JPS6213916B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Claim 1: A placing machine for placing a material, comprising a feeding device for feeding the material, and supporting the feeding device and enabling positioning of the feeding device. an upper carriage arrangement having a selected number of degrees of freedom of movement for the purpose of transport; an arrangement for moving said upper carriage arrangement; an installation arrangement adapted to receive said material from said supply arrangement; and said installation arrangement for supporting said installation arrangement. a lower carriage arrangement having a selected number of degrees of freedom of movement for controlling the position of the installation device; a means for moving the lower carriage arrangement; and a means for moving the upper carriage arrangement; A mounting machine that includes a device that follows the movement of the lower truck device.

2. The mounting machine according to claim 1, further comprising a device for moving the installation device with respect to the upper truck device.

3. The device for moving the installation device includes a device coupled to the lower truck device for moving the installation device toward and away from the plane of the upper truck device. mounting machine.

4. The mounting machine according to claim 2, wherein the device for moving the installation device includes a device for rotationally moving the installation device with respect to the lower truck device.

5. The mounting according to claim 4, further comprising a device for rotationally moving the feeding device with respect to the upper cart device, and a device for causing the rotational movement of the feeding device to follow the rotational movement of the installation device. machine.

6. The mounting machine according to claim 2, further comprising a device for moving the feeding device with respect to the upper truck device, and a device for causing the movement of the feeding device to follow the movement of the installation device.

7. The device for moving the installation device includes a device coupled to the upper truck device and the lower truck device for moving the installation device toward and away from the surface of the upper truck device. The mounting machine described in item 2 of the scope.

8. The mounting machine of claim 7, wherein the device connected to the upper truck device is loosely connected to the lower truck device to allow relative movement.

9. The mounting machine according to claim 1, further comprising a device for moving the feeding device with respect to the upper cart device.

10. The mounting machine according to claim 9, wherein the device for moving the feeding device includes a device for moving the feeding device in a rotational manner relative to the upper truck device.

11 the tracking device includes a transducer device coupled to the upper and lower truck devices to sense relative movement and generate an output signal in response to the relative movement to move the upper truck device; 2. The mounting machine according to claim 1, wherein said device is controlled for the purpose of controlling said device.

12. The mounting machine according to claim 1, further comprising a controller device.

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to the field of machines suitable for the production of composite structures, in particular to automatic machines suitable for depositing resin and/or fiber materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In this era of rapidly rising labor costs and increasingly indifferent factory operations, it becomes necessary to automate manufacturing processes. One relatively new manufacturing process utilizes composite materials in the form of dry fibers or pre-impregnated fiber tapes coated with a wet resin to form laminate or network structures. Such constructions are exemplified in US Pat. No. 3,962,393 for ``Method of Making Hollow Laminate'' and US Pat. No. 4,284,679 for ``Filled Resin Coated Tape.'' These structures are generally formed by placing fibrous materials such as glass fibers, graphite or boron filaments and organic resins or pre-impregnated tapes on a mandle and then curing them by applying heat and pressure.

In order to have an efficient automated placement process, it is necessary that the material placement head move quickly and accurately over the surface on which the material is to be placed. Tape placement heads typically used in prior art machines are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,574,040 to Chitwood et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,219 to Karlson, et al. In these machines, the tape placement head not only supports a mechanism for placing the tape, but also supports a mechanism for holding the spool of tape and placing the tape in the tape placement head. Tape placement heads are therefore necessarily large in size and heavy, and their weight and inertia make them difficult to manipulate quickly and accurately.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved automatic placement machine for producing laminate and network structures.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved placing machine capable of placing composite materials quickly and accurately.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved placement machine that minimizes the configuration and weight of the placement head.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved placement machine in which the placement head can be operated quickly and accurately.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION An improved mounting machine for manufacturing composite structures is provided. The loading machine includes an upper truck that supports the material transport system and a lower truck that supports the installation head. The upper and lower carriages each have a selected number of degrees of freedom of movement to allow positioning of the material transport system and installation head. Apparatus is provided for controlling the movement of and moving the upper and lower trucks. The movement of the upper carriage is subordinated to the movement of the lower carriage to enable the material transport system to place the material on the installation head. The material transport system and installation head can also be rotated to provide extra degrees of freedom.
The rotation of the material transport system is also made dependent on the rotation of the installation head. The installation head can also be moved independently onto the work surface.

