Manufacturing method and maas providing method

Abstract

To reduce a space of an area for assembling a flight vehicle.SOLUTION: A manufacturing method includes the steps of: moving a vehicle 30 that loads a component which will be attached to a body 11 of a flight vehicle on a loading platform 31 and that carries it from the outside fo a factory 20, to a location LX in an assembly line 21 of the factory 20 at which location an installation level of the body 11 and a loading level of the component loaded on the loading platform 31 meet; and at the location LX, directly attaching the component from the loading platform 31 to the body 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a manufacturing method and a MaaS provision method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an assembly line for a flying object factory. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-081433 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Traditional factories require a large amount of space to assemble aircraft, making location one of the challenges.

[0005] The purpose of this disclosure is to reduce the space required for the assembly area of ​​the aircraft. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The manufacturing method according to the present disclosure includes: moving a vehicle that has been transported from outside the factory with parts to be attached to the main body of the aircraft loaded on its loading platform to a location on the assembly line of the factory where the installation height of the main body and the installation height of the parts still loaded on the loading platform match; attaching the component directly to the body from the carrier at the location; Includes: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, an aircraft can be assembled without requiring a large amount of land. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an assembly line and conveyance path in a factory according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a location where the installation height of the main body of an aircraft matches the installation height of parts still loaded on the vehicle bed in a factory assembly line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same or corresponding parts will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0011] The configuration of an aircraft 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] In this embodiment, the air vehicle 10 is a vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that obtains lift and thrust using one or more electric rotors, but may be another type of air vehicle, such as an airplane, helicopter, or glider. "eVTOL" is an abbreviation for electric vertical take-off and landing. The air vehicle 10 can accommodate one or more crew members in its cabin. The air vehicle 10 is operated at least in part under VFR. "VFR" is an abbreviation for visual flight rules. The air vehicle 10 may also be operated under IFR. "IFR" is an abbreviation for instrument flight rules.

[0013] The aircraft 10 comprises a main body 11, main wings 12, and one or more rotors 13. The main wings 12 are attached to the top of the main body 11. In addition to the main wings 12, various other components such as doors, seats, and wheels are attached to the main body 11. The main wings 12 and the tail fins attached to the rear of the main body 11 each have one or more nacelles. Each nacelle is attached with a rotor 13 and contains a drive mechanism including a motor for driving the rotor 13. The rotor 13 corresponds to an electric rotor. The rotor 13 may be of a tilt type. The number of rotors 13 may be any number sufficient to obtain the required thrust. In this embodiment, there are four rotors 13 in total, two on each of the main wings 12 and the tail fin. The number of nacelles is the same as the number of rotors 13. The main wings 12 contain one or more batteries that supply power to the drive mechanism. Similar batteries may also be contained in one or more nacelles. The aircraft 10 may further include known equipment such as avionics and actuators, electrical components such as wire harnesses, and equipment components such as air conditioning ducts and other piping. The avionics may include, for example, computers, flight recorders, and radar.

[0014] In one example, the aircraft 10 may be used to provide mobility-based services known as MaaS. "MaaS" is an abbreviation for Mobility as a Service.

[0015] The manufacturing method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0016] The manufacturing method according to this embodiment includes steps S1 to S3 shown in FIG.

[0017] Step S1 begins after the main body 11 of the air vehicle 10 is assembled.

[0018] In S1, the main body 11 is moved to location LX. In S2, a vehicle 30, which has been transported from outside the factory 20 with parts such as the wings 12 loaded on its loading platform 31 to be attached to the main body 11, is moved to location LX. The vehicle 30 is, for example, a truck. In S3, the parts such as the wings 12 are attached directly from the loading platform 31 to the main body 11 at location LX.

[0019] Location LX is a location on assembly line 21 in factory 20 where the installation height of main body 11 matches the installation height of parts such as main wings 12 while they are still loaded on loading platform 31. In this embodiment, location LX is the position where assembly line 21 intersects with conveyance path 22 extending in a direction perpendicular to assembly line 21, and the surrounding area.

[0020] As a first example, in S1, the conveyor of assembly line 21 transports main body 11 to location LX, thereby moving main body 11 to location LX. In S2, a driver drives vehicle 30 along conveyance path 22, stopping vehicle 30 as vehicle 30 passes through assembly line 21 in a direction perpendicular to assembly line 21, thereby moving vehicle 30 to location LX. Alternatively, if vehicle 30 is an AV, it may move autonomously along conveyance path 22, stopping vehicle 30 as vehicle 30 passes through assembly line 21 in a direction perpendicular to assembly line 21, thereby moving vehicle 30 to location LX. "AV" is an abbreviation for autonomous vehicle.

