Method for repeatedly manufacturing aircrafts

Abstract

Methods for repeatedly manufacturing an aircraft are disclosed. For example, a method for repeatedly manufacturing an aircraft includes pulsing a component part along an assembly line by periodically advancing the component part along the assembly line by less than a length of the component part. Periodically advancing can include advancing an aircraft part by a pulse length that is less than a length of the aircraft part, stopping movement of the aircraft part for a duration and performing work on the aircraft part, and then advancing the aircraft part again by the pulse length. In another example, a method includes determining a pulse length to pulse one or more component parts of an aircraft based on one or more of a minimum work station length of one or more assembly line work stations and a minimum segment length of one or more work processes to be performed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to systems and methods for fractionally pulsing aircraft components. Background Technology

[0002] Aircraft, especially commercial aircraft, are large, complex, and difficult (if not impossible) to manufacture on conventional assembly lines. Instead, many large structures of aircraft (e.g., wings, fuselage sections, tail sections, etc.) are manufactured as sub-components in different locations and then transported to a central final assembly location. In fact, many of these structures can be manufactured by various third-party suppliers in geographically distant locations (e.g., different cities, countries, and / or continents) and then transferred to the aircraft manufacturer's final assembly facility for processing and final assembly. This production method is both time-inefficient and resource-inefficient. Therefore, more efficient production technologies are needed to produce aircraft faster (i.e., with higher productivity) and / or at lower costs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] A method for manufacturing an aircraft using a segmented pulse assembly line is disclosed. As an example, the method for repeatedly manufacturing an aircraft includes: segmenting and pulsed component parts along an assembly line, wherein the segmented pulses include: advancing the component parts periodically along the assembly line by a distance less than the length of the component parts. Alternatively or additionally, the segmented pulses include: simultaneously performing different types of work on the component parts at different workstations on the assembly line. In some examples, the method includes: performing segmented pulses sequentially on two or more component parts of different types along the assembly line. Alternatively or additionally, the method includes: performing segmented pulses parallel to each other on two or more different assembly lines. In some such examples, the two or more different assembly lines are located in different manufacturing areas. In some such examples, the method includes: merging two or more different assembly lines to form a common assembly line; assembling two or more component parts to form a component assembly; and / or segmenting and pulsed the component assembly along the common assembly line. In some such examples, the method includes: pulsed the component parts in parallel at the same average linear velocity, such that the component parts are provided to the common assembly line at approximately the same time (i.e., just in time).

[0004] In another example, a method for repeatedly manufacturing an aircraft includes: periodically advancing an aircraft component along an assembly line by a length less than the length of the aircraft component. Periodically advancing the aircraft component includes: advancing the aircraft component by a pulse length less than the length of the aircraft component; then stopping the movement of the aircraft component for a duration; and then advancing the aircraft component by the pulse length. The method further includes: performing work on the aircraft component at a workstation during the duration during which the aircraft component is not moving. Performing work on the aircraft component may optionally include: adding component parts to the aircraft component; removing material from the aircraft component; and / or modifying the aircraft component. Performing work on the aircraft component at a workstation may optionally include: simultaneously performing different types of work processes at two or more workstations; and / or precisely performing one type of work process at each workstation. The method may optionally further include: feeding component parts to the assembly line via one or more feeders.

[0005] In another example, a method for designing an aircraft manufacturing system includes: determining the segment pulse length for segmenting pulses of one or more components of an aircraft on a segmented pulse assembly line, based on one or more of the minimum workstation length of one or more assembly line workstations and the minimum segment length of one or more work processes along the length of one or more component parts. The minimum workstation length of one or more assembly line workstations may be optionally determined based on the physical dimensions of one or more work execution devices included in the one or more assembly line workstations, and the minimum segment length of one or more work processes may be optionally determined based on the separability of one or more work processes along the length of one or more component parts. The separability of one or more work processes along the length of one or more component parts may be optionally determined based on one or more of the following: one or more work processes are performed on one or more component parts; the similarity of a given work process performed on a component part along the length of the component part; and the similarity of one or more physical characteristics of the component parts along the length of the component part. The method may optionally further include: determining the segmented pulse frequency based on one or more of the average speed of the segmented pulse assembly line and the segmented pulse length, wherein the average speed of the segmented pulse assembly line is optionally determined based on one or more of the distance traveled by the component part on the segmented pulse assembly line, the productivity of the component part, and the number of assembly lines configured to produce the component part in parallel. The method may optionally further include: determining the number of assembly lines to be included in the aircraft manufacturing system based on one or more of the number of aircraft sub-assemblies to be manufactured and whether different types of aircraft sub-assemblies are produced together on the same assembly line or separately on different assembly lines. The method may optionally determine whether to produce different types of aircraft sub-assemblies together on the same assembly line or separately on different assembly lines based on the similarity of the work processes to be performed on one or more aircraft sub-assemblies and their component parts, and the similarity of the physical characteristics of one or more aircraft sub-assemblies and their components. Attached Figure Description

[0006] Figure 1 It is a schematic representation of the aircraft manufacturing system according to this disclosure.

[0007] Figure 2 It is a schematic representation of the time progression of comparing an existing assembly line with a segmented pulse assembly line according to this disclosure.

[0008] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic representation of the time progression of an example segmented pulse assembly line in an aircraft manufacturing system.

[0009] Figure 4This is a flowchart schematically illustrating a method for manufacturing an aircraft in a geographical area according to the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 5 This is a flowchart schematically illustrating a method for operating a segmented pulse assembly line according to the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 6 This is a flowchart schematically illustrating a method for forming a segmented pulse assembly line according to the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0012] Systems and methods for manufacturing aircraft are disclosed. Generally, in the accompanying drawings, elements that may be included in a given example are shown in solid lines, while optional elements in a given example are shown in dashed lines. Box arrows illustrate example movement of elements in space. However, elements shown in solid lines are not essential for all examples of this disclosure, and elements shown in solid lines may be omitted from specific examples without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0013] Conventionally, aircraft, especially commercial aircraft, are typically manufactured by separately constructing large structures (e.g., wings, tail sections, fuselage sections, etc.) as discrete sub-components at different geographical locations (e.g., different cities, countries, and / or continents). These large structures are then transported to a central facility (also referred to herein as the final assembly facility), where they are processed and assembled to form the aircraft. On the other hand, this disclosure provides systems and methods for manufacturing at least some of these large structures within a single geographical area (e.g., near, adjacent to, and / or within a central facility) to reduce production inefficiencies and / or costs. Specifically, manufacturing at least some large structures within the same geographical area as a central facility can reduce and / or eliminate transport time and costs. Furthermore, in some examples, the large structures of this disclosure are manufactured and / or produced in parallel at approximately the same rate in a common geographical area, such that final assembly is not delayed.

[0014] In conventional methods, because large structures can be manufactured by multiple third-party suppliers in various remote geographical areas, it is difficult to synchronize the arrival times of all large structures at the final assembly facility. Furthermore, large structures can be unpredictably delayed for various reasons, including supplier manufacturing delays, transportation delays, inclement weather, etc. Because large structures can be manufactured by multiple third-party suppliers in many different locations around the world, the probability of delay for at least one large structure is relatively high. Therefore, the final assembly of the aircraft may be postponed and cannot begin until all the necessary large structures arrive. By manufacturing large structures in parallel and / or at approximately the same rate within the same geographical area, this disclosure reduces and / or completely eliminates final assembly delays. That is, the systems and methods of this disclosure can enable large structures to arrive at the final assembly facility synchronously, thereby allowing for faster and more consistent final assembly of the aircraft. In other words, because large structures can arrive at the final assembly facility in a timely manner (approximately simultaneously), the final assembly facility does not have to wait for all large structures to arrive and can begin final assembly earlier and / or more frequently than conventional aircraft manufacturing methods.

[0015] Alternatively or concurrently, the actual manufacturing process of this disclosure may be more efficient and / or faster than conventional manufacturing methods using third-party suppliers. In some examples of this disclosure, segmented pulses are applied to aircraft components along the assembly line, allowing multiple workstations to access different parts of the component simultaneously. This configuration allows individual workstations to perform work processes (e.g., different work processes) on different areas of a given component simultaneously. In this way, work processes (e.g., different work processes) can be performed in parallel rather than sequentially. This parallel processing can increase productivity and reduce the time required to work on the component. Specifically, increasing the workstation density on the assembly line allows more work to be performed on the component at a given time, thereby making the manufacturing process more efficient. Increased packing density of workstations can also reduce the total footprint (area) of the manufacturing system. That is, by breaking down the work process into smaller, more numerous modular units, workstations, work execution devices (e.g., machines, robots, tools, etc.), and by packing the component parts of the aircraft together more tightly, the overall size of the manufacturing system is reduced.

[0016] Breaking down a component into multiple work areas also reduces the effective workspace, thereby reducing the amount of tool, robot, machine, and / or human movement required to complete the work process, and thus reducing production inefficiencies. Therefore, workers, tools, machines, and / or robots may not need to travel as far to complete the work process (the process can be completed using a smaller range of motion). Furthermore, because the work area can be smaller, the tools and / or machines used by workers (also referred to here as manufacturing personnel) in these work areas can be smaller and / or lighter, thus improving worker safety.

[0017] Besides not needing to travel such great distances to complete a work process, tools, robots, machines, etc., are intentionally designed not to perform as many work processes. For example, each tool, robot, and / or machine can be responsible for completing only one work process. Therefore, by breaking down components into multiple working areas and / or by segmenting components into pulses, the size, complexity, and cost of tools, robots, machines, and / or other work actuators can be reduced. In other words, this disclosure provides work actuators that are smaller, simpler, and cheaper than conventional aircraft manufacturing methods.

[0018] Because parts move more frequently and / or regularly along an assembly line than along a conventional pulsed assembly line, segmented pulses can also suppress worker drowsiness and stimulate worker productivity. In other words, workers experience less idle time and are therefore less prone to boredom and / or discomfort. Furthermore, the more frequent pulses on segmented lines can increase worker accountability because unfinished / unfinished work is likely to be more visible to other workers and supervisors. Specifically, unfinished work can obstruct the line (i.e., interrupt / pause normal line movement), which is likely more noticeable / obvious on segmented pulsed lines with more frequent pulses, thus ensuring workers remain accountable for their work.

[0019] Figures 1 to 6 Systems and methods for manufacturing aircraft according to this disclosure are shown. Figures 1 to 3 Examples of an aircraft manufacturing system 10 and / or its components or parts according to this disclosure are provided. Specifically, Figure 1 An example of the aircraft manufacturing system 10 is schematically shown, and Figures 2 to 3 An example of a segmented pulse assembly line 126 that may be included in an aircraft manufacturing system 10 is shown. Where appropriate, Figure 1 The reference numerals shown in the schematic diagram are used to indicate Figures 2 to 3 The corresponding part for the example; however. Figures 2 to 3 The example is non-exclusive and does not limit the segmented pulse assembly line 126 to... Figures 2 to 3 The embodiment shown. That is, the aircraft manufacturing system 10 is not limited to Figures 2 to 3 The specific implementation method, and the segmented pulse assembly line 126 can be combined with the reference. Figure 1 illustrative representation and / or Figures 2 to 3 The embodiments and variations thereof illustrate and discuss any number of aspects, configurations, characteristics, properties, etc., of the segmented pulse assembly line, without including all such aspects, configurations, characteristics, properties, etc. For the sake of brevity, references may not be included. Figures 2 to 3Examples are discussed, shown, and / or labeled again for each component, part, section, aspect, region, etc., or variations thereof previously discussed; however, within the scope of this disclosure, combinations may be used. Figures 2 to 3 The examples utilize the features, variations, etc., discussed earlier.

[0020] Figures 4 to 6 Flowcharts illustrating schematic representation methods 500, 600, and 700 are shown. Specifically, Figure 4 A method 500 for manufacturing an aircraft according to this disclosure is shown. Figure 5 A method 600 for operating the segmented pulse assembly line of this disclosure is shown, and Figure 6 A method 700 for forming a segmented pulse assembly line of this disclosure is shown.

[0021] like Figure 1 As schematically illustrated, aircraft manufacturing system 10 is configured to produce aircraft 300. Aircraft 300 typically includes at least a fuselage 302, wings 320, engines 330, and a tail 318. The fuselage 302 may include any number of discrete segments. In some examples, the fuselage 302 includes (e.g., may be decomposed into) a forward fuselage segment 304 located in front of the wings 320, a mid-fuselage segment 310 (also referred to as the wing-fuselage segment 310 and / or the mid-main cabin portion 310) located behind the forward fuselage segment 304 (e.g., where the wings 320 connect to the fuselage), and a rear fuselage segment 312 located behind the mid-fuselage segment 310.

[0022] In some further examples, the forward fuselage section 304 includes a nose portion 306 (also referred to as cockpit portion 306) located forward of the aircraft and a forward main cabin portion 308 located aft of the nose portion, between the nose portion 306 and the intermediate fuselage section 310. Alternatively or additionally, the wing-fuselage section 310 includes a wing box and an overwing fuselage portion. The overwing fuselage portion may be located above the wing box, and the wing box and the overwing fuselage portion may together form a complete (e.g., generally cylindrical) section of the fuselage. As an example, the overwing fuselage portion may include a hemispherical cylindrical portion (i.e., a semi-barrel shape) of the intermediate fuselage section. Alternatively or additionally, the aft fuselage section 312 includes an aft main cabin portion 314 and a tail portion 316 located aft of the aft main cabin portion. Thus, the aft main cabin portion 314 may be located between the intermediate fuselage section 310 and the tail portion 316. The wing 320 includes a left wing 322 and a right wing 324 configured as a mirror image of each other and / or located on the opposite side of the fuselage 302.

