A robotic repair device for composite material structures

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of composite material repair technology, specifically to a robotic repair device for composite material structures. The device includes a composite material repair integrated module and a composite material repair robot structure. The integrated module comprises a detection module, a grinding module, a layup module, and a curing module. The detection module includes a vision system and air-coupled ultrasonic testing, enabling the detection of surface and internal defects and damage characteristics of the composite material repair structure and the establishment of a digital model. The grinding module, through its spherical universal joint and telescopic push rod design, allows for the grinding of irregularly shaped, non-planar structures. Under the control of a microcomputer, the grinding module can automatically grind the repair area based on the defect damage characteristics identified by the detection module. The layup and curing modules can automatically lay up and cure prepreg in the ground area. Simultaneously, the detection module can evaluate the surface quality and internal structure of the repaired composite material defects.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of composite material repair technology, specifically to a robotic repair device for composite material structures. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous improvement of composite material performance, the application ratio and scale of composite materials in new aerospace equipment are rapidly increasing. The application of composite materials in advanced military and civilian aerospace equipment is gradually developing from non-load-bearing components to primary and secondary load-bearing components, which will play an increasingly crucial role in the structural safety of modern aircraft. For example, in the latest generation of foreign aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing B787, the proportion of composite materials exceeds 50%, while the F-35 reaches 30%. At the same time, with the continuous increase in the service of various new aircraft, damage to composite material structures caused by external load impacts and fatigue loads is inevitable and accumulates continuously during service, directly affecting the strength, lifespan, and reliability of aircraft composite material structures. Therefore, composite material repair technology has become a key development direction in the field of aircraft maintenance.

[0003] Currently, composite material structure repair mainly includes the detection and assessment of damaged areas, grinding of the damaged area to be repaired, layup and curing, and performance evaluation of the repaired structure. Existing routine composite material repair operations rely heavily on manual labor, which is inefficient, inaccurate, and difficult to perform continuously for extended periods. Furthermore, it is susceptible to human error and the inability to transfer the experience of individual repair technicians. Composite material structure repair requires grinding the area surrounding the damage. While existing robotic arms can grind composite materials by adding a grinding machine, most composite material structures are irregular and non-planar, placing high demands on the robotic arm's degrees of freedom and limiting the application of robots in composite material grinding. In addition to grinding, composite material repair involves other processes such as detection, layup, and curing, which are relatively complex and cannot currently be completely replaced by robots.

[0004] However, robots offer standardized operation, minimizing human error. To achieve robotic repair of composite material structures, the robot needs to be capable of completing a full set of processes, including grinding, inspection, layup, and curing. However, due to the differences in these processes, it's difficult to directly integrate existing equipment into a single robot. Therefore, based on existing composite material repair processes, it's challenging to achieve full-process repair of composite material structures using a single robot. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention proposes a robotic repair device for composite material structures.

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is achieved by the following technical solution:

[0007] A robotic repair device for composite material structures, comprising:

[0008] A composite material repair integrated module is used for detecting damaged areas, grinding, lay-up and curing, and evaluating the structural performance of composite material structures after repair. The composite material repair integrated module includes a module shell, a detection module, a grinding module, a lay-up module and a curing module disposed on the four sides of the module shell.

[0009] The composite material repair robot structure is movably connected to the module shell on the composite material repair integrated module, and is used to realize multi-degree-of-freedom adjustment of the composite material repair integrated module.

[0010] Preferably, the composite material repair robot structure includes a robot base, a lower robot arm disposed on the robot base, an upper robot arm connected to the lower robot arm, a robot wrist connected to the upper robot arm, four first telescopic push rods disposed at the end of the robot wrist, and a connecting frame connected to the four first telescopic push rods. The connecting frame is connected to the module housing via a connecting shaft.

[0011] Preferably, the detection module includes a vision camera, an air-coupled ultrasonic sensor, a data acquisition card, and a microcomputer disposed on the side of the module housing.

