Anchoring device for fairing and automated detection method of water jet penetration by ultrasound

Abstract

A fairing clamping device and an ultrasonic water jet through automatic detection method, by designing clamping tooling and detection scheme, solves the ultrasonic water jet through automatic detection problem of semi-rotary body special-shaped curved surface workpiece. The clamping device is composed of an octagonal tube frame and a clamping jaw, the octagonal tube frame is provided with threaded holes at equal intervals, auxiliary parts are flexibly added by using bolts, a movable compression slider is installed on the clamping jaw, stable clamping of fairing half covers with different diameters is realized through the joint action of all compression sliders, a reasonable scanning track is planned under the premise of meeting accessibility, and safe and efficient ultrasonic water jet through automatic detection of fairing half covers by double mechanical arms is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a fairing clamping device and an automated ultrasonic water jet penetration testing method, belonging to the fields of machining and ultrasonic non-destructive testing. Background Technology

[0002] A fairing is a high-performance structural component widely used in the aerospace field. Its shape is typically clamshell-like (two lobes), with a conical and cylindrical profile when closed. Normally, each lobe is formed separately as a semi-cylindrical segment and a semi-conical segment. After passing non-destructive testing, they are then machined and riveted together to form a semi-conical and semi-cylindrical fairing. With advancements in manufacturing technology, smaller-diameter semi-cylindrical and semi-conical segments are now often integrally molded, resulting in a complete semi-fairing shape also known as a cone-column assembly.

[0003] Conical-cylindrical assemblies are typically honeycomb sandwich structures. In engineering, ultrasonic water jetting is often used to detect debonding defects between the skin and the internal honeycomb layers in such structures. However, the contours of conical-cylindrical assemblies are complex curved surfaces, making automated ultrasonic water jetting detection a significant engineering challenge. This requires comprehensive consideration of the accessibility of the ultrasonic probe and the safety and efficiency of the detection process. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem solved by this invention is: addressing the lack of an automated through-hole detection method for complex curved surfaces in the existing technology, this invention proposes a fairing clamping device and an automated ultrasonic water jet through-hole detection method.

[0005] The present invention solves the above-mentioned technical problem through the following technical solution: A fairing clamping device includes an octagonal tube frame and a gripper assembly. The octagonal tube frame includes an octagonal tube, a cast aluminum connector, an auxiliary support, and a clamp. The gripper assembly includes claws and a pressing slider. The octagonal tube includes a pair of first frame tubes of the same length and a pair of second frame tubes of the same length, symmetrically arranged to form a rectangular octagonal tube frame. All octagonal tubes are made of aluminum alloy with an octagonal cross-section. Adjacent octagonal tubes are fixedly connected by cast aluminum connectors at their ends. Both second frame tubes are positioned above the ends of the first frame tubes. The clamp is positioned between the two first frame tubes. The end of the first frame tube is extended and wrapped around the end of the first frame tube; threaded holes are drilled at equal intervals on the octagonal tube, and auxiliary support components are set in the threaded holes to enhance the fixing effect of the fairing half cover; the grippers are used to hold the fairing half cover in the plane of the octagonal tube frame. The grippers are set in two pairs and symmetrically set in the middle position of the two second frame tubes. Each pair of grippers is equipped with four claws, which are evenly distributed in the 180-degree circumferential direction to stably hold the fairing half cover. Each claw is fitted with a pressing slider, and the gripping position of the fairing half cover is adjusted by sliding the slide rail on the claw.

[0006] The cast aluminum connector is designed to fit the shape of the octagonal tube end. The clamp includes two aluminum alloy parts, the shape of which is designed to fit the shape of the first frame tube end. The two aluminum alloy parts are joined together and wrapped around the outside of the first frame tube end to achieve the extension and docking of the first frame tube end with the fairing half cover. The fairing half cover is a conical column combination structure. The octagonal tube frame achieves the area adjustment of the rectangular octagonal tube frame through the extension and docking of the first frame tube end to adapt to fairing half covers of different sizes.

[0007] The steel components welded to the root of the claw are used to support the adjacent claws. The pressing slider is equipped with an I-beam clamp that directly contacts the fairing half to achieve support. The symmetrically arranged claws are all fixedly connected to the middle position of the second frame tube by bolts.

[0008] The clamping slider adopts a triangular frame structure, with I-beam clamps riveted to the triangular frame structure. The conical column combination structure of the fairing half-cover is clamped by the top block of the I-beam clamp and the I-beam clamp with fastening screws. After the claw is locked, the I-beam clamp is used to achieve stable clamping of the conical column combination structure. The triangular frame structure is used to deviate the conical column combination structure from the claw by a preset distance to avoid collision between the robot and the claw during the ultrasonic water jet penetration automatic detection process.

[0009] The contact surfaces of the clamping slider and each finger are bonded with polyurethane plates, and the top block of the I-beam clamp and the end of the fastening screw are wrapped with nylon or / and polyurethane flexible materials to prevent bumps.

