US4334495A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for use in making an object
Assignee: Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems Corp
•
Filing: 1978-07-11
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Granted: 1982-06-15
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Expires: 1998-07-11
Abstract
Abstract Although the method and apparatus of the present invention can be utilized to apply either a uniform or a nonuniform covering of material over many different workpieces, the apparatus (20) is advantageously utilized to apply a thermal barrier covering (64) to an airfoil (22) which is used in a turbine engine. The airfoil is held by a gripper assembly (86) while a spray gun (24) is effective to apply the covering over the airfoil. When a portion of the covering has been applied, a sensor (28) is utilized to detect the thickness of the covering. A control apparatus (32) compares the thickness of the covering of material which has been applied with the desired thickness and is subsequently effective to regulate the operation of the spray gun to adaptively apply a covering of a desired thickness with an accuracy of at least plus or minus 0.0015 inches (1.5 mils) despite unanticipated process variations.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas Derkacs
- 👤 Charles W. Fetheroff
- 👤 Istvan M. Matay
- 👤 Istvan J. Toth
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 01:48
CPC Classifications
B; B05; B05B; B05B13/00; B05B13/02; B05B13/04; B05B13/0405; B05B12/00; B05B12/08; B05B12/084; B05B12/12; B05B13/0221; B23; B23P; B23P15/00; B23P15/02; C; C23; C23C; C23C4/00; C23C4/12; C23C4/129; F; F01; F01D; F01D5/00; F01D5/12; F01D5/28; F01D5/288; F01D5/30; G; G01; G01D; G01D5/00; G01D5/26; G01D5/28; G01D5/30; G05; G05D; G05D5/00; G05D5/02; Y; Y02; Y02T; Y02T50/00; Y02T50/60; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/23; Y10T428/234; Y10T428/236; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24149; Y10T428/26
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 200
Claim 1
Independent Claim
144 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, first means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece along each of three transversely extending axes, second means for effecting rotational movement between said spray means and the workpiece about each of three transversely extending axes, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
144 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, first means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece along each of three transversely extending axes, second means for effecting rotational movement between said spray means and the workpiece about each of three transversely extending axes, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
50 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control means includes means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to effect the application to the workpiece of a covering having different thicknesses over different surface areas of the workpiece.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 2 further including printer means for providing a record of the different thicknesses of the covering over a plurality of different surface areas of the workpiece.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
49 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control means includes means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to effect the application of a covering of substantially uniform thickness over at least a portion of the workpiece.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
114 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said sensor means to detect the thickness of the covering in each of a plurality of predetermined locations on the workpiece, said control means including means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations with the desired thickness of the covering at each of the locations and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations and the desired thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
198 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first means is operable to effect relative movement between said sensor means and the workpiece to vary the distance therebetween, said sensor means including a light source, lens means for directing light from said light source against a surface area in such a manner as to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area back to the light source to increase as the distance between said sensor means and the surface area changes in a first direction from a first distance to a predetermined distance during operation of said first means to change the distance between said sensor means and the workpiece and to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area back to the light source to decrease as the distance between said sensor means and the surface area changes in the first direction from the predetermined distance to a second distance, said control means including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to the light source stops increasing and starts decreasing to thereby detect when said sensor means is spaced apart from the surface area by the predetermined distance.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
133 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control means is operable to effect operation of said first means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a first layer of the covering in strips, said control means being operable to effect operation of said first means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a second layer of the covering in strips which overlie the strips of the first layer of the covering and have longitudinal central axes which are offset from longitudinal central axes of the strips of the first layer of the covering to thereby facilitate the application to the workpiece of a covering having a desired thickness.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
197 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sensor means includes a light source, photosensor means for providing an output signal which varies as a function of variations in the amount of light transmitted to said photosensor means, lens means for directing light from said light source against a surface area in such a manner as to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area to said photosensor means to decrease as the distance between said sensor means and the surface changes in a first direction from a first distance to a predetermined distance during operation of said first means to change the distance between said sensor means and the workpiece and to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area to said photosensor means to increase as the distance between said sensor means and the surface area changes in the first direction from the predetermined distance to a second distance, said control means including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected to said photosensor means stops decreasing and starts increasing to thereby detect when said sensor means is spaced apart from the surface area by the predetermined distance.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sensor means includes a lens having a focal point which is located a predetermined distance from said lens, said control means including means for detecting when a surface area on the workpiece has been moved to the focal point of said lens.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
31 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sensor means includes a source of electrical energy and means for utilizing said energy to detect the thickness of the covering.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said means for utilizing said energy includes means for converting electrical energy to radiant energy and means for directing the radiant energy against a surface area of the workpiece.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
48 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein said means for converting electrical energy to radiant energy includes a source of noncoherent light, said means for directing the radiant energy against a surface area includes means for directing light from said light source against a surface area.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the workpiece has an internal passage, said apparatus further including means for causing cooling fluid to flow through the internal passage in the workpiece during the application of the covering to the workpiece.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
66 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control means includes means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece and means for varying the speed of relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece to vary the amount of material which is applied over a surface area of the workpiece during relative movement between the workpiece and spray means.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
107 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a first composition, means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a second composition, said control means including means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a first covering of the first composition over the workpiece, for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a transition covering which is a mixture of the first and second compositions over the first covering, and for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a second covering of the second composition over the transition covering.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second means is operable to effect rotational movement between said spray means and the workpiece about at least some of the same three axes along which said first means is effective to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
61 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 16 wherein said first means includes means for effecting relative movement between said sensor means and the workpiece along each of the three transversely extending axes and wherein said second means includes means for effecting rotational movement between said sensor means and the workpiece about at least some of the three transversely extending axes.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