[0023] In some examples, Engine 330 includes two engines, one of which is coupled to each wing (e.g., Figure 1(As depicted in the examples). In some examples, the tail 318 includes one or more aerodynamic structures / surfaces such as a vertical stabilizer (also referred to here as a tail fin) and / or a horizontal stabilizer. Here, the tail 318 may also be referred to as tail 318 and / or tail assembly 318. Here, the aforementioned components of the aircraft 300 are collectively referred to as segment assembly 340 and / or aircraft large structure 340. Thus, the segment assembly 340 includes different parts of the fuselage 302 (e.g., tail section 316, aft main cabin section 314, intermediate main cabin section 310, forward main cabin section 308, and nose section 306), wings, tail, and engines.

[0024] The aircraft manufacturing system 10 includes a manufacturing area 12 of the entire aircraft 300 configured to produce component parts of the aircraft 300 (e.g., segmental assemblies, subassemblies, large structures, parts, subcomponents, base parts, subassembly parts, and / or other parts) and / or itself. In some examples, when included, the first manufacturing area 20, the second manufacturing area 40, and the fourth manufacturing area 80 are configured to produce aircraft subassemblies, which are then assembled at a third manufacturing area 60 to produce aircraft assembly 78. Specifically, when included, the first manufacturing area 20, the second manufacturing area 40, and the fourth manufacturing area 80 are configured to produce a first aircraft subassembly 38, a second aircraft subassembly 58, and a third aircraft subassembly 98, which are assembled together at the third manufacturing area 60 to produce aircraft assembly 78. Therefore, in the description herein, "subassembly" is used to describe a component part assembled together to produce aircraft assembly 78. In some examples, one or more aircraft sub-assemblies (e.g., first aircraft sub-assembly 38, second aircraft sub-assembly 58, third aircraft sub-assembly 98, etc.) include one or more of the large aircraft structures previously discussed and / or are identical to one or more of the large aircraft structures previously discussed. Thus, in some such examples, one or more of the first manufacturing area 20, the second manufacturing area 40, and the fourth manufacturing area 80 are configured to produce segment assembly 340 and / or the third manufacturing area 60 is configured to produce aircraft 300. However, in other examples, the aircraft sub-assemblies do not include large aircraft structures.

[0025] Here, "component" is generally used to refer to any and all parts of aircraft 300. Here, "part" is used to refer to a first-order component of a given aircraft structure, and here, "sub-part" is used to refer to a second-order component of a given aircraft structure (i.e., a part of a part). As an example, the first aircraft sub-assembly 38 and / or the second aircraft sub-assembly 58 refer to parts of aircraft assembly 78, and the parts of aircraft assembly 78 further include their own independent parts as sub-parts of aircraft assembly 78. Thus, "part" and "sub-part" are relative terms used to refer to the relationship of a given component to one or more larger structures to which it is included. On the other hand, here, "component" is used to refer collectively to any and all parts of a structure (e.g., any and all parts of aircraft assembly 78), regardless of the order of the sub-part, and the part separates the component from the structure.

[0026] Manufacturing area 12 can be distinguished by its outputs (e.g., segmental components, aircraft sub-assemblies, parts, components, etc., manufactured, assembled, and / or otherwise produced by the manufacturing area) and / or by the processes performed therein. That is, each manufacturing area is configured to produce a different output. For example, first manufacturing area 20 is configured to manufacture, assemble, produce, and / or otherwise output a first aircraft sub-assembly 38, second manufacturing area 40 is configured to manufacture, assemble, produce, and / or otherwise output a second aircraft sub-assembly 58 that is different from the first aircraft sub-assembly 38, and third manufacturing area 60 is configured to manufacture, assemble, produce, and / or otherwise output aircraft assembly 78. Third manufacturing area 60 is also configured to receive the first aircraft sub-assembly from first manufacturing area 20 and the second aircraft sub-assembly from second manufacturing area 40, and to assemble the first and second aircraft sub-assemblies to manufacture, assemble, produce, and / or otherwise output aircraft assembly 78.

[0027] In some examples, aircraft component 78 is aircraft 300, and therefore, third manufacturing area 60 is configured to produce aircraft 300. Alternatively or additionally, first aircraft sub-component 38 and / or second aircraft sub-component 58 are large aircraft structures 340 (e.g., wings, one or more fuselage sections, tail sections, etc.), and therefore, first manufacturing area 20 and / or second manufacturing area 40 are configured to produce segment components 340. In some such examples, first aircraft sub-component 38 includes a wing 320 and second aircraft sub-component 58 includes at least a portion of fuselage 302 (e.g., at least the forward main cabin section 308 and the aft main cabin section 314), and therefore, first manufacturing area 20 is configured to produce the wing 320 and second manufacturing area 40 is configured to produce at least a portion of fuselage 302, including one or more of the forward main cabin section 308, aft main cabin section 314, nose section 306, and / or tail section 316. In some such examples, the second manufacturing area 40 is configured as a pre-production main cabin section 308 and a post-production main cabin section 314.

[0028] When the first manufacturing area 20 is configured to produce the wing 320, the first manufacturing area may be configured to output the wing in its final form and / or substantially final form. That is, the wing may require only minor appearance changes (such as paint, details, coatings, curing, or other surface treatments) before being ready for flight and / or delivery to the customer. Therefore, the wing may include all its component parts when it leaves the first manufacturing area 20. When the second manufacturing area 40 is configured to produce at least a portion of the fuselage 302, the portion of the fuselage 302 leaving the second manufacturing area 40 may also be ready for flight and / or ready for final assembly to produce aircraft component 78, but may not be ready for customer use. As an example, the portion of the fuselage 302 leaving the second manufacturing area 40 may not include interior features such as flooring, seats, lighting, and / or other customer-specified custom features.

[0029] In some examples, manufacturing area 12 includes additional manufacturing areas. As one such example, manufacturing area 12 includes a fourth manufacturing area 80 configured to produce a third aircraft sub-assembly 98 that is different from and / or not configured to be produced by the first manufacturing area 20 or the second manufacturing area 40, and is distinct from the first aircraft sub-assembly 38 and the second aircraft sub-assembly 58. Therefore, when included, the fourth manufacturing area 80 is configured to produce a sub-assembly different from the first aircraft sub-assembly 38 and the second aircraft sub-assembly 58, but this sub-assembly is still configured to be supplied to the third manufacturing area 60 and assembled to form aircraft assembly 78. As an example, the fourth manufacturing area 80 is configured to produce one or more of the following: wing-fuselage section 310 (including the wing box and the upper half / part of the wing-fuselage section), tail 318, nose section 306 of fuselage 302, tail section 316 of fuselage 302, landing gear, and / or engines. However, in some examples, the engine and / or landing gear are not manufactured in the second manufacturing area 40 but are delivered to the third manufacturing area 60 from one or more third-party suppliers.

[0030] In some examples, the tail section 316 and / or the nose section 306 of fuselage 302 are exported to the second manufacturing area 40 before being delivered to the third manufacturing area. Alternatively, the wing-fuselage section 310 is exported directly to the third manufacturing area 60.

[0031] Here, manufacturing area 12 may also be referred to as a production area, assembly area, manufacturing area, manufacturing location, manufacturing facility, manufacturing hangar, manufacturing wing, and / or manufacturing plant. As mentioned above, the manufacturing area differs in the type of aircraft components, aircraft sub-assemblies, assemblies, and / or other aircraft parts configured for production and / or the type of process configured for execution.

[0032] In some examples, two or more manufacturing areas are physically separated from each other (i.e., spaced apart), rather than being located in different geographical areas (e.g., different cities, different countries, different states, different provinces, different jurisdictions, different towns, and / or different continents). As an example, the first manufacturing area 20 is physically separated from the second manufacturing area 40. Alternatively or additionally, the third manufacturing area 60 is physically separated from the first manufacturing area 20 and / or the second manufacturing area 40. In some examples, when included, the fourth manufacturing area 80 is physically separated from the other manufacturing areas. However, in other examples, the fourth manufacturing area 80 is not physically separated from at least one manufacturing area (e.g., the third manufacturing area 60) and can therefore be considered to overlap with or be within another manufacturing area 12.

[0033] When two or more manufacturing areas are physically separated from each other, the physical separation is at least 1 meter (m), at least 5 m, at least 10 m, at least 20 m, at least 30 m, at least 40 m, at least 50 m, at least 75 m, at least 100 m, at most 3 kilometers (km), at most 2 km, at most 1 km, at most 0.75 km, at most 0.5 km, at most 0.3 km, at most 0.2 km, at most 0.1 km, at most 75 m, at most 50 m, and / or at most 25 m. As just one example, the first manufacturing area 20 and the second manufacturing area 40 are physically separated from each other by at least 5 m and at most 5 km.

[0034] Alternatively or concurrently, two or more manufacturing areas 12 may not be spaced apart from each other. As one example, two or more manufacturing areas 12 may be adjacent to each other. As another example, two or more manufacturing areas 12 may overlap each other. When two or more manufacturing areas 12 are not spaced apart from each other, they can still be distinguished from each other by their outputs and / or the work processes performed therein.

[0035] In some examples, manufacturing area 12 includes one or more buildings 14 that define the physical boundaries of manufacturing area 12. When included, the one or more buildings 14 include walls that define the boundaries (e.g., square feet) of manufacturing area 12. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more buildings 14 include ceilings, floors, etc.

[0036] In some examples, one or more buildings 14 comprise only one building and all manufacturing areas 12 are contained within that single building. In some such examples, the building includes wings, and two or more manufacturing areas are physically separated from each other within the discrete wings of the building, but are still connected to each other as part of a single building. As one such example, the first manufacturing area 20 and the second manufacturing area 40 comprise different wings of the building (and are therefore physically separated from each other), but are connected to each other via a third manufacturing area 60. As another such example, the first manufacturing area 20 and the second manufacturing area 40 are connected to different portions of the third manufacturing area 60 to form two physically different but connected wings.

[0037] However, in other examples, one or more buildings 14 comprise more than one building, and two or more manufacturing areas are included in different buildings. That is, two or more manufacturing areas are included in discrete buildings that are physically separate from each other and not physically connected by walls or other building structures. As an example, a first building includes a first manufacturing area 20, and a second building includes a second manufacturing area 40. In some such examples, the first manufacturing area 20 and / or the second manufacturing area 40 are physically separated from the third manufacturing area 60, and therefore the output of the first manufacturing area 20 and / or the second manufacturing area 40 is transported between the first manufacturing area 20 and / or the second manufacturing area 40 and the third manufacturing area 60 by a distance / gap between the first manufacturing area 20 and / or the second manufacturing area 40 and the third manufacturing area 60.

[0038] Therefore, in some examples, such as where two or more manufacturing areas 12 are physically separated from each other in different buildings, the aircraft manufacturing system 10 includes one or more transport devices 100 configured to transfer components, sub-components, assemblies, aircraft sub-assemblies and / or other aircraft parts to or from one or more manufacturing areas and / or between one or more manufacturing areas. In some examples, the transport device 100 includes one or more of a lifting mechanism 102, a conveyor system 104, and / or a shuttle 106. The lifting mechanism 102 is configured to lift aircraft components. As an example, the lifting mechanism 102 may include a crane and / or a pulley system. In some examples, the lifting mechanism 102 is configured to rotate, pivot, translate, and / or otherwise move about a fixed point. The conveyor system 104 includes any suitable conveyor such as a roller conveyor, belt conveyor, chain conveyor, etc. Shuttle vehicle 106 may include a motorized land, water, and / or air vehicle configured to travel to, from, between, and / or around one or more manufacturing areas to transport component parts. As an example, shuttle vehicle 106 may include one or more of barges, cargo ships, trucks, buses, vans, tractors, trains, drones, and / or helicopters.

[0039] In one example, a first transport device 110 is configured to transport component parts between a first manufacturing area 20 and a third manufacturing area 60. As an example, the first transport device 110 includes a crane configured to transfer a first aircraft sub-assembly 38 from the first manufacturing area 20 to the third manufacturing area 60. In some such examples, the crane refers to a gantry crane or other type of lifting and rolling mechanism. Alternatively or additionally, transport device 100 may include a second transport device 112 configured to transport component parts between a second manufacturing area 40 and the third manufacturing area 60. Alternatively or additionally, when a fourth manufacturing area 80 is included, transport device 100 may include a third transport device 114 configured to transport component parts between the fourth manufacturing area 80 and the third manufacturing area 60 and / or a fourth transport device 116 configured to transport component parts between the fourth manufacturing area 80 and the second manufacturing area 40. As an example, the fourth transport device 116 includes a conveyor system and / or a gantry crane or other movable lifting mechanism configured to transfer parts of the aircraft 300 from the fourth manufacturing area 80 to the second manufacturing area 40.

[0040] In some examples, the third transport device 114 is configured to transfer the intermediate fuselage section 310 (including the wing box and / or the upper half / part of the intermediate fuselage section) from the fourth manufacturing area 80 to the third manufacturing area 60.

[0041] In some examples, the fourth transport device 116 is configured to transfer at least a portion of the fuselage 302 from the fourth manufacturing area 80 to the second manufacturing area 40. In some such examples, the fourth transport device 116 is configured to transfer the nose portion 306 and / or tail portion 316 of the fuselage 302 from the fourth manufacturing area 80 to the second manufacturing area 40.

[0042] Alternatively or additionally, manufacturing area 12 includes one or more doorways 16 configured to allow component parts 200 to enter and / or exit manufacturing area 12. The one or more doorways 16 may also be referred to or described as doors, entrances, entrances, exits, passageways, transfer locations, ingresses, and / or egresses. In some examples, one or more buildings 14 include one or more doorways. Component parts 200 include base parts 202 and sub-component parts 204. In some examples, one or more doorways 16 are configured to receive base parts 202. Base parts 202 are component parts manufactured or otherwise procured from outside the aircraft manufacturing system 10 (and therefore may include one or more of raw materials, pre-prepared parts, fasteners, tools, etc.) and brought to the manufacturing area by a transport device. Thus, work processes in the manufacturing area are initiated by adding, replacing, and / or otherwise modifying base parts; base parts are fundamental components of the manufacturing area (e.g., inputs). Sub-component part 204 is an assembly of two or more base parts 202 that are assembled on one or more feeders and introduced via one or more feeders to one or more assembly lines. In some such examples, the third manufacturing area 60 includes one or more gateways 16 configured to receive one or more of the first aircraft sub-component 38, the second aircraft sub-component 58, and / or the third aircraft sub-component 98.

