Manufacturing facility

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing facility in which assembling work of a flight body can be easily performed.SOLUTION: A manufacturing facility 20 comprises: an assembly line 21; and a scaffold 22 for a worker who assembles a flight body in the assembly line 21 in which height of the scaffold 22 is gradually raised from a position corresponding to a start point of the assembly line 21 to a position corresponding to an end point of the assembly line 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to manufacturing facilities. [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] Assembling the aircraft involves working at high altitudes.

[0005] The purpose of this disclosure is to make it easier to work during assembly of an air vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The manufacturing equipment according to the present disclosure includes: Assembly lines and a scaffold for workers assembling the aircraft on the assembly line, the scaffold gradually increasing in height from a position corresponding to the start point of the assembly line to a position corresponding to the end point of the assembly line; Equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, work can be performed more easily when assembling an aircraft. [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 illustrates an example of a manufacturing facility according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a manufacturing facility 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 FIG.

[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] 2 and 3, a manufacturing method according to this embodiment, specifically, a method according to this embodiment for assembling the aircraft 10 in the manufacturing facility 20 at a factory, will be described.

[0015] Manufacturing facility 20 includes assembly line 21 and scaffolding 22 for workers assembling aircraft 10 on assembly line 21. Scaffolding 22 gradually increases in height from a position corresponding to the start of assembly line 21 to a position corresponding to the end of assembly line 21.

[0016] The manufacturing method according to this embodiment includes first to fourth steps.

[0017] In the first step, the main body 11 of the aircraft 10 is assembled. Specifically, workers, or workers and robots working together, assemble the main body 11 at the start of the assembly line 21. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the assembled main body 11 is transported by a conveyor to the midpoint of the assembly line 21. Alternatively, the main body 11 may be self-propelled to the midpoint of the assembly line 21. At the midpoint of the assembly line 21, one or more parts including the main wing 12 are prepared. For example, the main wing 12 is supported by a jig 14 and positioned in a desired position.

[0018] In the second step, one or more parts including the main wing 12 are attached to the main body 11. Specifically, a worker, or a worker and a robot working together, attaches one or more parts to the main body 11 at an intermediate point of the assembly line 21. For example, the main wing 12 is riveted to the top of the main body 11. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3 , the main body 11 with the one or more parts including the main wing 12 attached is transported by a conveyor to the end of the assembly line 21. Alternatively, the main body 11 may travel by itself to the end of the assembly line 21. At the end of the assembly line 21, other parts including the rotor 13 are prepared.

[0019] In the third step, other parts including the rotor 13 are attached to the main body 11, to which one or more parts including the main wing 12 have been attached, thereby completing the aircraft 10. Specifically, a worker, or a worker and a robot working together, attaches the other parts to the main body 11, to which one or more parts have been attached, at the end of the assembly line 21. For example, the rotor 13 is attached to a nacelle of the main wing 12 and a nacelle of the tail unit provided at the rear of the main body 11. The aircraft 10 is then towed from the assembly line 21 to an inspection space. Alternatively, the aircraft 10 may move from the assembly line 21 to the inspection space by self-propelled movement.

[0020] In a fourth step, the air vehicle 10 is inspected. Specifically, a worker or a robot, or a worker and a robot working together, inspects the air vehicle 10 in the inspection space.

[0021] In this embodiment, as the steps progress from the first step to the third step, work must be performed at higher elevations, but the height of the scaffolding 22 gradually increases from the position corresponding to the start point of the assembly line 21 to the position corresponding to the end point of the assembly line 21, making it easier for workers to perform their work. The scaffolding 22 may be, for example, a staircase that is linear in plan view, instead of the slope that is linear in plan view as shown in Figures 2 and 3 .

[0022] The assembly line 21 may have a vertically moving conveyor instead of a horizontally moving conveyor, and the scaffolding 22 may have a spiral slope or staircase instead of a linear slope or staircase in a plan view. In such a modification, the assembly line 21 is arranged to extend vertically, and the scaffolding 22 is arranged to surround the assembly line 21. A rooftop port for takeoff of the completed aircraft 10 may be provided on the factory roof. According to this modification, the aircraft 10 can be assembled without requiring a large amount of land. In other words, the assembly area for the aircraft 10 can be made more space-saving.

[0023] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, two or more steps shown in the flowchart may be executed in parallel or in a different order as needed, instead of being executed in chronological order as described. Other modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] 10 Flying Objects 11 Main unit 12 Main wing 13 Rotor 14 Jig 20 Manufacturing equipment 21 Assembly Line 22 Scaffolding

Claims

[Claim 1] Assembly lines and a scaffold for workers assembling the aircraft on the assembly line, the scaffold gradually increasing in height from a position corresponding to the start point of the assembly line to a position corresponding to the end point of the assembly line; Manufacturing facilities equipped with:

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