[0012] Preferably, the polishing module includes a spherical universal joint disposed on the side of the module housing, a polishing shaft connected to the spherical universal joint, a polishing disc protective sleeve and a polishing disc disposed sequentially on the polishing shaft.

[0013] Preferably, the polishing disc protective sleeve is connected to four electric telescopic rods, and the other end of the four electric telescopic rods is connected to the side of the module housing.

[0014] Preferably, the polishing module further includes a polishing chamber cover disposed on the side of the module housing, a temperature / humidity sensor disposed on the side of the module housing and located inside the polishing chamber cover, an atomizing nozzle, and a dust suction hole.

[0015] Preferably, the layup module includes a connecting rod disposed on the side of the module housing, a second telescopic push rod disposed at both ends of the connecting rod, a third telescopic push rod, a prepreg box connected to the telescopic end of the second telescopic push rod, and a layup roller connected to the telescopic end of the third telescopic push rod. The prepreg box contains layered prepreg. A guide rail groove is formed on the body of the second telescopic push rod, and a layup guide box is slidably installed in the guide rail groove. The layup guide box is connected to the layered prepreg.

[0016] Preferably, the prepreg box is provided with a prepreg opening, a cutter slide rail is provided above the prepreg opening, a cutter is slidably mounted on the cutter slide rail, and the layered prepreg extends out from the prepreg opening.

[0017] Preferably, the layup roller is located below the layered prepreg, and the inner side of the layup roller has a hollow structure and the surface contains fine pores.

[0018] Preferably, the curing module includes a hot press plate disposed on the side of the module housing, and a sealed chamber is formed between the hot press plate and the side of the module housing, and the sealed chamber is provided with an air guide hole.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0020] The device of this invention has a high degree of integration. It addresses the problem of multiple processes in composite material repair by proposing an integrated device for composite material repair, which can realize the entire process of detection, repair and evaluation.

[0021] This invention has a high degree of automation. It uses a binocular vision system and air-coupled ultrasonic detection to reconstruct digital models of damaged composite material structures, thereby enabling the automated design and execution of grinding and repair schemes.

[0022] The repair process of this invention has high precision, and the robot has the characteristics of standardized operation, which can overcome the difficulties of low efficiency, unstable human operation and inability to transfer repair experience in the current field of composite material repair.

[0023] This invention integrates the detection, grinding, lay-up and curing modules into the same device, avoiding the disadvantage of needing a separate robotic arm for each process, making it simple and efficient.

[0024] This invention offers a high degree of freedom. The telescopic push rod enables the repair module to have multiple degrees of freedom, allowing it to repair both planar areas and irregular, non-planar areas, thus reducing the requirements for the robot's degrees of freedom. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a robot repair device for composite material structures.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the grinding module in the composite material repair integrated module;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the grinding module and the composite material repair integrated module housing.

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the detection module in the composite material repair integrated module;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the curing module in the composite material repair integrated module;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a structural schematic diagram of the layup module in the composite material repair integrated module;

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the prepreg box in the layup module.

[0033] In the diagram: 1. Composite material repair integrated module; 2. Composite material repair robot structure; 3. Curing module; 4. Detection module; 5. Lamination module; 6. Grinding module; 7. Connecting frame; 8. First telescopic push rod; 9. Robot wrist; 10. Robot upper arm; 11. Robot lower arm; 12. Robot base; 13. Temperature / humidity sensor; 14. Grinding disc protective sleeve; 15. Grinding disc; 16. Atomizing nozzle; 17. Grinding chamber cover; 18. Connecting shaft; 19. 20. Dust extraction port; 21. Grinding shaft; 22. Spherical universal joint; 23. Electric telescopic rod; 24. Vision camera; 25. Air-coupled ultrasonic sensor; 26. Sealed chamber; 27. Air vent; 28. Hot press plate; 29. ​​Prepreg box; 30. Second telescopic push rod; 31. Guide rail groove; 32. Connecting rod; 33. Layup guide box; 34. Third telescopic push rod; 35. Layup roller; 36. Layered prepreg; 37. Cutting knife; 38. Cutting knife slide rail; 39. Prepreg port. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, a composite material structure robot repair device includes a composite material repair integrated module 1 and a composite material repair robot structure 2.

