A large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device and its usage method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a large-scale thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device and a method for using the same. The assembly device comprises two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies, two sets of mobile overhead cranes, an AGV vehicle, four sets of cylinder conformal frames, a photogrammetry system and two sets of numerical control positioning systems. The two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies are symmetrically arranged with a certain distance in the middle, and the middle can be used for the AGV vehicle to pass through. The two sets of mobile overhead cranes span side by side between the tops of the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies, and the two sets of numerical control positioning systems are correspondingly arranged below the two sets of mobile overhead cranes. The cylinder conformal frame can fix one-half of the thermoplastic composite fuselage cylinder, and the upper end surface of the cylinder conformal frame is provided with a set of zero-point positioning system, which can be fixed on the mobile overhead crane with one-half of the thermoplastic composite fuselage cylinder, and the lower surface of the lower end is provided with a set of ball head assembly, which can be fixed on the AGV vehicle with one-half of the thermoplastic composite fuselage cylinder, and the upper surface of the lower end is provided with a set of ball head assembly, which can be fixed on the numerical control positioning system with one-half of the thermoplastic composite fuselage cylinder. The technical solution provided by the present invention can be directly extended to the technical field of installation and lifting of aircraft floors of different sizes and types in the aviation manufacturing industry.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to, but is not limited to, the technical field of assembling large composite material fuselages in the aerospace manufacturing industry, and particularly to a large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device and its usage method. Background Technology

[0002] Advanced composite materials play an irreplaceable role in reducing structural weight, improving economy and reliability. Currently, the composite materials widely used in aircraft at home and abroad are thermosetting composite materials, including major load-bearing components such as wings and fuselages.

[0003] However, thermosetting composites are typically manufactured using autoclave processes, which are time-consuming and require strict control over material transportation, storage, process preparation, and implementation, resulting in high production costs. Furthermore, they present challenges such as difficulty in recycling and poor environmental performance. Additionally, thermosetting composites are highly sensitive to impact, and the impact on structural performance must be carefully considered during design and application. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. This invention provides a large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device and its usage method to address the problems of high production cost, high sensitivity to impact, difficulty in recycling, and poor environmental performance of thermosetting composite materials commonly used in current fuselage structures.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention: In a first aspect, the present invention provides a large thermoplastic composite body assembly device, including: two sets of overhead slide rail assemblies 1, a mobile crane 2, an AGV 3, four sets of cylindrical conformal frames 4, a CNC positioning system 6, and a control system 8 connected to the mobile crane 2 and the CNC positioning system 6 respectively;

[0006] The two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies 1 are fixedly arranged in parallel and symmetrically at a preset interval. The top longitudinal beams of the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies 1 are parallel and are set as slider slide rail cabinets. The preset interval between the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies 1 is used for the passage of AGV vehicle 3. The mobile crane 2 is arranged side by side across the top longitudinal beams of the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies 1 and is fixedly connected to the slider of the top longitudinal beam. It is used to control the mobile crane 2 to slide along the top longitudinal beams of the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies 1 through the control system 8. The CNC positioning system 6 is fixedly arranged directly below the mobile crane 2.

[0007] Each of the aforementioned cylindrical conforming frames 4 is used to fix half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical body 7. Each cylindrical conforming frame 4 has two installation forms: one for installing half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical body 7 with the opening facing upward through the cylindrical conforming frame 4 of the first installation form, and moving the cylindrical conforming frame 4 of the first installation form to connect to the CNC positioning system 6 through the AGV vehicle 3; and the other for installing half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical body 7 with the opening facing downward through the cylindrical conforming frame 4 of the second installation form, and moving the cylindrical conforming frame 4 of the second installation form to above the cylindrical conforming frame 4 of the first installation form through the moving crane 2, so as to realize the docking of the two half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical body 7.

[0008] The control system 8 is used to install and move the second installation form of the cylindrical conformal frame 4 and the half-section thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 with the opening facing downward by controlling the movement of the mobile crane 2 along the top longitudinal beams of the two sets of overhead slide rail assemblies 1; and to control the multi-degree-of-freedom movement of the CNC positioning system 6 to realize the docking of the two half-section thermoplastic composite machine body cylinders 7 by providing position feedback of the vertically and vertically placed half-section thermoplastic composite machine body cylinders 7; after the docking is completed, a section of thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 is fixedly installed on the AGV vehicle 3 by the first installation form of the cylindrical conformal frame 4, and the entire cylinder section is transported to the next station.

