Position-Guided Drilling Control for Hole Quality Tracking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current drilling machines lack the ability to adjust drilling process parameters individually for varying materials and clamping stiffnesses, leading to suboptimal drilling quality and efficiency, and do not provide effective quality monitoring for drilled holes.

Innovation Solution

A system that includes a control unit and positioning means to automatically provide position-specific machine setting parameters and monitor drilling processes, enabling efficient processing and quality assessment of holes by recording and analyzing drilling data, including machine setting and monitoring parameters, using bidirectional communication between the drilling machine, control unit, and positioning means.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If commercially available drilling machines are used without individual parameter adjustment, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inability to adapt to different materials and clamping stiffnesses

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehole qualityVSAvoidparameter adjustment capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The drilling machine is equipped with sensors that automatically detect material properties and clamping stiffness, and the control unit automatically adjusts drilling parameters without manual intervention. The system serves itself by autonomously adapting to different working conditions, eliminating the need for complex manual parameter adjustment while maintaining high manufacturing precision

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically changes drilling parameters (speed, feed rate, depth of cut) based on real-time detection of material properties and clamping stiffness. The control unit modifies operational parameters automatically to optimize hole quality for each specific working condition, resolving the contradiction between precision and complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If individual machine setting parameters are provided for each position, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to need for control unit and positioning means

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveposition-specific drilling qualityVSAvoidcontrol and monitoring system
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit serves multiple functions: it stores position-specific drilling parameters, receives positioning data from the positioning means, automatically adjusts machine settings, and monitors drilling quality. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional control unit, the system achieves position-specific precision without proportionally increasing overall device complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The positioning means acts as an intermediary that bridges the drilling machine and the control unit. It detects the current drilling position and translates it into position data that the control unit uses to select appropriate parameters, enabling automatic adaptation without requiring complex direct integration between all system components

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If manual parameter adjustment and documentation is required, then ease of operation is maintained, but productivity deteriorates due to time-consuming manual processes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrilling throughputVSAvoidmanual control simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces manual mechanical parameter adjustment with an automated electronic control system. The control unit electronically adjusts drilling parameters based on position data, eliminating the need for manual intervention and significantly increasing drilling throughput while maintaining operational simplicity through automated processes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Manufacturing precision

If quality monitoring is implemented, then manufacturing precision is improved through feedback, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors and data processing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrilling quality controlVSAvoidmonitoring and measurement system
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The drilling machine is equipped with sensors that continuously monitor drilling quality parameters and feed this information back to the control unit. The control unit uses this feedback to automatically adjust drilling parameters in real-time, improving manufacturing precision through closed-loop control while integrating the monitoring function into the existing control architecture to minimize additional complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3789142B1System for controlling and monitoring drilling process data
Publication Date: 2024.11.06 JOHANNES LUBBERING
  • EP3789142B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3789142B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3789142B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The invention relates to a system for controlling and monitoring drilling process data during the machining of a workpiece (4), in particular during the machining of an aircraft structural component, comprising a manual or semi-automatic drilling machine (1) designed to perform machining of a workpiece (4) based on adaptable machine setting parameters (M), a control unit (2) for controlling and storing drilling process data, and positioning means (3) for detecting a machining position (4a, 4b, ...,4n) of the drilling machine (1) on the workpiece (4) to be machined and for the direct or indirect provision of corresponding position data (P) to the control unit (1), wherein the control unit (2) is configured to preferably automatically provide individual data or trigger signals (S), in particular machine setting parameters (M), to the drilling machine (1) for machining the workpiece (4) based on the provided position data (P), and wherein the drilling machine (1) is configured to acquire monitoring parameters (U) during the machining of the workpiece (4) and to provide these to the control unit (2).