77 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 17 wherein said first means includes a first motor, first drive means connected with said first motor and said spray means for moving said spray means along a first one of the three transversely extending axes upon operation of the first motor, a second motor, and second drive means for moving said sensor means along the first one of the three transversely extending axes upon operation of said second motor.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
289 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said sensor means and the workpiece to vary the distance therebetween, said sensor means including a light source, lens means for directing light from said light source against a surface area in such a manner as to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area back to the light source to increase as the distance between said sensor means and the surface changes in a first direction from a first distance to a predetermined distance during operation of said drive means to change the distance between said sensor means and the workpiece and to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area back to the light source to decrease as the distance between said sensor means and the surface area changes in the first direction from the predetermined distance to a second distance, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering, said control means including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to the light source stops increasing and starts decreasing to thereby detect when said sensor means is spaced apart from the surface area by the predetermined distance.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
289 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said sensor means and the workpiece to vary the distance therebetween, said sensor means including a light source, lens means for directing light from said light source against a surface area in such a manner as to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area back to the light source to increase as the distance between said sensor means and the surface changes in a first direction from a first distance to a predetermined distance during operation of said drive means to change the distance between said sensor means and the workpiece and to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area back to the light source to decrease as the distance between said sensor means and the surface area changes in the first direction from the predetermined distance to a second distance, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering, said control means including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to the light source stops increasing and starts decreasing to thereby detect when said sensor means is spaced apart from the surface area by the predetermined distance.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
150 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 19 further including second drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece, said control means being operable to effect operation of said second drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a first layer of the covering in strips, and control means being operable to effect operation of said second drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a second layer of the covering in strips which overlie the strips of the first layer of the covering and have longitudinal central axes which are offset from longitudinal central axes of the strips of the first layer of the covering to thereby facilitate the application to the workpiece of a covering having a desired thickness.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
27 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 19 further including printer means for providing a record of the actual thickness of the covering applied to the workpiece.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein the workpiece has an internal passage, said apparatus further including means for causing cooling fluid to flow through the internal passage in the workpiece during the application of the covering to the workpiece.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
66 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein said control means includes means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece and means for varying the speed of relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece to vary the amount of material which is applied over a surface area of the workpiece during relative movement between the workpiece and spray means.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
107 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 19 further including means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a first composition, means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a second composition, said control means including means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a first covering of the first composition over the workpiece, for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a transition covering which is a mixture of the first and second compositions over the first covering, and for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a second covering of the second composition over the transition covering.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
50 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein said control means includes means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to effect the application to the workpiece of a covering having different thicknesses over different surface areas of the workpiece.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 25 further including printer means for providing a record of the different thicknesses of the covering over a plurality of different surface areas of the workpiece.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
49 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein said control means includes means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to effect the application of a covering of substantially uniform thickness over at least a portion of the workpiece.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
114 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said sensor means to detect the thickness of the covering in each of a plurality of predetermined locations on the workpiece, said control means including means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations with the desired thickness of the covering at each of the locations and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations and the desired thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
73 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said sensor means to direct light from said light source against a plurality of surface areas disposed in predetermined locations relative to the workpiece, said control means being effective to detect when the amount of light reflected back to the light source from each of the plurality of surface areas stops increasing and starts decreasing.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
234 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering, and drive means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means, said drive means including first motor means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means along a first axis, second motor means for effecting rotational movement of the workpiece about the first axis, third motor means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means along a second axis which extends perpendicular to said first axis, fourth motor means for effecting rotational movement of the workpiece about the second axis, fifth motor means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means along a third axis which extends perpendicular to said first and second axes, and sixth motor means for effecting rotational movement of the workpiece about the third axis.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
234 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering, and drive means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means, said drive means including first motor means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means along a first axis, second motor means for effecting rotational movement of the workpiece about the first axis, third motor means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means along a second axis which extends perpendicular to said first axis, fourth motor means for effecting rotational movement of the workpiece about the second axis, fifth motor means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means along a third axis which extends perpendicular to said first and second axes, and sixth motor means for effecting rotational movement of the workpiece about the third axis.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
35 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 30 further including seventh motor means for effecting movement of said sensor means relative to the workpiece independently of relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means.
Claim 35
Independent Claim
310 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said sensor means and the workpiece to vary the distance therebetween, said sensor means including a light source, photosensor means for providing an output signal which varies as a function of variations in the amount of light transmitted to said photosensor means, lens means for directing light from said light source against a surface area in such a manner as to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area to said photosensor means to decrease as the distance between said sensor means and the surface changes in a first direction from a first distance to a predetermined distance during operation of said drive means to change the distance between said sensor means and the workpiece and to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area to said photosensor means to increase as the distance between said sensor means and the surface area changes in the first direction from the predetermined distance to a second distance, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering, said control means including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected to said photosensor means stops decreasing and starts increasing to thereby detect when said sensor means is spaced apart from the surface area by the predetermined distance.
