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US 2023/0364669 A1Published application
Autonomous Flexible Manufacturing System for Building a Fuselage
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsHarinder S. Oberoi, Branko Sarh, Melissa Ann Findlay, Alan S. Draper, Jorge Alberto Arriaga, Richard Griffith Reese, IV, Alfredo Jose Gerosa, Kevin Marion Barrick, Michael J. Kozak, Quang T. Do, Jeffrey Lawrence Miller, Yuanxin Charles Hu
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for building a fuselage assembly for an aircraft. A number of fixtures may be drive across a floor to an assembly area to form an assembly fixture. The fuselage assembly may be built on the assembly fixture.
Claims20
A flexible manufacturing system that comprises:
- an assembly fixture comprised of a number of drivable cradle fixtures;
- and
- an autonomous panel joining system that joins a plurality of panels together on the assembly fixture.
A machine that comprises:
- an assembly area;
- a tower configured to drive across a floor into a selected tower position relative to a utility fixture selected from a plurality of utility fixtures in the assembly area, wherein the tower comprises:
- a top platform that is configured support a first internal mobile platform and provide the first internal mobile platform access to a top floor of an interior of a fuselage assembly, wherein the first internal mobile platform supports a first internal robotic device and is configured to drive autonomously from the tower into the top floor of the fuselage assembly;
- a bottom platform that is configured to carry a second internal mobile platform and provide the second internal mobile platform access to a bottom floor of the interior of the fuselage assembly, wherein the second internal mobile platform supports a second internal robotic device and is configured to drive autonomously from the tower into the bottom floor of the fuselage assembly;
- a first interface;
- and
- a second interface;
- the utility fixture configured to couple to the first interface such that a number of utilities flow from the utility fixture to the tower through the first interface, wherein the number of utilities comprise at least one of electricity, air, hydraulic fluid, and water;
- a cradle fixture located at a selected cradle position relative to the tower in the assembly area and couple to the second interface such that the number of utilities flow downstream from the tower to the cradle fixture through the second interface;
- and
- an external mobile platform configured to support an external robotic device configured to collaborate with the first internal robotic device to work on the fuselage assembly.
8 more elements
A process for assembling a fuselage, the process comprising:
- driving a tower across a floor into a selected tower position relative to a utility fixture selected from a plurality of utility fixtures in an assembly area, the tower comprising:
- a first interface;
- a second interface;
- a top platform carrying a first internal mobile platform carrying a first internal robotic device;
- and
- a bottom platform carrying a second internal mobile platform carrying a second internal robotic device for driving and working within a bottom floor of the fuselage;
- physically coupling the tower to the utility fixture by the first interface such that a number of utilities flow from the utility fixture to the tower through the first interface, wherein the number of utilities comprise at least one of electricity, air, hydraulic fluid, and water;
- lifting a first cradle fixture with an autonomous vehicle and driving the first cradle fixture across the floor into a selected first cradle position relative to the tower in the assembly area;
- physically coupling the first cradle fixture to the tower by the second interface such that the number of utilities flow downstream from the tower to the first cradle fixture through the second interface;
- lifting a second cradle fixture with a second autonomous vehicle and driving the second cradle fixture across the floor into a selected second cradle position relative to the first cradle fixture in the assembly area;
- physically coupling the first cradle fixture to the second cradle fixture such that the number of utilities flow downstream from the tower through the first cradle fixture to the second cradle fixture;
- moving a first external platform carrying a first external robot device alongside the first cradle fixture and connecting the first external platform to the first cradle fixture;
- moving a second external platform carrying a second external robot device alongside the second cradle fixture and connecting the second external platform to the second cradle fixture;
- driving the first internal mobile platform from the top platform into a top floor of the fuselage and collaboratively using the first internal robotic device with the first external robotic device for fastening a first panel of the fuselage to a second panel of the fuselage;
- and
- driving the second internal mobile platform from the bottom platform into the bottom floor of the fuselage and collaboratively using the second internal robotic device with the second external robotic device for fastening a third panel of the fuselage to a fourth panel of the fuselage.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.