ROBOT-DEPLOYED ASSEMBLY TOOL AND METHOD FOR INSTALLING FASTENERS IN AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES

摘要

An assembly system for assembling a wing box of an aircraft, the wing box defining an enclosed area accessible through at least one access opening. The assembly system includes a robot located outside the wing box that extends and guides a robot arm into the enclosed area of the wing box through the at least one access opening and an assembly tool mounted to the robot arm. The assembly tool includes a positioning mechanism for positioning the assembly tool in the enclosed area; a clamp for clamping the assembly tool to an interior surface of the enclosed area of the wing box; and an electromagnet located outside the wing box positioned to activate the clamp to clamp the assembly tool to the interior surface.