Mobile system for automated layup and compaction of composite laminates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9873230-B1
Application number	US-201414463022-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 19, 2014
Priority date	Aug 19, 2014
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

A mobile vehicle is used to place, compact and inspect composite plies at selected locations on a tool. The vehicle includes an on-board supply of composite plies, a transfer platen for transferring plies to the tool, a compactor for compacting plies on the tool, and an inspection device for inspecting plies on the tool, each operated and manipulated by an on-board manipulator such as a robot.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for laying up and compacting composite plies on a tool, comprising:
a mobile vehicle;
a ply supply on the vehicle, the ply supply including a plurality of composite plies;
a platen on the vehicle for picking up and transferring the plies from the ply supply to the tool; and
a compactor on the vehicle for compacting the plies on the tool.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a guidance and drive system for guiding and driving the vehicle alongside the tool.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a tool indexer coupling the vehicle with the tool at preselected, indexed locations along the tool.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ply supply includes:
a case, and
a plurality of drawers in the case, each of the drawers capable of holding at least one of the plies.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the case is removably mounted on the vehicle.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , at least one robot on the vehicle for manipulating each of the platen and the compactor.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:
at least one inspection device on the vehicle capable of being manipulated by the robot for inspecting at least one feature of plies on the tool.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein each of the platen, the compactor and the inspection device includes a releasable coupling and is capable of being releasably coupled with the robot.

9. Apparatus for laying up and compacting composite plies on an elongate tool, comprising:
a mobile vehicle movable along a length of the tool;
end effectors on the vehicle for placing and compacting plies on the tool; and
a manipulator on the vehicle for manipulating the end effectors.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the end effectors include a platen for picking up and placing plies on the tool, and a compactor for compacting plies on the tool.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the end effectors include at least one inspection device for inspecting at least one feature of plies on the tool.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising:
a plurality of movable drawers on the vehicle, each of the drawers be capable of holding at least one of the plies.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the platen includes:
a generally curved ply engaging face, and
a vacuum pickup system for holding plies on the face.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein:
the ply engaging face is compliant, and
the vacuum pickup system includes a plurality of perforations in the ply engaging face through which air may be drawn forming a vacuum drawing a ply against the ply engaging face.

15. A method of laying up and compacting plies on a tool, comprising:
loading a supply of composite plies on a mobile vehicle;
moving the vehicle to each of a plurality of locations along the tool;
robotically transferring plies from the vehicle to the tool; and
robotically compacting the plies on the tool.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein loading a supply of composite plies includes placing at least one ply in each of a plurality of drawers on the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
moving the vehicle between a ply source location and each of a plurality of locations along the tool where the plies are robotically transferred and compacted on the tool, and
wherein placing plies of each of the plurality of drawers is performed at the ply source location.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein:
robotically transferring the plies includes coupling a robot with a transfer platen and using the transfer platen to pick up and transfer the plies from the vehicle to the tool, and
robotically compacting the plies includes coupling the robot with a compactor and using the compactor to compact the plies on the tool.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
coupling the robot with at least one inspection device, and
inspecting at least one feature of a ply on the tool using the inspection device.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein robotically transferring the plies and robotically compacting the plies is performed at each of the plurality of locations along the tool.

21. A method of placing a composite ply on a tool, comprising:
drawing the ply against a generally curved platen face;
bringing the ply into a substantially line contact with the tool;
rolling the curved platen face to pivot around a corner of the tool; and
releasing the ply from the curved platen face as the curved platen face rolls over the tool so that the ply is wrapped around and onto the tool corner.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Desjardien Matthew R
• Buttrick James N
• Rowe Terrence J
• McDonagh Daniel Mark
• Studley Silas Lawton
• Zimmerman Tracy E

Classifications

• B29C70/388 Primary

  Tape placement heads, e.g. component parts, details or accessories · CPC title

• B29K2105/253

  Preform · CPC title

• B29L2031/3076

  Aircrafts (blades, propellers B29L2031/08) · CPC title

• B29K2105/06

  containing reinforcements, fillers or inserts · CPC title

• Y10S901/44

  inspection · CPC title