[0036] The composite material repair integrated module 1 includes a module shell, a detection module 4, a grinding module 6, a layup module 5, and a curing module 3. The detection module 4, grinding module 6, layup module 5, and curing module 3 are located on the four sides of the module shell, respectively.

[0037] The composite material repair robot structure 2 includes a connecting frame 7, four first telescopic push rods 8, a robot wrist 9, a robot upper arm 10, a robot lower arm 11, and a robot base 12.

[0038] The lower robot arm 11 is connected to the robot base 12, the upper robot arm 10 is connected to the lower robot arm 11, the robot wrist 9 is connected to the upper robot arm 10, the connecting frame 7 is fixedly connected to the module shell, and the connecting frame 7 is connected to the robot wrist 9 through four first telescopic push rods 8. The four first telescopic push rods 8 are respectively located on the upper, lower, left, and right sides of the connecting plane on the robot wrist 9. By controlling the extension length of the first telescopic push rods 8, the deflection adjustment of the composite material repair integrated module 1 in different directions can be realized.

[0039] like Figure 4 As shown, the detection module 4 includes a binocular vision system and an air-coupled ultrasonic detection system. The binocular vision system includes a vision camera 23, a data acquisition card, and a microcomputer; it is used to reconstruct a digital model of the composite material repair structure and identify the surface structure of the structure to be repaired and the surface features of the damaged area. The air-coupled ultrasonic detection system includes two air-coupled ultrasonic sensors 24, a data acquisition card, and a microcomputer. The two air-coupled ultrasonic sensors 24 are at a certain angle to each other. The air-coupled ultrasonic oblique incidence detection method is used to detect the depth and structure of the internal damage of the composite material repair structure. The internal damage feature data of the composite material repair structure detected by the air-coupled ultrasonic is added to the digital model of the repair structure reconstructed by the binocular vision system, thereby realizing the establishment of the digital model of the composite material repair structure. The microcomputer can analyze the required grinding area based on the digital model and damage features of the composite material repair structure, and determine the corresponding grinding path based on the characteristics of the digital model of the composite material repair structure.

[0040] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the polishing module 6 includes a temperature / humidity sensor 13, a polishing disc protective cover 14, a polishing disc 15, an atomizing nozzle 16, a polishing chamber cover 17, a dust suction hole 19, a polishing shaft 20, a ball joint 21, four electric telescopic rods 22, and a powerful air pump.

[0041] The grinding disc 15 and the grinding disc protective sleeve 14 are sequentially fixed on the grinding shaft 20. The grinding shaft 20 is connected to the side of the module housing via the ball joint 21. In addition to being connected to the grinding shaft 20, the grinding disc protective sleeve 14 is also directly connected to the side of the module housing via four electric telescopic rods 22 to allow the grinding disc 15 to deflect at different angles, thus enabling the grinding of irregular, non-planar structures. The grinding chamber cover 17 is connected to the side of the module housing. The grinding chamber cover 17 is a flexible structure used to form a closed grinding chamber, preventing composite material waste dust from flying out during the grinding process. The temperature / humidity sensor 13 is installed on the side of the module housing for detecting... The grinding chamber shroud 17 forms a closed grinding chamber, which monitors the temperature and humidity inside and transmits the temperature and humidity data to the microcomputer. The atomizing nozzle 16 is controlled by the microcomputer and can adjust the atomization power according to the data detected by the temperature / humidity sensor 13, so that the closed grinding chamber maintains a constant humidity. The dust suction hole 19 is located on the side of the module shell, and the powerful air pump is fixed inside the module shell and connected to the dust suction hole 19 through a flexible conduit. The power of the powerful air pump is adjusted by the microcomputer based on the test data of the temperature sensor. By controlling the airflow speed in the closed grinding chamber, the temperature in the closed grinding chamber is regulated, so that the closed grinding chamber maintains a constant temperature.