Claim 36
Independent Claim
310 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said sensor means and the workpiece to vary the distance therebetween, said sensor means including a light source, photosensor means for providing an output signal which varies as a function of variations in the amount of light transmitted to said photosensor means, lens means for directing light from said light source against a surface area in such a manner as to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area to said photosensor means to decrease as the distance between said sensor means and the surface changes in a first direction from a first distance to a predetermined distance during operation of said drive means to change the distance between said sensor means and the workpiece and to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area to said photosensor means to increase as the distance between said sensor means and the surface area changes in the first direction from the predetermined distance to a second distance, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering, said control means including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected to said photosensor means stops decreasing and starts increasing to thereby detect when said sensor means is spaced apart from the surface area by the predetermined distance.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
50 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 32 wherein said control means includes means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to effect the application to the workpiece of a covering having different thicknesses over different surface areas of the workpiece.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 33 further including printer means for providing a record of the different thicknesses of the covering over a plurality of different surface areas of the workpiece.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
49 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 32 wherein said control means includes means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to effect the application of a covering of substantially uniform thickness over at least a portion of the workpiece.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
51 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 35 further including first means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece along each of three transversely extending axes and second means for effecting rotational movement between said spray means and the workpiece about each of three transversely extending axes.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 36 wherein said second means is operable to effect rotational movement between said spray means and the workpiece about at least some of the same three axes along which said first means is effective to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
114 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 32 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said sensor means to detect the thickness of the covering in each of a plurality of predetermined locations on the workpiece, said control means including means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations with the desired thickness of the covering at each of the locations and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations and the desired thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
150 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 32 further including second drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece, said control means being operable to effect operation of said second drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a first layer of the covering in strips, said control means being operable to effect operation of said second drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a second layer of the covering in strips which overlie the strips of the first layer of the covering and have longitudinal central axes which are offset from longitudinal central axes of the strips of the first layer of the covering to thereby facilitate the application to the workpiece of a covering having a desired thickness.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
27 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 32 further including printer means for providing a record of the actual thickness of the covering applied to the workpiece.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 32 wherein the workpiece has an internal passage, said apparatus further including means for causing cooling fluid to flow through the internal passage in the workpiece during the application of the covering to the workpiece.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
67 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 32 wherein said drive means includes means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece and between said sensor means and the workpiece along a first axis which extends transversely to a path of flow of material from said spray means toward the workpiece and means for effecting rotational movement of the workpiece about the first axis.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
66 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 32 wherein said control means includes means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece and means for varying the speed of relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece to vary the amount of material which is applied over a surface area of the workpiece during relative movement between the workpiece and spray means.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
107 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 32 further including means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a first composition, means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a second composition, said control means including means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a first covering of the first composition over the workpiece, for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a transition covering which is a mixture of the first and second compositions over the first covering, and for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a second covering of the second composition over the transition covering.
Claim 49
Independent Claim
349 words
An apparatus for use in accurately applying a covering of material to at least a portion of an airfoil, said apparatus comprising spray means for applying material to the airfoil, means for supplying material in a powdered form to said spray means, said spray means including means for heating the material and directing a flow of the heated material toward the airfoil, drive means for effecting relative movement between the airfoil and said spray means to enable the flow of heated material to be distributed over the surface of the airfoil to form a covering, sensor means for detecting the thickness of the covering applied to the airfoil to within less than 0.0005 inches of the actual thickness of the covering, said drive means including means for effecting relative movement between said sensor means and the airfoil to vary the distance therebetween, said sensor means including a light source, means for directing light from said light source against a surface area in such a manner as to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area back to the light source to increase as the distance between said sensor means and the surface area changes in a first direction from a first distance to a predetermined distance during operation of said drive means to vary the distance between said sensor means and the airfoil and to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area back to the light source to decrease as the distance between said sensor means and the surface area changes in the first direction from the predetermined distance to a second distance, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply to the airfoil a covering having a thickness which differs from a desired thickness by less than 0.0015 inches, said control means including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to the light source stops increasing and starts decreasing to thereby detect when said sensor means is spaced from the surface area by the predetermined distance.
Claim 50
Independent Claim
349 words
An apparatus for use in accurately applying a covering of material to at least a portion of an airfoil, said apparatus comprising spray means for applying material to the airfoil, means for supplying material in a powdered form to said spray means, said spray means including means for heating the material and directing a flow of the heated material toward the airfoil, drive means for effecting relative movement between the airfoil and said spray means to enable the flow of heated material to be distributed over the surface of the airfoil to form a covering, sensor means for detecting the thickness of the covering applied to the airfoil to within less than 0.0005 inches of the actual thickness of the covering, said drive means including means for effecting relative movement between said sensor means and the airfoil to vary the distance therebetween, said sensor means including a light source, means for directing light from said light source against a surface area in such a manner as to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area back to the light source to increase as the distance between said sensor means and the surface area changes in a first direction from a first distance to a predetermined distance during operation of said drive means to vary the distance between said sensor means and the airfoil and to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area back to the light source to decrease as the distance between said sensor means and the surface area changes in the first direction from the predetermined distance to a second distance, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply to the airfoil a covering having a thickness which differs from a desired thickness by less than 0.0015 inches, said control means including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to the light source stops increasing and starts decreasing to thereby detect when said sensor means is spaced from the surface area by the predetermined distance.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
53 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 45 wherein said control means cooperates with said drive means and said spray means to effect the application of the covering to the airfoil in a plurality of layers each of which is formed by a plurality of strips of material applied by said spray means.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 46 wherein said control means cooperates with said spray means and said drive means to effect the application of one of the layers with the longitudinal axes of strips in the one layer offset from the longitudinal axes of strips in a next adjacent layer.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
152 words
An apparauts as set forth in claim 45 wherein said means for supplying material in a powdered form to said spray means includes means for supplying powdered material having a first composition to said spray means and means for supplying powdered material having a second composition to said spray means, said control means including means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a first covering of the first composition over the airfoil, for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a transition covering which is a mixture of the first and second compositions over the first covering, and for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a second covering of the second composition over the transition covering to thereby form over the airfoil the covering which differs from a desired thickness by less than 0.0015 inches and is formed by at least the first, transition and second coverings.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
43 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 45 wherein the airfoil has an internal passage, said apparatus further including means for causing cooling fluid to flow through the internal passage in the airfoil during the application of the heated material to the airfoil.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
57 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 45 wherein said sensor means includes a source of electrical energy and means for utilizing energy from said source of electrical energy to detect the thickness of the covering to within less than 0.0005 inches of the actual thickness of the covering without engaging the covering with a solid object.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
53 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 45 wherein said control means includes means for varying the speed of relative movement between said spray means and the airfoil to vary the amount of material which is applied over a surface area of the airfoil during relative movement between the airfoil and spray means.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
109 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 45 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said sensor means to detect the thickness of the covering in each of a plurality of predetermined locations on the airfoil, said control means including means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations with the desired thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations and the desired thickness of the covering.