[0009] Optionally, in the large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device described above,

[0010] The two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies 1 are configured as two identical and symmetrical elevated slide rails 11, and the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies 1 are symmetrically fixedly installed on the ground; each set of elevated slide rails 11 has a longitudinal beam 12 fixedly installed on the top of each elevated slide rail 11 for mounting slide rail structures 13 respectively. The slide rail structure 13 is provided with multiple sliders 14, and four sliders 14 are connected to each other through its four corner legs. Some sliders 14 are fixedly installed with drive assemblies 15.

[0011] The control system 8, via the drive assembly 15 and the mobile crane 2, is used to drive the slider 14 and the mobile crane 2 to move longitudinally along the slide rail structure 13 by controlling the drive assembly 15.

[0012] Optionally, in the large thermoplastic composite body assembly device described above, the mobile crane 2 is a square table-shaped truss structure, and its four corner legs 21 are respectively connected to four sliders 14 on the overhead slide rail assembly 1. One of the legs 21 can accommodate a drive assembly 15.

[0013] The lower end face of the horizontal truss of the mobile crane 2 is provided with four ball head structures 22 at the four corners, which are used to quickly fix the zero point locator 43 on the top of the cylindrical conformal frame 4 of the second installation form.

[0014] Optionally, in the large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device described above,

[0015] The cylindrical conformal frame 4 includes a transition frame 41 with an isosceles trapezoidal cross section and an inner and outer conformal frame 42 fixedly installed inside the transition frame 41. The first end face of the transition frame located on the short side of the trapezoid is provided with four zero-point locators 43 at the four corners. The end face located on the long side forms a symmetrical boss structure. The second end face of the four corners of the two boss structures near the short side is provided with a first ball head assembly 46. The third end face of the four corners of the two boss structures located on the long side is provided with a second ball head assembly 44.

[0016] The inner and outer forming frames 42 of the cylinder are arrayed multi-point annular suction cup structures 45, which are used to maintain the shape of the inner and outer surfaces of the front, rear and middle positions of the body cylinder respectively.

[0017] Optionally, in the large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device described above,

[0018] The first type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 is used to install the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical body 7 with the opening facing upwards, and is fixedly connected to the top of the AGV vehicle 3 by the zero point locators set at the four corners of the bottom of the cylindrical conformal frame 4. The AGV vehicle 3 moves the cylindrical conformal frame 4 and the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical body 7 with the opening facing upwards to the CNC positioning system 6, and is fixedly connected to the CNC positioning system 6 by the first ball head assembly set on the cylindrical conformal frame 4.

[0019] The second type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 is used to install the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 with the opening facing downwards. After the second ball head assembly provided on the second type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 is fixedly connected to the AGV vehicle 3, the zero point locator provided on the top of the second type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the mobile crane 2. After the AGV vehicle 3 is removed, the second type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 and the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 with the opening facing downwards are moved by the mobile crane 2 to above the first type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 and the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 with the opening facing upwards.

[0020] Optionally, in the large thermoplastic composite body assembly device described above, the AGV vehicle 3 is equipped with three sets of transfer brackets, namely: a transfer bracket 31 with a ball-and-socket structure 34 corresponding to the second ball-and-socket assembly 44 of the cylindrical conformal frame 4, a transfer bracket 32 ​​with a ball-and-socket structure 35 corresponding to the zero-point locator 43 of the cylindrical conformal frame 4, and a transfer bracket 33 with a ball-and-socket structure corresponding to the overall body structure after docking.

[0021] Optionally, the large thermoplastic composite body assembly device described above specifically includes: two sets of mobile overhead cranes 2, four sets of cylindrical conformal frames 4, and two sets of CNC positioning systems 6;

[0022] After the two halves of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 are joined together, one section of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 is positioned using one mobile crane 2, two sets of cylinder conforming frames 4, and one set of CNC positioning system 6; the other section of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 is positioned using another mobile crane 2, two more sets of cylinder conforming frames 4, and another set of CNC positioning system 6; and the end faces of the two sections of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 are joined by controlling the two mobile cranes 2 and the two sets of CNC positioning systems 6 through the control system 8.

[0023] Optionally, the large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device described above further includes: a photogrammetry system 5 connected to the control system 8, used to record the docking process and feed it back to the control system 8;

[0024] The control system 8 is also used to comprehensively control the mobile crane 2 and the CNC positioning system 6 based on the position and orientation information of each thermoplastic composite body cylinder 7 during the docking process fed back by the photogrammetry system 5.