[0043] Sub-component part 204 may include one or more aircraft sub-component precursors 206, also referred to herein as aircraft sub-component precursors 206. An aircraft sub-component precursor includes a structure on assembly line 120 that advances along assembly line 120 and ultimately becomes an output of the manufacturing area once the work process in the manufacturing area is completed. For example, a precursor may be a structure that adds constituent parts from feed line 140. Thus, an aircraft sub-component precursor may be a structure that advances along the backbone of assembly line 120 (a common assembly line that ultimately produces the final output of the manufacturing area) towards the end of assembly line 120 and becomes the final output of the manufacturing area. For example, a precursor for the first manufacturing area may be a wing precursor. A wing precursor advances along the assembly line of the first manufacturing area and may take on different shapes, structures, and / or properties as it advances along the assembly line and is added, replaced, altered, processed, and / or otherwise operated. Therefore, in Figure 1The precursor 206 is shown with dotted lines to reflect the fact that the shape, size, structure, composition, characteristics, or other properties of the precursor can change as it travels along assembly line 120. Ultimately, once all the work processes in the first manufacturing area have been performed on the precursor, it can be transformed into the final output (i.e., it can eventually become a complete left or right wing). Therefore, the precursor is only an incomplete and / or partial version of the final output of the manufacturing area.

[0044] In some such examples, the manufacturing area includes a sufficient number of gateways such that each of one or more gateways is configured to receive a unique component and / or a unique set of components. That is, different components may be conveyed to different gateways. Therefore, including multiple gateways along the manufacturing area allows the components to be conveyed to be closer to their point of consumption, assembly, and / or use within the manufacturing area. Furthermore, conveying parts from multiple origins (e.g., gateways) to their final destination streamlines the conveying process, reduces congestion, and eliminates bottlenecks. In this way, components can be conveyed to their final destination more efficiently than conventional conveying methods that transport parts from a single source / origin (e.g., gateway) to various locations within the manufacturing area.

[0045] Alternatively or additionally, one or more access passages 16 are configured to receive and / or transfer component parts 200 between manufacturing areas 12. As an example, the fourth manufacturing area 80 and the second manufacturing area 40 include one or more access passages 16 configured to allow the transfer of component parts 200 from the fourth manufacturing area 80 to the second manufacturing area 40. As discussed above, in some such examples, a transport device 100 is also included between the fourth manufacturing area 80 and the second manufacturing area 40 and is configured to transport component parts between the fourth manufacturing area 80 and the second manufacturing area 40. As an example, the transport device 100 is configured to transfer at least a portion of the fuselage 302 from the fourth manufacturing area 80 to the second manufacturing area 40. As one such example, the transport device 100 is configured to transfer the nose portion 306 and / or tail portion 316 of the fuselage 302 from the fourth manufacturing area 80 to the second manufacturing area 40. Alternatively or additionally, one or more access passages 16 are configured to discharge outputs from the manufacturing area 12. As an example, one or more first manufacturing areas 20 include one or more gates 16 configured to discharge a first aircraft sub-assembly 38, a second manufacturing area 40 includes one or more gates 16 configured to discharge a second aircraft sub-assembly 58, a third manufacturing area 60 includes one or more gates 16 configured to discharge an aircraft assembly 78, and / or a fourth manufacturing area 80 includes one or more gates 16 configured to discharge a third aircraft sub-assembly 98. As an example, one or more gates are configured to discharge the nose portion 306 and / or tail portion 316 of the fuselage 302 to the second manufacturing area 40 and / or one or more different gates are configured to discharge the wing-fuselage section 310 to the third manufacturing area 60.

[0046] In some examples, the base part 202 is transported to the manufacturing area 12 via path 18. When included, path 18 is configured to allow the base part 202 to be transported from outside the aircraft manufacturing system 10 or at least from outside its manufacturing area 12 to the manufacturing area 12. As an example, path 18 is configured to allow the transport device 100 to travel, which is further configured to carry the base part 202 of the aircraft assembly 78. In some examples, path 18 extends at least around a portion of the manufacturing area 12. Specifically, path 18 is configured to allow the transport device 100 to travel at least around a portion of the manufacturing area. In such examples, path 18 extends at least around a portion of the periphery of one or more of the first manufacturing area 20, the second manufacturing area 40, the third manufacturing area 60, and / or the fourth manufacturing area 80. In some such examples, path 18 extends to one or more doorways 16 and allows the transport device 100 to travel directly to one or more doorways 16, and thus transport the component part 200 directly to one or more doorways. As an example, when transport device 100 includes land-based vehicles (e.g., trucks, vans, buses, shuttles, trains, etc.), path 18 includes a road or other suitable surface configured to allow the travel of these land-based vehicles. In some examples, path 18 is configured as a one-way path that restricts transport device 100 to travel in one direction.

[0047] In some examples, one or more manufacturing areas 12 include an assembly line 120. When included, the assembly line 120 includes a series of workstations configured to perform work on the component parts 200 of the aircraft assembly 78. The assembly line 120 is configured to guide the component parts 200 through the series of workstations along a unidirectional path constituting at least a portion of the one or more manufacturing areas 12. In this way, work is performed on the component parts at various locations (e.g., workstations) on the assembly line 120.

[0048] In some examples, assembly line 120 includes a drive mechanism 122 (e.g., an electric motor) configured to advance component parts along assembly line 120. In some such examples, drive mechanism 122 is configured to advance mechanical linkage 124 (e.g., one or more of belts, chains, pulleys, cables, and / or platforms) that is configured to remain in contact with one or more component parts as it moves (e.g., via friction and / or magnetism), and thus advance the component parts through at least a portion of manufacturing area 12. In some further such examples, assembly line 120 includes a conveyor system driven by drive mechanism 122, such as one or more of belt conveyor systems, roller conveyors, chain conveyors, cable conveyors, etc. However, in other examples, drive mechanism 122 includes a motorized vehicle such as an aircraft tug.

[0049] In some examples, assembly line 120 includes one or more of a first assembly line 130, a second assembly line 132, and a third assembly line 134. When included, the first assembly line 130 is included in a first manufacturing area 20 and configured to propel component parts 200 of the first aircraft subassembly 38 and / or the first aircraft subassembly 38 through at least a portion of the first manufacturing area 20. When included, the second assembly line 132 is included in a second manufacturing area 40 and configured to propel component parts 200 of the second aircraft subassembly 58 and / or the second aircraft subassembly 58 through at least a portion of the second manufacturing area 40. When included, the third assembly line 134 is included in a third manufacturing area 60 and configured to propel component parts 200 of the aircraft assembly 78 and / or the aircraft assembly 78 through at least a portion of the third manufacturing area 60. Although in Figure 1 The diagram illustrates three assembly lines 120 (one assembly line in each of the first, second, and third manufacturing areas); however, it should be understood that in other examples, each manufacturing area may include more than one or fewer assembly lines 120. Furthermore, each assembly line 120 may include one or more sub-assembly lines. For example, one or more assembly lines may include one or more main assembly lines and one or more branch assembly lines (e.g., feeders 140) branching from larger main assembly lines. In some examples, assembly line 120 may branch into progressively smaller sub-assembly lines. Thus, each assembly line may include a network of branch assembly lines that are ultimately fed into a common assembly line. In this way, assembly line 120 may branch into one or more sub-assembly lines and / or may be connected together to form one or more common assembly lines.

[0050] In some examples, the fourth manufacturing area 80 does not include assembly line 120 when included. However, in other examples, the fourth manufacturing area 80 does include one or more assembly lines 120. Regardless, the fourth manufacturing area 80 includes stationary bays 84 (also referred to herein as parking bays 84 and / or hangars 84) configured to perform multiple work processes on component parts 200 one at a time (i.e., serially). The stationary bays 84 are configured to hold component parts 200 for a longer duration than the workstations of assembly line 120. In some examples, different stationary bays 84 are configured to manufacture different parts. As an example, one stationary bay 84 is configured to manufacture at least a portion of the wing-fuselage section 310, another stationary bay 84 is configured to manufacture the tail section 316 of the fuselage 302, and yet another stationary bay 84 is configured to manufacture the nose section 306 of the fuselage 302. In some examples, stationary bays 84 are configured to produce a third aircraft sub-assembly 98.

[0051] In some examples, manufacturing area 12 further includes a feeder 140. When included, feeder 140 is configured to introduce base part 202 and / or sub-assembly part 204 into assembly line 120. As an example, feeder 140 is configured to convey base part 202 and / or sub-assembly part 204 from portal 16 to assembly line 120. Specifically, feeder 140 may be connected to one or more assembly lines to convey base part 202 and / or sub-assembly part 204. In some examples, assembly line 120 includes feeder 140. In such examples, feeder 140 may be a sub-assembly line of assembly line 120 (also referred to herein as a branch assembly line). In other examples, feeder 140 may be separate from and distinct from assembly line 120. Like assembly line 120, feeder 140 may include one or more sub-feeders branching from one or more main feeders. That is, a feeder may include a network of branch feeders that are ultimately fed to the main feeders.

[0052] Alternatively or additionally, the feeder is configured to orient the base parts and / or sub-assembly parts in a final orientation. Final orientation is the orientation of the base parts and / or sub-assembly parts as they are coupled to a structure (e.g., aircraft sub-assembly precursor 206) on the assembly line. In some examples, the portal 16 is configured to receive parts in its final orientation. Alternatively or additionally, after parts are loaded onto the feeder, the feeder itself is configured to orient the parts in their final orientation. Therefore, when assembling or coupling base parts and / or sub-assembly parts to a larger aircraft structure (e.g., aircraft sub-assembly precursor 206) on the assembly line, the orientation of the base parts and / or sub-assembly parts may not need to be rotated, pivoted, or otherwise altered by robots, machines, and / or workers. Thus, by providing base parts and / or sub-assembly parts to the feeder and / or assembly line in their final orientation, production inefficiencies within the manufacturing area can be reduced.

[0053] In some examples, the feeder includes a segmented pulse assembly line configured to segmentally pulse the base part 202 and / or the sub-assembly part 204 to the assembly line 120. As an example, the feeder includes a segmented pulse assembly line 126.

[0054] Alternatively or concurrently, the feeder may include one or more segmented pulse assembly lines and / or include a main feeder and one or more sub-feeders configured to feed component parts to the main feeder. In this way, the feeder may branch into increasingly smaller upstream feeders. Thus, manufacturing area 12 may each include one or more assembly lines, and each assembly line may branch into increasingly smaller feeders. In this way, manufacturing area 12 may include a network of branch assembly lines that are ultimately all fed into the third manufacturing area 60.

[0055] In some examples, base parts 202 are conveyed by transport device 100 via path 18 to manufacturing area 12, where they enter via gate 16 and are then fed to assembly line 120 via feeder 140. In some examples, feeder 140 includes the same or similar equipment as assembly line 120 (e.g., a conveyor system). In some examples, sub-assembly parts 204 are manufactured on feeder 140 and / or sub-assembly parts 204 are the product / output of feeder 140. In such examples, transport device 100 can convey base parts 202 to feeder 140, and component parts can be manufactured from these base parts on the feeder.

[0056] By including paths, one or more gateways, and / or feeders, component parts can be transported to points closer to their assembly on the assembly line. Furthermore, unlike a common dock, feeding component parts from multiple feeders to the assembly line reduces queuing time and / or other component transport inefficiencies, thereby increasing productivity.

[0057] In some examples, different doorways are configured to receive component parts in the order they are assembled on the assembly line. As an example, a first door may receive a first component part, and an adjacent second door may receive a second component part configured to be assembled directly after the first component part. For instance, the fuselage frame may be mounted on the fuselage skin before the windows and / or window frames, and thus the fuselage frame may be conveyed to a different doorway than the windows and / or window frames. Furthermore, the fuselage frame may be fed via a feeder to a position upstream of the assembly line for the windows and / or window frames.

[0058] In some examples, assembly line 120 includes segmented pulse assembly line 126. When included, segmented pulse assembly line 126 is configured to pulse (i.e., periodically move) only a portion (i.e., less than the length of component 200) of the length of component 200 in the direction of movement. Therefore, unlike a conventional pulse assembly line that pulses component 200 to a completely different, non-overlapping location (e.g., a pulse longer than its length) where a new workstation is located, segmented pulse assembly line 126 micro-pulses component 200 to an overlapping location that still includes the previous location at at least one or more workstations. Furthermore, unlike a conventional pulse assembly line where work is performed on a given component by one workstation at a time (i.e., different workstations perform work on the component serially), multiple workstations of segmented pulse assembly line 126 are configured to perform work on the component in parallel (i.e., simultaneously). Because segmented pulse assembly line 126 pulses component 200 less than its length, a given workstation performs work serially on different segments of a given component, as the component is segmented and pulsed through the workstation in multiple pulses. That is, unlike conventional pulse assembly lines where component parts enter the workstation on the first pulse and leave the workstation on the next second pulse, the segmented pulse assembly line 126 of this disclosure uses two or more pulses to cause component parts to enter and leave the workstation.