[0021] In the first example, the conveyor of the assembly line 21 is set at a height at which the installation height of the main body 11 at location LX matches the installation height of the parts, such as the main wings 12, that remain loaded on the loading platform 31. Therefore, when the main body 11 and the vehicle 30 reach location LX, the installation height of the main body 11 at location LX matches the installation height of the parts, such as the main wings 12, that remain loaded on the loading platform 31. As a result, at location S3, the parts, such as the main wings 12, can be attached directly from the loading platform 31 to the main body 11 at location LX without having to be removed from the loading platform 31.

[0022] For example, assume that the floor of location LX is flat. Let H1 be the distance from the floor of location LX to the top surface of the conveyor of assembly line 21, and H2 be the distance from the top surface of the conveyor to the joint surface of the upper part of main body 11 when main body 11 is placed on the conveyor. The installation height of main body 11 at location LX is H1 + H2. Let H3 be the distance from the floor of location LX to the top surface of platform 31 of vehicle 30, and H4 be the distance from the top surface of platform 31 to the joint surface of the lower part of main wing 12 when main wing 12 is loaded on platform 31. The installation height of main wing 12 loaded on platform 31 at location LX is H3 + H4. Therefore, the height of the conveyor is adjusted so that H1 = H3 + H4 - H2. The conveyor is divided into one side and the other side of conveyance path 22. In S1, the main body 11 is transported to location LX by a conveyor on one side of the transport path 22. In S2, the vehicle 30 stops between the conveyor on one side of the transport path 22 and the conveyor on the other side of the transport path 22. In S3, the main wing 12 is riveted to the top of the main body 11. It is desirable that the main wing 12 is positioned at the joining position when the vehicle 30 stops at location LX in S2, but it may also be lowered to the joining position by fine-tuning the height of the device that secures the main wing 12 to the loading platform 31 in S3. After S3, the main body 11 with the attached main wing 12 is transferred from the conveyor on one side of the transport path 22 onto the loading platform 31, and then further transferred from the loading platform 31 to the conveyor on the other side of the transport path 22. Alternatively, in S2, the main body 11 may be transferred from the conveyor on one side of the transport path 22 onto the loading platform 31, and in S3, the main wings 12 may be attached to the main body 11 on the loading platform 31, and then the main body 11 with the attached main wings 12 may be transferred from the loading platform 31 to the conveyor on the other side of the transport path 22.

[0023] As a second example, in S1, the main body 11 moves to the location LX by driving itself to the location LX. In S2, as in the first example, the driver may move the vehicle 30 to the location LX, or the vehicle 30 may move itself to the location LX.

[0024] In the second example, the floor of the assembly line 21 is set at a height such that the installation height of the main body 11 at location LX matches the installation height of the parts, such as the main wings 12, that remain loaded on the loading platform 31. Therefore, as in the first example, when the main body 11 and vehicle 30 reach location LX, the installation height of the main body 11 matches the installation height of the parts, such as the main wings 12, that remain loaded on the loading platform 31 at location LX. As a result, in S3, the parts, such as the main wings 12, can be attached directly from the loading platform 31 to the main body 11 at location LX without having to be removed from the loading platform 31.

[0025] For example, at location LX, the floors on both sides of the conveyor path 22 are higher than the floor of the conveyor path 22, and the higher portions are the floor of the assembly line 21. If the dimension from the floor of the conveyor path 22 to the floor of the assembly line 21 is H5 and the dimension from the floor of the assembly line 21 to the joint surface of the upper part of the main body 11 is H6, the installation height of the main body 11 at location LX is H5 + H6. If the dimension from the floor of the conveyor path 22 to the upper surface of the loading platform 31 of the vehicle 30 is H7 and the dimension from the upper surface of the loading platform 31 to the joint surface of the lower part of the main wing 12 when it is loaded on the loading platform 31 is H4, the installation height of the main wing 12 while it is loaded on the loading platform 31 at location LX is H7 + H4. Therefore, the height difference between the floor of the assembly line 21 and the floor of the conveyor path 22 is adjusted so that H5 = H7 + H4 - H6. In S1, the main body 11 travels under its own power to location LX on one side of the transport path 22. In S2, the vehicle 30 stops at a position where there are steps on both sides of the transport path 22. In S3, the main wings 12 are riveted to the top of the main body 11. It is desirable that the main wings 12 are positioned at the joining position when the vehicle 30 stops at location LX in S2, but they may also be lowered to the joining position by fine-tuning the height of the equipment securing the main wings 12 to the loading platform 31 in S3. After S3, the main body 11 with the attached main wings 12 moves from one side of the transport path 22 onto the loading platform 31, and then moves from the loading platform 31 to the other side of the transport path 22. Alternatively, in S2, the main body 11 may be moved from one side of the conveying path 22 onto the loading platform 31, and in S3, the main wing 12 may be attached to the main body 11 on the loading platform 31, and then the main body 11 with the attached main wing 12 may be moved from the loading platform 31 to the other side of the conveying path 22.