[0025] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention also provide a method for using a large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device, wherein a method for assembling multiple half-thermoplastic composite fuselage cylinders 7 by using a large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device as described in any of the above claims is provided, the method comprising the following steps:

[0026] Step 1: The four halves of the thermoplastic composite body cylinder 7 marked with the marks are respectively attached to the inner and outer cylinder shaping frames 42 of the four sets of cylinder shaping frames 4 for shaping.

[0027] Step 2: Fix the transfer bracket 32 ​​with ball head 35 to the AGV vehicle, and fix the cylindrical conformer of half of the thermoplastic composite machine body 7 with the opening facing upwards to the ball head 35 through the zero point locator. Drive the AGV vehicle 3 to transport the cylindrical conformer with half of the thermoplastic composite machine body 7 to the top of a set of CNC positioning system 6 and fix it to the ball socket of the CNC positioning system 6.

[0028] Step 3: Drive a mobile overhead crane 2 to move outside the area of ​​the CNC positioning system 6, fix the transfer bracket 31 with ball socket 34 on the AGV vehicle 3, place the cylinder conformal frame 4 of half of the thermoplastic composite body cylinder 7 with the opening facing down on the ball socket 34, drive the AGV vehicle 3 to transport the cylinder conformal frame 4 with half of the thermoplastic composite body cylinder 7 to the ball head structure 22 of the mobile overhead crane 2 outside the area of ​​the CNC positioning system 6 and fix it, drive the mobile overhead crane 2 back to the designated position in the area of ​​the CNC positioning system 6;

[0029] Step 4: After adjusting the position and orientation of the docking surfaces of the two half-thermoplastic composite body cylinders 7 through the control system 8, the docking and assembly into a cylinder segment structure is achieved.

[0030] Step 5, repeat steps 2-4, and dock and combine the other cylinder segment on the moving crane 2 and the CNC positioning system 6;

[0031] Step 6: After adjusting the position and orientation of the two sections of the fuselage through the control system 8, the two sections of the fuselage fuselage are joined together and welded to form the overall fuselage structure.

[0032] Step 7: Drive the mobile crane 2 to move the entire machine body away from the area of ​​the CNC positioning system 6, and use the AGV vehicle 3 to transport the assembled machine body to the next station for the next process.

[0033] The beneficial effects of this invention: This invention provides a large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device and its usage method. The fuselage assembly device provided by this invention is a multi-functional device integrating multiple positioning, shape retention, and attitude adjustment for thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly. In this invention, an AGV vehicle combined with a transfer bracket can achieve rapid fixing, transportation, and loading / unloading of various specifications of cylindrical sections. Using specific dot-matrix suction cups, a Z-shaped frame, and multiple sets of positioning ball heads and ball socket structures, a universal cylindrical shape-keeping frame is developed, enabling shape retention of thermoplastic composite cylindrical sections and accurate and rapid installation on various devices. The device, combined with assembly process steps, realizes the assembly of large thermoplastic composite multi-lobed fuselage cylindrical sections, achieving a highly automated assembly process. Furthermore, this fuselage assembly device can be directly applied to the technical field of installation and lifting of aircraft floors of different sizes and types in the aerospace manufacturing industry. Attached Figure Description

[0034] The accompanying drawings are provided to further understand the technical solutions of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of this application to explain the technical solutions of the present invention and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating the assembly relationship between the overhead slide rail assembly and the mobile crane in the large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device provided in the embodiment shown.

[0037] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the second mounting form of the cylindrical conformal frame and the upward-facing opening of the fuselage cylinder in the large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device provided in the embodiment shown;

[0038] Figure 4 for Figure 1 The illustrated embodiment provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a first-mounted cylindrical conformal frame and a lower-opening cylindrical body in a large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device.

[0039] Figure 5 for Figure 3 and Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the docking process of two fuselage cylinders mounted on the first and second mounting forms of the cylinder conformal frame provided in the illustrated embodiment.

[0040] Figure 6 for Figure 3 and Figure 4 The diagram shows the structure of the two fuselage cylinders after they are connected by the first and second mounting forms of the cylinder conformal frame provided in the embodiment.

[0041] Figure 7 for Figure 1 The illustrated embodiment provides a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the cylindrical conforming frame on the CNC positioning system in the large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device.

