The Boeing Company

Albert L Hametner

Mark S Soderberg

Larry L Trammell

David E Strand

Edward O Jorgenson

C Warren Turner

Hollis B Merrell

Brian R Trethewy

Steven P Hill

Ronald Robert Lermo

Larry L Tammell

Herman F Leppink

A shaft straightening or tube straightening apparatus performs accurate measurements of the linear profile of a metal tube, and then corrects small and large deviations of the tube profile from the ideal centerline along the length of the tube. The tube straightening apparatus is operable to accurately measure a linear profile of the tube positioned in the apparatus. The tube is rotated in the apparatus to locate a pair of low points in the tube profile and a high point of the tube between the two low points. The tube is supported in the apparatus at the pair of low points and the high point of the tube is then deflected beyond the yield point of the metal of the tube to permanently distort the tube and correct the tube's profile.

Automated tube straightening apparatus

An automated tube trimming system accurately trims tubes to the correct height and angle. The tube trimming system is a combination of an automated trimming saw and a unique spherical tube clamping system. A spherical clamp having a fixed clamp section and an internal swivel portion is used to clamp a tube at an appropriate angle for cutting in an automated tube trimming saw. The spherical clamp may be tightened onto the tube at an angle appropriate to provide the correct mating cut to easily weld to a second mating tube section or fitting. Conventional methods cut perpendicular to the direction of the tube, thereby requiring time consuming and labor intensive grinding and deburring. The ability to provide accurate and simple formation of trimmed tubes may be useful in a wide variety of industries where the movement of air and fluid through tubes is performed.

Automated tube trimming system

Apparatus for bending an elongate workpiece to a desired configuration includes a memory for storing information representative of the desired configuration and information representative of bending operations to be performed by a bending machine. A position sensor is used to scan a workpiece that has been bent using the bending machine, and thereby generate information representative of the actual configuration of the workpiece. The information representative of the actual configuration of the workpiece is compared with the information representative of the desired configuration and, in the event that there is a difference between the actual configuration and the desired configuration, and the difference is beyond a predetermined tolerance, the information representative of bending operations is modified in a manner such as to reduce the difference.

Method and apparatus for bending an elongate workpiece

A system for automatically manufacturing shims for use between the structural components of an airframe is disclosed. The system includes: a calibration system (53) for evaluating the accuracy of the measurements made by shim gap probes (87) and producing related calibration coefficients; one or more data acquisition units (55) for measuring shim gaps (41) using calibrated shim gap probes (87); a cell controller (57) for producing machine tool numerical control instructions based on shim gap probe measurements; and, one or more numerically controlled machine tools (59) for manufacturing shims based on said numerical control instructions.

Automated shim manufacturing system

Drills (35), vertically oriented in a row/column array in a drill block (31), are moved in the column direction across a slot (49) located at a loading station (41). As the drills in each partially or fully occupied row reach the slot and drop, drill block movement halts. Thereafter a vertically oriented turn-over tube (51) is moved in the row direction beneath the slot (49). When an occupied drill position is reached, the drill drops into the turn-over tube, tube row movement temporarily halts, and the tube is rotated. The drill slides out of the turn-over tube (51) and down the channel (59) of a measuring station (43) until it hits a movable stop (61). After drill diameter is measured by a pneumatically positioned LVDT (87) and overall drill length is measured by a pneumatically positioned linear potentiometer (69)/proximity detector (PX3) combination, the stop (61) is withdrawn and the drill enters a clamp (95), which grips the adapter shank of the drill. The clamp (95) and the drill are moved by an air-over-oil mechanism toward a prepositioned bushing (385) that deburrs the drill when the drill enters the bushing. Drill movement stops when the end of the flutes reach the bushing, at which time the clamp position is measured by a linear potentiometer (100). The overall drill length measurement and the clamp position measurement are combined to determine the length of the drill's flutes. After the clamp (95) returns to its pickup position the drill is dropped into a prepositioned rotatable tray (123) located at a sorting station (47). The tray and a fan-shaped diverter (125) direct the drill into the appropriate upper or lower bin (131, 133). Drills having diameters other than the diameters to be sorted are dropped into the prepositioned tray without being deburred and directed to a non-selected bin. Bent drills (determined by the drill ends impinging on the periphery of the bushing, rather than entering the bushing) and drills with unacceptably short flutes are directed to a reject drill bin. The various mechanisms are controlled by control signals produced by a CPU (501).

Automatic drill deburring and sorting machine

An automatic fastener selection apparatus for sensing the composite thickness of a plurality of workpieces, determining which one of a plurality fastener sizes is appropriate for joining the workpieces together, and generating a dispensing signal representing the appropriate fastener size. Sensing apparatus provides a signal which is a function of the composite thickness of the workpieces, and this signal is processed by a selection circuit. The selection circuit generates an output signal in response to the signal from the sensing apparatus, and this output signal represents only one of a plurality of different fastener sizes. A triggering circuit then receives the output signal and generates the dispensing signal in response thereto. The apparatus may include a switching mechanism associated with the sensing apparatus and cooperating with the triggering circuit to generally synchronize the updating of the output signal and the generation of the dispensing signal with the completion of a thickness sensing operation. The apparatus may further include circuitry for facilitating the calibration of the selection circuit and a visual display for indicating the output signal, and the selection circuit may include enabling circuitry responsive both to the switching mechanism and to a manually-operable switch for enabling the triggering circuit.

Fastener selection system

A method and apparatus for identifying and detecting the end of a wire segment in a computer controlled harness maker in which the wire is crimped twice in close proximity 90 degrees apart thereby forcing the wire next to the crimp to enlarge in size. The crimped wire is then pulled between two surfaces of the pinch mark detector which are spring loaded and rides at the nominal wire diameter until the crimp passes through the pinch mark detector depressing a plunger to activate a metal sensitive proximity switch providing an output signal representative of a pinch mark detect condition.

Growing community of inventors

Burien, WA, United States of America

Albert L Hametner