Device for transporting fan unit assembly platform and assembly method

Abstract

The invention provides a device for transporting a fan unit assembly platform and an assembly method, which are applied to the technical field of aero-engine manufacturing, a'cam-rotation-rack 'longitudinal series connection and bilateral symmetry modular structure is adopted, and a top cam moving mechanism outputs Z-direction lifting at one time and self-adaptively rotates around a Y axis; the middle-section annular rotating mechanism provides large-angle rotation; the bottom end gear and rack mechanism achieves integration of X-direction precise straight lines and three degrees of freedom into a single compact body, automatic butt-joint assembly can be achieved without manual intervention and high precision of additional auxiliary equipment, and the problem of precise posture adjustment in butt-joint assembly of the fan unit and the aero-engine is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of aero-engine manufacturing technology, specifically to an apparatus and assembly method for a transport fan unit assembly platform. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of aero-engine manufacturing, the assembly of fan units still relies heavily on manual operation, and generally suffers from low levels of automation and limited equipment functionality. Existing assembly equipment is often simple in structure and lacks integration, only capable of single linear or rotary motion, lacking multi-degree-of-freedom coordinated attitude adjustment capabilities. This not only places extremely high demands on the technical skills and experience of operators but also leads to high labor intensity and long assembly cycles. Furthermore, repeated trial assembly and measurement processes easily introduce human error, making it difficult to maintain stable assembly accuracy and severely impacting production efficiency and product quality.

[0003] For example, the widely used C-ring assembly platform can only complete the movement of the remaining parts of the final assembly (non-dating direction) in a maximum of three degrees of freedom (vertical lifting, vertical in-plane pitch and roll), and cannot complete the docking assembly of the fan unit and the core machine. It still needs to rely on additional auxiliary devices for attitude adjustment, which further increases the complexity of the system and the difficulty of operation.

[0004] Therefore, a new assembly solution is needed that is highly integrated, has multiple degrees of freedom, and can achieve precise posture adjustment and automatic docking. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the embodiments of this specification provide an apparatus and assembly method for a transport fan unit assembly platform, which solves the problem of "multi-degree-of-freedom precision attitude adjustment" during the assembly of aero-engine fan units.

[0006] The embodiments in this specification provide the following technical solutions:

[0007] This specification provides an embodiment of a device for assembling a transport fan unit, comprising:

[0008] Transport vehicle 1;

[0009] The three-degree-of-freedom moving mechanism 2 installed on the transport vehicle 1 is used to connect to and drive the fan unit assembly platform to perform Z-axis lifting movement, X-axis horizontal movement, and circular rotation around the Z-axis.

[0010] The three-degree-of-freedom moving mechanism 2 includes: at least two first moving mechanisms 3, which are symmetrically arranged and move synchronously along the transverse side of the vehicle body; the first moving mechanism 3 includes a cam moving mechanism 4, a ring rotating mechanism 5 and a gear and rack mechanism 6 arranged in series from top to bottom.

[0011] in,

[0012] The cam moving mechanism 4 is used to connect to the fan unit assembly platform and drive the fan unit assembly platform to perform a composite motion of Z-axis lifting and adaptive rotation around the Y-axis.

[0013] The annular rotating mechanism 5 is used to drive the cam moving mechanism 4 and the fan unit assembly platform to rotate around the Z-axis.

[0014] The gear and rack mechanism 6 is installed on the transport vehicle 1 and is used to drive the annular rotating mechanism 5, the cam moving mechanism 4 and the fan unit assembly platform to move horizontally in the X direction.

[0015] This specification also provides an embodiment of a transport fan unit assembly method, which uses the transport fan unit assembly platform device described above for assembly. The transport fan unit assembly method includes:

[0016] The assembly platform carrying the fan unit is transported to the aircraft engine final assembly station by the transport vehicle 1.

[0017] Driven by the gear and rack mechanism 6, the ring rotation mechanism 5, the cam moving mechanism 4, and the connected fan unit assembly platform are moved horizontally in the X direction to adjust the position of the fan unit in the horizontal direction.

[0018] By controlling the circular rotation mechanism 5, the cam moving mechanism 4 and the fan unit assembly platform connected to it are driven to rotate around the Z-axis.

