Design of Drilling and Riveting Multi-functional End Effector for CFRP and Aluminum Components in Robotic Aircraft Assembly

To fulfill the demands for higher quality,efficiency and flexibility in aviation industry,a multi-functional end effector is designed to automate the drilling and riveting processes in assembling carbon fiber reinforced polymer(CFRP)and aluminum components for a robotic aircraft assembly system.To meet the specific functional requirements for blind rivet installation on CFRP and aluminum materials,additional modules are incorporated on the end effector aside of the basic processing modules for drilling.And all of these processing modules allow for a onestep-drilling-countersinking process,hole inspection,automatic rivet feed,rivet geometry check,sealant application,rivet insertion and installation.Besides,to guarantee the better quality of the hole drilled and joints riveted,several online detection and adjustment measures are applied to this end effector,including the reference detection and perpendicular calibration,which could effectively ensure the positioning precision and perpendicular accuracy as demanded.Finally,the test result shows that this end effector is capable of producing each hole to a positioning precision within ±0.5 mm,aperpendicular accuracy within 0.3°,a diameter tolerance of H8,and a countersink depth tolerance of±0.01 mm.Moreover,it could drill and rivet up to three joints per minute,with acceptable shearing and tensile strength.

A Laser Line Scanner Based Hole Position Correction Mechanism for Automatic Drilling and Riveting in Aircraft Assembly

The low-stiffness of aircraft skins may results in the differences between aircraft actual parts and their theoretical models,which will consequently affect the accuracy of automatic drilling and riveting in aircraft assembly.In this paper,a novel approach of hole position correction using laser line scanner(LLS)is proposed to assign a single row of holes on the parts’surfaces.First,we adopt a space circle fitting method and the random sample consensus(RANSAC)to obtain the precise coordinates of center of the datum holes’coordinates.Second,LLS is calibrated by the laser tracker,and the relations between the LLS coordinate system and the tool coordinate system(TCS)can be calculated.Third,the kinematics model of the automatic riveting machine is established based on a two-point referencing strategy proposed in this paper.Thus,the positions of the holes to be drilled can be adjusted.Finally,the experimental results show that in TCS the measurement error of LLS is less than 0.1 mm,and the correction error of the hole position is less than 0.5 mm,which demonstrates the reliability of our method.

CNC SYSTEM OF FLEXIBLE FIXTURE IN AIRCRAFT COMPONENT MANUFACTURING AND ASSEMBLY

The computer numerical control（CNC） system is suited to control varied types of flexible fixtures in aircraft component manufacturing and assembly. The mechanisms and control requirements of flexible fixtures are presented and analyzed. The hardware and software architecture and implementation of CNC system are pro- posed. The flexible fixture mechanism is described using configuration parameters. According to the parameters, the CNC system automatically generates the control feature and the human machine interface （HMI） operation function. The CNC system is implemented in a flexible fixture for skin-strlnger assembly, and results show the effectiveness of the system.

Framework on robotic percussive riveting for aircraft assembly automation

Presented in this paper is a framework for the implementation of a robotic percussive riveting system, a new robot application for aircraft assembly. It is shown here that a successful robot application to the automation of a process requires in-depth research of the process and the interaction with the robot. For this purpose, a process plan- ning-driven approach is proposed to guide a robot applica- tion research. A typical process planning will involve a list of key considerations including： process sequence, process parameters, process tooling, and process control. Through this list, a number of key research issues are identified for robotic percussive riveting, such as rivet pattern planning, rivet time determination, rivet tooling design and rivet insertion control. The detailed research on these issues has effectively created know-how for the successful implemen- tation of our robotic percussive riveting system.

Research on uncertainty in measurement assisted alignment in aircraft assembly

Operations in assembling and joining large size aircraft components are changed to novel digital and flexible ways by digital measurement assisted alignment.Positions and orientations（P＆O）of aligned components are critical characters which assure geometrical positions and relationships of those components.Therefore,evaluating the P＆O of a component is considered necessary and critical for ensuring accuracy in aircraft assembly.Uncertainty of position and orientation（U-P＆O）,as a part of the evaluating result of P＆O,needs to be given for ensuring the integrity and credibility of the result;furthermore,U-P＆O is necessary for error tracing and quality evaluating of measurement assisted aircraft assembly.However,current research mainly focuses on the process integration of measurement with assembly,and usually ignores the uncertainty of measured result and its influence on quality evaluation.This paper focuses on the expression,analysis,and application of U-P＆O in measurement assisted alignment.The geometrical and algebraical connotations of U-P＆O are presented.Then,an analytical algorithm for evaluating the multi-dimensional U-P＆O is given,and the effect factors and characteristics of U-P＆O are discussed.Finally,U-P＆O is used to evaluate alignment in aircraft assembly for quality evaluating and improving.Cases are introduced with the methodology.

