A clamping device for an aircraft composite panel

Abstract

This invention discloses a clamping device for aircraft composite material panels, belonging to the field of composite material processing technology. It includes an assemblable, quick-guided positioning trolley mounted on an installation station. The trolley comprises a trolley frame, movable casters, and roller positioning devices. Several adaptive support units are arranged below the grinding station of the trolley frame. These adaptive support units are driven by position-adjustable servo motors to change the vertical height of the structural parts to be processed for support. Several independent support components are provided at the pointed positions of the structural parts to be processed, quickly matching and installing with short crossbeams on the trolley frame. This invention, through the combined action of the assemblable, quick-guided positioning trolley, adaptive support units, and independent support components, achieves rapid and flexible clamping of aircraft composite material parts.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of mechanical technology, and more specifically to a clamping device for aircraft composite material panels. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, structural components such as aircraft wings and tail panels often have quality defects such as shrinkage cavities and pinholes on their surfaces after molding. Before painting, these defects need to be filled with putty, followed by sanding to create a smooth surface, ensuring the quality of the subsequent painting. Figure 1 The automated robotic sanding system includes a robotic sanding unit. The structural component to be processed is a tail fin panel of a certain type of aircraft. Because the component is a spatial curved surface with an uneven lower surface, it is generally necessary to load the part onto a tooling trolley and push it from the putty application workshop into the sanding workshop. After entering the sanding workshop, it is then pushed laterally into the sanding station for automated sanding. After sanding, the part is then pushed out of the sanding workshop.

[0003] Currently, in the flexible mixed-line production of aircraft composite materials, the structural parts to be processed have irregular dimensions and weak rigidity. How to accurately and repeatedly position and quickly clamp these structural parts is the key technical challenge we are facing. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention aims to solve the clamping problem in the flexible mixed-line production process of aircraft composite materials in the prior art, and proposes a clamping device for aircraft composite material panels. This device can accurately and repeatedly position and quickly clamp irregular and weakly rigid parts with different shapes and sizes.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A clamping device for an aircraft composite material panel is characterized by comprising an assemblable quick-guide positioning trolley set at an installation station, the assemblable quick-guide positioning trolley including a trolley frame, movable casters, and roller positioning devices; a plurality of adaptive support units are provided below the grinding station of the trolley frame, the adaptive support units being driven by position-adjustable servo motors to change the vertical height of the structural parts to be processed for support; a plurality of independent support components are provided at the tip position of the structural parts to be processed, which are quickly matched and installed with short crossbeams on the trolley frame.

[0007] Furthermore, the roller positioning device includes guide brackets welded to both ends of the trolley frame along its length and guide rollers fixed on the guide brackets.

[0008] Furthermore, the trolley frame is formed by connecting several long aluminum alloy profiles and several short profiles arranged horizontally and vertically through profile connectors; the lower part of the trolley frame consists of a long upper beam, several short vertical beams and several short lower beams forming a gantry-shaped opening; the upper part of the trolley frame consists of several vertical short upper crossbeams and upper crossbeams forming several concave gaps distributed at intervals along the length of the trolley.

[0009] Furthermore, the adaptive support unit includes a base and a bracket slidably connected to the base; the base includes a base plate fixed to the ground and a guide strip fixed to the upper surface of the base plate, and a plurality of positioning holes are arranged on the upper surface of the guide strip; the bracket includes a sliding plate, the bottom of the sliding plate is provided with a sliding groove that cooperates with the guide strip, and the sliding plate is provided with an indexing pin that cooperates with the positioning holes.

[0010] Furthermore, the bottom of the sliding plate is provided with universal rollers, which are distributed on both sides of the sliding groove at the bottom of the sliding plate.

[0011] Furthermore, a column is provided above the sliding plate, and a servo electric push rod is fixedly installed on the column with screws. A top rod is installed at the end of the electric push rod.

[0012] Furthermore, a motor controller is installed at the lower end of the servo electric linear actuator motor, and a wiring groove is provided on the upper surface of the base plate. Several terminal blocks that match the wiring plug of the motor controller are installed on the upper surface of the wiring groove.

[0013] Furthermore, the independent support assembly includes a fixing plate with a T-shaped head, a pressure plate with a T-shaped groove, an adjusting screw for vertical height adjustment mounted on the fixing plate, and a tightening bolt; the fixing plate has an A-shaped protrusion that can be inserted into the groove of the short crossbeam, and the pressure plate has a B-shaped protrusion that can be inserted into the groove of the short crossbeam; the T-shaped head on the fixing plate and the T-shaped groove on the pressure plate can be connected in conjunction.