The novel features believed to be characteristic of the invention as to its mechanism and method of operation, together with other objects and advantages, are set forth below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which presently preferred embodiments of the invention are shown by way of example. It will be better understood from the description. However, it should be clearly understood that it is for illustrative and descriptive purposes and is not intended as delimiting the scope of the invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a perspective view of the invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the invention taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1 with the material transport system and tape placement head rotated 90 degrees; and FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the invention taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a plan view of the invention taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the invention taken along line 5-5 of FIG.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of an automatic placement machine 10 of a preferred embodiment of the invention. This loading machine 10 has an upper carriage 12 to which a material transport system 14 is connected. Upper trolley 12
2 and 3, is mounted on the pair of rails 16 by rollers 18 and driven along the rails 16 in the Y direction by a motor 20. As shown in FIGS. The motor 20 rotates a worm screw drive shaft 22 via a worm screw drive nut 24 connected to the upper truck 12. A rail 16 is mounted on a beam 26, which is rested on a beam 28 by rollers 30. Motor 3 attached to the underside of the beam 26
2 drives a gear 34 which engages the toothed underside 36 of the beam 28 and which drives the upper carriage 1
2 in the X direction. The beam 28 is the support structure 3
8, the support structure supports the beam 28 and the upper carriage 12 a selected distance above the work bed or mounting tool 40.

The mounting machine 10 further has a beam 42, a fifth
As shown, a lower carriage 44 for the tape installation head 46 is coupled to the beam 42 so that the tape installation head 46 can be driven in the X and Y directions. The lower truck 44 has a bracket 51 and a shaft 53.
It is connected to the beam 4 via a support body 47 consisting of a shaft 55 and a shaft 55. The support 47 is attached to a winding 48 supported by roller bearings 49, which winding is connected to the moving coil (rotor) of a linear induction motor 50.
form. Beam 42 has a surface pattern 52 of conducting and non-conducting areas forming the stator of linear induction motor 50 . Such a linear induction motor 50 is manufactured by X.
-ynetics and its operating principle is described in U.S. Pat. No. 27,436 to Sawy-er. The linear induction motor 50 is connected to the lower truck 4
4 in the Y direction quickly and accurately. Beam 42 is connected to a winding 54 supported on air bearings by beam 56, which has a surface pattern 58 of conducting and non-conducting areas. As mentioned above, beam 56 with windings 54 and surface pattern 58 form the rotor and stator of a linear induction motor 60, which motor 60 is connected to beam 42.
and move the lower truck 44 rapidly and accurately in the X direction. The beam 56 is connected to a support structure 62 that connects the beam 56 and the lower truck 4.
4 is supported above the mounting tool 40 by a selected distance.

Placement head 46 is also adapted to be driven in the Z direction and through an angle θ about the Z axis. Fourth
With reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 5, the installation tool 46
is connected to the circular plate 64 by a member 66 passing through a hole in the lower carriage 44. The circular plate 64 has a ring gear 70 supported by a grooved roller 68 connected to the lower carriage 44 and driven by a motor 72 . Motor 72 therefore serves to drive installation head 46 about the Z-axis.
The lower truck 44 is connected to the beam 42, and
supported by a bracket 74;
4 is an upper truck 12 and a worm screw drive shaft 7
6 and a worm screw drive nut 78, the drive shaft 76 being driven by a motor 80 to drive the installation head 46 in the Z direction and to apply a force in the Z direction to the installation head 46 as described below. Apply pressure to the tape placed on the mounting tool 40 so as to

Material transport system 14 is also adapted to be driven through an angle θ about the Z-axis. The material transport system 14 is installed in a plate 82 having circular through holes 84 . A hollow cylindrical member 86 is connected around the hole 84 to the plate 82 and has a circular plate 88 attached thereto, which circular plate has a grooved roller 9 .
0, and the grooved roller 90 is in turn supported by the upper carriage 12. Member 86 has a ring gear 92 attached to its lower edge;
The gear 92 is driven by a motor 94 via a reduction gear 95 and a pinion 97. Motor 94 therefore moves plate 82 and material transport system 14 to Z.
It acts to drive around the axis.

The installation head 46 has a main roller 96 and a secondary roller 9.
8, the tape 100 passes through these rollers and is placed on the surface of the mounting tool 40 by the rolling action of the main roller 96 against the surface of the mounting tool 40. Secondary roller 98 is coupled to primary roller 96 by a gear drive (not shown). The tape 100 is guided by a guide 102 and by a roller 10.
6,108, chain drive 1
09 is connected to the main roller 96. Paper backing 110 is removed by passing between rollers 106 and 108 and passing over roller 112;
It is wound onto a spool 114 which is driven by a slip clutch motor 116. Roller 106,1
08 serves to assist in pulling the tape 100 downward by pulling the paper backing material 110. A tape cutter 1 operated by a solenoid 105 to cut the tape 100 when desired.
04 is provided.