Approach to Interference Riveting Process Control of Aircraft Automatic Drilling and Riveting

Interference fit riveting is an effective way to improve the fatigue life of aircraft.The accurate control of riveting interference of aircraft automatic drilling and riveting equipment is achieved by process parameters including upsetting force and upset head height.It is valuable for aircraft manufacturing engineering.An approach to interference riveting process control based on the analysis of interference riveting stress field is proposed.According to assembly structure,the upsetting force is calculated by the material property and interference fit level,and the upset head height is deduced by the upsetting force.The experimental result shows that the interference fit level can be controlled accurately by the upsetting force and upset head height,and then,the quality of aircraft automatic riveting can be improved.The proposed approach is verified by the good match between the predicted result and the experimental result.

Robot trajectory planning for autonomous 3D reconstruction of cockpit in aircraft final assembly testing

The trend towards automation and intelligence in aircraft final assembly testing has led to a new demand for autonomous perception of unknown cockpit operation scenes in robotic collaborative airborne system testing.To address this demand,a robotic automated 3D reconstruction cell which enables to autonomously plan the robot end-camera’s trajectory is developed for image acquisition and 3D modeling of the cockpit operation scene.A continuous viewpoint path planning algorithm is proposed that incorporates both 3D reconstruction quality and robot path quality into optimization process.Smoothness metrics for viewpoint position paths and orientation paths are introduced together for the first time in 3D reconstruction.To ensure safe and effective movement,two spatial constraints,Domain of View Admissible Position(DVAP)and Domain of View Admissible Orientation(DVAO),are implemented to account for robot reachability and collision avoidance.By using diffeomorphism mapping,the orientation path is transformed into 3D,consistent with the position path.Both orientation and position paths can be optimized in a unified framework to maximize the gain of reconstruction quality and path smoothness within DVAP and DVAO.The reconstruction cell is capable of automatic data acquisition and fine scene modeling,using the generated robot C-space trajectory.Simulation and physical scene experiments have confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method to achieve highprecision 3D reconstruction while optimizing robot motion quality.

AIoT for Aircraft Final Assembly:An Intelligent and Collaborative Framework

Aircraft final assembly line(AFAL)involves thousands of processes that must be completed before delivery.However,the heavy reliance on manual labor in most assembly processes affects the quality and prolongs the delivery time.While the advent of artificial intelligence of things(AIoT)technologies has introduced advancements in certain AFAL scenarios,systematically enhancing the intelligence level of the AFAL and promoting the widespread deployment of artificial intelligence(AI)technologies remain significant challenges.To address these challenges,we propose the intelligent and collaborative aircraft assembly(ICAA)framework,which integrates AI technologies within a cloud-edge-terminal architecture.The ICAA framework is designed to support AI-enabled applications in the AFAL,with the goal of improving assembly efficiency at both individual and multiple process levels.We analyze specific demands across various assembly scenarios and introduce corresponding AI technologies to meet these demands.The three-tier ICAA framework consists of the assembly field,edge data platform,and assembly cloud platform,facilitating the collection of heterogeneous terminal data and the deployment of AI technologies.The framework enhances assembly efficiency by reducing reliance on manual labor for individual processes and fostering collaboration across multiple processes.We provide detailed descriptions of how AI functions at each level of the framework.Furthermore,we apply the ICAA framework to a real AFAL,focusing explicitly on the flight control system testing process.This practical implementation demonstrates the effectiveness of the framework in improving assembly efficiency and promoting the adoption of AIoT technologies.

