Assembly line manufacturing and aircraft wing assembly

Abstract

To provide systems and methods for attaching ribs and / or spars to a wing panel while a contour is enforced.SOLUTION: Methods may include suspending a wing panel 550 beneath a shuttle 540 that enforces a contour 544, advancing the wing panel 550 through work stations 520 via the shuttle 540, and attaching a rib 572 or a spar 580 (or another wing panel 550) at a work station 520 while the contour 544 is enforced. Other methods include locating a wing panel of an aircraft beneath a shuttle, coupling adjustable-length pogos to the wing panel at locations separated from locations corresponding to an installation location, e.g., for a rib or a spar, and controlling the length of the pogos to enforce a contour to the wing panel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5C

Claims

1. A method for assembling a wing (860), The aircraft wing panel (550) is suspended (862) below a shuttle (540) that creates a contour (544) on the wing panel, While the contour is being formed, the wing panel is advanced (864) in the processing direction (541) via the shuttle through at least one work station (520) of the assembly line (500), While the contour is being formed by the shuttle (540), structural components are installed on the wing panel (866) at the at least one work station. Includes, The structural component is selected from the group consisting of ribs (572), spars (580), and second wing panels (550). Suspending the wing panel (550) (862) includes precisely aligning (indexing) the shuttle (540) with the precisely adjusted surface features (210) of the wing panel, Method (860), wherein the wing panel (550) remains precisely aligned with the shuttle (540) while it is being transported through at least one work station.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein precisely aligning the shuttle (540) with the wing panel (550) includes physically connecting a unit (542) for precisely aligning the shuttle to the precisely adjusted surface feature (210) of the wing panel (550).

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the precisely adjusted surface feature (210) is positioned on the excess manufactured portion (554) of the wing panel (550).

4. The precisely adjusted surface feature (210) includes a readable identification means (126), The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein precise alignment includes reading the readable identification means.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the readable identification means (126) is selected from the group consisting of RFID tags and barcodes.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein advancing the wing panel (550) through at least one work station (520) (864) includes indexing the work station to the wing panel and / or the shuttle (540).

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the precise alignment (indexing) of the work station (520) with the wing panel (550) includes physically connecting the precise alignment unit (542) of the work station to a surface feature (210) of the wing panel that is precisely adjusted to within tolerance.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein generating the contour (544) on the wing panel (550) includes connecting a length-adjustable pogo (545) to the wing panel at a predetermined position on the surface (574, 576) of the wing panel, and suspending the wing panel below the shuttle (540).

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising causing the contour (544) on the wing panel (550) to adjust the length of at least one of the pogos (545) while the pogos (545) are connected to the wing panel.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising connecting a length-adjustable pogo (545) to the wing panel (550) to position the pogo at a position on the surface (574, 576) of the wing panel, away from a position corresponding to the installation position for the structural component.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising connecting length-adjustable pogos (545) to the wing panel (550) to control the length (886) of at least one of the pogos in order to create a contour (544) on the wing panel.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising performing non-destructive inspection (NDI) of the wing panel (550) at a work station (520).

13. Moving the blade panel (550) forward (864) includes pulse-moving the blade panel in the processing direction (541), The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the installation of the structural component (866) is performed during a pause between pulses.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the pulse movement of the wing panel (550) is performed by advancing the wing panel by a distance less than its length during the pulse, or by advancing the wing panel by a distance equal to or greater than its length during the pulse.

15. Moving the wing panel (550) forward (864) includes continuously moving the wing panel in the processing direction (541), The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the installation of the structural component (866) is performed while the wing panel is in continuous motion.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, further comprising operating the at least one work station (520) to perform an operation selected from the group consisting of joining a spar (580) to a rib (572), joining a spar to a wing panel (550), joining a rib to a wing panel, installing an access port, performing rework, and inspecting the wing panel.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, further comprising scanning the wing panel (550) to determine the contour of the wing panel.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the scanning is performed before controlling the length of the pogo (545) (886) to determine the initial contour of the wing panel (550).

19. It is a system for assembling wings. Truck (510), Work stations (520) arranged along the aforementioned track, each configured to perform work on a wing panel (550), A shuttle (540) configured to move forward along the track with a wing panel (550) suspended beneath the shuttle (540), transporting the wing panel to each of the work stations while creating a contour (544) on the wing panel, and A precise alignment unit (542) for the shuttle is configured to connect to the precisely adjusted surface features (210) of the wing panel (550), such that the shuttle (540) is precisely aligned with the precisely adjusted surface features (210) of the wing panel (550). A system equipped with these features.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the shuttle (540) includes a precision alignment unit (542) configured to be physically connected to the precisely adjusted surface feature (210), and / or the precisely adjusted surface feature (210) includes a readable identification means (126), and the shuttle (540) is configured to read the readable identification means.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein at least one of the work stations (520) is configured to be precisely indexed with the wing panel (550), and / or the work station (520) is configured to be precisely indexed with the wing panel (550) by being precisely indexed with the shuttle (540).

22. The system according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the work station (520) includes a precision alignment unit (622) configured to be physically connected to a precisely adjusted surface feature (210) of the wing panel (550).

23. The system according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the wing panel (550) includes a precisely adjusted surface feature (210) equipped with a readable identification means (126).

24. The system according to any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the work station (520) is configured to read the readable identification means (126).

25. The system according to any one of claims 19 to 24, wherein the shuttle (540) comprises a carrier (545) extending below the shuttle, having a vacuum coupler (548) configured to form a vacuum adhesion to the wing panel (550).

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein the carrier (545) comprises length-adjustable pogos (545), and the contour (544) is created on the wing panel (550) by controlling the length of at least one of the pogos connected to the wing panel.

27. ​​The shuttle (540) is configured to transport the wing panels by means of a carrier (545) that extends below the shuttle and is connected to the surfaces (574, 576) of the wing panels (550), At least one of the work stations (520) is configured to install a rib (572) or spar (580) onto the wing panel by performing work at a predetermined position on the surface of the wing panel, The system according to claim 26, wherein the carrier is arranged to be connected to the surface of the wing panel at a position away from the predetermined position.

28. Strongback (540), A pogo with adjustable length (545), An actuator (546) for individually controlling the length of the pogo, Each of the aforementioned pogos is equipped with a vacuum connector (548) and Strongback (540) equipped with The device further includes, The pogo (545) extends below the strongback (540), The system according to any one of claims 19 to 27, wherein the strongback is configured to suspend the composite component below the strongback by forming a vacuum adhesion to the surface (574, 576) of the composite component (250) via the vacuum coupler (548).

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein the strongback (540) is configured to create a contour (544) on a composite component (250) suspended below the strongback (540) by controlling the length of at least one pogo (545).

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