Aircraft engine inlet assembly apparatus

An aircraft engine inlet assembly apparatus for assembling an aircraft engine nacelle inlet lip having a lipskin, a forward bulkhead, an outer barrel, an inner barrel, an aft attachment ring, one or more chord members, an aft bulkhead and an inner angle member, the aircraft engine inlet assembly apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of assembly fixtures configured to hold one or more respective portions of the aircraft engine nacelle inlet lip, at least one of the plurality of fixtures being a common fixture that is common to more than one assembly step of the aircraft engine nacelle inlet lip;
• an automated workstation having an articulated assembly fixture docking station and an automated assembly tool configured to interface with the articulated assembly fixture docking station, the articulated assembly fixture docking station having
• a two degree of freedom movement, and
• coupling features configured to interchangeably couple each of the plurality of assembly fixtures to the assembly fixture docking station;
• and
• a controller connected to the automated workstation and automated assembly tool, the controller being configured to effect two degree of freedom positioning of the articulated assembly fixture docking station in at least two predetermined joining positions, wherein
• the controller effects an interface between the automated assembly tool and at least one of the plurality of assembly fixtures disposed on the articulated assembly fixture docking station in the at least two predetermined joining positions, and
• the at least two joining positions effect an ordered assembly of at least a forward bulkhead joint, a forward bulkhead to lipskin joint, a chord member to lipskin joint, an inner barrel to lipskin joint, an aft bulkhead to lipskin joint and an outer barrel to lipskin joint.

An aircraft engine inlet assembly system for assembling an aircraft engine nacelle inlet lip, the system comprising:

• an aircraft engine nacelle inlet lip assembly cell including
• a plurality of assembly fixtures configured to hold one or more respective portions of the aircraft engine nacelle inlet lip, at least one of the plurality of fixtures being a common fixture that is common to more than one assembly step of the aircraft engine nacelle inlet lip;
• an automated workstation having an articulated assembly fixture docking station and an automated assembly tool configured to interface with the articulated assembly fixture docking station, the articulated assembly fixture docking station having
• a two degree of freedom movement, and
• coupling features configured to interchangeably couple each of the plurality of assembly fixtures to the assembly fixture docking station;
• and
• a controller connected to the automated workstation and automated assembly tool, the controller being configured to effect two degree of freedom positioning of the articulated assembly fixture docking station in at least two predetermined joining positions, where
• the controller effects an interface between the automated assembly tool and at least one of the plurality of assembly fixtures disposed on the articulated assembly fixture docking station in the at least two predetermined joining positions, and
• the at least two joining positions effect an ordered assembly of at least a forward bulkhead joint, a forward bulkhead to lipskin joint, a chord member to lipskin joint, an inner barrel to lipskin joint, an aft bulkhead to lipskin joint and an outer barrel to lipskin joint of the aircraft engine nacelle inlet lip.