[0059] In some examples, when included, two or more of the first manufacturing area 20, the second manufacturing area 40, and the fourth manufacturing area 80 produce the first aircraft sub-assembly 38, the second aircraft sub-assembly 58, and the third aircraft sub-assembly 98 at at least substantially the same speed (e.g., production times of the aircraft sub-assemblies differ by no more than 5%), such that the aircraft sub-assemblies are provided to the third manufacturing area 60 at substantially the same time (i.e., promptly). In some such examples, when included, the base part 202 is provided to the first manufacturing area 20, the second manufacturing area 40, and the fourth manufacturing area 80 at substantially the same time. In some further such examples, where the first manufacturing area 20 and the second manufacturing area 40 include assembly lines of substantially the same length (e.g., differing by no more than 5%), the average speed of the assembly lines is substantially the same (e.g., differing by no more than 5%).

[0060] Turn Figure 2 and Figure 3This illustrates an example segmented pulse assembly line 400 of segmented pulse assembly line 126. Segmented pulse assembly line 126 may be included in assembly line 120, feeder 140, and / or other assembly lines of aircraft manufacturing system 10. Segmented pulse assembly line 126 includes workstations configured to perform work on component parts pulsed by the segmented pulse assembly line. Furthermore, the workstations may include power mechanisms (e.g., conveyor systems) configured to move component parts along the assembly line (e.g., segmented pulses). Here, the distance between the centerlines of adjacent workstations on the segmented pulse assembly line may be referred to as the workstation spacing. The number of workstations per unit length on the assembly line may be referred to as the workstation density or workstation packing density.

[0061] Figure 2 Charts comparing the segmented pulse assembly line 126 of this disclosure with conventional pulse assembly lines are provided. Specifically, chart 450 shows an example conventional pulse assembly line 440, while charts 452 and 454 show example segmented pulse assembly lines 400 according to this disclosure. Unlike the conventional pulse assembly line 440, which pulses component parts 200 for a length greater than the distance between their workstations 410, the component parts 200 of this disclosure are pulsed for a length less than the distance between their workstations 410. Specifically, in the conventional pulse assembly line 440, component parts 200 are pulsed from a first workstation 412 to a second workstation 414, while in the segmented pulse assembly line 126 of this disclosure, component parts 200 are pulsed from the first workstation 412 to the second workstation 414 for a length less than their original length. Therefore, the workstations in this disclosure are smaller and / or closer together compared to those in the conventional pulse assembly line 440 with comparable component parts. In other words, the assembly line of this disclosure has a higher workstation packing density than conventional assembly lines. In this way, because more workstations can access the parts at any given time, more work can be performed on the parts at any given time. Furthermore, because the workstations can be packed more densely together, the total floor space (area) of the manufacturing system can be reduced. Figure 452 shows an example of pulse one-third of the length of a component part 200 during each pulse, and Figure 454 shows an example of pulse one-ninth of the length of a component part 200 during each pulse.

[0062] As shown in the figure, because the pulse length (e.g., the distance the component 200 moves during the pulse) is shortened, the workstations become smaller and / or closer together (i.e., the spacing between workstations decreases). Alternatively or additionally, the pulse frequency increases when the pulse length decreases. That is, because more pulses are needed to advance the component 200 the same distance, there is less time between pulses when the pulse length is shortened. Figure 2As shown in the example, because the component in Figure 452 is further away from the pulse in Figure 454, the component in Figure 454 pulses more frequently than the component in Figure 452. Shorter pulse lengths and smaller workstations allow more workstations to perform work on component 200 simultaneously (i.e., increased workstation packing density). Increasing the parallel processing capacity of component 200 in this way improves productivity and reduces production time. The minimum size of the workstation is limited by various factors, including the uniformity of component 200 along its length, the similarity of the work processes performed on the component along its length, the sequence of work processes, the delay between work processes, and / or the size of one or more of the machine, robot, tool, and / or worker required to perform the work process at the workstation.

[0063] In some examples, the first workstation 412 and the second workstation 414 perform different work processes on the component 200. Alternatively or additionally, different tools, robots, and / or workers perform work on the component 200 at the first workstation 412 and the second workstation 414. The work processes include one or more of the following: adding (e.g., coupling two or more base components 202 together, coupling a sub-component component 204 to a base component 202, coupling base components 202 and / or sub-component components 204 to an aircraft sub-component precursor 206, coupling two or more sub-component components 204 together, etc.), subtracting (e.g., drilling), and / or otherwise modifying (e.g., reshaping, reforming, bending, curing, sterilizing, treating, heating, cooling, pressurizing, etc.) the component 200. Therefore, performing a work process involves performing work on one or more component components 200.

[0064] like Figure 3 As shown, each workstation 410 (also referred to herein as assembly line workstation 410) includes a work execution device 420 configured to perform a second work process (i.e., perform work on component parts 200). As an example, the work execution device 420 includes one or more of a robot 422, a machine 424, a human worker 426, and / or a tool 428. The robot 422 is an automated device configured to perform work without human input and / or intervention. The machine 424 is a relatively large device configured to perform work based on human input. As an example, the machine 424 may be a machine tool, such as a press, milling machine, lathe, etc. The tool 428 is smaller than the machine 424 and is configured to perform work based on human input. As an example, the tool 428 may be a handheld device.

[0065] In some examples, two or more workstations perform different work processes on component 200. In some such examples, each workstation performs a unique type of work process on the component, such that all workstations perform different work processes on the component. Alternatively or optionally, in some examples, each workstation performs only one type of work process on the component (e.g., drilling only, cutting windows only, installing frames only, installing stringers only, applying sealant only, etc.). Thus, in such examples, each workstation performs only one type of work process unique to that specific workstation.

[0066] Alternatively or in some examples, two or more workstations include different types of work execution devices 420 configured to perform different types of work processes. In some such examples, each workstation includes a unique type of work execution device 420 and / or a unique combination of work execution devices 420, such that all workstations are configured to perform different types of work processes. In some such examples, each workstation includes only one work execution device 420 and / or one type of work execution device.

[0067] As an example, a portion of a segmented pulse assembly line includes at least seven workstations that perform their own unique work processes at various serial locations along the assembly line. In some such examples, the at least seven workstations are divided into a first group of workstations for installing the fuselage frame and a second group of workstations downstream of the first group of workstations for installing the window frames. Thus, in such examples, the fuselage frame is installed first, and then the window frames are installed. The fuselage frame may be installed first, prior to the windows, to increase the structural integrity of the fuselage skin. In some such examples, installing the fuselage frame and window frames includes: drilling holes for fasteners, laying the window frames and / or fuselage frames with temporary fasteners, and then installing the fasteners.

[0068] As an example, the upstream workstation in the first group (the fuselage frame installation workstation) drills holes in the skin of the fuselage frame fasteners. The next workstation (the adjacent downstream workstation) lays the fuselage frame onto the skin using temporary fasteners, and then a third workstation installs the permanent fasteners. In the second group, the two upstream workstations (the window frame installation workstations) drill holes in the fuselage skin of the window frame fasteners and cut window openings in the skin. The downstream workstation in the second group lays the window frame using temporary fasteners and then installs the permanent fasteners into the window frame.

[0069] In this way, each workstation 410 and / or each work execution device 420 can repeatedly perform the same work process on various sections of the component part. That is, by decomposing the component part into sections and configuring the workstations to perform work on only one section at a time, each workstation and / or work execution device can be simplified to repeatedly perform the same work and / or perform only one type of work. Not only can the workstations and / or work execution devices be configured to perform the same type of work, but they can also be configured to perform the same type of work at the same location on each section of the component part. As an example, a given workstation configured to drill holes in the fuselage skin can also be configured to perform these drills at the same location on each section of the fuselage skin (i.e., all sections may include the same number of holes, holes in the same location, and / or the same hole configuration / pattern). Therefore, when drilling holes in different sections of the fuselage skin, the actuator may not need to move at all after each pulse and / or may not need to move in the same way, because these sections are segmented by pulses passing through the workstation. In this way, the programming of the actuator itself and / or its actuator can be simplified compared to conventional assembly line methods.

[0070] In this way, compared to conventional work actuators configured to perform multiple types of work processes, performing only one type of work process can reduce the size, complexity, and / or cost of the work actuator. Furthermore, by segmenting the component parts into pulses and dividing the work process into smaller working areas, the amount of movement required to perform the work process can be reduced, thereby further reducing the size, complexity, and cost of the work actuator.

[0071] exist Figure 3 In the example, six workstations 410 are shown. However, in other examples, the example segmented pulse assembly line 400 includes six or fewer workstations 410. Although only one workstation 410 is shown along one side of the component, workstations can be positioned along both sides of the component. Furthermore, in some examples, Figure 3 The example segmented pulse assembly line shown is only a part of segmented pulse assembly line 126. In some such examples, segmented pulse assembly line 126 includes two or more example segmented pulse assembly lines 400.

[0072] In some examples, the segmented pulse assembly line 400 includes an assembly area 430 in which sub-components 404 are configured to be assembled to form component 406. Alternatively or additionally, component 406 enters a queue 434 in which components not configured to perform work are placed. Component 406 is segmented pulsed through workstations, and work is performed on the component by each work execution device 420. In some examples, sub-component parts 204 and / or base parts 202 are added to component 406 at one or more workstations 410. In some examples, after leaving workstation 410, component 406 enters another assembly area 430 and is assembled together to become a sub-component of a new component.

[0073] In some examples, pulses are applied along the same segmented pulse assembly line to component parts 200 with different physical properties (such as shape, geometry, size, weight, surface features, etc.) and / or workstation 410 performs work on component parts 200 with different physical properties (such as shape, geometry, size, weight, surface features, etc.). As an example, component 406 includes a first component 407 and a second component 408 with different physical properties. Figure 3 As shown, as an example, the first component 407 is longer than the second component 408. Therefore, in such an example, component parts of different lengths are pulsed along the same segmented pulse assembly line.

[0074] Alternatively or optionally, in some examples Figure 3 This illustrates how workstations 410 are not all the same length. In some such examples, the length of workstation 410 is a multiple of the length of another workstation 410. For example, in Figure 3 In some examples, the longer workstation is twice the length of the other workstations. However, in other examples, the length of workstation 410 is not an exact integer multiple of the lengths of the other workstations (e.g., twice, three times, four times, etc.). In some examples, the component part 200 is pulsed by an amount equal to that of the shortest workstation in workstation 410 (i.e., the minimum workstation length).

[0075] The pulse length 460 is the distance traveled by component part 402 during the pulse. As discussed above, the pulse length of the segmented pulse assembly line 126 of this disclosure is less than the length of the component part. Therefore, in Figure 3In the example, the pulse length is equal to one-third of the length of the first component 407 and half the length of the second component 408. The work cycle 464 is the duration between pulses during which component 402 is stationary and / or configured to perform work on component 402. In other words, the work cycle 464 is the duration between the end of one pulse and the start of the next. The pulse duration 466 is the time taken to complete the pulse (i.e., to move component 402 to a new position on the segmented pulse assembly line 126 over the entire pulse length). The pulse period 462 is equal to the full segmented pulse cycle: the pulse period plus the pulse duration.

[0076] In some examples, the length of the component is an integer multiple of the pulse length. For example, component 200 is two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, and / or twenty times the pulse length. Therefore, in such examples, the pulse length is equal to 1 / X of the length of component 200, where X is an integer value. As discussed above, in some such examples, the pulse length is equal to the length of the shortest workstation in workstation 410 (i.e., the minimum workstation length), and therefore, the shortest workstation in workstation 410 is also equal to 1 / X of the length of component 200, where X is an integer value.

[0077] In some examples, a given work process (e.g., drilling) can be performed in the same manner at predetermined intervals along the length of the component. For example, Y vertically aligned holes (e.g., five holes) can be drilled in the aircraft skin every X meters (e.g., every 1m). Thus, in some such examples, five holes can be drilled in the aircraft skin at one-meter intervals. In some further such examples, the predetermined interval of a given work process can be equal to the pulse length. Thus, in the above examples, the pulse length can be one meter, so that the work actuator does not need to move to drill holes in the next segment of the component. In some examples, workstations on the segmented pulse assembly line are selected based on the predetermined interval of the work processes they perform. In some examples, workstations with the same predetermined interval and / or integer multiples thereof can be selected, so that the pulse length does not need to be changed and / or so that the work actuator does not need to move laterally so much between pulses to perform work processes on different segments.

[0078] As an example, the components can be configured to include windows spaced X meters apart, frames spaced X meters apart, and a row of vertical holes spaced X / Y meters apart. A first workstation can be configured to cut the window openings, a second workstation can be configured to install the frames, and a third workstation can be configured to drill. In some such examples, where X = 1 meter, Y = 2 meters, and the pulse length = 0.5 meters, the third workstation performs its work (drilling a row of vertical holes) after each pulse. However, because the work only needs to be performed at 1-meter intervals (equal to two pulse lengths), the first and second workstations perform their work only after each second pulse (every other pulse). In another such example, where X = 1 meter and Y = 2 meters, but the pulse length = 1 meter, the third workstation must drill two rows of vertical holes after each pulse, and the first and second workstations perform their work (cutting the window openings and installing the frames) once after each pulse.

[0079] However, in other examples, X is not an integer value, and the length of component 200 is not an integer multiple of the pulse length.

[0080] Figures 4 to 6 A flowchart is provided schematically to represent an illustrative, non-exclusive example of a method according to this disclosure. Figures 4 to 6 In the text, some steps are indicated by dashed boxes, suggesting that such steps may be optional or may correspond to optional versions of the methods according to this disclosure. That is, not all methods according to this disclosure need to include the steps shown in the dashed boxes. It should be understood from the discussion herein that... Figures 4 to 6 The methods and steps shown are not limiting, and other methods and steps are within the scope of this disclosure, including methods with more or fewer steps than those shown. Further steps may be combined with different methods and / or different figures.