[0010] An automated ultrasonic water jet penetration detection method based on a fairing clamping device includes: Construct a dual-manipulator ultrasonic water jet through-hole automatic detection system, including two six-axis industrial robots, two guide rails, one rotary positioner, one ground rail, and a fairing clamping device; Based on the diameter and length of the fairing half, adjust the distance between the driving wheel and the driven wheel of the rotary positioner and the position of each pressing slider on the finger claw, fix the fairing half on the clamping device, and use bolts to install auxiliary parts on the octagonal tube for reinforcement. A 3D simulation model of a dual-manipulator ultrasonic water jet through-through automatic detection system and a fairing half-cover was constructed. In the 3D simulation model, the outline of the fairing half-cover in the horizontal state was divided into block scanning areas according to the circumference angle and length. The six-axis industrial robot is scanned block by block according to the divided scanning area. When there is an unreachable area for the six-axis industrial robot, a rotary positioner is used to rotate the fairing half or a guide rail is used to move the position of the six-axis industrial robot. Establish the six-axis industrial robot scanning principles, and perform scanning and testing of each scanning area in sequence according to the six-axis industrial robot scanning principles until all scanning areas have been scanned and tested. Then, summarize the test data and analyze and process the test results.

[0011] Two six-axis industrial robots are fixed on two guide rails respectively and symmetrically distributed. The ground rail is located in the middle of the two guide rails. The rotary positioner is installed on the ground rail. The fairing clamping device is fixed on the rotary positioner. The rotary positioner includes a driving wheel and a driven wheel. The driving wheel is fixed to one end of the ground rail, and the driven wheel slides on the ground rail. The six-axis industrial robot is symmetrically distributed and each end is equipped with an ultrasonic probe and a water spray kit. The base is fixed on a linear guide rail and can perform linear motion. The six-axis industrial robot scans the contour of the cone-shaped structure on both sides of the fairing half-cover point by point using a transceiver method, and transmits and receives ultrasonic signals. During the scanning process, the two six-axis industrial robots move continuously, while the rotary positioner and guide rail move in a stepping motion.

[0012] Before the six-axis industrial robot performs the scanning process, it is controlled to move to a safe position and then the rotary positioner is adjusted to rotate the fairing half. The size of each scanning area is determined according to the computing, movement and storage capabilities of the six-axis industrial robot.

[0013] The six-axis industrial robot scanning principles include a first principle and a second principle, wherein: The first principle is that during the scanning process of a six-axis industrial robot, the main scanning path direction should be selected from the direction where the curvature of the conical-cylindrical combination changes slowly. The second principle is that during the scanning process, the six-axis industrial robot does not pass through singular points to avoid mismatch between motion and ultrasonic imaging. When the cone-column assembly is held in a horizontal position, the main scanning path direction determined by the first principle is used as the length direction, and the scanning step control is performed in the circumferential angle direction.

[0014] The six-axis industrial robot is controlled by offline programming simulation software for simulation and is used to construct a 3D simulation model of the dual-manipulator ultrasonic water jet through-hole automatic detection system and the fairing half-cover. Before the six-axis industrial robot performs the scanning process, the horizontal position of the six-axis industrial robot is controlled to avoid the block scanning area. By controlling the six-axis industrial robot to avoid the block scanning area and reducing the number of guide rail movements and the number of rotations of the rotary positioner, the detection efficiency is improved. When the size of the cone-column combination structure is smaller than the movement range of the six-axis industrial robot, block detection is not performed.

[0015] The advantages of this invention compared to the prior art are: (1) The fairing clamping device and the ultrasonic water jet through-hole automated inspection method provided by the present invention, through the design of a flexible workpiece clamping device and a dual-manipulator ultrasonic water jet through-hole inspection scheme, realize the automated ultrasonic water jet through-hole inspection of complex curved surface products of semi-rotation. At the same time, it can meet the automated inspection requirements of flat workpieces, and has a great reference and promotion effect on the development and engineering implementation of ultrasonic non-destructive testing automation / intelligent technology based on manipulators; (2) In order to give full play to the flexibility of the robot and avoid the situation that the automated detection system is prone to special use, the present invention designs the gripper on the workpiece clamping device to be slidable to be compatible with semi-rotary workpieces of different diameters. At the same time, it designs the equally spaced threaded holes drilled on the octagonal tube to flexibly install common fixtures to be compatible with flat workpieces. (3) In the dual robotic arm detection scheme of the present invention, the hardware layout of the detection system is simple and easy to understand, and has strong practicality; the detection process design is safe and reliable and has high detection efficiency; the software and hardware have strong scalability and are easy to combine with technologies such as 3D vision to jointly promote the development of intelligent detection.