[0042] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0043] 1. Elevated slide rail assembly; 11. Elevated slide rail; 12. Longitudinal beam; 13. Slide rail structure; 14. Slider; 15. Drive assembly; 2. Mobile crane; 21. Support leg; 22. Ball head structure; 3. AGV vehicle; 31. Adapter bracket; 32. Adapter bracket; 33. Adapter bracket; 34. Ball socket structure; 35. Ball head structure; 4. Cylinder conformal frame; 41. Adapter frame; 42. Inner and outer conformal frames of the cylinder; 43. Zero point positioner; 44. Second ball head assembly; 45. Annular suction cup structure; 46. First ball head assembly; 5. Photogrammetry system; 6. CNC positioning system; 7. Half thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder; 8. Control system. Detailed Implementation

[0044] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be arbitrarily combined with each other.

[0045] As explained in the background section above, thermosetting composite materials are widely used in aircraft manufacturing for airframe structures. However, thermosetting composite materials have relatively high production costs, are sensitive to impacts, and suffer from problems such as difficulty in recycling and poor environmental performance.

[0046] To address the aforementioned issues, thermoplastic composites have gained increasing attention in recent years due to their advantages in recycling and their cost reduction of nearly 30% compared to thermoset composites. The application of thermoplastic composites in aircraft structures can shorten component manufacturing cycles, improve structural impact resistance, reduce structural weight, and decrease aircraft production and operating costs. Based on the advantages of thermoplastic composites, high-strength, lightweight, and recyclable thermoplastic composites are considered as a key to achieving future sustainable aviation; however, research in this area remains largely unexplored.

[0047] In order to promote the research on the manufacturing technology of full-size barrel structure of thermoplastic composite fuselage, this invention provides a large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device and its usage method. By developing specific clamps to fix the fuselage shell, and using advanced and rapid testing methods to ensure high precision in the process assembly, it is urgent to formulate devices and methods for mounting, adjusting, docking and welding of upper and lower parts.

[0048] The present invention provides the following specific embodiments, which can be combined with each other. For the same or similar concepts or processes, they may not be described again in some embodiments.

[0049] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 The illustrated embodiment provides a schematic diagram of the assembly relationship between the overhead slide rail assembly and the moving trolley in a large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device. (See diagram for reference.) Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the main structure of the large thermoplastic composite body assembly device provided in this embodiment of the invention includes: two sets of overhead slide rail assemblies 1, a mobile crane 2, an AGV 3, four sets of cylindrical conformal frames 4, a CNC positioning system 6, and a control system 8 connected to the mobile crane 2 and the CNC positioning system 6 respectively.

[0050] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, in this embodiment of the invention, two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies 1 are fixedly arranged in parallel and symmetrically at a preset interval. The top longitudinal beams of the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies 1 are parallel and are configured as slider slide rail cabinets. The preset interval between the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies 1 is used for the passage of AGV vehicles 3. The mobile crane 2 is arranged side by side across the top longitudinal beams of the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies 1 and is fixedly connected to the slider of the top longitudinal beam. It is used to control the mobile crane 2 to slide along the top longitudinal beams of the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies 1 through the control system 8. The CNC positioning system 6 in this embodiment of the invention is fixedly arranged directly below the mobile crane 2.

[0051] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the second mounting form of the cylindrical conformal frame and the upward-facing opening of the fuselage cylinder in the large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device provided in the embodiment shown; Figure 4 for Figure 1 The illustrated embodiment provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a first mounting form of the cylindrical formwork and the downward-facing opening of the fuselage cylinder in a large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device. (Refer to...) Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown. In this embodiment of the invention, each cylindrical conformal bracket 4 is used to fix half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical body 7. Each cylindrical conformal bracket 4 has two installation forms; it is used to install the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical body 7 with the opening facing upward through the cylindrical conformal bracket 4 of the first installation form, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the first type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 is moved by the AGV vehicle 3 and connected to the CNC positioning system 6. The second type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 is used to install the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 with the opening facing downwards, as shown. Figure 3 As shown, the second type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 is moved above the first type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 by the moving crane 2 to perform docking of the two half thermoplastic composite body cylinders 7; Figure 5 for Figure 3 and Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the docking process of two fuselage cylinders mounted on the first and second mounting forms of the cylinder conformal frame provided in the illustrated embodiment. Figure 6 for Figure 3 and Figure 4 The diagram shows the structure of the two fuselage cylinders after they are connected by the first and second mounting forms of the cylinder conformal frame provided in the embodiment.