[0081] Figures 4 to 6 An example method according to this disclosure is shown. Specifically, Figure 4 A method 500 for manufacturing an aircraft component (e.g., aircraft component 78) such as an aircraft (e.g., aircraft 300) according to this disclosure is shown. Figure 5 A method 600 for segmenting pulses onto component parts (e.g., component 200) along a segmented pulse assembly line (e.g., segmented pulse assembly line 126) is shown, and Figure 6 A method 700 for designing and / or constructing an aircraft manufacturing system (e.g., aircraft manufacturing system 10) of the present disclosure is shown. It should be understood from the discussion herein that the scope of this disclosure includes methods comprising more than one of the steps of method 500, method 600, and / or method 700.

[0082] Method 500 includes: at 502, manufacturing (or assembling) aircraft sub-assemblies (e.g., first aircraft sub-assembly 38, second aircraft sub-assembly 58, and / or third aircraft sub-assembly 98) in parallel within the same geographic area and / or on separate assembly lines (e.g., assembly line 120). As discussed herein, for example, manufacturing at 502 may include: sending the first aircraft sub-assembly 38 and one or more of its constituent parts 200 along a first assembly line 130, and sending the second aircraft sub-assembly 58 and one or more of its constituent parts 200 along a second assembly line 132, which may be a segmented pulse assembly line. As discussed above, manufacturing within the same geographic area includes manufacturing aircraft sub-components in manufacturing areas (e.g., manufacturing area 12) spaced at intervals of up to 3 km, up to 2 km, up to 1 km, up to 0.75 km, up to 0.5 km, up to 0.3 km, up to 0.2 km, up to 0.1 km, up to 75 m, up to 50 m, and / or up to 25 m. Therefore, in such an example, manufacturing at 502 includes manufacturing aircraft sub-components in different manufacturing areas. As such an example, manufacturing includes manufacturing a first aircraft sub-component in a first manufacturing area (e.g., first manufacturing area 20) and a second aircraft sub-component in a second manufacturing area (e.g., second manufacturing area 40). In some examples, manufacturing aircraft sub-components on separate assembly lines includes at least partially manufacturing the first aircraft sub-component on a first assembly line (e.g., first assembly line 130) and at least partially manufacturing the second aircraft sub-component on a second assembly line (e.g., second assembly line 132). In some such examples, a first manufacturing area includes a first assembly line and a second manufacturing area includes a second assembly line.

[0083] At point 502, manufacturing the aircraft sub-assembly includes: manufacturing the aircraft sub-assembly at the same speed, such that the aircraft sub-assemblies are produced and transported to the third manufacturing area at approximately the same time. When manufacturing the first aircraft sub-assembly and the second aircraft sub-assembly on the first assembly line and the second aircraft sub-assembly on the second assembly line, respectively, at the same average speed, to achieve the same productivity and to provide the aircraft sub-assemblies to the third manufacturing area at approximately the same time.

[0084] As discussed above, manufacturing components within the same geographic area reduces assembly delays and increases productivity. Specifically, by manufacturing components in the same geographic area, aircraft sub-components can be transported to the final assembly facility (e.g., a third-party manufacturing area) more concurrently (i.e., just in time) and / or more reliably, enabling assembly to begin more promptly and / or more frequently. In this way, the final assembly of aircraft components is not affected by undesirable delays (e.g., delays from third-party manufacturers, shipping delays, etc.). The overall production of aircraft components can be more streamlined and consistent, and downtime can be reduced.

[0085] Manufacturing at 502 may optionally include, at 504, at least partially manufacturing (or assembling) an aircraft sub-component on a segmented pulse assembly line (e.g., segmented pulse assembly line 126). In some such examples, the assembly line includes a segmented pulse assembly line. Figure 5 The illustrated method 600 provides an example of segmented pulses for component parts (e.g., component part 200) of an aircraft subassembly. Therefore, in some examples, at least a portion of method 600 is performed at 504 in method 500. Alternatively or additionally, the method at 502 may include, at 506, providing a base part (e.g., base part 202) to a manufacturing area. As discussed above, in some examples, providing includes transporting the base part to the manufacturing area via a transport device (e.g., transport device 100) such as a land-based vehicle (e.g., truck, van, bus, train). Providing the base part to the manufacturing area at 506 may include providing the base part to an assembly line (e.g., assembly line 120) and / or a feeder (e.g., feeder 140). As discussed above, the feeder includes a drive mechanism (e.g., drive mechanism 122) that advances parts along the feeder toward the assembly line. Optionally, at 512, method 500 includes manufacturing the aircraft sub-component in a separate building (e.g., building 14). As an example, including a first manufacturing area and a second manufacturing area in different buildings that are physically separated from each other, and manufacturing the aircraft sub-component in these two manufacturing areas includes manufacturing the aircraft sub-component in different buildings.

[0086] In some examples, method 500 includes: producing different types of component parts in their final orientation and / or conveying these different types of component parts in that final orientation to a third manufacturing area. As an example, a first assembly line is configured to convey a left wing located in a final left wing orientation to a third manufacturing area and a right wing located in a final right wing orientation to a final assembly facility (e.g., the third manufacturing area). The left wing is configured to be coupled to a fuselage located in the final left wing orientation, and the right wing is configured to be coupled to a fuselage located in the final right wing orientation. In this way, rotation or pivoting of the wings may not be required in the third manufacturing area and / or when the wings are conveyed to the third manufacturing area. The wings can be output from the first manufacturing area in their final orientation, so that no further manipulation is required prior to final assembly.

[0087] Method 500 includes: at 520, assembling aircraft sub-components within the same geographic area. As an example, the assembly at 520 includes: assembling the aircraft sub-components in a third manufacturing area (e.g., third manufacturing area 60) within the same geographic area as the first and second manufacturing areas to form an aircraft assembly. Optionally, the assembly at 522 includes: transferring the aircraft sub-components to the third manufacturing area. As an example, the transfer includes: moving the aircraft sub-components from one or more of the first, second, and / or fourth manufacturing areas (e.g., fourth manufacturing area 80) to the third manufacturing area via one or more transport devices. As just one such example, and as discussed above, the transfer includes: lifting the first aircraft sub-component from the first manufacturing area to the third manufacturing area using a crane.

[0088] In some examples, method 500 may optionally include, at 524, pulses of the aircraft sub-assembly and / or aircraft assembly along a third assembly line (e.g., third assembly line 134) through a third manufacturing region. In some such examples, similar to the manner described in 504, the pulses include segmented pulses of the aircraft sub-assembly and / or aircraft assembly.

[0089] Figure 5A method 600 for segmented pulses of one or more component parts of an aircraft assembly is shown, and therefore, method 600 can also be described as a method for repeatedly manufacturing an aircraft. Method 600 and / or portions thereof can be used to segmented pulses of component parts of an aircraft assembly at various locations in a manufacturing system (e.g., aircraft manufacturing system 10). Thus, while method 600 can be used to segment pulses of component parts along a main assembly line (e.g., assembly line 120), method 600 can additionally or optionally be used to segment pulses of component parts along branch assembly lines (such as sub-assemblies) toward the main assembly line, feed lines toward the main assembly line (e.g., feed line 140), and / or sub-feed lines toward the feed lines. Thus, segmented pulse assembly lines can be configured to pulse aircraft assemblies (e.g., aircraft assembly 78), aircraft sub-assemblies (e.g., first aircraft sub-assembly 38, second aircraft sub-assembly 58, etc.) and / or sub-components, substructures, and their component parts. Furthermore, method 600 can be used to segment pulse aircraft components and / or aircraft sub-components in a final assembly area (e.g., a third manufacturing area 60).

[0090] At 602, method 600 optionally includes placing one or more component parts (e.g., sub-component 404, base part 202, and / or sub-assembly part 204) on the same and / or different segmented pulse assembly lines. At 604, method 600 includes segmented pulses on one or more component parts along the same and / or different segmented pulse assembly lines. In some examples, segmented pulses include advancing one or more component parts using a drive mechanism (e.g., drive mechanism 122). Segmented pulses include periodically pulsed one or more component parts along the assembly line (pulling one or more component parts and then waiting for a duration before pulsed one or more component parts again) less than the length of one or more component parts. The pulse itself includes advancing, translating, and / or otherwise moving one or more component parts along the assembly line less than the length of one or more component parts during a single pulse. Waiting for the duration includes waiting for a time interval. In some examples, the time interval includes the amount of time required to complete the work process for one or more component parts.

[0091] Optionally, at 605, segmented pulses include: serially performing segmented pulses (i.e., sending) along the same assembly line or feeder for different types of component parts and / or serially producing different types of component parts on the same assembly line or feeder. As discussed in more detail below, it can be determined that different types of components share sufficient similarity and / or their operating processes share sufficient similarity, allowing for serial pulses along the same assembly line or feeder and / or production on the same assembly line or feeder. In some examples, different aircraft sub-component forebody can be pulsed along the same assembly line. As an example, the left wing and right wing and / or their component parts, such as the forebody of the left wing and right wing, can be pulsed and / or serially produced along the same assembly line or feeder. As another example, different sections of the fuselage and / or their component parts can be pulsed and / or serially produced along the same assembly line or feeder.

[0092] Different types of components differ from each other in structure, function, and / or physical (e.g., in shape, geometry, size, etc.). As an example, the left wing and right wing are different types of components because they have different geometries (i.e., they are mirror images of each other). As another example, different sections of the fuselage (e.g., the forward main cabin section 308 and the aft main cabin section 314) are different types of components because they can have different shapes, sizes (e.g., lengths), may include different numbers of windows and / or windows in different positions, etc. Therefore, in some examples, a given assembly line produces two different types of component parts.

[0093] By producing and / or pulse different types of parts on the same line (assembly line or feeder), the same work execution devices can be used to produce different types of parts. This reduces the number of workers, robots, machines, and / or tools required to produce aircraft components, and thus reduces the cost of the aircraft manufacturing system. Furthermore, even if different tools might be needed to produce different types of parts, the same workers can still be used to produce different types of parts, thereby reducing costs. At 606, method 600 includes simultaneously performing different work processes on different sections of one or more component parts. Performing different work processes includes one or more of the following: using different work execution devices (e.g., work execution device 420) to perform work, performing different types of work (e.g., drilling and painting and laminating and ablation and attaching component parts, etc.), and / or performing work on different areas of the same section of a given component part. Specifically, performing different work processes on different sections of one or more component parts includes performing different work processes at different workstations (e.g., workstation 410). In such an example, two or more workstations are configured to simultaneously perform different types of work on a given component part. Furthermore, two or more workstations are configured to be close enough together that a given component occupies two or more workstations simultaneously. Therefore, the segmented pulse of method 600 includes: simultaneously occupying at least two workstations with at least one of the one or more component components and / or simultaneously performing work on at least one of the one or more component components at at least two or more workstations.

[0094] By segmenting pulses to one or more component parts and simultaneously performing different work processes on one or more component parts, parallel processing can be increased and production inefficiencies can be reduced. Specifically, more work can be performed on one or more component parts at any given time. Furthermore, breaking down one or more component parts into segmented sections reduces the amount of movement required for the work actuator to complete the work process. This reduction in movement also improves production efficiency.

[0095] Performing work on one or more component parts may optionally include: at 608, removing material from one or more component parts; at 610, adding material to one or more component parts; and / or at 612, treating, cleaning, curing, and / or otherwise exposing one or more component parts to external stimuli (e.g., pressure changes, temperature changes, electromagnetic radiation, etc.). In some examples, at 610, adding material to one or more component parts includes: coupling a base part (e.g., base part 202) and / or a subassembly part (e.g., subassembly part 204) to one or more component parts. Specifically, the base part and / or subassembly part may be coupled to an aircraft subassembly precursor (e.g., aircraft subassembly precursor 206). As described above... Figure 4 As discussed in the description of method 500, in some examples, base parts and / or sub-assembly parts are introduced into a segmented pulse assembly line via one or more feeders. Optionally, at 611, adding material includes adding parts (e.g., base parts) from one or more feeders to one or more component parts.

[0096] Optionally, at 614, method 600 includes: removing one or more component parts from the segmented pulse assembly line; and / or at 615, merging different assembly lines (e.g., two or more segmented pulse assembly lines). Merging different assembly lines may include: connecting the different assembly lines to form a common assembly line. Additionally or optionally, merging may include: connecting branch assembly lines and / or sub-assemblies to the main assembly line.

[0097] Optionally, at 616, method 600 includes: combining one or more component parts to form a component part assembly. In some examples, at 616, combining one or more component parts includes: coupling one or more component parts together. As an example, combination may include: combining base parts and / or sub-component parts with an aircraft sub-component precursor on a main assembly line. Coupling is achieved by using fasteners, adhesives, and / or other coupling mechanisms. In some examples, method 600 includes one or more of the following: placing the component part assembly back onto the assembly line; performing segmented pulses on the component part assembly along the assembly line; and / or performing segmented pulses on the component part assembly along a common assembly line.

[0098] Therefore, method 600 may include assembling, coupling, and / or otherwise combining component parts. In some examples, this can be accomplished by picking up component parts from an assembly line, assembling them, and then placing them back on the same assembly line or on different assembly lines. In other examples, the assembly, coupling, and / or other combination can be performed on the assembly line without picking up component parts from the assembly line. In a further example, component parts can be transferred from a first assembly line (e.g., feeder 140) to a second assembly line (e.g., assembly line 120) and assembled, coupled, and / or otherwise combined with parts from the second assembly line. As an example, when component parts are attached to a larger base structure, such as an aircraft sub-component precursor (e.g., when wing flaps are attached to the rest of the wing), a smaller sub-feeder assembly line may be merged with a larger main assembly line. In some examples, the first assembly line may be merged and / or connected to the second assembly line, such that component parts can be transferred to the second assembly line via a conveyor mechanism of the first assembly line.

[0099] In this way, aircraft subassemblies can be manufactured from base parts, at least in part, by segmented pulses along one or more assembly lines and / or feeders to aircraft subassemblies and / or one or more of their constituent parts.