[0042] like Figure 6 As shown, the layup module 5 includes a prepreg box 28, a second telescopic push rod 29, a guide rail groove 30, a connecting rod 31, a layup guide box 32, a third telescopic push rod 33, a layup roller 34, and a layered prepreg 35.

[0043] The prepreg box 28 is fixed to one end of the second telescopic push rod 29. The prepreg box 28 contains cylindrical rollers inside, and the layered prepreg 35 is wound around these rollers. The outermost ring of the layered prepreg 35 is located at the outlet of the prepreg box 28. The other end of the second telescopic push rod 29 is connected to the connecting rod 31, which is mounted on the side of the module housing. The second telescopic push rod 29 can extend or retract and rotate around the connecting rod 31, allowing the prepreg box 28 to remain on one side of the composite material repair structure. The guide rail groove 30 is provided on the second telescopic push rod 29, and the layup guide box 32 corresponds to the slide rail groove 30. The layered prepreg 35 is movably installed in the guide rail groove 30 to pull the layered prepreg 35 out along the direction of the guide rail groove 30. The extension length of the layered prepreg 35 is determined according to the size of the composite material repair structure. The inner side of the layup roller 34 is a hollow structure with fine holes on the surface. The layup roller 34 is connected to the third telescopic push rod 33. The other end of the third telescopic push rod 33 is connected to the other end of the connecting rod 31. Under the push of the third telescopic push rod 33, the layup roller 34 can roll the layered prepreg 35. The microcomputer controls the resin adhesive to seep out from the fine holes on the surface of the layup roller 34 to prevent the layered prepreg 35 from falling off.

[0044] Furthermore, such as Figure 7 As shown, a cutting slide rail 37 is provided above the outlet of the prepreg box 28, and a cutting tool is provided on the cutting slide rail 37. In this embodiment, the cutting tool is specifically a cutting blade 36. The cutting blade 36 can move along the cutting slide rail 37. By controlling the extension and retraction of the second telescopic push rod 29 connected to the prepreg box 28 and the moving speed of the cutting blade 36, the layered prepreg 35 can be cut according to the structural dimensions of the composite material.

[0045] like Figure 5 As shown, the curing module 3 includes a hot press plate 27 and a vacuum pump. The hot press plate 27 is a square flexible flat plate structure that can be tightly fitted to a plane. It has a convex, non-planar structure and embeds metal mesh heating wires inside to heat and cure the prepreg. The hot press plate 27 is fixedly connected to the side of the module shell by bolts, forming a sealed chamber 25 between them. The sealed chamber 25 has air guide holes 26 inside, which are used to connect to the vacuum pump. In addition, the plane of the hot press plate 27 contains an array of fine holes to expel air from the prepreg layup and prevent void defects from forming inside the structure during the prepreg curing process.

[0046] Working principle and usage process of this invention:

[0047] In use, the binocular camera system in detection module 4 reconstructs the digital model of the composite material repair structure and completes the surface structure and surface features of the damaged area of ​​the structure to be repaired. Then, air-coupled ultrasonic oblique incidence detection detects the depth and structure of the damage within the composite material repair structure and transmits the data to the digital model of the repair structure reconstructed by the binocular vision camera, thus establishing the digital model of the composite material repair structure. Next, a microcomputer analyzes the required grinding area based on the digital model and damage characteristics of the composite material repair structure and determines the corresponding grinding path based on the characteristics of the digital model of the composite material repair structure. Then, the grinding module 6 performs stepped / oblique area grinding of the composite material repair structure according to the grinding path given by detection module 4. After grinding, the layup module 5 determines the layup method of the composite material repair area based on the grinding area and completes the layup of the area of ​​the structure to be repaired according to a certain layup method and layup angle. After the layup is completed, the hot press plate 27 and vacuum pump in curing module 3 are used to heat and cure the prepreg layup of the composite material repair structure, thus achieving the repair of the composite material structure.

