IP Library Granted Patent US 8,667,689
Granted Patent B2
US 8,667,689 · App. 11/786,927 · Granted Mar 11, 2014

Method and arrangement for supplying essentially hollow bodies with equipment

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,667,689
App. No.
11/786,927
Granted
Mar 11, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

Method and arrangement for supplying essentially hollow bodies with equipment wherein the hollow bodies each have a transverse dimension and a longitudinal dimension being larger than the transverse dimension. The bodies have at least one opening for accessing their interior from outside along their longitudinal dimension. The hollow bodies are arranged essentially side-by-side along the longitudinal dimension and they are moved along their transverse dimension in a clocked fashion. An arrangement comprises a plurality of conveyor means for moving hollow bodies, wherein the conveyor means are arranged such that the hollow bodies are arranged side-by-side along their longitudinal dimension and moved along their transverse dimension in a clocked fashion.

Claims (17)

1. A method for supplying interiors of a plurality of hollow bodies with equipment, wherein each hollow body of said plurality of hollow bodies comprises:

a transverse dimension;

a longitudinal dimension being larger than said transverse dimension, at least one opening for accessing an interior of the hollow body from outside along said longitudinal dimension; and

at least a front section and a rear section, forming at least a section of an aircraft fuselage, the method comprising:

arranging said plurality of hollow bodies side-by-side along their longitudinal dimension and moving said plurality of hollow bodies along their transverse dimension in a circular curved trajectory, and clocked fashion;

halting at least one front section and at least one rear section at a plurality of supply stations for a plurality of predetermined clock periods;

assigning and providing a predetermined set of equipment at each supply station of the plurality of supply stations;

supplying the interior of the at least one front section and the interior of the at least one rear section during plurality of predetermined clock period with the predetermined set of equipment by entering the each interior through the at least one opening;

adjusting said predetermined clock period or adjusting the predetermined set of equipment such that during the predetermined clock period the predetermined set of equipment is installed at the corresponding supply station;

installing the predetermined set of equipment in the interior of the at least one front section and the at least one rear section; and

forming said section of an aircraft fuselage by merging the at least one front section with the at least one rear section.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one opening of each hollow body of the plurality of hollow bodies point towards the same side with respect to a common moving direction of the hollow bodies.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein moving the plurality of hollow bodies comprises moving the plurality of hollow bodies providing at least one of: a movable carrier, a cart, a movable jig, a carrier rail or a trackway.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of hollow bodies are moved by an assembly line along a pathway, and the plurality of the hollow bodies being halted at supply stations.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein each hollow body of said plurality of hollow bodies comprises a tube-like structure, their openings are formed by an open frontend of said tube-like structure, and a rear-end of said tube like structure is closed, wherein said tube like structures are aircraft parts, and the opening has a diameter of at least 2 meters.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the-predetermined set of equipment comprises at least one of an isolation material, window frames, windows, electric or hydraulic facilities, lines, wiring, water-, fuel-, oxygen-conductors, air-condition devices, control circuitry, cables, tubes, or interior decoration.

7. the method of claim 1 , wherein the curved trajectory is a circumference of a circle, and a curved form.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 31, 2011
From: AIRBUS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
To: AIRBUS OPERATIONS GMBH
Reel/Frame 026360/0849 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 1, 2007
From: FRANKENBERGER, ECKART; KLEMKOW, EIKE; ZAPP, HORST; FRAUEN, HOLGER
To: AIRBUS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
Reel/Frame 019373/0001 →