[0100] Figure 6A method 700 for designing and / or constructing an aircraft manufacturing system including a segmented pulse assembly line as disclosed herein is illustrated. At 702, method 700 includes: determining and / or back-calculating the productivity (i.e., takt time) of the component parts based on one or more of the cycle time of an aircraft component (e.g., aircraft component 78) and the number of component parts. The takt time of an aircraft component is a customer demand productivity (e.g., the number of aircraft components per unit time), which is essentially the productivity or frequency of producing the aircraft component. For example, the takt time of an aircraft component is four hours when one aircraft component (e.g., aircraft 300) is produced every four hours to meet customer demand. Based on the takt time of the aircraft component, the takt time of each type of component part of the aircraft component is back-calculated based on the number of each type of component part. Specifically, in some examples, the back-calculation is performed iteratively backward from part to sub-part until the takt time of all component parts is calculated. The more sub-parts a part includes, the shorter the takt time of the sub-parts. That is, when a component comprises two or more sub-components, the sub-components have a shorter cycle time to maintain the component's cycle time than the component's cycle time. Continuing with the aircraft component example above, since the aircraft component comprises two wings (left wing and right wing), the wing's cycle time must be less than the aircraft component's cycle time to maintain the aircraft component's cycle time because there are more wings than the aircraft component (e.g., wings must be transported to the final assembly line every two hours, resulting in a complete set of two wings being transported every four hours).

[0101] At 703, method 700 includes determining how many assembly lines (e.g., segmented pulse assembly lines) are included in the aircraft manufacturing system. The determination at 703 may be based on the feasibility of manufacturing component parts on the assembly lines, the number of component parts to be produced, the similarity between the component parts to be produced, and / or the similarity of the work processes performed on the component parts to be produced. The number of assembly lines may be influenced by the number of component parts that are practically feasible to manufacture using the assembly lines. As an example, manufacturing a third aircraft subassembly may be infeasible on an assembly line due to its unique physical characteristics (geometry, shape, size, surface features, etc.) and / or due to the unique work processes performed on itself and / or its component parts. Therefore, a third aircraft subassembly may be manufactured on a fixed rack (e.g., fixed rack 84) and not on an assembly line.

[0102] Alternatively or additionally, the number of assembly lines included in the aircraft manufacturing system may be influenced by the number of component parts produced. As an example, since it may be feasible to manufacture both a first aircraft sub-assembly and a second aircraft sub-assembly on an assembly line, at least two assembly lines may be included, one assembly line (e.g., first assembly line 130) manufacturing the first aircraft sub-assembly, and another assembly line (e.g., second assembly line 132) manufacturing the second aircraft sub-assembly.

[0103] Alternatively or additionally, the number of assembly lines included in an aircraft manufacturing system may be influenced by the similarity between the component parts to be produced and / or the similarity of the working processes performed on those component parts. This is because, in some examples, component parts that are sufficiently similar in their physical characteristics and / or working processes can be manufactured on the same assembly line. For example, as described in step 707 below, both the left and right wings can be produced on the same assembly line (e.g., first assembly line 130). As another example, different sections of the fuselage may be similar enough to be produced on the same assembly line (e.g., second assembly line 132). Thus, in some examples, an aircraft manufacturing system includes two assembly lines, each configured to produce two or more different types of component parts for the aircraft. In this way, an aircraft manufacturing system can include fewer assembly lines when more component parts can be manufactured on the same assembly line.

[0104] At 704, method 700 includes determining the line length of the segmented pulse assembly line of the aircraft manufacturing system based on one or more line parameters. As an example, at 706, method 700 optionally includes determining the line length based on whether the component parts are produced serially or in parallel. Specifically, the line length is shorter when the component parts are produced in parallel on separate lines. As an example, the segmented pulse assembly lines of the first and second manufacturing areas are parallel to each other and therefore have a shorter combined line length than they should have if they were produced serially.

[0105] In some examples, at 706, method 700 optionally includes determining at 707 whether the different component parts are produced on the same assembly line (serial) or on different assembly lines (parallel). In some examples, this determination is based at least on the similarity between the component parts (e.g., similarity in size, shape, geometry, and / or other physical properties) and / or the similarity of the work processes performed on the component parts (e.g., drilling holes, painting, curing, fastening, assembly, etc. of the component parts).

[0106] As an example, in some examples, the left wing (e.g., left wing 322) and the right wing (e.g., right wing 324) are produced on the same assembly line, at least because the same and / or similar working processes are performed on the two wings and / or because the physical characteristics (e.g., size, shape, etc.) of the wings manufactured on the same assembly line are sufficiently similar to each other. In some such examples, the two wings are produced on a first assembly line in a first manufacturing area. As another example, in some examples, the forward main fuselage section (e.g., forward main fuselage section 308 of fuselage 302) and the aft main fuselage section (e.g., aft main fuselage section 314) of the aircraft assembly are produced on the same assembly line, at least because the same and / or similar working processes are performed on the fuselage sections and / or because the physical characteristics (e.g., size, shape, color, etc.) of the fuselage sections manufactured on the same assembly line are sufficiently similar to each other. Specifically, in some examples, the fuselage sections have the same and / or similar semi-cylindrical shapes. In some such examples, the fuselage sections are produced on a second assembly line in a second manufacturing area. As yet another example, in some examples, the tail section of the fuselage (e.g., tail section 316) comprises two truncated cone segments. In some such examples, due to their similarity in shape, these two fuselage segments are additionally or optionally manufactured serially on the same assembly line. Additionally or optionally, the determination at 707 is based on cycle time. Specifically, in some examples, processing the component parts serially on the same line may take more time than processing them in parallel on different lines. In some such examples, to meet the cycle time, it may be necessary to process the component parts in parallel on separate lines.

[0107] The determination at point 707 is additionally or optionally based on the intervals of the work process along the length of the component. As described above, a given work process can be repeatedly performed on different parts of a component at a given workstation by making segmented pulses of the component in the segment pass through the workstation. Specifically, because segmented pulses of different parts of the component pass through the workstation, work processes can be performed at regular intervals along the length of the component (e.g., windows can be installed every X meters along the fuselage skin). In some such examples, the regular interval is equal to the pulse length. In such examples, when the regular interval of the work process (and the regular intervals of other work processes on the assembly line) is equal to an integer multiple and / or a fraction of 1 / X of the pulse length of the assembly line, the work process can be performed serially on the assembly line with other workstations.

[0108] In this way, different work processes can be similarly divided along the length of the component parts on the same assembly line, such that the regular intervals of the work processes performed along the length of the component parts are equal to each other, are integer multiples of each other, and / or are fractions of each other. If the work processes cannot be divided into regular intervals equal to the regular intervals of other work processes and / or the pulse length of the assembly line, are integer multiples of the regular intervals of other work processes and / or the pulse length of the assembly line, and / or are fractions of the regular intervals of other work processes and / or the pulse length of the assembly line, it may be necessary to perform the work processes on different assembly lines and / or different segments of assembly lines with different pulse lengths and / or frequencies.

[0109] Therefore, at 707, it can be determined whether the work processes (for the same part of the same assembly line) can be performed serially together based on the similarity of the separability of the work processes along the lengths of the component parts to be worked. Specifically, it can be determined whether the work processes can be performed serially together on the same part of the same assembly line (i.e., whether the workstations can be positioned adjacent to each other on the assembly line) based on whether the work processes can be performed at regular intervals along the lengths of component parts that are equal to each other, are integer multiples of each other, and / or fractions of 1 / X.

[0110] The determination at 704 may additionally or optionally be based on the physical characteristics of the sub-components pulsed along the segmented pulse assembly line. As an example, method 700 may optionally include determining the line length based on one or more of the following: the sub-component part length at 708, the number of sub-components in the assembly at 709, the size of the gap between sequentially adjacent sub-components on the line at 710, and / or the number of gaps between sequentially adjacent sub-components on the line at 712. Specifically, the longer the sub-component, the longer the line length, the more sequential sub-components exist on the line, the larger the gaps between sequential sub-components on the line, and / or the larger the size of these gaps.

[0111] Alternatively or additionally, at 704, the line length is determined based on the workstations. As an example, method 700 may optionally include determining the line length based on one or more of the following: the size of the workstation at 714, the number of workstations at 716, and / or the number and / or size of the gaps between workstations at 718. Because more and / or larger workstations and / or gaps increase the distance that all workstations must travel on the segmented pulse assembly line, the line length is longer when there are more workstations, when the workstations are larger (e.g., wider), and / or when there are more and / or larger gaps between workstations.

[0112] In some examples, the size of the workstations, the number of workstations, and / or the number and / or size of the gaps between workstations are determined based on the separability of the component parts and / or workspace constraints. As an example, when a component part is divided into multiple segments, the number of workstations that can be compressed along the length of the component part to perform work on it simultaneously increases. However, the number of workstations that can perform work on the component part simultaneously is limited by the physical dimensions of the work execution device. That is, the work execution device can limit the amount of workstations that can be retracted to accommodate more workstations, and in some examples, the workstations may not be smaller than the size of the work execution device.

[0113] The separability of a component to smaller segments is determined based on one or more of the following: the similarity of the physical properties of the component along its length, wherein a working process is performed on the component along its length (i.e., the location on the component to which the working process is performed); and / or the repeatability of the working process along its length (i.e., the similarity of a given working process performed on the component along its length). For example, a component may be decomposed into increasingly shorter segments until a given process (e.g., drilling) becomes less similar at different segments of the component, making it impractical to perform the process serially across all segments (e.g., no longer repeating the working process at each segment). Therefore, the determination at 704 may optionally include: determining the minimum common segment length to which the component can be decomposed while still maintaining sufficient similarity between segments to perform the same working process serially across all segments of the component.

[0114] As previously discussed, reducing workstation size can improve worker safety, at least for reasons that can reduce the size of the work execution devices handled by workers and / or reduce the amount of movement required for workers to perform work processes. Furthermore, because performing work processes may require less movement, increasing the number of workstations simultaneously performing work on component parts can increase the parallel processing of parts and / or improve productivity.

[0115] At 720, method 700 includes determining an average linear velocity. The average linear velocity is determined based on the cycle time. Specifically, in some examples, the average linear velocity is the average linear velocity required to satisfy the cycle time. In some such examples, determining the average linear velocity takes into account predetermined worker interruptions, maintenance of work actuators at workstations, gaps in the assembly line (e.g., assembly areas such as assembling individual sub-components into parts (e.g., assembly area 430)) and / or parallel and serial processing of parts. Specifically, the serial processing of parts at these gaps / interruptions in the assembly line can create bottlenecks that necessitate an increase in the average linear velocity of the assembly line.

[0116] Although no work is being performed on one or more component parts on the line, the line can continue to move by taking into account worker interruptions, maintenance, and / or other predetermined gaps in the line where no work is being performed. Because holdups in a continuous pulse line are more visible (i.e., downstream components can continue moving while upstream components can stop, providing a visible indication of a holdup), incomplete work processes can be more easily identified by keeping the line pulsed in segments and / or pulsed more regularly on the component parts on the line. In this way, workstation nonperformance can be identified and corrected more easily and quickly compared to conventional manufacturing methods that do not pulse component parts regularly or pulse regularly but at longer intervals. In some examples, small time buffers can be created between work processes to accommodate slight delays in the work process. However, for longer delays, line movement can stop upstream of the holdup, allowing supervisors to easily identify and remedy the holdup.

[0117] At 722, method 700 includes determining the pulse length based on one or more of the minimum workstation length and / or minimum segment length of the component. As discussed above at 704, the minimum workstation length may be affected by the physical dimensions of the work actuator and / or the required intervals between work actuators. The minimum segment length of the component can be determined based on the separability of the work process along the length of the component (i.e., a given work process can be performed at regular intervals along the length of the component in the same or substantially the same manner). Furthermore, the separability of the work process can be determined based on the uniformity of the component along its length (different segments of the component) and / or the uniformity of the work processes performed along the length of the component. As described above, the component can be decomposed into segments of equal length and the same and / or similar work processes can be repeatedly performed on each segment of the component by pulses passing through the workstation with a constant pulse length and / or frequency. Therefore, the pulse length can be equal to the length of each segment of the component, an integer multiple of the length of each segment of the component, and / or a fraction of 1 / X. In this way, the work process can be repeated along the length of the constituent parts at regular intervals in the same and / or similar manner.

[0118] Alternatively, the pulse length is equal to the minimum workstation length and / or an integer multiple thereof. Therefore, in such an example, the pulse length of the component is not less than the length of the minimum workstation and / or not less than the shortest segment of the component.

[0119] In some examples, the pulse length is determined based on the divisibility of the working process along the length of the constituent parts.

[0120] At 724, method 700 includes determining a pulse frequency based on one or more of an average line velocity, line length, and / or pulse length. Specifically, given the line length and pulse length, the pulse frequency can be the frequency required to achieve the average line velocity. Specifically, the line length can be divided by the average line velocity to provide the total line time. The line length can be divided by the pulse length to determine the number of pulses on the line. The number of pulses divided by the total line time provides the pulse frequency (i.e., the number of pulses per unit time). The pulse period (e.g., pulse period 462) is then the time period between each pulse and may include both the work cycle of performing work on the component and the time spent pulsed on the component (e.g., pulse duration 466).

[0121] At 726, method 700 may optionally include constructing an assembly line based on one or more of the above specifications (e.g., line length, pulse length, pulse frequency, etc.).

[0122] The following paragraphs describe illustrative, non-exclusive examples of the inventive subject matter according to this disclosure:

[0123] A. An aircraft manufacturing system for repeatedly manufacturing aircraft components, wherein each aircraft component includes at least a first aircraft sub-component and a second aircraft sub-component, the aircraft manufacturing system comprising:

[0124] The first manufacturing area is configured to repeatedly manufacture the first aircraft sub-components;

[0125] The second manufacturing area is configured to repeatedly manufacture second aircraft sub-components; and

[0126] The third manufacturing area is configured to receive a first aircraft sub-component from the first manufacturing area, receive a second aircraft sub-component from the second manufacturing area, and repeatedly assemble the first and second aircraft sub-components into the aircraft component.