[0019] By controlling the cam moving mechanism 4, the connected fan unit assembly platform is driven to perform a composite motion of Z-axis lifting and rotating adaptively around the Y-axis.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects that can be achieved by the above-mentioned at least one technical solution adopted in the embodiments of this specification include at least the following: by integrating a gear and rack mechanism, a ring rotation mechanism and a cam movement mechanism, an assembly platform with three degrees of freedom of coordinated attitude adjustment functions of horizontal movement in the X direction, vertical movement in the Z direction and circular rotation around the Z axis is constructed, which effectively solves the problems of insufficient degrees of freedom, reliance on manual labor, and low precision and efficiency of existing assembly equipment; its structure is compact and its movement is precise, which can realize automatic alignment and flexible docking of the fan unit and the engine interface, significantly improve the level of assembly automation and product quality consistency, and reduce the difficulty of operation and labor intensity. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of a device for assembling a transport fan unit in this application;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first moving mechanism in this application;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the cam movement mechanism in this application;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second moving mechanism in this application;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the connecting device in this application;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the cam lifting mechanism in this application;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the ring-shaped rotating mechanism in this application;

[0029] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the gear and rack mechanism in this application. Figure 1 ;

[0030] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the gear and rack mechanism in this application. Figure 2 . Detailed Implementation

[0031] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this application. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this application from the content disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. This application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this application. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0033] It should be noted that various aspects of embodiments within the scope of the appended claims are described below. It will be apparent that the aspects described herein can be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and any particular structure and / or function described herein is merely illustrative. Based on this application, those skilled in the art will understand that one aspect described herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number and aspects set forth herein can be used to implement the device and / or practice the method. Additionally, this device and / or method can be implemented using structures and / or functionalities other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein.

[0034] It should also be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of this application. The drawings only show the components related to this application and are not drawn according to the actual number, shape and size of the components in the actual implementation. In the actual implementation, the form, quantity and proportion of each component can be arbitrarily changed, and the layout of the components may also be more complex.

[0035] Additionally, specific details are provided in the following description to facilitate a thorough understanding of the examples. However, those skilled in the art will understand that practice can be carried out without these specific details.

[0036] In the field of aero-engine manufacturing, the final assembly and docking of the fan unit and the core engine relies heavily on manual operation and repeated trial assembly. The assembly equipment used has a low degree of freedom and automation, and the integration of the mechanisms is not high. The assembly equipment can only complete simple linear or rotary movements, which requires a high level of technical skills from the workers and results in a high labor intensity. Repeated trial assembly and measurement will also introduce new errors, making it difficult to control production efficiency and assembly accuracy.

[0037] In view of this, the inventors discovered through research and improvement that existing equipment, such as C-ring assembly platforms, has a single function and can usually only provide limited degrees of freedom in non-docking directions (such as vertical lifting, vertical in-plane pitch and roll), and cannot complete the horizontal movement (X-axis) and horizontal in-plane rotation (around the Z-axis) required for final docking. This leads to a series of problems such as low assembly efficiency, difficulty in ensuring accuracy, high labor intensity, high cost and poor quality consistency.

[0038] Based on this, the embodiments of this specification propose a device for assembling a transport fan unit: a highly integrated three-degree-of-freedom moving mechanism is mounted on a transport vehicle. The overall concept is as follows: a modular structure with longitudinal series connection of "cam-rotation-rack" and left and right symmetry is adopted. The top cam moving mechanism outputs Z-axis lifting and adaptive rotation around the Y-axis in one go; the middle ring rotation mechanism provides large-angle rotation; and the bottom gear rack mechanism realizes precise linear motion in the X-axis. The three degrees of freedom are integrated into a single compact body, which can realize automated docking and assembly with high precision without manual intervention or additional auxiliary equipment, thus solving the problem of precise attitude adjustment in the docking and assembly of the fan unit and the aero-engine.

[0039] The technical solutions provided by the various embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] like Figure 1-2 As shown in the figure, this specification provides an apparatus for assembling a transport fan unit, comprising:

[0041] Transport vehicle 1;

[0042] The three-degree-of-freedom moving mechanism 2 installed on the transport vehicle 1 is used to connect to and drive the fan unit assembly platform to perform Z-axis lifting movement, X-axis horizontal movement, and circular rotation around the Z-axis.

[0043] The three-degree-of-freedom moving mechanism 2 includes: at least two first moving mechanisms 3, which are symmetrically arranged and move synchronously along the transverse side of the vehicle body; the first moving mechanism 3 includes a cam moving mechanism 4, a ring rotating mechanism 5 and a gear and rack mechanism 6 arranged in series from top to bottom.