[0016] (4) The present invention has high technical transferability. By changing the transceiver module of the detection signal, it can be applied to the automated detection of other ultrasonic detection methods, such as air-coupled ultrasonic detection technology and phased array ultrasonic detection technology. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the clamping device provided by the present invention; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the octagonal tube frame structure provided by the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cast aluminum connector provided by the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the clamp structure provided by the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the gripper structure provided by the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the pressing slider structure provided by the present invention; Figure 7 The mechanical layout diagram of the fairing dual-robot ultrasonic water jet penetration automatic detection system provided by the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0018] A fairing clamping device and an automated ultrasonic water jet penetration testing method are disclosed. By designing the clamping fixture and testing scheme, the automated ultrasonic water jet penetration testing of semi-rotating irregular curved surface parts is solved. The clamping device consists of an octagonal tube frame and grippers. The octagonal tube frame has equally spaced threaded holes, and auxiliary parts can be flexibly added using bolts. Movable clamping sliders are installed on the grippers. Through the combined action of all clamping sliders, stable clamping of fairing halves of different diameters is achieved. Combined with a rotary positioner, a reasonable scanning trajectory is planned while ensuring accessibility, safely and efficiently completing the automated ultrasonic water jet penetration testing of fairing halves using dual robotic arms.

[0019] The fairing clamping device has the following specific structural design: The components include a corner tube frame and a clamping assembly. The corner tube frame comprises corner tubes, cast aluminum connectors, auxiliary supports, and clamps. The clamping assembly comprises claws and a pressing slider. Each corner tube includes a pair of first frame tubes and a pair of second frame tubes. The length of the first frame tubes is greater than that of the second frame tubes. Adjacent tubes are fixedly connected by cast aluminum connectors at the ends of the tubes. Both second frame tubes are positioned above the ends of the first frame tubes. The clamps are extended from the ends of the two first frame tubes and wrap around them. Threaded holes are drilled at equal intervals on the tubes. Auxiliary supports are placed in the threaded holes to enhance the fixing effect of the fairing half-cover. The clamps are used to hold the fairing half-cover within the plane of the tube frame. There are two pairs of clamps, symmetrically positioned in the middle of the two second frame tubes. Each pair of clamps has four claws, which are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction to stably clamp the fairing half-cover. Each claw is fitted with a pressing slider, which slides along a rail on the claw to adjust the clamping position of the fairing half-cover.

[0020] The corner tubes are octagonal tubes, all made of aluminum alloy with an octagonal cross-section. The cast aluminum connectors are designed to fit the shape of the octagonal tube ends. The clamp consists of two aluminum alloy halves, whose shape is designed to fit the shape of the first frame tube end. The two halves of the aluminum alloy halves are joined together and wrapped around the outside of the first frame tube end to extend and connect to the fairing half-cover. The fairing half-cover is a conical-cylindrical combination structure. The octagonal tube frame achieves area adjustment of the rectangular octagonal tube frame through the extension and connection of the first frame tube end to accommodate fairing half-covers of different sizes. Steel components are welded to the base of the claws to support adjacent claws. I-beam clamps are installed on the clamping slider to directly contact the fairing half-cover for support. The symmetrically arranged claws are all fixedly connected to the middle position of the second frame tube by bolts.

[0021] The clamping slider adopts a triangular frame structure, with I-beam clamps riveted to the triangular frame structure. The conical column combination structure of the fairing half-cover is clamped by the top block of the I-beam clamp and the I-beam clamp with fastening screws. After the claw is locked, the I-beam clamp is used to achieve stable clamping of the conical column combination structure. The triangular frame structure is used to deviate the conical column combination structure from the claw by a preset distance to avoid collision between the robot and the claw during the ultrasonic water jet penetration automatic detection process.

[0022] The contact surfaces between the clamping slider and each finger are bonded with polyurethane sheets, and the top block of the I-beam clamp and the end of the fastening screw are wrapped with nylon or / and polyurethane flexible materials to prevent bumps.

[0023] The ultrasonic water jet penetration detection method for the fairing clamping device includes: Construct a dual-manipulator ultrasonic water jet through-hole automatic detection system, including two six-axis industrial robots, two guide rails, one rotary positioner, one ground rail, and a fairing clamping device; Based on the diameter and length of the fairing half, adjust the distance between the driving wheel and the driven wheel of the rotary positioner and the position of each pressing slider on the finger claw, fix the fairing half on the clamping device, and use bolts to install auxiliary parts on the octagonal tube for reinforcement. A 3D simulation model of a dual-manipulator ultrasonic water jet through-through automatic detection system and a fairing half-cover was constructed. In the 3D simulation model, the outline of the fairing half-cover in the horizontal state was divided into block scanning areas according to the circumference angle and length. The six-axis industrial robot is scanned block by block according to the divided scanning area. When there is an unreachable area for the six-axis industrial robot, a rotary positioner is used to rotate the fairing half or a guide rail is used to move the position of the six-axis industrial robot. Establish the six-axis industrial robot scanning principles, and perform scanning and testing of each scanning area in sequence according to the six-axis industrial robot scanning principles until all scanning areas have been scanned and tested. Then, summarize the test data and analyze and process the test results.