Claim 58
Independent Claim
206 words
An apparatus for use in accurately applying a covering of material to at least a portion of an airfoil, said apparatus comprising spray means for applying material to the airfoil, means for supplying material in a powdered form to said spray means, said spray means including means for heating the material and directing a flow of the heated material toward the airfoil, drive means for effecting relative movement between the airfoil and said spray means to enable the flow of heated material to be distributed over the surface of the airfoil to form a covering, sensor means for detecting the thickness of the covering applied to the airfoil to within less than 0.0005 inches of the actual thickness of the covering, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply to the airfoil a covering having a thickness which differs from a desired thickness by less than 0.0015 inches, said control means including means for varying the speed of relative movement between said spray means and the airfoil to vary the amount of material which is applied over a surface area of the airfoil during relative movement between the airfoil and spray means.
Claim 59
Independent Claim
206 words
An apparatus for use in accurately applying a covering of material to at least a portion of an airfoil, said apparatus comprising spray means for applying material to the airfoil, means for supplying material in a powdered form to said spray means, said spray means including means for heating the material and directing a flow of the heated material toward the airfoil, drive means for effecting relative movement between the airfoil and said spray means to enable the flow of heated material to be distributed over the surface of the airfoil to form a covering, sensor means for detecting the thickness of the covering applied to the airfoil to within less than 0.0005 inches of the actual thickness of the covering, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply to the airfoil a covering having a thickness which differs from a desired thickness by less than 0.0015 inches, said control means including means for varying the speed of relative movement between said spray means and the airfoil to vary the amount of material which is applied over a surface area of the airfoil during relative movement between the airfoil and spray means.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
196 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 53 wherein said drive means includes means for effecting relative movement between said sensor means and the airfoil to vary the distance therebetween, said sensor means including a light source, means for directing light from said light source against a surface area in such a manner as to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area back to the light source to increase as the distance between said sensor means and the surface area changes in a first direction from a first distance to a predetermined distance during operation of said drive means to vary the distance between said sensor means and the airfoil and to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface area back to the light source to decrease as the distance between said sensor means and the surface area changes in the first direction from the predetermined distance to a second distance, said control means including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to the light source stops increasing and starts decreasing to thereby detect when said sensor means is spaced from the surface area by the predetermined distance.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
109 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 54 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said sensor means to detect the thickness of the covering in each of a plurality of predetermined locations on the airfoil, said control means including means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations with the desired thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations and the desired thickness of the covering.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
53 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 53 wherein said control means cooperates with said drive means and said spray means to effect the application of the covering to the airfoil in a plurality of layers each of which is formed by a plurality of strips of material applied by said spray means.
Claim 63
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 56 wherein said control means cooperates with said spray means and said drive means to effect the application of one of the layers with the longitudinal axes of strips in the one layer offset from the longitudinal axes of strips in a next adjacent layer.
Claim 64
Dependent Claim
152 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 53 wherein said means for supplying material in a powdered form to said spray means includes means for supplying powdered material having a first composition to said spray means and means for supplying powdered material having a second composition to said spray means, said control means including means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a first covering of the first composition over the airfoil, for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a transition covering which is a mixture of the first and second compositions over the first covering, and for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a second covering of the second composition over the transition covering to thereby form over the airfoil the covering which differs from a desired thickness by less than 0.0015 inches and is formed by at least the first, transition and second coverings.
Claim 65
Dependent Claim
43 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 53 wherein the airfoil has an internal passage, said apparatus further including means for causing cooling fluid to flow through the internal passage in the airfoil during the application of the heated material to the airfoil.
Claim 66
Dependent Claim
57 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 53 wherein said sensor means includes a source of electrical energy and means for utilizing energy from said source of electrical energy to detect the thickness of the covering to within less than 0.0005 inches of the actual thickness of the covering without engaging the covering with a solid object.
Claim 67
Dependent Claim
57 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 53 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to effect the application to the workpiece of a covering having different thicknesses over different surface areas of the workpiece.
Claim 68
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 61 further including printer means for providing a record of the different thicknesses of the covering over a plurality of different surface areas of the workpiece.
Claim 69
Dependent Claim
56 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 53 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to effect the application of a covering of substantially uniform thickness over at least a portion of the workpiece.
Claim 70
Dependent Claim
66 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 53 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece along each of three transversely extending axes and means for effecting operation of said drive means to cause rotational movement between said spray means and the workpiece about each of three transversely extending axes.
Claim 71
Dependent Claim
71 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 53 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said sensor means to detect the thickness of the covering in each of a plurality of predetermined locations on the workpiece, said control means including means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations with the desired thickness of the covering at each of the locations.