[0044] in,

[0045] The cam moving mechanism 4 is used to connect to the fan unit assembly platform and drive the fan unit assembly platform to perform a composite motion of Z-axis lifting and adaptive rotation around the Y-axis.

[0046] The annular rotating mechanism 5 is used to drive the cam moving mechanism 4 and the fan unit assembly platform to rotate around the Z-axis.

[0047] The gear and rack mechanism 6 is installed on the transport vehicle 1 and is used to drive the annular rotating mechanism 5, the cam moving mechanism 4 and the fan unit assembly platform to move horizontally in the X direction.

[0048] Specifically, the core component includes a carrier vehicle 1 and a three-degree-of-freedom moving mechanism 2 mounted on it. The three-degree-of-freedom moving mechanism 2 is directly connected to the fan unit assembly platform and is responsible for driving the platform to complete Z-axis lifting, X-axis horizontal movement and circular rotation around the Z-axis, thereby meeting the requirements for precise adjustment of position and attitude during the assembly and docking process of the aero-engine.

[0049] The three-degree-of-freedom moving mechanism 2 consists of at least two first moving mechanisms 3. These first moving mechanisms 3 are arranged symmetrically laterally along the vehicle body and can move synchronously under the command of the control system to ensure the stability and load balance of the platform. Each set of first moving mechanisms 3 adopts a top-down serial structure design, specifically including three functional modules: a cam moving mechanism 4, a ring rotating mechanism 5, and a gear and rack mechanism 6.

[0050] The cam moving mechanism 4 is located on the top layer and is directly connected to the fan unit assembly platform. Through a set of drive mechanisms, it synchronously outputs linear lifting motion in the Z direction and adaptive rotational motion around the Y axis.

[0051] The annular rotating mechanism 5 is located in the middle layer and is used to support and drive the upper cam moving mechanism 4 and its connected fan unit assembly platform to rotate around the Z-axis.

[0052] The gear and rack mechanism 6 is installed at the bottom layer and is fixedly connected to the body of the transport vehicle 1. The basic drive unit of the entire three-degree-of-freedom moving mechanism 2 is responsible for driving the upper ring rotating mechanism 5, cam moving mechanism 4 and fan unit assembly platform as a whole to move in a precise horizontal straight line along the X direction, so as to realize the horizontal feeding and positioning of the platform.

[0053] This application achieves the vertical, horizontal, and circumferential movement of the fan unit assembly platform through the spatially connected and functionally coordinated arrangement of three sets of mechanisms, thereby improving the overall assembly efficiency of the fan unit, better meeting production needs, and featuring a compact structure that is easy to automate.

[0054] In some embodiments, the cam moving mechanism 4 includes at least two second moving mechanisms 7, which are symmetrically arranged front and rear along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and move synchronously.

[0055] The second moving mechanism 7 includes a connecting device 8 and a cam lifting mechanism 9;

[0056] The connecting device 8 includes: a connecting flange shaft 10, a connecting plate 11, and a rotating shaft 12; wherein, the connecting flange shaft 10 is used to connect to the fan unit assembly platform; the rotating shaft 12 is connected to the cam lifting mechanism 9, and under the drive of the cam lifting mechanism 9, drives the connecting device 8 to rotate around the Y-axis;

[0057] The cam lifting mechanism 9 includes a first driving device 13, a first linear guide rail 14, a cam 16, and a follower 17. The output end of the first driving device 13 is connected to the cam 16 to drive the cam 16 to move linearly on the first linear guide rail 14. The profile surface of the cam 16 has a tangential slope to output Z-axis lift within the same stroke. The lower end of the follower 17 contacts the cam 16, and the upper end is connected to the rotating shaft 12 to synchronously convert the linear motion of the cam 16 into Z-axis lifting and lowering movement of the rotating shaft 12, as well as adaptive rotational movement of the rotating shaft 12 around the Y-axis.

[0058] Specifically, such as Figure 3-6 As shown, when the first drive device 13 drives the cam 16 to move horizontally along the first linear guide rail 14, the composite surface on the profile of the cam 16, which has both lift and tangential slope, will act on the follower 17, causing the follower 17 to be displaced in the tangential direction. This composite displacement is transmitted to the connecting device 8 through the upper rotating shaft 12, thereby being synchronously converted into the Z-axis lifting motion and the adaptive rotation around the Y-axis of the fan unit assembly platform.

[0059] It should be noted that the cam moving mechanism 4 includes two identical second moving mechanisms 7, which perform the same movements.