[0024] Two six-axis industrial robots are fixed on two guide rails respectively and symmetrically distributed. The ground rail is located in the middle of the two guide rails. The rotary positioner is installed on the ground rail. The fairing clamping device is fixed on the rotary positioner. The rotary positioner includes a driving wheel and a driven wheel. The driving wheel is fixed to one end of the ground rail, and the driven wheel slides on the ground rail. The six-axis industrial robot is symmetrically distributed and each end is equipped with an ultrasonic probe and a water spray kit. The base is fixed on a linear guide rail and can perform linear motion. The six-axis industrial robot scans the contour of the cone-shaped structure on both sides of the fairing half-cover point by point using a transceiver method, and transmits and receives ultrasonic signals. During the scanning process, the two six-axis industrial robots move continuously, while the rotary positioner and guide rail move in a stepping motion.

[0025] Before the six-axis industrial robot performs the scanning process, it is controlled to move to a safe position and then the rotary positioner is adjusted to rotate the fairing half. The size of each scanning area is determined according to the computing, movement and storage capabilities of the six-axis industrial robot.

[0026] The principles of six-axis industrial robot scanning include the first principle and the second principle, among which: The first principle is that during the scanning process of a six-axis industrial robot, the main scanning path direction should be selected from the direction where the curvature of the conical-cylindrical combination changes slowly. The second principle is that during the scanning process, the six-axis industrial robot does not pass through singular points to avoid mismatch between motion and ultrasonic imaging. When the cone-column assembly is held in a horizontal position, the main scanning path direction determined by the first principle is used as the length direction, and the scanning step control is performed in the circumferential angle direction.

[0027] The six-axis industrial robot is controlled by offline programming simulation software for simulation and is used to build a 3D simulation model of a dual-manipulator ultrasonic water jet through-hole automatic detection system and a fairing half-cover. Before the six-axis industrial robot performs the scanning process, it avoids the block scanning area by controlling the horizontal position of the six-axis industrial robot. By controlling the six-axis industrial robot to avoid the block scanning area and reducing the number of guide rail movements and the number of rotations of the rotary positioner, the detection efficiency is improved. When the size of the cone-column combination structure is smaller than the movement range of the six-axis industrial robot, block detection is not performed.

[0028] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments, provides further details: In the current embodiment, the fairing half-cover clamping device has a main structure of an octagonal tube frame 1 and a clamp 2. The octagonal tube frame 1 is composed of an octagonal tube 11, a cast aluminum connector 12, and a clamp 13; the clamp 2 is composed of a claw 21 and a pressing slider 22.

[0029] An automated testing solution for the fairing half-cover using dual robotic arms and ultrasonic water jet penetration testing, including the mechanical layout and testing process design of the dual robotic arms and ultrasonic water jet penetration testing system, and further: The fairing half is fixed in a horizontal position. The octagonal tube frame 1 is made of aluminum alloy, and the octagonal tube 11 has an octagonal cross-section, which is lightweight and structurally stable. In addition, the octagonal tube 11 is equipped with threaded holes at equal intervals, which can be used to install other auxiliary parts with bolts as needed. The octagonal tube frame 1 is characterized by its high expandability.

[0030] The gripper 2 has a variable clamping position and is highly versatile. The gripper 2 consists of claws 21 and a clamping slider 22. The clamping slider 22 is mounted on each claw 21 and can be moved to a designated position via a slide rail. The clamping slider 22 is fitted with an I-beam clamp that directly contacts the fairing half. The gripper 2 is connected to the octagonal tube frame 1 using bolts.

[0031] The contact surfaces of the clamping slider 22 and each finger 21 are bonded with polyurethane plates, which increases the coefficient of friction and prevents scratches on the slide rail. The top block on the I-beam clamp and the ends of the fastening screws are wrapped with flexible materials such as nylon / polyurethane to prevent damage to the workpiece surface.

[0032] During the automated detection process involving ultrasonic water jetting by dual robotic arms, the mechanical layout is as follows: The conical-cylinder combination clamping device is mounted on a rotary positioner, which is fixed to a ground rail and positioned between two robotic arms. The rotary positioner consists of a driving wheel and a driven wheel. The driving wheel is fixed to one end of the ground rail, while the driven wheel can slide on the ground rail. The two robotic arms are arranged opposite each other, and each end is equipped with an ultrasonic probe and a water spray system. Their bases are fixed to linear guide rails, allowing for linear motion.

[0033] The automated ultrasonic water jet penetration testing method, the specific testing process is as follows: a) Fix the fairing half-cover on the clamping device Based on the diameter and length of the fairing half, adjust the distance between the driving wheel and the driven wheel of the rotary positioner, as well as the position of each pressing slider 22 on the finger 21, and use bolts to install auxiliary parts on the octagonal tube 11 for reinforcement.