[0052] The control system 8 in this embodiment of the invention is used to install and move the second installation form of the cylindrical conformal frame 4 and the half-section thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 with the opening facing downward by controlling the movement of the mobile crane 2 along the top longitudinal beams of the two sets of overhead slide rail assemblies 1; and to control the multi-degree-of-freedom movement of the CNC positioning system 6 to realize the docking of the two half-section thermoplastic composite machine body cylinders 7 by providing position feedback on the vertically and vertically placed half-section thermoplastic composite machine body cylinders 7; after the docking is completed, a section of thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 is fixedly installed on the AGV vehicle 3 by the first installation form of the cylindrical conformal frame 4, and the entire cylinder section is transported to the next station.

[0053] In one implementation of this invention, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 1 , Figure 2 The two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies 1 are, for example, two identical and symmetrical elevated slide rails 11, which are symmetrically fixed on the ground. Each set of elevated slide rail assemblies 11 has a longitudinal beam 12 fixedly installed on its top for mounting slide rail structures 13. Each slide rail structure 13 has multiple sliders 14, which are connected to four sliders 14 by their four corner legs. Some sliders 14 are fixedly mounted with drive assemblies 15.

[0054] In this implementation, the control system 8, through the drive component 15 and the mobile crane 2, is used to drive the slider 14 and the mobile crane 2 to move longitudinally along the slide rail structure 13 by controlling the drive component 15.

[0055] In one implementation of this invention, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 1 , Figure 2 The mobile crane 2 is a square table-shaped truss structure. Its four legs 21 at the four corners are connected to four sliders 14 on the overhead slide rail assembly 1. One of the legs 21 can accommodate the drive assembly 15.

[0056] In this implementation, four ball-head structures 22 are provided at the four corners of the lower end face of the horizontal truss of the mobile crane 2, which are used to quickly fix the zero-point locator 43 on the top of the cylindrical conformal frame 4 of the second installation form.

[0057] In one implementation of this invention, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 3 , Figure 4 The cylindrical conformal frame 4 includes a transition frame 41 with an isosceles trapezoidal cross section and an inner and outer conformal frame 42 fixedly installed inside the transition frame 41. The transition frame 41 has four zero-point locators 43 respectively set at the four corners of the first end face on the short side of the trapezoid. The end face on the long side forms a symmetrical boss structure. The four corners of the two boss structures are provided with a first ball head assembly 46 on the second end face near the short side. The four corners of the two boss structures are provided with a second ball head assembly 44 on the third end face near the long side.

[0058] In this implementation, the inner and outer forming frames 42 are arrayed multi-point ring-shaped suction cup structures 45, which are used to form the inner and outer surfaces of the front, rear and middle positions of the body cylinder respectively.

[0059] In a specific embodiment, see [link to implementation details]. Figure 5 , Figure 7 On the one hand, the first type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 is used to install the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 with the opening facing upwards, and is fixedly connected to the top of the AGV vehicle 3 by the zero point locator 43 set at the four corners of the bottom of the cylindrical conformal frame 4. The AGV vehicle 3 moves the cylindrical conformal frame 4 and the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 with the opening facing upwards above the CNC positioning system 6, and is fixedly connected to the CNC positioning system 6 by the first ball head assembly 46 set on the cylindrical conformal frame 4.

[0060] See Figure 3 , Figure 5 On the other hand, the second type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 is used to install the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical body 7 with the opening facing downward. After the second ball head assembly 44 provided on the second type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 is fixedly connected to the AGV vehicle 3, the zero point locator 43 provided on the top of the second type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the mobile crane 2. After the AGV vehicle 3 is removed, the second type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 and the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical body 7 with the opening facing downward are moved by the mobile crane 2 to above the first type of cylindrical conformal frame 4 and the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical body 7 with the opening facing upward.

[0061] In one implementation of this invention, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 5 , Figure 6 The AGV vehicle 3 is equipped with three sets of transfer brackets. These three sets of transfer brackets are: a transfer bracket 31 with a ball-and-socket structure 34 corresponding to the second ball-and-socket assembly 44 of the cylindrical conformal frame 4; a transfer bracket 32 ​​with a ball-and-socket structure 35 corresponding to the zero-point locator 43 of the cylindrical conformal frame 4; and a transfer bracket 33 with a ball-and-socket structure corresponding to the overall body structure after docking.

[0062] It should be noted that the large thermoplastic composite machine body assembly device provided in this embodiment of the invention is specifically configured with: two sets of mobile overhead cranes 2, four sets of cylindrical conformal frames 4, and two sets of CNC positioning systems 6.