[0127] A1. According to the aircraft manufacturing system in paragraph A, where:

[0128] Aircraft components are aircraft;

[0129] The first sub-component of the aircraft is the wing; and

[0130] The second aircraft component is the fuselage section.

[0131] A1.1 Aircraft manufacturing system according to paragraph A1, wherein the fuselage section includes the main cabin portion of the fuselage.

[0132] A2. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A to A1.1, wherein a first manufacturing area and a second manufacturing area are substantially parallel to each other, such that the overall flow direction of the first aircraft sub-component in the first manufacturing area is substantially parallel to the overall flow direction of the second aircraft sub-component in the second manufacturing area.

[0133] A3. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A to A2, wherein a first manufacturing area includes a first assembly line, and wherein a second manufacturing area includes a second assembly line.

[0134] A3.1. An aircraft manufacturing system according to paragraph A3, wherein a first assembly line and a second assembly line each include a conveyor system, and wherein the conveyor system of the first assembly line is configured to advance a first aircraft sub-assembly along the first assembly line within a first manufacturing area, and wherein the conveyor system of the second assembly line is configured to advance a second aircraft sub-assembly along the second assembly line within a second manufacturing area.

[0135] A3.2. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A3 to A3.1, wherein the first assembly line and the second assembly line include workstations in which work is performed on component parts of an aircraft assembly, and wherein the work processes performed at adjacent workstations are different.

[0136] A3.2.1. According to paragraph A3.2, in an aircraft manufacturing system, adjacent workstations include different robots, different machines, and / or different manufacturing personnel.

[0137] A3.2.2. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A3.2 to A3.2.1, wherein a workstation is shorter than a first aircraft sub-component and a second aircraft component, such that two or more workstations perform work on the same sub-component simultaneously.

[0138] A3.2.3. According to paragraph A3.2.2, in the aircraft manufacturing system, the length of the workstations is not uniform.

[0139] A3.2.4. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A3.2 to A3.2.3, wherein each workstation of a first assembly line performs a unique type of work process and / or wherein each workstation of a second assembly line performs a unique type of work process.

[0140] A3.2.5. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A3.2 to A3.2.3, wherein each workstation of a first assembly line precisely performs a work process and / or wherein each workstation of a second assembly line precisely performs a work process.

[0141] A3.3. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A3.1 to A3.2.3, wherein a conveyor system in a first manufacturing area is configured to perform segmented pulses forward along a first assembly line to a first aircraft sub-assembly, and wherein a conveyor system in a second manufacturing area is configured to perform segmented pulses forward along a second assembly line to a second aircraft sub-assembly.

[0142] A3.3.1. The aircraft manufacturing system according to paragraph A3.3, when belonging to any one of paragraphs A3.2 to A3.2.3, wherein the conveyor system of the first manufacturing area is configured to advance the first aircraft sub-assembly by at most the minimum length of the workstation during each pulse, and wherein the conveyor system of the second manufacturing area is configured to advance the second aircraft sub-assembly by at most the minimum length of the workstation during each pulse.

[0143] A3.4. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A3 to A3.3.1, wherein the first aircraft sub-component includes both a left wing and a right wing.

[0144] A3.4.1. According to the aircraft manufacturing system in paragraph A3.4, the first assembly line is configured to transport the left wing, which is in the final left wing orientation, to the third manufacturing area and the right wing, which is in the final right wing orientation, to the third manufacturing area.

[0145] A3.4.1.1. An aircraft manufacturing system according to paragraph A3.4, wherein the left wing is configured to be coupled to the fuselage located in the final left wing orientation, and wherein the right wing is configured to be coupled to the fuselage located in the final right wing orientation.

[0146] A4. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A3.1 to A3.2.1, wherein the first manufacturing area and the second manufacturing area include doorways configured to allow the transport of component parts to workstations.

[0147] A4.1. An aircraft manufacturing system according to paragraph A4, wherein a first manufacturing area and a second manufacturing area include feeders configured to orient component parts in a desired orientation and to advance component parts away from doorways and / or to advance component parts toward one or more of a first assembly line or a second assembly line.

[0148] A5. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A to A4, wherein the first manufacturing area and the second manufacturing area are separated by a maximum of three kilometers (km).

[0149] A5.1. According to paragraph A5, the aircraft manufacturing system wherein the first manufacturing area and the second manufacturing area are spaced at least 10 meters (m) apart from each other.

[0150] A6. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A to A5, wherein a third manufacturing area is physically connected to a first manufacturing area and a second manufacturing area.

[0151] A7. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A to A6, wherein a third manufacturing area is physically separated from at least one of the first and second manufacturing areas.

[0152] A7.1. According to the aircraft manufacturing system in paragraph A7, the third manufacturing area is physically separated from the second manufacturing area.

[0153] A7.1.1. According to paragraph A7.1, in an aircraft manufacturing system, the third manufacturing area is separated from the second manufacturing area by at least 5m and at most 3km.

[0154] A7.2. According to the aircraft manufacturing system in paragraph A7, the third manufacturing area is physically separated from the first manufacturing area.

[0155] A7.2.1. According to paragraph A7.2, in an aircraft manufacturing system, the third manufacturing area is separated from the first manufacturing area by at least 5m and at most 3km.

[0156] A7.3. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A7 to A7.2.1, further comprising a transport path extending along at least a portion of the periphery of one or more of the first, second, and third manufacturing areas, wherein the transport path is configured to allow a motor vehicle to travel around at least a portion of one or more of the first, second, and third manufacturing areas.

[0157] A7.3.1. According to the aircraft manufacturing system of paragraph A7.3, when belonging to any of paragraphs A4 to A4.1, the transport path is configured to allow motor vehicles to transport component parts to a gateway to a first manufacturing area and / or a second manufacturing area.

[0158] A8. The aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A through A7.2 further includes a lifting mechanism configured to lift the first aircraft sub-component from a first manufacturing area to a third manufacturing area.

[0159] A8.1. According to paragraph A8, the aircraft manufacturing system, wherein the lifting mechanism includes a crane.

[0160] A8.2. According to the aircraft manufacturing system of paragraph A8.1, when belonging to any of paragraphs A7.3 to A7.3.1, one or more transport paths extend below the lifting mechanism.

[0161] A8.3. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A8 to A8.2, when subordinate to paragraphs A3.4.1 to A3.4.1.1, wherein the lifting mechanism is configured to receive the left wing from the first manufacturing area in the final left orientation and to transport the left wing to the third manufacturing area in the final left orientation, and is configured to receive the right wing from the first manufacturing area in the final right orientation and to transport the right wing to the third manufacturing area in the final right orientation.

[0162] A9. The aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A through A8.3 further includes a fourth manufacturing area configured to repeatedly manufacture a third aircraft sub-component.

[0163] A9.1. According to paragraph A9, the aircraft manufacturing system, wherein the third aircraft sub-component includes one or more of the following: a cockpit section of the fuselage, a tail section of the fuselage, and a mid-section of the fuselage, wherein the mid-section of the fuselage includes one or more of the following: a wing box and an upper wing section of the fuselage.

[0164] A9.2. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A9 to A9.1, wherein the third manufacturing area is further configured to receive a third aircraft sub-component from a fourth manufacturing area and to repeatedly assemble the third aircraft sub-component, along with the first and second aircraft sub-components, into an aircraft assembly.

[0165] A9.3. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A9 to A9.2, wherein a fourth manufacturing area is located between the first manufacturing area and the second manufacturing area.

[0166] A9.4. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A9 to A9.3, wherein the fourth manufacturing area includes a hangar configured to accommodate each third aircraft sub-component during assembly and to manufacture the third aircraft sub-component.

[0167] A9.5. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A9 to A9.4, wherein the fourth manufacturing area includes a doorway configured to allow the transport of component parts to the hangar.

[0168] A9.6. An aircraft manufacturing system according to paragraph A9.5, wherein a fourth manufacturing area includes a feeder that orients the component parts in a desired orientation.

[0169] A9.7. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A9 to A9.6, wherein a fourth manufacturing area is substantially parallel to the first and second manufacturing areas, such that the overall flow direction of the third aircraft sub-assembly is substantially parallel to the overall flow direction of the first and second aircraft sub-assemblies.

[0170] A9.8. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A9 to A9.7, wherein a fourth manufacturing area is physically connected to a third manufacturing area.

[0171] A9.9. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A9 to A9.7, wherein the fourth manufacturing area is physically separated from the third manufacturing area.

[0172] A9.9.1. According to paragraph A9.9 of the aircraft manufacturing system, the third manufacturing area is at least 5m apart from the fourth manufacturing area.

[0173] A9.10. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A9 to A9.9.1, when belonging to any one of paragraphs A7.3 to A7.3.1, wherein the transport path extends along at least a portion of the perimeter of the fourth manufacturing area, and wherein the transport path is configured to allow motor vehicles to move around at least a portion of the perimeter of the fourth manufacturing area.

[0174] A.9.10.1. An aircraft manufacturing system according to paragraph A9.10, wherein the transport path is configured to allow motor vehicles to transport component parts to a gate in a fourth manufacturing area.

[0175] A9.11. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A9 to A9.10.1 further includes one or more transport devices configured to transport component parts to one or more manufacturing areas, transport component parts from one or more manufacturing areas, and / or transport component parts between one or more manufacturing areas.

[0176] A9.11.1. According to the aircraft manufacturing system of paragraph A9.11, when it belongs to any of paragraphs A8 to A8.2, one or more transport devices include a lifting mechanism.

[0177] A9.11.2. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A9.11 to A9.11.1, wherein one or more transport devices include one or more of a lifting mechanism, a conveyor system, and a shuttle vehicle.

[0178] A9.11.3. According to paragraph A9.11.2, the aircraft manufacturing system includes a shuttle bus, which comprises a motor vehicle.

[0179] A9.11.4. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A9.11 to A9.11.2, wherein one or more transport devices include: a first transport device configured to transport a first aircraft sub-component between a first manufacturing area and a third manufacturing area; and a second transport device configured to transport a second aircraft sub-component between a second manufacturing area and a third manufacturing area.

[0180] A9.11.5. According to the aircraft manufacturing system of paragraph A9.11.4, when it belongs to any of paragraphs A8 to A8.2, the first transport device includes a lifting mechanism.

[0181] A9.11.6 An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A9.11 to A9.11.5, when subordinate to any one of paragraphs A9 to A9.10, wherein one or more transport devices include: a third transport device configured to transport one or more third aircraft sub-components between a fourth manufacturing area and a third manufacturing area.

[0182] A9.11.7. An aircraft manufacturing system according to any one of paragraphs A9.11 to A9.11.6, when belonging to any one of paragraphs A9 to A9.10, wherein one or more transport devices include: a fourth transport device configured to transport one or more third aircraft sub-components between a fourth manufacturing area and a second manufacturing area.

[0183] B. A method for repeatedly manufacturing aircraft components, the method comprising:

[0184] The first and second aircraft sub-components are assembled in parallel on separate assembly lines within a public geographical area; and

[0185] The first and second aircraft sub-components will be transported to the final assembly facility located in the same public geographic area.

[0186] B1. According to the method in paragraph B, wherein the first aircraft sub-component is the aircraft wing, and wherein the second aircraft sub-component is part of the aircraft fuselage.

[0187] B2. According to the method in paragraph B1, the parallel assembly of the first aircraft sub-component and the second aircraft sub-component includes: assembling the first aircraft sub-component and the second aircraft sub-component in parallel in time and / or space.

[0188] B3. The method according to any one of paragraphs B1 to B2, wherein assembling the first aircraft sub-assembly and the second aircraft sub-assembly in parallel on separate assembly lines includes sending the first aircraft sub-assembly and / or its constituent parts along the first assembly line and sending the second aircraft sub-assembly and / or its constituent parts along the second assembly line.

[0189] B3.1. According to the method in paragraph B3, wherein assembling the first aircraft sub-component and the second aircraft sub-component in parallel on separate assembly lines in a public geographic area includes one or more of the following: serially sending different parts of the first aircraft sub-component along the first assembly line, and serially sending different parts of the second aircraft sub-component along the second assembly line.

[0190] B3.1.1. According to the method in paragraph B3.1, wherein the serial transmission of different parts of the first aircraft sub-assembly along the first assembly line includes: serial transmission of both the right wing and the left wing and / or their constituent parts along the first assembly line.

[0191] B3.2 The method according to any one of paragraphs B3 to B3.1.1, wherein sending the first aircraft sub-assembly and / or its component along the first assembly line comprises: performing segmented pulses on the first aircraft sub-assembly and / or its component along the first assembly line, and wherein sending the second aircraft sub-assembly and / or its component along the second assembly line comprises: performing segmented pulses on the second aircraft sub-assembly and / or its component along the second assembly line.

[0192] B3.3. The method according to any one of paragraphs B3 to B3.2, wherein sending a first aircraft sub-assembly and / or its constituent parts along a first assembly line and sending a second aircraft sub-assembly and / or its constituent parts along a second assembly line comprises: advancing the first aircraft sub-assembly and / or its constituent parts in parallel overall flow directions with the second aircraft sub-assembly and / or its constituent parts.

[0193] B3.4. The method according to any one of paragraphs B3 to B3.3, wherein sending a first aircraft sub-assembly and / or its constituent parts along a first assembly line and sending a second aircraft sub-assembly and / or its constituent parts along a second assembly line comprises: sending the first aircraft sub-assembly and / or its constituent parts and the second aircraft sub-assembly and / or its constituent parts along the first assembly line and the second assembly line at a common average speed.