[0048] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely prisms of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed. The scope of protection of this invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A robotic repair device for composite material structures, characterized in that: include: The composite material repair integrated module (1) is used to detect the damaged area of ​​the composite material structure, grind, lay up and cure, and evaluate the structural performance after repair. The composite material repair integrated module (1) includes a module shell, a detection module (4), a grinding module (6), a lay up module (5), and a curing module (3) disposed on the four sides of the module shell. The composite material repair robot structure (2) is movably connected to the module shell on the composite material repair integrated module (1) to realize multi-degree-of-freedom adjustment of the composite material repair integrated module (1); The detection module (4) includes a vision camera (23), an air-coupled ultrasonic sensor (24), a data acquisition card, and a microcomputer, all mounted on the side of the module housing. The layup module (5) includes a prepreg box (28), a second telescopic push rod (29), a guide rail groove (30), a connecting rod (31), a layup guide box (32), a third telescopic push rod (33), a layup roller (34), and a layered prepreg (35). The prepreg box (28) is fixed to one end of the second telescopic push rod (29). The interior of the prepreg box (28) contains cylindrical rollers. The layered prepreg (35) is wound around the cylindrical rollers. The outermost ring of the layered prepreg (35) is at the outlet on the prepreg box (28). The other end of the second telescopic push rod (29) is connected to the connecting rod (31). The connecting rod (31) is installed on the side of the module housing. The second telescopic push rod (29) can extend or shorten and can rotate around the connecting rod (31), so that the prepreg box (28) stays on one side of the composite material repair structure. The guide rail groove (30) is provided on the second telescopic push rod (29), and the layup guide box (32) corresponds to it. The layered prepreg (35) is slidably installed in the guide rail groove (30) to pull the layered prepreg (35) out along the direction of the guide rail groove (30). The extension length of the layered prepreg (35) is determined according to the size of the composite material repair structure. The inner side of the layup roller (34) is a hollow structure with fine holes on the surface. The layup roller (34) is connected to the third telescopic push rod (33). The other end of the third telescopic push rod (33) is connected to the other end of the connecting rod (31). The layup roller (34) can roll the layered prepreg (35) under the push of the third telescopic push rod (33). The microcomputer controls the resin adhesive to seep out from the fine holes on the surface of the layup roller (34) to prevent the layered prepreg (35) from falling off. A cutter slide rail (37) is provided above the outlet of the prepreg box (28), and a cutter (36) is provided on the cutter slide rail (37). The cutter (36) moves along the cutter slide rail (37). By controlling the extension and retraction of the second telescopic push rod (29) connected to the prepreg box (28) and the moving speed of the cutter (36), the layered prepreg (35) is cut according to the composite material structure dimensions.

2. The composite material structure robot repair device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The composite material repair robot structure (2) includes a robot base (12), a robot lower arm (11) disposed on the robot base (12), a robot upper arm (10) connected to the robot lower arm (11), a robot wrist (9) connected to the robot upper arm (10), four first telescopic push rods (8) disposed at the end of the robot wrist (9), and a connecting frame (7) connected to the four first telescopic push rods (8). The connecting frame (7) is connected to the module shell through a connecting shaft (18).

3. The composite material structure robot repair device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The polishing module (6) includes a ball joint (21) disposed on the side of the module housing, a polishing shaft (20) connected to the ball joint (21), a polishing disc protective sleeve (14) and a polishing disc (15) disposed sequentially on the polishing shaft (20).

4. The composite material structure robot repair device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The polishing disc protective sleeve (14) is connected to four electric telescopic rods (22), and the other end of the four electric telescopic rods (22) is connected to the side of the module shell.

5. The composite material structure robot repair device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The polishing module (6) also includes a polishing chamber cover (17) disposed on the side of the module housing, a temperature / humidity sensor (13) disposed on the side of the module housing and located inside the polishing chamber cover (17), an atomizing nozzle (16), and a dust suction hole (19).

6. The composite material structure robot repair device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The layup roller (34) is located below the layered prepreg (35).

7. The composite material structure robot repair device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The curing module (3) includes a hot press plate (27) disposed on the side of the module housing. A sealed chamber (25) is formed between the hot press plate (27) and the side of the module housing. The sealed chamber (25) is provided with an air guide hole (26).

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