Auto-normalization algorithm for robotic precision drilling system in aircraft component assembly

A novel approach is proposed to detect the normal vector to product surface in real time for the robotic precision drilling system in aircraft component assembly, and the auto-normalization algorithm is presented based on the detection system. Firstly, the deviation between the normal vector and the spindle axis is measured by the four laser displacement sensors installed at the head of the multi-function end effector. Then, the robot target attitude is inversely solved according to the auto-normalization algorithm. Finally, adjust the robot to the target attitude via pitch and yaw rotations about the tool center point and the spindle axis is corrected in line with the normal vector simultaneously. To test and verify the auto-normalization algorithm, an experimental platform is established in which the laser tracker is introduced for accurate measurement. The results show that the deviations between the corrected spindle axis and the normal vector are all reduced to less than 0.5°, with the mean value 0.32°. It is demonstrated the detection method and the autonormalization algorithm are feasible and reliable.

Aircraft vulnerability modeling and computation methods based on product structure and CATIA

Survivability strengthening/vulnerability reduction designs have become one of the most important design disciplines of military aircraft now. Due to progressiveness and complexity of modern combat aircraft, the existing vulnerability modeling and computation methods cannot meet the current engineering application requirements. Therefore, a vulnerability modeling and computation method based on product structure and CATIA is proposed in sufficient consideration of the design characteristics of modern combat aircraft. This method directly constructs the aircraft vulnerability model by CATIA or the digital model database, and manages all the product components of the vulnerability model via aircraft product structure. Using CAA second development, the detailed operations and computation methods of vulnerability analysis are integrated into CATIA software environment. Comprehensive assessment data and visual kill probability Iso-contours can also be presented, which meet the vulnerability analysis requirements of modern combat aircraft effectively. The intact vulnerability model of one hypothetical aircraft is constructed, and the effects of redundant technology to the aircraft vulnerability are assessed, which validate the engineering practicality of the method.

A mask R-CNN based method for inspecting cable brackets in aircraft

In the aviation industry,cable bracket is one of the most common parts.The traditional assembly state inspection method of cable bracket is to manually compare by viewing 3 D models.The purpose of this paper is to address the problem of inefficiency of traditional inspection method.In order to solve the problem that machine learning algorithm requires large dataset and manually labeling of dataset is a laborious and time-consuming task,a simulation platform is developed to automatically generate synthetic realistic brackets images with pixel-level annotations based on 3 D digital mock-up.In order to obtain accurate shapes of brackets from 2 D image,a brackets recognizer based on Mask R-CNN is trained.In addition,a semi-automatic cable bracket inspection method is proposed.With this method,the inspector can easily obtain the inspection result only by taking a picture with a portable device,such as augmented reality(AR)glasses.The inspection task will be automatically executed via bracket recognition and matching.The experimental result shows that the proposed method for automatically labeling dataset is valid and the proposed cable bracket inspection method can effectively inspect cable bracket in the aircraft.Finally,a prototype system based on client-server framework has been developed for validation purpose.

A new principle and device for large aircraft components gaining accurate support by ball joint

How to obtain an accurate support for large components by ball joint is a key process in aircraft digital assembly. A novel principle and device is developed to solve the problem. Firstly, the working principle of the device is introduced. When three or four displacement sensors installed in the localizer are touched by the ball-head, the spatial relation is calculated between the large aircraft component's ball-head and the localizer's ball-socket. The localizer is driven to achieve a new position by compensation. Relatively, a support revising algorithm is proposed. The localizer's ball-socket approaches the ball-head based on the displacement sensors. According to the points selected from its spherical surface, the coordinates of ball-head spherical center are computed by geometry. Finally, as a typical application, the device is used to conduct a test-fuselage's ball-head into a localizer's ball-socket. Positional deviations of the spherical centers between the ball-head and the ball-socket in the x, y, and z directions are all controlled within ±0.05 mm under various working conditions. The results of the experiments show that the device has the characteristics of high precision, excellent stability, strong operability, and great potential to be applied widely in the modern aircraft industry.

Numerical study on flow fields and aerodynamics of tilt rotor aircraft in conversion mode based on embedded grid and actuator model

A method combining rotor actuator disk model and embedded grid technique is presented in this paper, aimed at predicting the flow fields and aerodynamic characteristics of tilt rotor aircraft in conversion mode more efficiently and effectively. In this method, rotor＇s influence is considered in terms of the momentum it impacts to the fluid around it; transformation matrixes among different coordinate systems are deduced to extend actuator method＇s utility to conversion mode flow fields＇ calculation. Meanwhile, an embedded grid system is designed, in which grids generated around fuselage and actuator disk are regarded as background grid and minor grid respectively, and a new method is presented for ‘donor searching＇ and ‘hole cutting＇ during grid assembling. Based on the above methods, flow fields of tilt rotor aircraft in conversion mode are simulated, with threedimensional Navier–Stokes equations discretized by a second-order upwind finite-volume scheme and an implicit lower–upper symmetric Gauss–Seidel（LU-SGS） time-stepping scheme. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed CFD method is very effective in simulating the conversion mode flow fields of tilt rotor aircraft.