[0014] Furthermore, the fixing plate can be flatly attached to the side and bottom surfaces of the short crossbeam, the pressure plate is close to the other side surface of the short crossbeam, and the T-shaped head and T-shaped groove are connected to form a groove structure that can just accommodate the short crossbeam.

[0015] Furthermore, the tightening bolt is used to tighten the fixing plate from the bottom up, thus securing it to the short crossbeam, and the adjusting screw includes a threaded rod and a rotatable head at its end.

[0016] In summary, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0017] 1. In this invention, the trolley adopts a frame structure, which supports the aircraft composite material structural parts and facilitates manual operation when clamping parts. The design of the guide brackets and movable casters on both sides of the trolley facilitates the rapid movement and steering adjustment of the whole. With the cooperation of the adaptive support unit and independent support components, the rapid and flexible clamping of aircraft composite material parts is realized.

[0018] 2. In this invention, the lightweight trolley assembled from aluminum alloy profiles and movable rollers facilitates the pushing of parts placed flat on its surface into the workshop and laterally into the grinding station; roller positioning devices are installed on both sides of the trolley to facilitate lateral positioning of the trolley.

[0019] 3. In this invention, the two support components on the adaptive support unit can be guided by guide bars and supported by universal rollers according to the shape and size of the installed parts, and can be easily moved manually. They are also positioned in the positioning holes (grooves) on the guide bars by indexing pins to ensure that the support rod is accurately aligned with the appropriate position of different types of parts.

[0020] 4. In this invention, after the part is positioned with the trolley according to its edge dimensions and placed flat on the upper surface of the trolley, the servo electric push rod of the adaptive support unit controls the lever to rise in torque control mode until its support rod hits the lower surface of the part. Then the motor switches to locking mode, thereby achieving gapless support for the lower surface of the part, improving the support rigidity of the part during grinding, and meeting the requirements of automatic grinding by the robot.

[0021] 5. In this invention, for areas that the flexible adaptive support cannot accurately reach, such as the tip of a part, an independent support assembly can be quickly installed on the short aluminum alloy crossbeam to provide localized support for the lower surface of the part. This ensures that the entire part is effectively supported and meets the requirements for grinding. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a robotic automated grinding system;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the assemblable rapid guiding and positioning vehicle of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the adaptive support unit of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a bottom view of the independent support component of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a side view of the independent support component of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a longitudinal sectional view of the independent support component of the present invention;

[0028] In the picture:

[0029] 100. Tooling trolley; 200. Robotic grinding unit; 300. Aircraft tail fin panel; 110. Movable trolley; 120. Adaptive support unit; 130. Independent support assembly; 140. Roller positioning device; 112. Short crossbeam; 113. Short vertical beam; 114. Short lower beam; 115. Short upper crossbeam; 116. Upper crossbeam; 118. Long upper beam; 119. Movable casters; 121. Base plate; 122. Bracket; 123. Universal rollers; 124. Electric push rod; 125. Top rod; 127. Guide strip; 128. Cable tray; 129. Indexing pin; 131. Adjusting screw; 132. Pressure plate; 133. Fixing plate; 134. Tightening bolt; Detailed Implementation

[0030] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0031] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the invention.

[0032] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0033] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "vertical," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product of this invention is in use, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly understood by those skilled in the art. They are only used for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention. In addition, the terms "first," "second," etc., are only used to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0034] In the description of this invention, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set," "install," and "connect" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] like Figure 1 The illustrated robotic automated grinding system includes a robotic grinding unit 200, and the structural component to be ground is a tail fin panel 300 of an aircraft. Addressing the challenges of flexible mixed-line production of aircraft composite materials, inconsistent dimensional regularity, and relatively weak rigidity, this invention provides a clamping device for aircraft composite material panels, achieving high-precision repeatable positioning and rapid clamping during the automated grinding process, effectively improving the level of grinding automation.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, the device includes an assemblable rapid guidance and positioning trolley 110, an adaptive support unit 120, and an independent support component module 130.

[0038] like Figure 2 The diagram shows a schematic of the assemblable rapid guiding and positioning trolley of the present invention. The assemblable rapid guiding and positioning trolley 110 is a movable trolley with movable roller support. The trolley is assembled into a frame structure using lightweight aluminum alloy profiles. A roller positioning device 140 is fixedly installed at each end along the length of the trolley. The roller positioning device 140 includes a guide bracket connected to the trolley frame and a row of guide rollers mounted on the guide bracket. The guide bracket engages with a steel plate on the short end of the trolley via the inner rollers, allowing the trolley to be easily pushed onto the fixed positioning plate in a direction perpendicular to the robot guide rail, thus achieving rapid and accurate positioning of the trolley on the ground.