[0063] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 The docking process, and combined with Figure 1 and Figure 7As shown, after the two halves of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 are joined, one section of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 is positioned using one mobile crane 2, two sets of cylinder conforming frames 4, and one set of CNC positioning system 6; the other section of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 is positioned using another mobile crane 2, two more sets of cylinder conforming frames 4, and another set of CNC positioning system 6; and the end faces of the two sections of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder 7 are joined by controlling the two mobile cranes 2 and the two sets of CNC positioning systems 6 through the control system 8.

[0064] Furthermore, the large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device provided in this embodiment of the invention may also include: a photogrammetry system 5 connected to the control system 8, used to record the docking process by camera and feed the data back to the control system 8.

[0065] Correspondingly, the control system 8 is also used to comprehensively control the mobile crane 2 and the CNC positioning system 6 based on the position and orientation information of each thermoplastic composite body cylinder 7 during the docking process fed back by the photogrammetry system 5.

[0066] Based on the above-described large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly devices provided in the embodiments of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention also provide a method for using the large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device, wherein a method for assembling multiple half-thermoplastic composite fuselage cylinders 7 by using the large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device provided in any of the above embodiments is adopted, and the assembly method includes the following steps:

[0067] Step 1: The four halves of the thermoplastic composite body cylinder 7 marked with the marks are respectively attached to the inner and outer cylinder shaping frames 42 of the four sets of cylinder shaping frames 4 for shaping.

[0068] Step 2: Fix the transfer bracket 32 ​​with ball head 35 to the AGV vehicle, and fix the cylindrical conformer of half of the thermoplastic composite machine body 7 with the opening facing upwards to the ball head 35 through the zero point locator. Drive the AGV vehicle 3 to transport the cylindrical conformer with half of the thermoplastic composite machine body 7 to the top of a set of CNC positioning system 6 and fix it to the ball socket of the CNC positioning system 6.

[0069] Step 3: Drive a mobile overhead crane 2 to move outside the area of ​​the CNC positioning system 6, fix the transfer bracket 31 with ball socket 34 on the AGV vehicle 3, place the cylinder conformal frame 4 of half of the thermoplastic composite body cylinder 7 with the opening facing down on the ball socket 34, drive the AGV vehicle 3 to transport the cylinder conformal frame 4 with half of the thermoplastic composite body cylinder 7 to the ball head structure 22 of the mobile overhead crane 2 outside the area of ​​the CNC positioning system 6 and fix it, drive the mobile overhead crane 2 back to the designated position in the area of ​​the CNC positioning system 6;

[0070] Step 4: After adjusting the position and orientation of the docking surfaces of the two half-thermoplastic composite body cylinders 7 through the control system 8, the docking and assembly into a cylinder segment structure is achieved.

[0071] Step 5, repeat steps 2-4, and dock and combine the other cylinder segment on the moving crane 2 and the CNC positioning system 6;

[0072] Step 6: After adjusting the position and orientation of the two sections of the fuselage through the control system 8, the two sections of the fuselage fuselage are joined together and welded to form the overall fuselage structure.

[0073] Step 7: Drive the mobile crane 2 to move the entire machine body away from the area of ​​the CNC positioning system 6, and use the AGV vehicle 3 to transport the assembled machine body to the next station for the next process.

[0074] This invention provides a large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device and its usage method. The fuselage assembly device provided is a multi-functional device integrating multiple positioning, shape retention, and attitude adjustment for assembling thermoplastic composite fuselages. In this invention, an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) combined with a transfer bracket enables rapid fixing, transportation, and loading / unloading of various specifications of cylindrical sections. Specific dot-matrix suction cups, a Z-shaped frame, and multiple sets of positioning ball heads and socket structures are used to create a universal cylindrical shape-conserving frame that can achieve shape retention of thermoplastic composite cylindrical sections and accurate and rapid installation on various devices. The device, combined with assembly process steps, enables the assembly of large thermoplastic composite multi-lobed fuselage cylindrical sections, achieving a highly automated assembly process. Furthermore, this fuselage assembly device can be directly applied to the technical field of installation and lifting of aircraft flooring of different sizes and types in the aerospace manufacturing industry.