[0034] b) Divide the scanning area A 3D simulation model of a dual-manipulator ultrasonic water jet penetration automatic detection system was built using robot offline programming software. Due to the limitation of the manipulator's motion radius, the outline of the fairing half-cover in the horizontal position was divided into several scanning areas according to the circumference angle and length in the simulation.

[0035] c) Perform the scanning area sequentially. The designated scanning area is scanned section by section. When there are inaccessible areas for the dual robotic arms, a rotary positioner is used to rotate the fairing half or a guide rail is used to translate the position of the robotic arms. To prevent collisions, the robot must be moved to a safe position before performing any of the above operations.

[0036] The principle for dividing the scanning area is to reduce the number of guide rail movements and positioner rotations to improve detection efficiency, while ensuring safety and accessibility. This principle is an important consideration in the selection of robotic arms in automated inspection systems.

[0037] The scanning areas are inspected sequentially. For each scanning area, the principles are: I. The main scanning path direction should be selected in the direction where the curvature of the cone-cylinder assembly changes more slowly; II. The robot should not pass through singularities during the scanning process. When the cone-cylinder assembly is held in a horizontal position, its main scanning direction is the length direction.

[0038] The scanning areas are inspected sequentially. The principle for the scanning order of each area is to reduce the invalid detection time when the robot moves between the end point of the previous scanning area and the start point of the next scanning area, so as to improve the detection efficiency.

[0039] The invention relates to an automated ultrasonic water jet penetration testing scheme for fairing half-cover clamping devices and dual robotic arms. Its key feature is that, in conjunction with a rotary positioner, it enables automated ultrasonic water jet penetration testing of irregularly shaped curved surface parts with a semi-rotational shape. This invention is characterized by its strong versatility and safe, efficient testing process.

[0040] The octagonal tube frame 1 bears the overall load of the clamping device and connects various components. It consists of octagonal tubes, cast aluminum connectors, and clamps. Made of aluminum alloy, it is lightweight, structurally stable, and exhibits minimal deformation. The octagonal tubes are equipped with evenly spaced threaded holes, allowing for the installation of other auxiliary parts using bolts as needed. This part offers high flexibility and expandability.

[0041] The gripper consists of finger grippers and clamping sliders, which directly contact the conical column assembly. The clamping sliders are mounted on each finger gripper and can be moved to a designated position via slide rails on the finger grippers. The clamping sliders are designed with I-beam clamps, whose clamping points contact a portion of the conical column assembly. Under the combined clamping of all clamping sliders, stable clamping of semi-rotating workpieces of different diameters is achieved, featuring variable diameter and strong versatility.

[0042] The conical column assembly is stably fixed in a horizontal position on the clamping device.

[0043] The automatic detection scheme for the dual-robot ultrasonic water jet penetration of the cone-column combination is as follows: The mechanical layout of the automatic detection system is as follows: a clamping device is mounted on a rotary positioner, which is mounted on a floor rail. The rotary positioner consists of a driving wheel and a driven wheel; the driving wheel is fixed to one end of the floor rail, while the driven wheel can slide on the floor rail. Two robotic arms are arranged opposite each other, with the rotary positioner and the floor rail located between the two robotic arms. Each robotic arm has an ultrasonic probe and a water spray system mounted at its end, with their bases mounted on their respective guide rails, allowing for linear motion.

[0044] During ultrasonic water jet penetration testing, the ultrasonic probes held by two robotic arms move continuously and remain centered at all times. If the robotic arms cannot reach the spatial position within the testing area, a rotary positioner is used to rotate the cone-cylinder assembly at an angle or drive the guide rail to change the horizontal position of the robotic arms.

[0045] A 3D simulation model of the dual-manipulator ultrasonic water jet penetration detection system was built in the robot offline programming software. The relative positions of each component in the simulation model must be strictly consistent with the actual situation. Due to the limitation of the manipulator's motion radius, the outline of the horizontally positioned conical-cylinder combination was divided into several inspection areas according to the circumference angle and length, and then each area was scanned until the inspection was completed.

[0046] To avoid the robotic arm passing through singularities during movement, which could cause asynchrony between motion and ultrasound imaging, the main direction of motion of the robotic arm should, in principle, be along the direction where the curvature of the conical-cylindrical combination decreases relatively slowly.

[0047] Example 1: like Figure 1 As shown, it includes an octagonal tube frame 1 and a clamp 2. The octagonal tube frame 1 is the main load-bearing component and is connected to the clamp 2 by bolts. The clamp 2 is in direct contact with the conical column assembly.

