The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 18, 2005
Filed:
Dec. 10, 2001
Theodore Martin Boyl-davis, Everett, WA (US);
James N. Buttrick, Jr., Seattle, WA (US);
Roger A. Gage, Marysville, WA (US);
Darrell D. Jones, Mill Creek, WA (US);
Kostandinos D. Papanikolaou, Southfield, MI (US);
Theodore Martin Boyl-Davis, Everett, WA (US);
James N. Buttrick, Jr., Seattle, WA (US);
Roger A. Gage, Marysville, WA (US);
Darrell D. Jones, Mill Creek, WA (US);
Kostandinos D. Papanikolaou, Southfield, MI (US);
The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US);
Abstract
A flexible track drilling machine employs a pair of rails that are flexible in one direction to conform to a non-flat workpiece surface and are substantially stiff in a direction parallel to the workpiece surface. The rails are attached to the workpiece by vacuum cups spaced along each rail. An X-axis carriage is slidably mounted on the rails by rollers mounted on flexible spring plates affixed to the carriage. A drill or other device to be positioned is mounted on a Y-axis carriage that is slidably connected to the X-axis carriage. The three-dimensional surface of the workpiece is mathematically transformed into a two-dimensional flat pattern, and the positioning of the carriages is controlled based on the flat pattern.