[0060] In some embodiments, the first drive device 13 includes an electric cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder, and the output end of the first drive device 13 is hinged to the cam 16 to eliminate over-positioning and provide real-time feedback of Z-direction displacement.

[0061] In some embodiments, the follower 17 includes a moving wheel.

[0062] It should be noted that as long as the follower can realize the composite motion conversion function of simultaneously converting the vertical lift and tangential slip generated by the cam (16) profile into the Z-axis lifting motion and the slight rotation around the Y-axis at the output end, the specific structural form is not limited to the moving wheel, and other mechanical structures that can meet the functional requirements can also be used.

[0063] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7 As shown, the annular rotating mechanism 5 includes: a second driving device 18, a large supporting plate 20, and an annular guide rail 19;

[0064] The second driving device 18 pushes the large supporting plate 20 to rotate in a circular motion along the annular guide rail 19.

[0065] In practice, the annular rotating mechanism 5 is connected and installed with the cam moving mechanism 4, which is located below the cam moving mechanism 4. The second drive device 18 outputs linear thrust, which acts on the lateral drive point of the bearing plate 20. Under the action of this thrust, the bearing plate 20 converts the linear thrust into rotational torque through the sliding or rolling elements at its bottom that cooperate with the annular guide rail 19, thereby achieving a smooth and precise circular rotation around the Z-axis center. This causes the fan unit assembly platform to rotate, thereby driving all the mechanisms and loads above to adjust in the horizontal plane.

[0066] In some embodiments, the second drive device 18 includes an electric cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder.

[0067] The second drive device 18 can also be other drive elements capable of providing linear thrust or pull.

[0068] In some embodiments, such as Figure 8-9 As shown, the gear and rack mechanism 6 is fixedly connected to the transport vehicle 1 via the base plate 24; the gear and rack mechanism 6 includes: rack 21, motor 22, gear 23 and second linear guide rail 25;

[0069] The motor 22 drives the gear 23 to mesh with the rack 21, causing the base plate 24 to move horizontally along the linear guide rail 25, which is used to push the annular rotating mechanism 5 and the cam moving mechanism 4.

[0070] During implementation, the motor 22 drives the gear 23 to rotate. Since the rack 21 is fixedly installed on the carrier 1, the meshing action of the gear 23 and the rack 21 will convert the rotational motion of the gear into a linear motion of the gear shaft, i.e., the connection point with the base plate 24, along the rack direction. This will drive the base plate 24, which is fixed to the gearbox, and the entire mechanism above it to move smoothly and precisely in the X-direction along the second linear guide rail 25, thereby realizing the linear motion of the fan unit assembly platform.

[0071] In some embodiments, the device of the transport fan unit assembly platform is used for docking and assembling the aero-engine fan unit with the aero-engine.

[0072] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a method for assembling a transport fan unit, which uses the aforementioned transport fan unit assembly platform device for assembly. The method for assembling the transport fan unit includes:

[0073] The assembly platform carrying the fan unit is transported to the aircraft engine final assembly station by the transport vehicle 1.

[0074] Driven by the gear and rack mechanism 6, the ring rotation mechanism 5, the cam moving mechanism 4, and the connected fan unit assembly platform are moved horizontally in the X direction to adjust the position of the fan unit in the horizontal direction.

[0075] By controlling the circular rotation mechanism 5, the cam moving mechanism 4 and the fan unit assembly platform connected to it are driven to rotate around the Z-axis.

[0076] By controlling the cam moving mechanism 4, the connected fan unit assembly platform is driven to perform a composite motion of Z-axis lifting and rotating adaptively around the Y-axis.

[0077] In some embodiments, the motions of the three degrees of freedom are performed individually or in combination in any order to achieve alignment between the fan unit and the aero-engine interface.

[0078] This application designs an assembly platform capable of performing three-degree-of-freedom attitude adjustment motion. Combined with a more precise drive device, it improves the overall assembly efficiency of the fan unit, better meets production needs, and has a compact structure that is easy to automate.

[0079] In this specification, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to mutually. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the descriptions of the embodiments described later are relatively simple, and relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions of the foregoing embodiments.