Claim 72
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 53 wherein said sensor means includes a lens having a focal point which is located a predetermined distance from said lens, said control means including means for detecting when a surface area on the workpiece has been moved to the focal point of said lens.
Claim 73
Dependent Claim
31 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 53 wherein said sensor means includes a source of electrical energy and means for utilizing said energy to detect the thickness of the covering.
Claim 74
Dependent Claim
35 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 67 wherein said means for utilizing said energy includes means for converting electrical energy to radiant energy and means for directing the radiant energy against a surface area.
Claim 75
Dependent Claim
48 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 68 wherein said means for converting electrical energy to radiant energy includes a source of noncoherent light, said means for directing the radiant energy against a surface area includes means for directing light from said light source against a surface area.
Claim 76
Independent Claim
295 words
An apparatus for applying a covering having a predetermined thickness to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising gripper means for holding the workpiece, spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece while it is held by said gripper means, means for supplying said spray means with the material in powdered form, said spray means including means for heating the material and means for directing a flow of the heated material toward the workpiece, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means during operation of said spray means to effect the application of a covering of the material to the workpiece, said drive means including means for effecting relative movement between said gripper means and said spray means along each of three transversely extending axes and for effecting rotational movement between said spray means and the workpiece about each of three transversely extending axes, sensor means for sensing the thickness of the covering of material applied to the workpiece without engaging the covering with a solid object and while the workpiece is held by said gripper means, said sensor means including a source of electrical energy and means for utilizing energy from said source of electrical energy to detect the thickness of the covering, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means and drive means to apply to the workpiece an initial covering having a thickness which is less than the predetermined thickness, for effecting operation of said sensor means to sense the thickness of the initial covering, and for effecting operation of said spray means and drive means to increase the thickness of the initial covering to the predetermined thickness.
Claim 77
Independent Claim
295 words
An apparatus for applying a covering having a predetermined thickness to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising gripper means for holding the workpiece, spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece while it is held by said gripper means, means for supplying said spray means with the material in powdered form, said spray means including means for heating the material and means for directing a flow of the heated material toward the workpiece, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means during operation of said spray means to effect the application of a covering of the material to the workpiece, said drive means including means for effecting relative movement between said gripper means and said spray means along each of three transversely extending axes and for effecting rotational movement between said spray means and the workpiece about each of three transversely extending axes, sensor means for sensing the thickness of the covering of material applied to the workpiece without engaging the covering with a solid object and while the workpiece is held by said gripper means, said sensor means including a source of electrical energy and means for utilizing energy from said source of electrical energy to detect the thickness of the covering, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means and drive means to apply to the workpiece an initial covering having a thickness which is less than the predetermined thickness, for effecting operation of said sensor means to sense the thickness of the initial covering, and for effecting operation of said spray means and drive means to increase the thickness of the initial covering to the predetermined thickness.
Claim 78
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 70 wherein said means for utilizing said energy includes means for converting electrical energy to radiant energy and means for directing the radiant energy against the covering.
Claim 79
Dependent Claim
51 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 70 wherein said control means includes means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means in such a manner as to effect the application to the workpiece of a covering having different thicknesses over different surface areas of the workpiece.
Claim 80
Dependent Claim
50 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 70 wherein said control means includes means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means in such a manner as to effect the application of a covering of substantially uniform thickness over at least a portion of the workpiece.
Claim 81
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 70 wherein said means for effecting rotational movement is operable to effect rotational movement between said spray means and the workpiece about at least some of said three transversely extending axes.
Claim 82
Dependent Claim
117 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 70 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said sensor means to detect the thickness of the covering at each of a plurality of predetermined locations on the workpiece, said control means including means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations with the desired thickness of the covering at each of the locations and for regulating the operation of said spray means and drive means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations and the desired thickness of the covering at each of the plurality of locations.
Claim 83
Independent Claim
184 words
An apparatus for use in applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising gripper means for holding the workpiece, spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece while it is held by said gripper means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means, said drive means includes first means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece along each of three transversely extending axes and second means for effecting rotational movement between said spray means and the workpiece about each of three transversely extending axes, sensor means for detecting the location of a point on the surface of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means while the workpiece is held by said gripper means, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means, and sensor means for effecting operation of said sprays means to apply to the workpiece a covering having a point on its outer surface which is disposed in a predetermined location relative to the workpiece.
Claim 84
Independent Claim
184 words
An apparatus for use in applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising gripper means for holding the workpiece, spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece while it is held by said gripper means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means, said drive means includes first means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece along each of three transversely extending axes and second means for effecting rotational movement between said spray means and the workpiece about each of three transversely extending axes, sensor means for detecting the location of a point on the surface of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means while the workpiece is held by said gripper means, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means, and sensor means for effecting operation of said sprays means to apply to the workpiece a covering having a point on its outer surface which is disposed in a predetermined location relative to the workpiece.
Claim 85
Dependent Claim
41 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 76 wherein said sensor means includes a source of electrical energy and means for utilizing energy from said source of electrical energy to detect the location of the point on the covering of material.
Claim 86
Dependent Claim
46 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 76 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said spray means in such a manner as to effect the application to the workpiece of a covering having different thicknesses over different surface areas of the workpiece.
Claim 87
Dependent Claim
45 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 76 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said spray means in such a manner as to effect the application of a covering of substantially uniform thickness over at least a portion of the workpiece.
Claim 88
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 76 wherein said second means is operable to effect rotational movement between said spray means and the workpiece about at least some of the same three axes along which said first means is effective to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece.