[0048] like Figure 2 As shown, the octagonal tube frame 1 is a rectangular structure, formed by overlapping octagonal tubes 1 with an octagonal cross-section. The octagonal tubes 1 are drilled with threaded holes at equal intervals, allowing for the flexible addition of auxiliary support components using bolts as needed.

[0049] like Figure 3 As shown, the shape of the cast aluminum connector 12 is adapted to the shape of the octagonal tube 11. The long side and the wide side of the octagonal tube frame are stably connected and fixed by the cast aluminum connector 12, and the two are connected by bolts.

[0050] like Figure 4 As shown, the clamp 13 is used to extend the long side of the octagonal frame 1 to accommodate conical column combinations of different lengths. The clamp 13 consists of two aluminum alloy parts with shapes similar to the octagonal tube 1. When in use, the two parts are closed to wrap the joint between the original octagonal tube 1 and the extension first frame tube, and are connected to the threaded holes on the octagonal tube by bolts.

[0051] like Figure 5 As shown, the gripper 2 is designed with four claws 21, which are evenly distributed in a 180-degree circumferential direction. To increase the load-bearing capacity of the claws, the entire structure is made of stainless steel, and steel is welded to each claw 21 near the root for mutual support.

[0052] like Figure 6As shown, each gripper 21 is fitted with a clamping slider 22, which can be moved to a designated position via a slide rail arranged on the gripper 21 and then fixed with fastening screws. A triangular frame 221 is welded to the clamping slider 22, and the triangular frame 221 is riveted to an I-beam clamp 222. A portion of the conical assembly is clamped between the top block of the I-beam clamp 222 and the fastening screws, locking the I-beam clamps 222 on all grippers 21 to achieve stable clamping of the conical assembly. The purpose of the triangular frame 221 is to offset the conical assembly from the gripper 2 by a certain distance, avoiding collisions between the robot and the gripper 2 during the robot's ultrasonic water jet penetration automatic detection process.

[0053] The contact surfaces of the clamping slider 22 and each finger 21 are bonded with polyurethane plates, which increases the coefficient of friction and prevents scratches on the slide rail. The ends of the top block and the fastening screws are wrapped with flexible materials such as nylon / polyurethane to prevent damage to the workpiece surface.

[0054] To improve on-site operational convenience, L-shaped adjustable handle screws were selected for fastening.

[0055] Normally, the clamping device is fixed on the rotary positioner, and the conical column assembly is loaded and unloaded manually. Considering that it is more convenient to disassemble and assemble large or heavy workpieces on the ground, a dedicated lifting point and quick-change male connector are provided on the gripper 2. After the workpiece is fixed to the clamping device on the ground, it is then hoisted onto the rotary positioner as a whole.

[0056] Thanks to the equally spaced threaded holes on the octagonal tube, support columns or slings and other auxiliary fastening parts can be flexibly set to increase safety.

[0057] This invention discloses an automatic detection scheme for ultrasonic water jet penetration of a fairing half-cover using dual robotic arms, including the layout of the automated detection system and the detection process.

[0058] like Figure 7 As shown, the mechanical part of the dual-manipulator ultrasonic water jet through-hole automatic detection system consists of two six-axis industrial robots, two guide rails, one rotary positioner, one ground rail, and a fairing clamping device. The two six-axis industrial robots are fixed on the two guide rails respectively and distributed opposite each other. The ground rail is located in the middle of the two guide rails. The rotary positioner is installed on the ground rail, and the clamping device is fixed on the rotary positioner.

[0059] Two six-axis industrial robots, each equipped with an ultrasonic probe and a water spray sleeve at their end effectors, scan the conical assembly point-by-point along its outline using a one-to-one transmitting and receiving method. During the scanning process, both robots move continuously, while the rotary positioner and guide rail move in steps. The rotary positioner consists of a drive wheel and a driven wheel; the drive wheel is fixed to one end of the ground rail, while the driven wheel moves along the ground rail according to the length of the product to be inspected.

[0060] Taking a conical column assembly as an example, the automatic detection scheme for the conical column assembly using the dual-robot ultrasonic water jet penetration automatic detection system with the above-mentioned mechanical layout is explained: 1. Fixed conical column combination a) Determine whether to use clamp 13 to extend octagonal tube 11 based on the length of the cone column assembly. If so, adjust the distance between the driving wheel and driven wheel of the rotary positioner. Adjust the position of each clamping slider 22 on the gripper 2 according to the diameter of the cone column assembly; b) Move the two robots to a safe position, and then use a rotary positioner to rotate the clamping device to a horizontal position for initial positioning of the cone-column assembly. After fine-tuning the position, tighten the fastening bolts on the clamping slider 22 and fix other auxiliary parts.

[0061] 2. Divide the scanning area When the size of the conical-cylinder assembly exceeds the range of motion of the robot, it needs to be inspected in sections. The principle for dividing the scanning area is to reduce the number of guide rail movements and positioner rotations while ensuring safety and robot spatial accessibility, thereby reducing errors caused by external axis movements and improving inspection efficiency. This principle influences the selection of the robot in the automated inspection system.