[0080] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A device for transporting a fan unit assembly platform, characterized in that, include: Transport vehicle (1); The three-degree-of-freedom moving mechanism (2) installed on the transport vehicle (1) is used to connect and drive the fan unit assembly platform to perform Z-axis lifting movement, X-axis horizontal movement and circumferential rotation around the Z-axis. The three-degree-of-freedom moving mechanism (2) includes: at least two first moving mechanisms (3), which are symmetrically arranged in the left and right sides along the transverse direction of the vehicle body and move synchronously; the first moving mechanism (3) includes a cam moving mechanism (4), a ring rotating mechanism (5) and a gear and rack mechanism (6) arranged in series from top to bottom; in, The cam moving mechanism (4) is used to connect to the fan unit assembly platform and drive the fan unit assembly platform to perform a composite motion of Z-axis lifting and rotating adaptively around the Y-axis. The annular rotating mechanism (5) is used to drive the cam moving mechanism (4) and the fan unit assembly platform to rotate around the Z-axis. The gear and rack mechanism (6) is installed on the transport vehicle (1) and is used to drive the ring rotating mechanism (5), the cam moving mechanism (4) and the fan unit assembly platform to move horizontally in the X direction.

2. The apparatus for assembling a transport fan unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cam moving mechanism (4) includes at least two second moving mechanisms (7), which are symmetrically arranged front and back along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and move synchronously. The second moving mechanism (7) includes a connecting device (8) and a cam lifting mechanism (9); The connecting device (8) includes: a connecting flange shaft (10), a connecting plate (11), and a rotating shaft (12); wherein, the connecting flange shaft (10) is used to connect the fan unit assembly platform; the rotating shaft (12) is connected to the cam lifting mechanism (9), and under the drive of the cam lifting mechanism (9), drives the connecting device (8) to rotate around the Y-axis; The cam lifting mechanism (9) includes a first driving device (13), a first linear guide rail (14), a cam (16), and a follower (17); wherein, the output end of the first driving device (13) is connected to the cam (16) and is used to drive the cam (16) to make linear motion on the first linear guide rail (14); the profile surface of the cam (16) has a tangential slope and is used to output Z-axis lift within the same stroke; the lower end of the follower (17) is in contact with the cam (16) and the upper end is connected to the rotating shaft (12) and is used to synchronously convert the linear motion of the cam (16) into Z-axis lifting and lowering movement of the rotating shaft (12) and adaptive rotational motion of the rotating shaft (12) around the Y-axis.

3. The apparatus for assembling a transport fan unit according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first drive device (13) includes an electric cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder. The output end of the first drive device (13) is hinged to the cam (16) to eliminate over-positioning and provide real-time feedback of Z-direction displacement.

4. The apparatus for assembling a transport fan unit according to claim 2, characterized in that, The driven member (17) includes a moving wheel.

5. The apparatus for assembling a transport fan unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The annular rotating mechanism (5) includes: a second driving device (18), a large supporting plate (20), and an annular guide rail (19); The second driving device (18) pushes the large supporting plate (20) to rotate in a circular motion along the annular guide rail (19).

6. The apparatus for assembling a transport fan unit according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second drive device (18) includes an electric cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder.

7. The apparatus for assembling a transport fan unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gear and rack mechanism (6) is fixedly connected to the carrier vehicle (1) via a base plate (24); the gear and rack mechanism (6) includes: a rack (21), a motor (22), a gear (23), and a second linear guide rail (25); The motor (22) drives the gear (23) to mesh with the rack (21), causing the base plate (24) to move horizontally along the linear guide rail (25), which is used to push the annular rotating mechanism (5) and the cam moving mechanism (4).

8. The apparatus for assembling a transport fan unit according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The transport fan unit assembly platform is used for docking and assembling the aero-engine fan unit with the aero-engine.

9. A method for assembling a transport fan unit, characterized in that, Assembly is performed using the apparatus of the transport fan unit assembly platform as described in any one of claims 1-8, and the transport fan unit assembly method includes: The assembly platform carrying the fan unit is transported to the aircraft engine final assembly station by a transport vehicle (1); Driven by the gear and rack mechanism (6), the ring rotation mechanism (5), the cam moving mechanism (4) and the connected fan unit assembly platform are moved horizontally in the X direction to adjust the position of the fan unit in the horizontal direction. By controlling the ring rotation mechanism (5), the cam moving mechanism (4) and the fan unit assembly platform connected to it are driven to rotate around the Z-axis. By controlling the cam moving mechanism (4), the connected fan unit assembly platform is driven to perform a composite motion of Z-axis lifting and rotating adaptively around the Y-axis.

10. The assembly method for the transport fan unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The movements of the three degrees of freedom can be executed individually or in any order to achieve alignment between the fan unit and the aero-engine interface.

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