Claim 89
Dependent Claim
63 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 76 wherein said first means includes means for effecting relative movement between said sensor means and the workpiece along at least some of the three transversely extending axes and wherein said second means includes means for effecting rotational movement between said sensor means and the workpiece about at least some of the three transversely extending axes.
Claim 90
Dependent Claim
193 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 76 wherein said drive means is operable to change the distance between the workpiece and said sensor means, said sensor means includes a light source, lens means for directing light from said light source against the surface of the covering of material in such a manner as to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface back to the light source to increase as the distance between said sensor means and the surface changes in a first direction from a first distance to a predetermined distance during operation of said drive means to change the distance between said sensor means and the workpiece and to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface back to the light source to decrease as the distance between said sensor means and the surface changes in the first direction from the predetermined distance to a second distance, said control means including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to the light source stops increasing and starts decreasing to thereby detect when said sensor means is spaced apart from the surface area by the predetermined distance.
Claim 91
Dependent Claim
133 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 76 wherein said control means is operable to effect operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a first layer of the covering in strips, said control means being operable to effect operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a second layer of the covering in strips which overlie the strips of the first layer of the covering and have longitudinal central axes which are offset from longitudinal central axes of the strips of the first layer of the covering to thereby facilitate the application to the workpiece of a covering having a desired thickness.
Claim 92
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 76 wherein the workpiece has an internal passage, said apparatus further including means for causing cooling fluid to flow through the internal passage in the workpiece during the application of the covering to the workpiece.
Claim 93
Dependent Claim
107 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 76 further including means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a first composition, means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a second composition, said control means including means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a first covering of the first composition over the workpiece, for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a transition covering which is a mixture of the first and second composition over the first covering, and for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a second covering of the second composition over the transition covering.
Claim 94
Dependent Claim
163 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 76 wherein said sensor means includes a source of light and lens means for directing light from the source of light against the surface of the covering of material and for directing light reflected from the surface back to said source of light, said drive means including means for varying the distance between said lens means and the surface of the covering of material in a first direction to first increase the amount of light reflected back to said source of light and to subsequently decrease the amount of light reflected back to said source of light from the surface, said sensor means further including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to said light source stops increasing and starts decreasing as the distance between said lens means and the surface is varied in the first direction to detect when said lens means is spaced apart from the surface by a predetermined distance.
Claim 95
Dependent Claim
95 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 86 wherein said means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to said light source stops increasing and starts decreasing includes means for storing data corresponding to the amount of light reflected back to the light source at each of a plurality of distances between said lens means and the surface, means for comparing the stored data for a plurality of distances, and means for determining when the stored data indicates that the light reflected back to said source of light stops increasing and starts decreasing.
Claim 96
Dependent Claim
244 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 86 wherein said means for varying the distance between said lens means and the surface of the covering of material includes means for varying the distance through a series of incremental distances, said means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to said light source stops increasing and starts decreasing includes a series of data storage locations, means for transmitting to said data storage locations data indicative of the amount of light reflected back to said source of light at a plurality of incremental distances, said means for transmitting data to said data storage locations including means for entering data for each incremental distance in turn into a first one of said data storage locations and means for shifting data from each data storage location to a next data storage location in the series of data storage locations and for effecting the removal of the data in a last one of the data storage locations from the series of data storage locations whenever data is to be entered into the first data storage location, and means for comparing the data stored in the first data storage location with the data stored in the last data storage location to determine when the data stored in the first data storage location is indicative of an amount of light which is less than the amount of light indicated by the data stored in the last data storage location.
Claim 97
Dependent Claim
78 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 76 wherein said sensor means includes means for detecting the location of the point on the surface of the covering to within less than 0.0005 inches of the actual thickness of the covering, said control means being operable to effect operation of said spray means to apply the covering with the point on its outer surface disposed at a location which differs from a desired location by less than 0.0015 inches.
Claim 98
Independent Claim
323 words
An apparatus for use in applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising gripper means for holding the workpiece, spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece while it is held by said gripper means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means, sensor means for detecting the location of a point on the surface of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means while the workpiece is held by said gripper means, said drive means being operable to change the distance between the workpiece and said sensor means, said sensor means includes a light source, lens means for directing light from said light source against the surface of the covering of material in such a manner as to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface back to the light source to increase as the distance between said sensor means and the surface changes in a first direction from a first distance to a predetermined distance during operation of said drive means to change the distance between said sensor means and the workpiece and to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface back to the light source to decrease as the distance between said sensor means and the surface changes in the first direction from the predetermined distance to a second distance, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means, and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply to the workpiece a covering having a point on its outer surface which is disposed in a predetermined location relative to the workpiece, said control means including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to the light source stops increasing and starts decreasing to thereby detect when said sensor means is spaced apart from the surface area by the predetermined distance.
Claim 99
Independent Claim
323 words
An apparatus for use in applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising gripper means for holding the workpiece, spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece while it is held by said gripper means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means, sensor means for detecting the location of a point on the surface of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means while the workpiece is held by said gripper means, said drive means being operable to change the distance between the workpiece and said sensor means, said sensor means includes a light source, lens means for directing light from said light source against the surface of the covering of material in such a manner as to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface back to the light source to increase as the distance between said sensor means and the surface changes in a first direction from a first distance to a predetermined distance during operation of said drive means to change the distance between said sensor means and the workpiece and to cause the amount of light reflected from the surface back to the light source to decrease as the distance between said sensor means and the surface changes in the first direction from the predetermined distance to a second distance, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means, and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply to the workpiece a covering having a point on its outer surface which is disposed in a predetermined location relative to the workpiece, said control means including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to the light source stops increasing and starts decreasing to thereby detect when said sensor means is spaced apart from the surface area by the predetermined distance.