Positioning error compensation of an industrial robot using neural networks and experimental study

Due to the characteristics of high efficiency,wide working range,and high flexibility,industrial robots are being increasingly used in the industries of automotive,machining,electrical and electronic,rubber and plastics,aerospace,food,etc.Whereas the low positioning accuracy,resulted from the serial configuration of industrial robots,has limited their further developments and applications in the field of high requirements for machining accuracy,e.g.,aircraft assembly.In this paper,a neural-network-based approach is proposed to improve the robots’positioning accuracy.Firstly,the neural network,optimized by a genetic particle swarm algorithm,is constructed to model and predict the positioning errors of an industrial robot.Next,the predicted errors are utilized to realize the compensation of the target points at the robot’s workspace.Finally,a series of experiments of the KUKA KR 500–3 industrial robot with no-load and drilling scenarios are implemented to validate the proposed method.The experimental results show that the positioning errors of the robot are reduced from 1.529 mm to 0.344 mm and from 1.879 mm to 0.227 mm for the no-load and drilling conditions,respectively,which means that the position accuracy of the robot is increased by 77.6%and 87.9%for the two experimental conditions,respectively.

Determination of optimal samples for robot calibration based on error similarity

Abstract Industrial robots are used for automatic drilling and riveting. The absolute position accuracy of an industrial robot is one of the key performance indexes in aircraft assembly, and can be improved through error compensation to meet aircraft assembly requirements. The achiev- able accuracy and the difficulty of accuracy compensation implementation are closely related to the choice of sampling points. Therefore, based on the error similarity error compensation method, a method for choosing sampling points on a uniform grid is proposed. A simulation is conducted to analyze the influence of the sample point locations on error compensation. In addition, the grid steps of the sampling points are optimized using a statistical analysis method. The method is used to generate grids and optimize the grid steps of a Kuka KR-210 robot. The experimental results show that the method for planning sampling data can be used to effectively optimize the sampling grid. After error compensation, the position accuracy of the robot meels the position accuracy require- ments.

Formation of interlayer gap and control of interlayer burr in dry drilling of stacked aluminum alloy plates

In aircraft assembly, interlayer burr formation in dry drilling of stacked metal materials is a common problem. Traditional manual deburring operation seriously affects the assembly qual- ity and assembly efficiency, is time-consuming and costly, and is not conducive to aircraft automatic assembly based on industrial robot. In this paper, the formation of drilling exit burr and the influ- ence of interlayer gap on interlayer burr formation were studied, and the mechanism of interlayer gap formation in drilling stacked aluminum alloy plates was investigated, a simplified mathematical model of interlayer gap based on the theory of plates and shells and finite element method was established. The relationship between interlayer gap and interlayer burr, as well as the effect of feed rate and pressing force on interlayer burr height and interlayer gap was discussed. The result shows that theoretical interlayer gap has a positive correlation with interlayer burr height and preloading nressing force is an effective method to control interlaver burr formation.

Calibration of robotic drilling systems with a moving rail

Industrial robots are widely used in aircraft assembly systems such as robotic drilling systems. It is necessary to expand a robot＇s working range with a moving rail. A method for improving the position accuracy of an automated assembly system with an industrial robot mounted on a moving rail is proposed. A multi-station method is used to control the robot in this study. The robot only works at stations which are certain positions defined on the moving rail. The calibration of the robot system is composed by the calibration of the robot and the calibration of the stations.The calibration of the robot is based on error similarity and inverse distance weighted interpolation.The calibration of the stations is based on a magnetic strip and a magnetic sensor. Validation tests were performed in this study, which showed that the accuracy of the robot system gained significant improvement using the proposed method. The absolute position errors were reduced by about 85%to less than 0.3 mm compared with the maximum nearly 2 mm before calibration.