[0026] 5, a recess 23 for parking the vehicle 30 may be provided at the location LX. The depth of the recess 23 is set so that the installation height of the main body 11 matches the installation height of the parts, such as the main wings 12, while they are still loaded on the loading platform 31. For example, the recess 23 is provided midway along the transport path 22 so that the installation height of the main body 11 matches the installation height of the parts, such as the main wings 12, while they are still loaded on the loading platform 31 at the location LX.

[0027] 5, when the main body 11 is moved to the loading platform 31 and parts such as the main wings 12 mounted on the lifter 32 are attached to the main body 11, pillars for jacking up the vehicle 30 may protrude from the floor of the recess 23 to prevent the vehicle 30 from sinking. Instead of providing the recess 23, similar pillars may be provided when the conveyor of the assembly line 21 is elevated as in the first example, or when the floor of the assembly line 21 is elevated as in the second example.

[0028] After S3, the rotor 13 and other parts are attached to the main body 11, to which parts such as the main wing 12 have been attached, to complete the aircraft 10. For example, a separate vehicle that transports the rotor 13 may be driven under the main wing 12 already attached to the main body 11, and the rotor 13 may be attached directly to the main wing 12 from that vehicle.

[0029] In one example, the procedure of manufacturing the air vehicle 10 using the above manufacturing method and operating an on-demand air taxi service by a pilot may be performed when providing a service (MaaS) using the air vehicle 10. In this case, the service operation method using the above procedure is an example of a method of providing a service (MaaS) using the air vehicle 10.

[0030] As described above, in this embodiment, by matching the installation height of the main body 11 of the aircraft 10 on the assembly line 21 in the factory 20 with the installation height of the parts on the loading platform 31 of the vehicle 30 that transports the parts to be attached to the main body 11 of the aircraft 10 from outside the factory 20, the vehicle 30 can be moved to the location of the assembly line 21 in the factory 20 and the parts can be directly attached to the main body 11 from the loading platform 31. Therefore, according to this embodiment, there is no need to store the parts transported from outside the factory 20 in storage. In other words, a storage-less system can be achieved. As a result, it is possible to save space in the assembly area of ​​the aircraft 10.

[0031] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, two or more blocks shown in the block diagrams may be integrated, or one block may be divided. Two or more steps shown in the flowcharts may be executed in parallel or in a different order, instead of being executed in chronological order as described, depending on the processing capabilities of the device executing each step, or as needed. Other modifications are possible within the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 10 Flying Objects 11 Main unit 12 Main wing 13 Rotor 20 Factories 21 Assembly Line 22 Transport path 23 Recess 30 vehicles 31 Cargo bed 32 Lifter

Claims

1. moving a vehicle that has been transported from outside the factory with parts to be attached to the main body of the aircraft loaded on its loading platform to a location on the assembly line of the factory where the installation height of the main body and the installation height of the parts still loaded on the loading platform match; attaching the component directly to the body from the carrier at the location; A manufacturing method comprising:

2. a conveyor of the assembly line transporting the body to the location; The manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyor has a height at the location where the installation height of the main body matches the installation height of the parts still loaded on the platform.

3. the main body further comprises self-propelling to the location; The manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the floor of the assembly line is at a height at the location such that the installation height of the main body matches the installation height of the parts remaining loaded on the platform.

4. The location is provided with a recess for the vehicle to park in, The manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the depth of the recess is such that the installation height of the main body matches the installation height of the parts while they are still loaded on the loading platform.

5. The manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the moving step includes stopping the vehicle midway through the assembly line in a direction perpendicular to the assembly line.

6. A method for providing MaaS (Mobility as a Service) using an aircraft manufactured by the manufacturing method described in claim 1.

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