[0039] The guide bracket 140 has fixed positioning plates installed on both ends near the bed, and a rotatable positioning device installed on the side away from the bed. The fixed positioning plates are limit stops after the trolley is pushed into place, while the rotatable positioning device keeps the guide bracket 140 horizontal when the trolley is pushed in or out, facilitating the movement of the trolley; after the trolley has moved into place, the rotatable positioning device is rotated to be perpendicular to the guide bracket 140, thereby fixing the position of the trolley.

[0040] At the grinding station, several sets of adaptive support units 120 are fixedly installed at the bottom of the trolley frame. Each adaptive support unit 120 is driven by a position-adjustable servo electric cylinder, which changes its height in the vertical direction to support the structural components. Several independent, height-adjustable support components 130 can be quickly installed at appropriate positions on the trolley crossbeam.

[0041] Preferably, in one embodiment, the assemblable rapid guiding and positioning trolley 110 is formed by connecting two full-length aluminum alloy profiles and some short profiles arranged horizontally and vertically through profile connectors. The trolley frame has a gantry-shaped opening composed of a long upper beam 118, several short vertical beams 113, and several short lower beams 114, which facilitates the trolley to cross the adaptive support unit 120 installed on the ground when it is pushed into the installation position along its width direction.

[0042] The trolley frame has several short, perpendicular upper crossbeams 115 and 116 that form several concave gaps distributed at intervals along the length of the trolley, so that operators can step into the trolley to get closer to the edge of the part, and perform positioning, clamping, grinding quality inspection and manual grinding of the part.

[0043] Furthermore, on the upper surface of the trolley frame, a number of short crossbeams 112 can be installed according to the external dimensions of the pointed part, and independent support components 130 can be manually and quickly installed on the short crossbeams 112 to facilitate support of the lower surface of the pointed part.

[0044] Furthermore, in one embodiment, several movable casters 119 are installed under the trolley to facilitate the trolley's movement along... Figure 1 Push it in the direction of the arrow and then push it horizontally directly into the grinding station.

[0045] In the aforementioned clamping device, the frame structure design of the trolley not only provides support for the aircraft composite materials but also facilitates manual operation when clamping parts. The guide brackets and movable casters on both sides of the trolley facilitate rapid movement and steering adjustment of the entire device. With the combined efforts of the adaptive support unit and independent support components, rapid and flexible clamping of aircraft composite material parts is achieved.

[0046] Example 2

[0047] Based on Embodiment 1, this embodiment further defines the structure of the adaptive support unit 120.

[0048] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown. The adaptive support unit 120 includes a base and two sets of position-adjustable brackets 122 slidably connected to the base.

[0049] Specifically, the base includes a base plate 121 fixed to the ground and a guide strip 127 fixed to the upper surface of the base plate 121 with screws. The upper surface of the guide strip 127 has a plurality of positioning holes or positioning grooves arranged at intervals. The positions of the positioning holes or positioning grooves are such that, after the support units are positioned sequentially, the position of the support rod of the support unit accurately corresponds to a suitable position on the lower surface of the part to be processed.

[0050] Furthermore, the bracket 122 includes a sliding plate and an indexing pin 129 mounted on the sliding plate. A square groove is formed on the lower surface of the sliding plate, which matches the shape of a guide strip 127 mounted on the base plate 121, allowing the bracket 122 to slide along the guide strip 127. After sliding into position, the indexing pin 129 is inserted into the corresponding positioning hole / groove on the guide strip 127. Furthermore, to facilitate manual adjustment of the bracket 122's position, universal rollers 123 are provided at the bottom of the sliding plate.

[0051] Furthermore, the bracket 122 of the adaptive support unit 120 also includes a column fixedly disposed above the sliding plate, and a servo electric push rod 124 is fixedly installed on the column by screws, and a top rod 125 is installed at the end of the electric push rod 124.

[0052] Furthermore, a motor controller is installed at the lower end of the servo electric actuator 124. A wiring groove 128 is provided on the upper surface of the base plate 121. Several terminal blocks are installed at appropriate positions on the upper surface of the wiring groove 128, and the wiring plug of the motor controller can be conveniently inserted into different terminal blocks nearby.

[0053] Example 3

[0054] Based on Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2, this embodiment further defines the structure of the independent support assembly 130. For parts that the flexible adaptive support unit cannot accurately reach, such as the tip of a part, the independent support assembly can be quickly installed on the short aluminum alloy beam, and each surface of the short beam along its length is provided with a strip groove.

[0055] like Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the independent support assembly 130 includes a fixing plate 133 with a T-shaped head d, a pressure plate 132 with a T-shaped groove c, an adjusting screw 131 that can be vertically adjusted for height and height, and a tightening bolt 134 mounted on the fixing plate 133.

