The Boeing Company

The Boeing Campany

James Darryl Gamboa

Branko Sarh

Raymond J Slesinski

Gary Alan Lipczynski

Wesley Edward Holleman

Nicholas Ryan Farrell

William Paul Zanteson

Leslie A Hoeckelman

Chris J Erickson

Robert H Coker, Iii

Michael L Caldarera

Claire E Anton

Christopher J Erickson

Paul Keister

Rodney Fancher

Gary Lipczynski

A combination cutting and burnishing orbital drilling tool may include an elongate tool body including a cutting end and extending along a longitudinal axis. The tool body may include a burnishing portion spaced from the cutting end and configured to induce residual stress in a side wall of a hole without removing material. The tool body may further include a cutting portion interposed between the cutting end and the burnishing portion. The cutting portion may be configured to remove material from a workpiece, thereby creating the hole, during an orbital drilling process.

Machining/burnishing dual geometry orbital drilling tool

A pneumatic device may be configured and used to provide multiple movement related functions, such as in an automated assembly system. The pneumatic device may comprise a chamber; a sealing element configurable to contact a surface, to enable creating a seal around the chamber by application of pneumatic suction into the chamber; a biasing element configurable to push the sealing element away from the surface; and a pneumatic cushion configurable to expand by application of pneumatic inflow, thus urging the pneumatic device away from the surface.

Dual function movement component for automated assembly systems

An automated motorized device may be configured to move on a structure for use in assembling of the structure. The automated motorized device may comprise an end effector configured to perform a plurality of assembling related functions; a first movement assembly, comprising a first plurality of dual function movement components; a second movement assembly, comprising a second plurality of dual function movement components; and a pivoting component connected concentrically to the end effector, and to at least one of the first movement assembly and the second movement assembly. Functions of each dual function movement component may comprise adhering and gliding; and during movement of the automated motorized device, one of the first movement assembly and the second movement assembly is secured to the structure while the other one of the first movement assembly and the second movement assembly moves over the structure.

Autonomous crawling assembly system

A machining tool incorporates a shaft having a first end configured to fit into a machining collet. A cutting portion extends from a second end of the shaft. A residual stress inducer is located between the first and second ends and includes a torsion element joined to the shaft at a connection end. A carbide tip is present on a free end opposite the connection end and the torsion element is configured such that a selected rotational speed, altered from a normal cutting speed, causes the carbide tip of the torsion element to contact a workpiece surface.

Roto peening orbital drilling tool

Methods and systems for configuring a manual and/or automated processing system to conform to a contoured surface of a structure are disclosed. One example includes an automated processing system with a flexible rail configuration. One or more turnbuckles and/or other actuators configure and hold the flexible rail configuration into conformity with the surface (which could be flat or of a curvature) during processing by the automated processing system. Additionally, one or more combination suction-cup pressurized-air devices may be coupled to the flexible rail configuration for selectively attaching the flexible rail configuration to the contoured surface and also for selectively releasing and/or facilitating elevation and movement of the flexible rail configuration above and about the contoured surface. A multi-function end effector may be associated with the flexible rail configuration and be moveable relative thereto.

Method and system for conforming assembly systems to contours of curved surfaces

An automated motorized device may be configured to move on a structure for use in assembling operations thereon. The automated motorized device may comprise a plurality of multifunction movement components, which may be attached to one or more movement assemblies. Functions of each multifunction movement component may comprise adhering and moving. The adhering function may be performed using sealing element, which may be used to create seal between corresponding multifunction movement component and structure. The moving function may be performed using a rolling element, which may be configured to allow rolling on the structure. In some instances, one or more of the multifunction movement components may be configured to also provide floating function, which may be performed, e.g., mechanically or pneumatically. In some instances, three non-floating multifunction movement components may be configured to form a triangle, to enable maintaining contact with the structure, including when traversing compound surfaces.

Multifunction legs for autonomous crawling assembly equipment

A method and apparatus are used to visually recognize and install fasteners on a structure. An electronic image of the fastener is recorded, and is processed by a computer operated image recognition program to identify the fastener. The computer provides installation instructions and an installation tool based on the identity of the fastener.

Intelligent fastener system

A robotic system comprises an end effector including an electromagnetic clamp, a force sensor attached to the end effector for measuring force exerted by the clamp against a work piece surface, and a plurality of normality sensors. The normality sensors are positioned about the force sensor to determine whether the clamp is normal to the surface before the force sensor makes contact with the surface.

Force and normality sensing for end effector clamp

A method and apparatus for processing a fastener system. A fastener installation tool may be placed on a surface of an object. An elongate structure may be attached to the fastener installation tool and may have a length. A camera may be associated with the fastener installation tool in which the camera may be configured with a focal length corresponding to the length of the elongate structure. The camera also may be configured to capture an image at least a portion of the fastener system when the elongate structure is placed against the surface of the object on which the fastener system is located. The image of the at least a portion of fastener system may be captured.

Method and apparatus for establishing a camera focal length for installing fasteners

A system for removing debris generated by a cutting tool draws the debris into a mixing chamber formed in a workpiece clamp where the debris is combined with a high velocity airflow. A vacuum source draws the debris-air mixture into a cyclonic airflow extraction chamber where the mixture is accelerated before being extracted from the clamp through an exhaust channel. A clamping ring seals the area surrounding the cutting site so that air velocity in the mixing chamber is increased and debris is accelerated into the extraction chamber.

Debris removal system for cutting tools

An apparatus comprises a containment chamber, a foam inlet, a vacuum port, and an air inlet. The containment chamber is a walled structure having a foam inlet. The surrounding of the foam inlet is shaped to correspond to the internal dimensions or surface structure of an aircraft fuselage or other aerospace structure. Because the surrounding of the foam inlet corresponds to the shape of the insulated structure, the containment apparatus may be mated with the portion of the structure having the insulation removed or captured. The vacuum port of the apparatus is connectable to a vacuum source, and the apparatus is utilized to suction particulate foam material from the insulated structure.

Growing community of inventors

Anaheim, CA, United States of America

James Darryl Gamboa