Claim 100
Dependent Claim
48 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 90 wherein said drive means includes motor means for effecting relative movement between said gripper means and said spray means along a straight path and for effecting rotational movement between said gripper means and said spray means about the straight path.
Claim 101
Dependent Claim
46 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 90 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said spray means in such a manner as to effect the application to the workpiece of a covering having different thicknesses over different surface areas of the workpiece.
Claim 102
Dependent Claim
45 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 90 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said spray means in such a manner as to effect the application of a covering of substantially uniform thickness over at least a portion of the workpiece.
Claim 103
Dependent Claim
31 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 90 wherein said drive means is operable to effect rotational movement between said spray means and said gripper means about at least three axes.
Claim 104
Dependent Claim
133 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 90 wherein said control means is operable to effect operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a first layer of the covering in strips, said control means being operable to effect operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a second layer of the covering in strips which overlie the strips of the first layer of the covering and have longitudinal central axes which are offset from longitudinal central axes of the strips of the first layer of the covering to thereby facilitate the application to the workpiece of a covering having a desired thickness.
Claim 105
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 90 wherein the workpiece has an internal passage, said apparatus further including means for causing cooling fluid to flow through the internal passage in the workpiece during the application of the covering to the workpiece.
Claim 106
Dependent Claim
107 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 90 further including means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a first composition, means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a second composition, said control means including means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a first covering of the first composition over the workpiece, for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a transition covering which is a mixture of the first and second composition over the first covering, and for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a second covering of the second composition over the transition covering.
Claim 107
Dependent Claim
95 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 90 wherein said means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to said light source stops increasing and starts decreasing includes means for storing data corresponding to the amount of light reflected back to the light source at each of a plurality of distances between said lens means and the surface, means for comparing the stored data for a plurality of distances, and means for determining when the stored data indicates that the light reflected back to said source of light stops increasing and starts decreasing.
Claim 108
Dependent Claim
240 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 90 wherein said drive means is operable to vary the distance between said lens means and the surface of the covering of material through a series of incremental distances, said means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to said light source stops increasing and starts decreasing includes a series of data storage locations, means for transmitting to said data storage locations data indicative of the amount of light reflected back to said storage of light at a plurality of incremental distances, said means for transmitting data to said data storage locations including means for entering data for each incremental distance in turn into a first one of said data storage locations and means for shifting data from each data storage location to a next data storage location in the series of data storage locations and for effecting the removal of the data in a last one of the data storage locations from the series of data storage locations whenever data is to be entered into the first data storage location, and means for comparing the data stored in the first data storage location with the data stored in the last storage location to determine when the data stored in the first data storage location is indicative of an amount of light which is less than the amount of light indicated by the data stored in the last data storage location.
Claim 109
Independent Claim
293 words
An apparatus for use in applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising gripper means for holding the workpiece, spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece while it is held by said gripper means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means, sensor means for detecting the location of a point on the surface of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means while the workpiece is held by said gripper means, said sensor means including a source of light and lens means for directing light from the source of light against the surface of the covering of material and for directing light reflected from the surface back to said source of light, said drive means including means for varying the distance between said lens means and the surface of the covering of material in a first direction to first increase the amount of light reflected back to said source of light and to subsequently decrease the amount of light reflected back to said source of light from the surface, said sensor means further including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to said light source stops increasing and starts decreasing as the distance between said lens means and the surface is varied in the first direction to detect when said lens means is spaced apart from the surface by a predetermined distance, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means, and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply to the workpiece a covering having a point on its outer surface which is disposed in a predetermined location relative to the workpiece.
Claim 110
Independent Claim
293 words
An apparatus for use in applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising gripper means for holding the workpiece, spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece while it is held by said gripper means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means, sensor means for detecting the location of a point on the surface of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means while the workpiece is held by said gripper means, said sensor means including a source of light and lens means for directing light from the source of light against the surface of the covering of material and for directing light reflected from the surface back to said source of light, said drive means including means for varying the distance between said lens means and the surface of the covering of material in a first direction to first increase the amount of light reflected back to said source of light and to subsequently decrease the amount of light reflected back to said source of light from the surface, said sensor means further including means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to said light source stops increasing and starts decreasing as the distance between said lens means and the surface is varied in the first direction to detect when said lens means is spaced apart from the surface by a predetermined distance, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means, and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply to the workpiece a covering having a point on its outer surface which is disposed in a predetermined location relative to the workpiece.
Claim 111
Dependent Claim
46 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 100 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said spray means in such a manner as to effect the application to the workpiece of a covering having different thicknesses over different surface areas of the workpiece.
Claim 112
Dependent Claim
45 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 100 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said spray means in such a manner as to effect the application of a covering of substantially uniform thickness over at least a portion of the workpiece.
Claim 113
Dependent Claim
32 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 100 wherein said drive means includes means for effecting rotational movement between said spray means and the workpiece about each of three transversely extending axes.
Claim 114
Dependent Claim
133 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 100 wherein said control means is operable to effect operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a first layer of the covering in strips, said control means being operable to effect operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a second layer of the covering in strips which overlie the strips of the first layer of the covering and have longitudinal central axes which are offset from longitudinal central axes of the strips of the first layer of the covering to thereby facilitate the application to the workpiece of a covering having a desired thickness.
Claim 115
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 100 wherein the workpiece has an internal passage, said apparatus further including means for causing cooling fluid to flow through the internal passage in the workpiece during the application of the covering to the workpiece.