[0075] While the embodiments disclosed in this invention are as described above, they are merely illustrative of the embodiments to facilitate understanding of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art to which this invention pertains may make any modifications and variations in the form and details of the implementation without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein; however, the scope of patent protection for this invention shall still be determined by the scope defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device, characterized in that, include: Two sets of overhead rail assemblies (1), a mobile crane (2), an AGV (3), four sets of cylindrical conformal frames (4), a numerical control positioning system (6), and a control system (8) connected to the mobile crane (2) and the numerical control positioning system (6) respectively; Among them, the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies (1) are fixedly arranged in parallel and symmetrically at a preset interval. The top longitudinal beams of the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies (1) are parallel and are set as slider slide rail cabinets. The preset interval between the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies (1) is used for the AGV vehicle (3) to pass through. The mobile crane (2) is arranged side by side across the top longitudinal beams of the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies (1) and is fixedly connected to the slider of the top longitudinal beam. It is used to control the mobile crane (2) to slide along the top longitudinal beams of the two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies (1) through the control system (8). The CNC positioning system (6) is fixedly set directly below the mobile crane (2). Each of the aforementioned cylindrical conformal frames (4) is used to fix half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical body (7). Each cylindrical conformal frame (4) has two installation forms: one for installing the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical body (7) with the opening facing upward through the cylindrical conformal frame (4) of the first installation form, and moving the cylindrical conformal frame (4) of the first installation form and connecting it to the CNC positioning system (6) through the AGV vehicle (3); and the other for installing the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical body (7) with the opening facing downward through the cylindrical conformal frame (4) of the second installation form, and moving the cylindrical conformal frame (4) of the second installation form above the cylindrical conformal frame (4) of the first installation form through the moving crane (2) to realize the docking of the two half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical bodies (7). The control system (8) is used to install and move the second installation form of the cylindrical conformal frame (4) and the half-section thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder (7) with the opening facing downward by controlling the movement of the mobile crane (2) along the top longitudinal beam of the two sets of overhead slide rail assemblies (1); and to control the multi-degree-of-freedom movement of the CNC positioning system (6) by feeding back the position of the half-section thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder (7) placed opposite each other by the CNC positioning system (6) to realize the docking of the two half-section thermoplastic composite machine body cylinders (7); after the docking is completed, a section of thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder (7) is fixedly installed on the AGV vehicle (3) by the first installation form of the cylindrical conformal frame (4) and transported to the next station; The cylindrical conformal frame (4) includes a transition frame (41) with an isosceles trapezoidal cross section and an inner and outer conformal frame (42) fixedly installed inside the transition frame (41). The transition frame is provided with four zero-point locators (43) at the four corners of the first end face on the short side of the trapezoid. The end face on the long side forms a symmetrical boss structure. The four corners of the two boss structures are provided with a first ball head assembly (46) on the second end face near the short side. The four corners of the two boss structures are provided with a second ball head assembly (44) on the third end face near the long side. The inner and outer forming frames (42) of the cylinder are arrayed multi-point array ring-shaped suction cup structures (45), which are used to form the inner and outer surfaces of the front, rear and middle positions of the body cylinder respectively; The first type of cylindrical conformal frame (4) is used to install the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical (7) with the opening facing upward, and is fixedly connected to the top of the AGV vehicle (3) by the zero point locator set at the four corners of the bottom of the first type of cylindrical conformal frame (4). The AGV vehicle (3) moves the cylindrical conformal frame (4) and the half of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylindrical (7) with the opening facing upward above to the CNC positioning system (6), and is fixedly connected to the CNC positioning system (6) by the first ball head assembly set on the cylindrical conformal frame (4); The second type of cylindrical conformal frame (4) is used to install the half of the thermoplastic composite body cylindrical body (7) with the opening facing downward. After the second ball head assembly set on the second type of cylindrical conformal frame (4) is fixedly connected to the AGV vehicle (3), the zero point locator set on the top of the second type of cylindrical conformal frame (4) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the mobile crane (2). After the AGV vehicle (3) is removed, the second type of cylindrical conformal frame (4) and the half of the thermoplastic composite body cylindrical body (7) with the opening facing downward are moved to the top of the first type of cylindrical conformal frame (4) and the half of the thermoplastic composite body cylindrical body (7) with the opening facing upward. The AGV vehicle (3) is equipped with three sets of transfer brackets, namely: a transfer bracket (31) with a ball-and-socket structure (34) corresponding to the second ball-and-socket assembly (44) of the cylindrical conformal frame (4); a transfer bracket (32) with a ball-and-socket structure (35) corresponding to the zero-point locator (43) of the cylindrical conformal frame (4); and a transfer bracket (33) with a ball-and-socket structure corresponding to the overall body structure after docking.

