Laser Alignment of Aircraft Fuselage Segments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for aligning large fuselage parts in aircraft assembly are inefficient due to reliance on visual judgment and lack of precise gap measurement accuracy, leading to inconsistencies in the alignment process.
Innovation Solution
The method involves applying reference points on the segments, projecting laser lines onto these points to create a common alignment plane, and using best-fit planes and lines to align the segments accurately within a construction site coordinate system, compensating for distortions and ensuring precise positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If visual judgment is used for aligning segments, then the alignment process is simple to perform, but the alignment accuracy is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual judgment (mechanical/manual alignment method) with a laser-based optical measurement system. Laser lines are projected onto segments, and cameras capture the positions of reference points relative to these laser lines, enabling precise automated measurement and alignment without relying on human visual assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces laser lines as an intermediary reference system between the alignment apparatus and the segments. These laser lines serve as a common reference plane that mediates the alignment process, allowing accurate position measurement of reference points on different segments relative to a unified spatial framework.
2Measurement precision
If gap measurement is performed manually, then the equipment required is simple, but the measurement accuracy is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual gap measurement with an automated optical system. Cameras capture images of reference points and laser lines, and a computing device automatically calculates gap distances by processing these images, eliminating manual measurement errors and enabling high-precision automated gap assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop where gap measurements are continuously captured by cameras, processed by the computing device, and used to adjust segment positions. This automated feedback mechanism enables real-time monitoring and correction of alignment accuracy, significantly improving measurement precision compared to manual methods.
3Manufacturing precision
If best-fit planes are used to align segments, then the alignment accuracy is significantly improved, but the complexity of the alignment process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical alignment apparatus with a computational approach. Best-fit planes are calculated through software processing of camera images and laser line positions, rather than through complex mechanical positioning mechanisms. This substitution of computational methods for mechanical complexity achieves high precision while keeping the physical apparatus relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy or digital representation of the segment positions through camera imaging and laser line projection. By working with these optical copies and calculating best-fit planes in the digital domain, the system achieves precise alignment control without requiring equally complex physical alignment mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly enhances alignment accuracy, automates the positioning process, and ensures dimensional consistency of aircraft fuselage parts, reducing human error and processing time while maintaining aerodynamic tolerances.
Implementation Method 1
a first laser line is projected onto a first segment and onto a second segment by a first projection means; a second laser line is projected onto the first segment and onto the second segment by a second projection means
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method and to a apparatus for aligning segments with one another, a first segment (40) and a second segment (50) being aligned with one another on positioning device (94). For this purpose, projection device (90), installed on the construction site, project projection lines (93) onto the segments from different directions so that distances between the projection lines (93) and reference points applied to the segments can be determined. In this manner, the position of the individual reference points on the segments can be determined with reference to a construction site coordinate system by an evaluation device (95). Based on the spatial arrangement of the reference points, theoretical best-fit planes and best-fit lines are then generated for each segment, which represent as effectively as possible the position of the reference points and are thereby a reference of the respective segment for alignment. The segments are levelled by moving the positioning device (94) or adjusting the shortest possible distance between the theoretical best-fit planes and best-fit lines to the projection lines (93). The segments are aligned by again moving the positioning device (94) so that the distances between the theoretical best-fit planes and best-fit lines of the first segment (40) and the theoretical best-fit planes and best-fit lines of the second segment (50) are minimised.