[0062] A 3D model of a dual-robot ultrasonic water jet automatic detection system was built using offline robot programming simulation software, and motion simulation was performed. The horizontal position of the robots and the division of the scanning area were planned to avoid collisions. The size of each scanning area must take into account the computing and storage capabilities of the robot controller.

[0063] 3. Perform the scanning of the areas in sequence. For each scanning area, the robot's movement must adhere to the following principles: I. The main scanning path should be chosen in the direction of the slower curvature change on the contour of the cone-cylinder combination. II. The robot should not pass through singularities during the scanning process to avoid mismatch between motion and ultrasonic imaging.

[0064] The scanning sequence between different scanning areas should follow these principles: reduce the ineffective detection time of the robotic arm moving between the end point of the previous scanning area and the beginning point of the next scanning area, so as to improve detection efficiency.

[0065] When the cone-cylinder assembly is fixed in a horizontal position, the direction in which the curvature of its outline changes more slowly is the length direction. Therefore, the length direction of the cone-cylinder assembly is the primary scanning direction, and the circumferential angle is the scanning step.

[0066] Taking a conical column assembly with a diameter of 1.6m and a length of 4m as an example. According to the simulation results of the robot's offline programming software, if the scanning interval is 2mm, the robotic arm extension is 2100mm, and the robotic arm controller can only store a maximum of 10,000 lines of code at a time. This conical column assembly needs to be divided into 8 segments in the length direction and 4 segments in the angular direction. The horizontal positions of the robot in the length direction are 1 meter and 3 meters, and the rotation angles of the rotary positioner in the circumferential direction are +30 degrees and -30 degrees (with the vertical direction as 0 degrees). The complete inspection process is as follows: Since the detection process involves the displacement of the robot base and the rotation of the cone-column combination, both robots must be set to a safe pose for safety.

[0067] (1) The rotary positioner moves to +30 degrees, and the two robotic arms on the guide rail move to a horizontal position of 1 meter. The robotic arms move from a safe position to the starting point of the (1,1)th scanning area and after serpentine scanning, they move to the starting point of the (1,2)th scanning area. When the (1,4)th area is completed, the robot returns to a safe position and waits for the guide rail to move to a horizontal position of 3 meters. Then the robot starts scanning from the starting point of the (1,3)th area.

[0068] (2) After the first row of the scanning area, i.e., block (1, [1-8]), is completed, the scanning should begin from block (2, 8) and proceed to block (2, 1). When the scanning of block (2, 4) is completed, the robot moves from a horizontal position of 3 meters to 1 meter. After the second row of the inspection area, i.e., block (2, [8-1]), is completely scanned, the robot returns to a safe position.

[0069] (3) Rotate the positioner to -30 degrees, and repeat steps 1 and 2 above until all areas have been inspected.

[0070] It should be noted that other parameter settings related to the ultrasonic testing process during the testing process shall be made in accordance with the product's testing process card and are not within the scope of this patent.

[0071] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make possible changes and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention by utilizing the methods and techniques disclosed above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

[0072] The contents not described in detail in this specification are common knowledge to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A fairing clamping device, characterized in that: The system includes a corner tube frame and a gripper assembly. The corner tube frame includes corner tubes, cast aluminum connectors, auxiliary supports, and clamps. The gripper assembly includes claws and a clamping slider. The corner tubes include a pair of first frame tubes and a pair of second frame tubes. The length of the first frame tubes is greater than that of the second frame tubes. Adjacent tubes are fixedly connected by cast aluminum connectors at the ends of the tubes. Both second frame tubes are located above the ends of the first frame tubes. The clamps are extended from the ends of the two first frame tubes and wrap around the ends of the first frame tubes. Threaded holes are drilled at equal intervals on the tubes. Auxiliary supports are installed in the threaded holes to enhance the fixing effect of the fairing half-cover. The grippers are used to hold the fairing half-cover within the plane of the tube frame. There are two pairs of grippers, symmetrically arranged in the middle of the two second frame tubes. Each pair of grippers has four claws, which are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction to stably hold the fairing half-cover. Each claw is fitted with a clamping slider, which slides along the slide rail on the claw to adjust the clamping position of the fairing half-cover.

2. The fairing clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The corner tube is an octagonal tube, and all octagonal tubes are made of aluminum alloy tubes with an octagonal cross-section. The cast aluminum connectors are designed to fit the shape of the octagonal tube ends. The clamp includes two aluminum alloy parts, and the shape of the aluminum alloy parts is designed to fit the shape of the first frame tube ends. The two aluminum alloy parts are joined together and wrapped around the outside of the first frame tube ends to realize the extension and docking of the first frame tube ends with the fairing half cover. The fairing half cover is a conical column combination structure. The octagonal tube frame realizes the area adjustment of the rectangular octagonal tube frame through the extension and docking of the first frame tube ends to adapt to fairing half covers of different sizes.