2. The large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies (1) are configured as two identical and symmetrical elevated slide rails (11). The two sets of elevated slide rail assemblies (1) are symmetrically fixed on the ground. Each set of elevated slide rails (11) has a longitudinal beam (12) fixedly installed on the top of each of the elevated slide rails (11) for installing slide rail structures (13) respectively. The slide rail structure (13) is provided with multiple sliders (14), and four sliders (14) are connected to each other through its four corner legs. Some sliders (14) are fixedly installed with drive components (15). The control system (8) is connected to the moving crane (2) via the drive assembly (15) and is used to drive the slider (14) and the moving crane (2) to move longitudinally along the slide rail structure (13) by controlling the drive assembly (15).

3. The large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mobile crane (2) is a square table-shaped truss structure. Its four legs (21) at the four corners are connected to four sliders (14) on the overhead slide rail assembly (1). One of the legs (21) can accommodate a drive assembly (15). The lower end face of the horizontal truss of the mobile crane (2) is provided with four ball head structures (22) at the four corners, which are used to quickly fix the zero point locator (43) on the top of the cylindrical conformal frame (4) of the second installation form.

4. A large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Specifically include: Two sets of mobile overhead cranes (2), four sets of cylindrical conformal frames (4), and two sets of CNC positioning systems (6); After the two halves of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder (7) are joined together, one section of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder (7) is positioned and placed using one mobile crane (2), two sets of cylinder conforming frames (4) and one set of CNC positioning system (6); the other section of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder (7) is positioned and placed using another mobile crane (2), two other sets of cylinder conforming frames (4) and another set of CNC positioning system (6); and the two mobile cranes (2) and two sets of CNC positioning systems (6) are controlled by the control system (8) to achieve the end face docking of the two sections of the thermoplastic composite machine body cylinder (7).

5. A large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Also includes: The photogrammetry system (5) connected to the control system (8) is used to record the docking process and feed the data back to the control system (8). The control system (8) is also used to control the mobile crane (2) and the CNC positioning system (6) based on the position and orientation information of each thermoplastic composite body cylinder (7) during the docking process fed back by the photogrammetry system (5).

6. A method of using a large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device, characterized in that, An assembly method for docking multiple half-thermoplastic composite fuselage cylinders (7) using a large thermoplastic composite fuselage assembly device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, the method comprising the following steps: Step 1: The four halves of the thermoplastic composite body cylinder (7) marked with the marks are respectively attached to the inner and outer cylinder shaping frames (42) of the four sets of cylinder shaping frames (4) for shaping; Step 2: Fix the transfer bracket (32) with ball head structure (35) on the AGV vehicle, and fix the cylinder conformer of half of the thermoplastic composite body cylinder (7) with the opening facing upwards on the ball head structure (35) through the zero point locator. Drive the AGV vehicle (3) to transport the cylinder conformer with half of the thermoplastic composite body cylinder (7) to the top of a set of CNC positioning system (6) and fix it with the ball socket of the CNC positioning system (6). Step 3: Drive a mobile crane (2) to move outside the area of ​​the CNC positioning system (6), fix the transfer bracket (31) with the ball socket structure (34) on the AGV vehicle (3), place the cylinder conformal frame (4) of half of the thermoplastic composite body cylinder (7) with its opening facing down on the ball socket structure (34), drive the AGV vehicle (3) to transport the cylinder conformal frame (4) with half of the thermoplastic composite body cylinder (7) to the ball head structure (22) of the mobile crane (2) outside the area of ​​the CNC positioning system (6) and fix it, drive the mobile crane (2) back to the designated position in the area of ​​the CNC positioning system (6); Step 4: After adjusting the position of the docking surfaces of the two half-thermoplastic composite body cylinders (7) through the control system (8), the two cylinders are docked and assembled into a cylinder structure. Step 5, repeat steps 2-4, and dock the other cylinder segment on the moving crane (2) and the CNC positioning system (6); Step 6: After adjusting the position and orientation of the two sections of the cylinder joint surface through the control system (8), the two sections of the fuselage cylinder structure are joined together and welded to form the overall fuselage structure. Step 7: Drive the mobile crane (2) to move the overall structure of the machine away from the area of ​​the CNC positioning system (6), and use an AGV vehicle (3) to transport the assembled machine body to the next station for the next process.

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