi-sensor divergence value for the first one of the plurality of vacuum sensors and the second one of the plurality of vacuum sensors; and
comparing the multi-sensor divergence value to a multi-sensor divergence threshold.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Ludwig Scott Alan
• Mickelson Derek

Classifications

• G01M3/34 Primary

  by testing the possibility of maintaining the vacuum in containers, e.g. in can-testing machines · CPC title

• G01M13/00 Primary

  Testing of machine parts · CPC title