Material transport system 14 is shown in detail in FIG.
Tape 100 (including backing material 110) is stored on spool 118 and passes through rollers 120, between rollers 122 and 124, and then onto swing arm 12.
8 and descends into the guide 102 over the roller 130. The guide 102 is connected to the lower carriage 44 at its lower end by a guide support 107. Spool 118 is supported on post 132 and rollers 120, 122, 126, 130 and swing arm 128 are supported on structure 134, which is supported on plate 82. Bracket 13 attached to structure 134
6 supports the guide 102 flexibly, so that the guide 102 moves in the Z direction in response to the movement of the lower truck 44 in the Z direction.
can move in the direction. In operation, as tape 100 is pulled downwardly through guide 102 by main roller 96, swinging arm 128 is pulled up toward rollers 124 and 130. Swing arm 12
8 reaches a selected height, it contacts a microswitch 138 attached to the structure 134;
Motor 99, which drives roller 124, is activated to pull tape 100 from spool 118. As the tape 100 is pulled off the spool 118 faster than it is pulled by the main roller 96, the swinging arm 128 lowers until it contacts a microswitch 140 mounted on the bracket 136, deenergizing the roller drive motor 99. . The swinging arm 128 is then pulled up again by the pulling action of the main roller 96 on the tape 100. This process maintains tape 100 at constant tension regardless of whether main roller 96 is stopped or started.

In operation, motors 20, 32, 50, and 60 are powered to drive upper truck 12 and lower truck 4.
4 and thus the material transport system 14 and the placement head 46, the tape 100 moves the placement tool 40.
Move it into place. Transducers 142 and 144 are provided to control the power loading to motors 32 and 20, respectively, so that upper truck 12 follows the movement of lower truck 44. The transducer 142 consists of a cylinder 142a attached to a beam 42 and a rod 142b inserted into the cylinder a, the rod 142b being attached to the supporting beam 26 of the upper carriage 12 by a member 142c. Movement of lower truck 44 in the X direction, without a similar movement of upper truck 12, causes relative movement of cylinder 142a and rod 142b, thereby generating an output signal and activating motor 32. Similarly, transducer 144 is connected to cylinder 14 attached to winding 48 of motor 50.
4a and a rod 144b inserted into the cylinder 144a and spring loaded against a member 144c attached to the upper carriage 12. Movement of lower truck 44 in the Y direction, without a similar movement of upper truck 12, causes relative movement between cylinder 144a and rod 144b, thereby generating an output signal and activating motor 20. Once the installation head 46 is in place, motors 72 and 94 are activated simultaneously to rotate the installation head 46 and material transport system 14 in the appropriate direction. The gear system of motors 72 and 94 is designed so that rotation of plate 82 supporting material transport system 14 is simultaneous with rotation of plate 64 supporting installation head 46.

Operation of motor 80 lowers installation head 46 onto the surface of placement tool 40 and applies a selected amount of force in the Z direction to press tape 100 against the surface of placement tool 40. Then, the controller 145 controls the motor and the motor 9.
9 and 116 are selectively powered to apply tape 10 in a selected pattern on the surface of mounting tool 40.
0 may be placed. The worm screw drive nut 78 is loosely installed between the plates 79 within the hole 77 of the lower truck 44 so that the upper truck 12 following the lower truck 44 can ensure that the installation head 46 accurately places the tape 100. In order to make it possible, the lower trolley 44
It is not necessary to follow the lower carriage 44 with the same precision as is required for the movement of . Tape 1 to be installed
The height of the installation head 46 in the Z direction is controlled to allow multi-layering of the tape 100, and the pressure in the Z direction is controlled as the tape 100 intersects in multiple passes to create a network structure. The synthetic resin layer described in US Pat. No. 4,284,679 allows for proper flow. , if the pressure in the Z direction is small or not required,
The Z-direction drive system described above can also be replaced by a motor 146, shown in phantom in FIG. instead).

We have been talking about automatic loading machines, where the heavy and bulky material transport system is removed from the loading head. The placing head with minimal shape and weight is supported by a rapid and precise positioning and driving system, and the material is transported by a material transport system supported by another drive system that follows the movement of the placing head. Supplied. It is clear that many variations and ideas can be made by those skilled in the art from this description. It is therefore intended that the invention be limited only by the scope and spirit of the claims.

Industrial Applicability This automatic placing machine is suitably used for the production of stacked or reticulated composite structures.