Portable Drill Assist Tool for Non-Planar Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional manual drilling systems lack the necessary features to reliably guide a drill bit perpendicular to complex, contoured airframe assembly surfaces, leading to inefficiencies and the need for costly custom drill blocks that are limited to specific surface contours.
Innovation Solution
A portable drill assist tool with a main body and adjustable legs that can independently translate and pivot to maintain a drill bit's alignment perpendicular to a non-planar work surface, using a drill bushing and alignment pin to secure the drill bit and adapt to various contours and obstructions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional manual hand drilling systems are used on contoured surfaces, then drilling can be performed, but the drilled hole is not perpendicular to the work surface
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide includes adjustable legs that can be positioned and locked at different angles to adapt to various surface contours. The legs are movable relative to the main body, allowing the guide to dynamically adjust its configuration for different drilling locations on contoured surfaces while maintaining hole perpendicularity through the alignment pin and drill bushing mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide is divided into a main body and separate adjustable legs that can be independently positioned. This segmentation allows each leg to be adjusted to contact the work surface at appropriate points, enabling the guide to adapt to complex contours while the main body maintains the required alignment for perpendicular drilling
2Manufacturing precision
If custom drill blocks are used for specific surface contours, then drilling precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide is designed as a universal tool that can be used on various surface contours through its adjustable legs. Instead of requiring different custom drill blocks for different surfaces, this single device can adapt to multiple configurations, reducing overall system complexity and eliminating the need for multiple specialized tools
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide allows change in its geometric parameters through adjustable leg positions and angles. By varying the leg configurations, the same device can accommodate different surface contours, replacing the need for multiple fixed-geometry custom drill blocks with varying complexities
3Device complexity
If eggcup tools are used on flat surfaces, then simple design is achieved, but surface adaptability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
While maintaining the simple eggcup-style main body, the drill guide incorporates adjustable legs that can be positioned to contact various surface contours. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the simple design to adapt to different surface types, combining the simplicity of the eggcup tool with the versatility needed for contoured surfaces
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method according to one or more embodiments are provided for a tool that guides a drill in drilling a hole at an angle substantially perpendicular to a non-planar work surface. The tool may be implemented, for example, as a portable drill assist tool that rests unsecured on a non-planar work surface substantially perpendicular to a target hole formed within the non-planar work surface. In one example, an apparatus includes a main body having a through hole formed therein. The through hole is configured to receive a drill bushing and an alignment pin. The apparatus further includes at least three legs configured to independently translate relative to the main body to contact the non-planar surface and maintain the through hole substantially perpendicular to the non-planar work surface when the alignment pin is passed through the drill bushing and into the target hole.