[0194] B3.4.1. According to the method in paragraph B3.4, when subordinate to paragraph B3.2, wherein sending the first aircraft sub-assembly and / or its constituent parts and the second aircraft sub-assembly and / or its constituent parts along the first assembly line and the second assembly line at a common average speed comprises: performing segmented pulses on the first aircraft sub-assembly and / or its constituent parts and the second aircraft sub-assembly and / or its constituent parts at a common average speed.

[0195] B4. The method according to any one of paragraphs B to B3.3, wherein transporting the first aircraft sub-component to the final assembly facility includes: lifting the first aircraft sub-component to the final assembly facility.

[0196] B5. The method according to any one of paragraphs B to B3, wherein transporting the first aircraft sub-component to the final assembly facility includes: transporting the first aircraft sub-component up to 1 km.

[0197] B6. The method according to any one of paragraphs B to B5 further includes: feeding the component parts along one or more feed lines to various locations along the first assembly line and / or the second assembly line, respectively.

[0198] B6.1. According to the method in paragraph B6, feeding the component comprises: orienting the component and advancing it toward one or more of the first assembly line and the second assembly line.

[0199] B6.2. The method according to any one of paragraphs B6 to B6.1, wherein assembling the first aircraft sub-assembly and the second aircraft sub-assembly includes: adding component parts to one or more precursor structures of one or more aircraft sub-assemblies in the first aircraft sub-assembly and the second aircraft sub-assembly.

[0200] C. A method for repeatedly manufacturing an aircraft, the method comprising:

[0201] The aircraft components are advanced periodically along the assembly line at intervals less than the length of the aircraft components.

[0202] C1. According to the method in paragraph C, the periodic advancement includes:

[0203] The pulse length that advances the aircraft component is less than the length of the aircraft component; then

[0204] To stop the movement of the aircraft components for a certain duration; and then

[0205] The length of the pulse that propels the aircraft component forward.

[0206] C2. The method according to any one of paragraphs C to C1 further includes: performing work on the aircraft component at a workstation during the duration during which the aircraft component is not moved.

[0207] C2.1. According to the method in paragraph C2, performing work on an aircraft component includes: adding component parts to the aircraft component; removing material from the aircraft component; and / or modifying the aircraft component.

[0208] C2.2. The method according to any one of paragraphs C2 to C2.1, wherein performing work on aircraft components at a workstation includes performing different types of work processes at two or more workstations.

[0209] C.2.2.1. According to the method in paragraph C2.2, performing different types of work processes at two or more workstations includes performing different types of work processes at each workstation.

[0210] C.2.3. The method according to any one of paragraphs C2.2 to C2.2.1, wherein performing different types of work processes at two or more workstations includes: performing different types of work processes simultaneously at two or more workstations.

[0211] C2.4. The method according to any one of paragraphs C to C.2.3, wherein performing work on aircraft components at a workstation includes: precisely performing a type of work process at each workstation.

[0212] C3. The method according to any one of paragraphs C to C2.4 further includes: feeding the component parts to the assembly line via one or more feeders.

[0213] C4. According to any one of paragraphs C to C3, wherein periodic advance includes: causing the aircraft component to advance by the same amount periodically during each periodic advance.

[0214] C5. The method according to any one of paragraphs C to C4 further includes: causing the aircraft component to advance along the assembly line at a common average speed, and changing one or more of the periodically advancing pulse frequency and pulse length at different sections of the assembly line.

[0215] C5.1. According to the method in paragraph C5, changing the pulse frequency and pulse length at different sections of the assembly line includes:

[0216] At the first section of the assembly line, pulses are applied at a first frequency, causing the aircraft component to advance a first distance during each pulse; and

[0217] At the second section of the assembly line, pulses are applied at a second frequency higher than the first frequency, causing the aircraft components to advance a second distance less than the first distance during each pulse.

[0218] C5.2. The method according to any one of paragraphs C5 to C5.1, wherein the pulse frequency and pulse length are varied based on the amount of separability in the work process to be performed on the aircraft component and / or the size of one or more workstations on the assembly line.

[0219] C5.2.1. According to the method in paragraph C5.2, wherein, for the increase in the separability of the working process to be performed on the aircraft component and / or the reduction in the size of one or more workstations, the pulse frequency increases and the pulse length decreases.

[0220] D. A method for designing an aircraft manufacturing system, the method comprising:

[0221] The segment pulse length for segmenting pulses of one or more components of an aircraft on a segmented pulse assembly line is determined based on one or more of the minimum workstation length of one or more assembly line workstations and / or the minimum segment length of one or more work processes along the length of one or more component parts.

[0222] D1. According to the method in paragraph D, the minimum workstation length of one or more assembly line workstations is determined based on the physical dimensions of one or more work execution devices included at one or more assembly line workstations.

[0223] D1.2. According to the method in paragraph D1, the segmented pulse length is equal to an integer multiple of the minimum workstation length of one or more workstations and / or a fraction of 1 / X of the minimum workstation length of one or more workstations, where X is an integer.

[0224] D2. The method of any one of paragraphs D to D1.2, wherein the smallest segment length of one or more work processes is determined based on the divisibility of one or more work processes along the length of one or more component parts.

[0225] D2.1. According to the method in paragraph D2, the separability of one or more work processes along the length of one or more component parts is determined based on one or more of the following: one or more work processes are performed on one or more component parts; the similarity of a given work process performed on a component part along the length of the component part; and the similarity of one or more physical properties of the component parts along the length of the component part.

[0226] D2.2. The method according to any one of paragraphs D2 to D2.1, wherein the segmented pulse length is one or more of an integer multiple of the minimum segment length and / or a fraction of 1 / X of the minimum segment length, where X is an integer.

[0227] D3. The method according to any one of paragraphs D to D2.2 further includes: determining the number of assembly lines to be included in the aircraft manufacturing system based on one or more of the number of aircraft sub-components to be manufactured, the similarity of the work processes to be performed on the aircraft sub-components and / or their constituent parts, and the similarity of the physical properties of the aircraft sub-components and / or their constituent parts.

[0228] D3.1 According to the method in paragraph D3, the aircraft sub-assemblies include sections of the left wing and the right wing and / or the fuselage.

[0229] D3.2. The method according to any one of paragraphs D3 to D3.1, wherein determining the number of assembly lines to be included in the aircraft manufacturing system includes: determining whether different types of aircraft sub-components and / or their constituent parts are produced together on the same assembly line or separately on different assembly lines.

[0230] D3.2.1. According to the method in paragraph D3.2, the number of assembly lines is reduced when more aircraft sub-components and / or constituent parts are produced on the same assembly line.

[0231] D3.3. The method according to any one of paragraphs D3 to D3.2.1, wherein determining the number of assembly lines to be included in the aircraft manufacturing system includes: determining whether different types of aircraft sub-components and / or their constituent parts are to be produced in parallel and / or serially with each other.

[0232] D3.3.1. According to the method in paragraph D3.3, the number of assembly lines increases when more aircraft sub-components and / or constituent parts are produced in parallel.

[0233] D4. The method according to any one of paragraphs D to D3 further includes: determining the pulse frequency based on one or more of the average speed of the segmented pulse assembly line and the segmented pulse length.

[0234] D4.1. According to the method in paragraph D4, the average speed of the segmented pulse assembly line is determined based on one or more of the following: the distance the component travels on the segmented pulse assembly line, the productivity of the component, and the number of assembly lines configured to produce the component in parallel.

[0235] D4.1.1. According to the method in paragraph D4.1, the productivity of the component is determined based on the cycle time of the aircraft and the number of component parts included in the aircraft.

[0236] D4.1.2. The method according to any one of paragraphs D4.1 to D4.1.1, wherein the average speed of the segmented pulse assembly line decreases as the number of assembly lines configured to produce component parts in parallel increases.

[0237] D4.1.3. The method according to any one of paragraphs D4.1 to D4.1.2, wherein the distance traveled by the component on the segmented pulse assembly line is determined based on the length of the component, the length of one or more gaps between the component on the segmented pulse assembly line, and / or the length of the segmented pulse assembly line.

[0238] D4.2. According to any one of paragraphs D4 to D4.1.3, the segmented pulse frequency is equal to the average speed of the segmented pulse assembly line divided by the segmented pulse length.

[0239] D5. Construct an aircraft manufacturing system designed according to any one of the methods in paragraphs D to D4.2.

[0240] E1. A method for operating a segmented pulse assembly line and / or for repeatedly manufacturing an aircraft, the method comprising:

[0241] The component parts are subjected to segmented pulses along the assembly line, wherein the segmented pulses include: causing the component parts to advance periodically along the assembly line by a length less than that of the component parts.

[0242] E2. According to the method in paragraph E1, the segmented pulse includes: performing different types of work on the component parts simultaneously at different workstations on the assembly line.

[0243] E3. The method according to any one of paragraphs E1 to E2 further includes: performing segmented pulses sequentially on two or more different types of component parts along the assembly line.

[0244] E4. The method according to any one of paragraphs E1 to E3 further includes: performing segmented pulses on two or more component parts in parallel with each other along two or more different assembly lines.

[0245] E5. According to the method in paragraph E4, where two or more different assembly lines are located in different manufacturing areas.

[0246] E6. The method according to any one of paragraphs E4 to E5 further includes one or more of the following: merging two or more different assembly lines to form a common assembly line; assembling two or more component parts to form a component assembly; and / or segmenting the component assembly along the common assembly line.

[0247] E7. The method according to any one of paragraphs E4 to E6 further includes: merging two or more different assembly lines to form a common assembly line, wherein segmenting pulses to two or more component parts in parallel along the two or more different assembly lines includes: pulses to the component parts in parallel at the same average linear velocity, such that the component parts are supplied to the common assembly line at approximately the same time (i.e., just in time).

[0248] E8. Based on the method of any one of paragraphs E1 to E6, further include the subject matter based on any one of paragraphs B1 to D5.

[0249] Although the disclosure herein refers to aircraft components and aircraft, the inventive subject matter herein can be applied to any manufactured assembly constructed from multiple component parts. Therefore, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, the term "aircraft" herein may be replaced by one or more of the broad terms "equipment," "large equipment," "component," "large assembly," "object," "large object," "manufactured assembly," or "large manufactured assembly." Illustrative, non-exclusive examples of other manufactured assemblies to which the disclosed inventive subject matter may be applied include (but are not limited to) ships, vessels, submarines, land vehicles, space vehicles, rail vehicles, machinery, wind turbines, and buildings.

[0250] As used herein, the terms “adapted” and “configured” mean that an element, component, or other subject is designed and / or intended to perform a given function. Therefore, the use of the terms “adapted” and “configured” should not be construed as meaning that a given element, component, or other subject is merely “capable” of performing a given function, but rather as indicating that the element, component, and / or other subject is specifically selected, created, implemented, utilized, programmed, and / or designed for the purpose of performing the function. Elements, components, and / or other subjects described as adapted to perform a specific function may also be described as configured to perform that function, which is also within the scope of this disclosure, and vice versa. Similarly, subjects described as configured to perform a specific function may also be described as operationally performing that function.

[0251] As used herein, the term “and / or” placed between the first entity and the second entity refers to (1) the first entity, (2) the second entity, and (3) one of the first entity and the second entity. Multiple entities listed with “and / or” should be interpreted in the same way, i.e., “one or more” entities combined in this manner. Other entities may optionally exist besides those specifically identified by the “and / or” clause, whether related to or unrelated to those specifically identified entities. Thus, as a non-restrictive example, in one instance, when used in conjunction with an open-ended phrase such as “including,” the reference to “A and / or B” may refer only to A (optionally including entities other than B); in another instance, only to B (optionally including entities other than A); and in yet another instance, both A and B (optionally including other entities). These entities can refer to elements, actions, structures, steps, operations, values, etc.

[0252] The individual elements and steps of the disclosed apparatus and methods are not essential to all apparatuses and methods according to this disclosure, and this disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and sub-combinations of the individual elements and steps disclosed herein. Furthermore, one or more of the individual elements and steps disclosed herein may define independent inventive subject matter separate and independent of the disclosed apparatus or method as a whole. Therefore, such inventive subject matter does not need to be associated with the specific apparatus and method expressly disclosed herein, and such inventive subject matter may find utility in apparatuses and / or methods not expressly disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for repeatedly manufacturing an aircraft, the method comprising: The aircraft component is periodically advanced along the assembly line by a distance less than the length of the aircraft component, wherein the periodic advancement includes: A pulse length that advances the aircraft component by a distance less than the length of the aircraft component; then Stop the movement of the aircraft component for a duration; and then The pulse length is used to advance the aircraft component. During the duration during which the aircraft component remains stationary, work is performed on the aircraft component at the workstation; and At different sections of the assembly line, one or more of the periodically advancing pulse frequency and pulse length are changed, wherein the changes include: At the first section of the assembly line, pulses are applied at a first frequency, causing the aircraft component to advance a first distance during each pulse; and At the second section of the assembly line, pulses are applied at a second frequency higher than the first frequency, causing the aircraft component to advance a second distance less than the first distance during each pulse.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Performing the work on the aircraft component includes one or more of the following: adding component parts to the aircraft component; removing material from the aircraft component; and modifying the aircraft component.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Performing the work on the aircraft component at the workstation includes: simultaneously performing different types of work processes at two or more workstations; and precisely performing one type of work process at each of the workstations.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The component parts are fed to the assembly line via one or more feeders.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The pulse frequency and pulse length are varied based on one or more of the divisibility of the work process to be performed on the aircraft component and the dimensions of one or more workstations on the assembly line.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, For one or more of the increase in the separability of the working process to be performed on the aircraft component and the reduction in the size of the one or more workstations, the pulse frequency increases and / or the pulse length decreases.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The pulse frequency is determined based on one or more of the average speed of the assembly line and the pulse length, wherein the average speed of the assembly line is determined based on one or more of the distance traveled by the aircraft component on the assembly line, the productivity of the aircraft component, and the number of assembly lines configured to produce the aircraft component in parallel.

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