3. The fairing clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steel components welded to the root of the claw are used to support the adjacent claws. The pressing slider is equipped with an I-beam clamp that directly contacts the fairing half to achieve support. The symmetrically arranged claws are all fixedly connected to the middle position of the second frame tube by bolts.

4. A fairing clamping device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The clamping slider adopts a triangular frame structure, with I-beam clamps riveted to the triangular frame structure. The conical column combination structure of the fairing half-cover is clamped by the top block of the I-beam clamp and the I-beam clamp with fastening screws. After the claw is locked, the I-beam clamp is used to achieve stable clamping of the conical column combination structure. The triangular frame structure is used to deviate the conical column combination structure from the claw by a preset distance to avoid collision between the robot and the claw during the ultrasonic water jet penetration automatic detection process.

5. A fairing clamping device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The contact surfaces of the clamping slider and each finger are bonded with polyurethane plates, and the top block of the I-beam clamp and the end of the fastening screw are wrapped with nylon or / and polyurethane flexible materials to prevent bumps.

6. An automated ultrasonic water jet penetration detection method for the fairing clamping device according to claim 5, characterized in that... include: Construct a dual-manipulator ultrasonic water jet through-hole automatic detection system, including two six-axis industrial robots, two guide rails, one rotary positioner, one ground rail, and a fairing clamping device; Based on the diameter and length of the fairing half, adjust the distance between the driving wheel and the driven wheel of the rotary positioner and the position of each pressing slider on the finger claw, fix the fairing half on the clamping device, and use bolts to install auxiliary parts on the octagonal tube for reinforcement. A 3D simulation model of a dual-manipulator ultrasonic water jet through-through automatic detection system and a fairing half-cover was constructed. In the 3D simulation model, the outline of the fairing half-cover in the horizontal state was divided into block scanning areas according to the circumference angle and length. The six-axis industrial robot is scanned block by block according to the divided scanning area. When there is an unreachable area for the six-axis industrial robot, a rotary positioner is used to rotate the fairing half or a guide rail is used to move the position of the six-axis industrial robot. Establish the six-axis industrial robot scanning principles, and perform scanning and testing of each scanning area in sequence according to the six-axis industrial robot scanning principles until all scanning areas have been scanned and tested. Then, summarize the test data and analyze and process the test results.

7. The automated ultrasonic water jet penetration detection method according to claim 6, characterized in that: Two six-axis industrial robots are fixed on two guide rails respectively and symmetrically distributed. The ground rail is located in the middle of the two guide rails. The rotary positioner is installed on the ground rail. The fairing clamping device is fixed on the rotary positioner. The rotary positioner includes a driving wheel and a driven wheel. The driving wheel is fixed to one end of the ground rail, and the driven wheel slides on the ground rail. The six-axis industrial robot is symmetrically distributed and each end is equipped with an ultrasonic probe and a water spray kit. The base is fixed on a linear guide rail and can perform linear motion. The six-axis industrial robot scans the contour of the cone-shaped structure on both sides of the fairing half-cover point by point using a transceiver method, and transmits and receives ultrasonic signals. During the scanning process, the two six-axis industrial robots move continuously, while the rotary positioner and guide rail move in a stepping motion.

8. The automated ultrasonic water jet penetration detection method according to claim 7, characterized in that: Before the six-axis industrial robot performs the scanning process, it is controlled to move to a safe position and then the rotary positioner is adjusted to rotate the fairing half. The size of each scanning area is determined according to the computing, movement and storage capabilities of the six-axis industrial robot.

9. The automated ultrasonic water jet penetration detection method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The six-axis industrial robot scanning principles include a first principle and a second principle, wherein: The first principle is that during the scanning process of a six-axis industrial robot, the main scanning path direction should be selected from the direction where the curvature of the conical-cylindrical combination changes slowly. The second principle is that during the scanning process, the six-axis industrial robot does not pass through singular points to avoid mismatch between motion and ultrasonic imaging. When the cone-column assembly is held in a horizontal position, the main scanning path direction determined by the first principle is used as the length direction, and the scanning step control is performed in the circumferential angle direction.

10. The automated ultrasonic water jet penetration detection method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The six-axis industrial robot is controlled by offline programming simulation software for simulation and is used to construct a 3D simulation model of the dual-manipulator ultrasonic water jet through-hole automatic detection system and the fairing half-cover. Before the six-axis industrial robot performs the scanning process, the horizontal position of the six-axis industrial robot is controlled to avoid the block scanning area. By controlling the six-axis industrial robot to avoid the block scanning area and reducing the number of guide rail movements and the number of rotations of the rotary positioner, the detection efficiency is improved. When the size of the cone-column combination structure is smaller than the movement range of the six-axis industrial robot, block detection is not performed.

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