Aircraft Fuselage Arch Rail Positioning for Precise Drilling Reach
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for automating operations like drilling and riveting on large aircraft fuselages are complex, time-consuming to implement, and have limited reach due to the use of parallel flexible rails secured by suction, which restricts the width and precision of machining operations.
Innovation Solution
A device with fixed rails on either side of the fuselage featuring arched beams that allow end effectors to move longitudinally and circumferentially, enabling precise positioning without being impeded by supports below, with engagement surfaces and indexing features for alignment, allowing movement between upper and lower arches for access to both upper and lower parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If parallel flexible rails secured by suction are used, then the device can be implemented, but the device becomes complicated and time-consuming to implement
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the suction mechanism from the rail system, replacing it with mechanically secured fixed rails. This removes the complexity of suction attachment while maintaining the rail structure's functionality for guiding arched beams.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using flexible rails that rely on suction to maintain position, the invention inverts the approach by using rigid fixed rails that are mechanically secured. This fundamental reversal eliminates the need for suction systems and simplifies the overall device implementation.
2Ease of operation
If parallel flexible rails are used, then the device can operate, but the width between rails and surface reach are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces arched beams that extend vertically between the fixed rails, adding a vertical dimension to the operational space. This allows end effectors to reach surfaces that are both horizontally distant and vertically positioned, overcoming the limited reach of traditional parallel rail systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of arched (curved) beams instead of straight vertical supports allows the structure to span greater horizontal distances between fixed rails while maintaining structural integrity. The curved geometry provides both structural strength and extended reach to distant surfaces.
3Manufacturing precision
If arched beams move along fixed rails, then positioning precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The arched beams are designed to move along the fixed rails using their own integrated propulsion systems. Each arch self-propels and positions itself without requiring external manipulation, simplifying the overall control system while maintaining precise positioning capability through self-regulated movement.
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus for performing operations on a part, and in particular on the fuselage of an aircraft. The apparatus utilizes movable arches which carry an and effector and which move along a track fixed to a structure. Additional, fixed arches are positioned at specific longitudinal positions and when the movable arches are aligned with the fixed arches, the end effector may move from the movable arch to the fixed arch.