[0056] The fixing plate 133 is a Z-shaped strip support structure that can be flatly attached to the side and bottom surfaces of the aluminum alloy profile, with a T-shaped head d at one end; the pressure plate 132 is close to the other side surface of the short crossbeam 112, and its end is provided with a T-shaped groove c that matches and connects with the T-shaped head d. After matching and connecting the T-shaped head d on the fixing plate 133 with the T-shaped groove c on the pressure plate, the two form a groove structure that can just accommodate the size of the short crossbeam.

[0057] Meanwhile, the fixing plate 133 has an A-shaped protrusion that can be inserted into the groove of the short crossbeam 112, and the pressure plate 132 has a B-shaped protrusion that can be inserted into the groove of the short crossbeam 112. During installation, the pressure plate 132 is pushed into the T-shaped groove of the fixing plate 133 from the horizontal direction, so that both the A-shaped protrusion and the B-shaped protrusion are inserted into the groove of the short crossbeam. Then, the tightening screw 134 is tightened to fix the fixing plate 133 to the aluminum profile. After that, the height of the adjusting screw 131 is adjusted so that the head of the adjusting screw can be rotated and rests on the lower surface of the part.

[0058] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Any simple modifications or equivalent changes made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A clamping device for aircraft composite material panels, characterized in that, The system includes an assemblable quick-guide positioning trolley set at the installation station. The assemblable quick-guide positioning trolley includes a trolley frame, movable casters (119), and roller positioning device (140). Several adaptive support units (120) are set below the grinding station of the trolley frame. The adaptive support units (120) are driven by position-adjustable servo motors to change the vertical height of the structural parts to be processed to support them. Several independent support components (130) are set at the tip of the structural parts to be processed, which are quickly matched and installed with the short crossbeams (112) on the trolley frame. The adaptive support unit (120) includes a base and a bracket (122) slidably connected to the base; the base includes a base plate (121) fixed to the ground and a guide strip (127) fixed to the upper surface of the base plate (121), and a plurality of positioning holes are arranged on the upper surface of the guide strip (127); the bracket (122) includes a sliding plate, the bottom of the sliding plate is provided with a sliding groove that cooperates with the guide strip (127), and the sliding plate is provided with an indexing pin (129) that cooperates with the positioning hole. The independent support assembly (130) includes a fixing plate (133) with a T-shaped head, a pressure plate (132) with a T-shaped groove, an adjusting screw (131) that can be vertically adjusted for height, and a tightening bolt (134) mounted on the fixing plate (133); the fixing plate (133) is provided with an a-shaped protrusion that can be inserted into the groove of the short crossbeam (112), and the pressure plate (132) is provided with a b-shaped protrusion that can be inserted into the groove of the short crossbeam (112); the T-shaped head on the fixing plate (133) and the T-shaped groove on the pressure plate (132) can be connected in a cooperative manner.

2. The clamping device for aircraft composite material panels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The roller positioning device (140) includes guide brackets (122) welded to both ends of the trolley frame along its length and guide rollers fixed on the guide brackets (122).

3. The clamping device for aircraft composite material panels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The trolley frame is made of several long aluminum alloy profiles and several short profiles arranged horizontally and vertically connected by profile connectors; the lower part of the trolley frame is formed by a long upper beam (118), several short vertical beams (113) and several short lower beams (114) forming a gantry-shaped opening; the upper part of the trolley frame is formed by several vertical short upper crossbeams (115) and upper crossbeams (116) forming several concave gaps distributed at intervals along the length of the trolley.

4. The clamping device for aircraft composite material panels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the sliding plate is provided with universal rollers (123), which are distributed on both sides of the sliding groove at the bottom of the sliding plate.

5. The clamping device for an aircraft composite material panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, A column is provided above the sliding plate, and a servo electric push rod (124) is fixedly installed on the column with screws. A top rod (125) is installed at the end of the electric push rod (124).

6. The clamping device for an aircraft composite material panel according to claim 5, characterized in that, The servo electric actuator (124) has a motor controller installed at the lower end of the motor. The upper surface of the base plate (121) is provided with a wiring groove (128), and the upper surface of the wiring groove (128) is provided with several terminal blocks that match the wiring plug of the motor controller.

7. The clamping device for aircraft composite material panels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixing plate (133) can be flatly attached to the side and bottom surfaces of the short crossbeam (112), and the pressure plate (132) is close to the other side surface of the short crossbeam (112). The T-shaped head and the T-shaped groove are connected to form a groove structure that can just accommodate the short crossbeam (112).

8. The clamping device for an aircraft composite material panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tightening bolt (134) is used to tighten the fixing plate (133) from the bottom up, so as to fix it on the short crossbeam (112), and the adjusting screw (131) includes a screw and a head with a swing angle provided at its end.

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