Claim 116
Dependent Claim
107 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 100 further including means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a first composition, means for applying to said spray means powdered material having a second composition, said control means including means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a first covering of the first composition over the workpiece, for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a transition covering which is a mixture of the first and second composition over the first covering, and for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a second covering of the second composition over the transition covering.
Claim 117
Dependent Claim
244 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 100 wherein said means for varying the distance between said lens means and the surface of the covering of material includes means for varying the distance through a series of incremental distances, said means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to said light source stops increasing and starts decreasing includes a series of data storage locations, means for transmitting to said data storage locations data indicative of the amount of light reflected back to said source of light at a plurality of incremental distances, said means for transmitting data to said data storage locations including means for entering data for each incremental distance in turn into a first one of said data storage locations and means for shifting data from each data storage location to a next data storage location in the series of data storage locations and for effecting the removal of the data in a last one of the data storage locations from the series of data storage locations whenever data is to be entered into the first data storage location, and means for comparing the data stored in the first data storage location with the data stored in the last data storage location to determine when the data stored in the first data storage location is indicative of an amount of light which is less than the amount of light indicated by the data stored in the last data storage location.
Claim 118
Dependent Claim
95 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 100 wherein said means for detecting when the amount of light reflected back to said light source stops increasing and starts decreasing includes means for storing data corresponding to the amount of light reflected back to the light source at each of a plurality of distances between said lens means and the surface, means for comparing the stored data for a plurality of distances, and means for determining when the stored data indicates that the light reflected back to said source of light stops increasing and starts decreasing.
Claim 119
Independent Claim
241 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering, said control means being operable to effect operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a first layer of the covering in strips, said control means being operable to effect operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a second layer of the covering in strips which overlie the strips of the first layer of the covering and have longitudinal central axes which are offset from longitudinal central axes of the strips of the first layer of the covering to thereby facilitate the application to the workpiece of a covering having a desired thickness.
Claim 120
Independent Claim
241 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering, said control means being operable to effect operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a first layer of the covering in strips, said control means being operable to effect operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a second layer of the covering in strips which overlie the strips of the first layer of the covering and have longitudinal central axes which are offset from longitudinal central axes of the strips of the first layer of the covering to thereby facilitate the application to the workpiece of a covering having a desired thickness.
Claim 121
Independent Claim
165 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, drive means for moving said spray means relative to the workpiece along a first path during the application of the covering of material to the workpiece and for moving said sensor means relative to the workpiece along a second path which extends parallel to the first path during detection of the thickness of the covering of material applied to the workpiece, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering.
Claim 122
Independent Claim
165 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, drive means for moving said spray means relative to the workpiece along a first path during the application of the covering of material to the workpiece and for moving said sensor means relative to the workpiece along a second path which extends parallel to the first path during detection of the thickness of the covering of material applied to the workpiece, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering.
Claim 123
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 110 wherein said drive means is operable to move said sensor means along said second path independently of movement of said spray means along said first path.
Claim 124
Dependent Claim
46 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 110 wherein said drive means includes first motor means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means along a first axis and second motor means for effecting rotational movement of the workpiece about the first axis.
Claim 125
Independent Claim
163 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, drive means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means, said drive means including first motor means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means along a first axis extending through the workpiece and second motor means for effecting rotational movement of the workpiece relative to said spray means about the first axis, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering.
Claim 126
Independent Claim
163 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, drive means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means, said drive means including first motor means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means along a first axis extending through the workpiece and second motor means for effecting rotational movement of the workpiece relative to said spray means about the first axis, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering.
Claim 127
Dependent Claim
87 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 113 wherein said first motor means is operable to move said spray means relative to the workpiece along a first path which is spaced from the first axis during the application of the covering of material to the workpiece, said apparatus further including third motor means for moving said sensor means relative to the workpiece along a second path which extends parallel to the first path during detection of the thickness of the covering of material applied to the workpiece.
Claim 128
Dependent Claim
35 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 114 wherein said third motor means is operable to move said sensor means along said second path independently of movement of said spray means along said first path.
Claim 129
Dependent Claim
54 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 113 wherein said drive means further includes third motor means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means along a second axis which extends perpendicular to said first axis and fourth motor means for effecting rotational movement of the workpiece about the second axis.
Claim 130
Dependent Claim
41 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 116 wherein said drive means further includes fifth motor means for effecting rotational movement between the workpiece and said spray means about a third axis which extends perpendicular to said first and second axis.
Claim 131
Dependent Claim
35 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 117 further including sixth motor means for effecting movement of said sensor means relative to the workpiece independently of relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means.
Claim 132
Independent Claim
180 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said sensor means and the workpiece, and control means connected with said sensor means, said drive means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering, said sensor means including a lens having a focal point which is located a predetermined distance from said lens, said control means including means for effecting operation of said drive means to effect relative movement between said lens and the workpiece and means for detecting when a surface area on the workpiece is at the focal point of said lens.
Claim 133
Independent Claim
180 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said sensor means and the workpiece, and control means connected with said sensor means, said drive means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering, said sensor means including a lens having a focal point which is located a predetermined distance from said lens, said control means including means for effecting operation of said drive means to effect relative movement between said lens and the workpiece and means for detecting when a surface area on the workpiece is at the focal point of said lens.
Claim 134
Independent Claim
191 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering, said control means includes means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece, means for varying the speed of relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece to vary the amount of material which is applied over different portions of a surface area of the workpiece during relative movement between the workpiece and spray means, and means for effecting operation of said sensor means to detect the thickness of the covering applied over the different portions of the surface area of the workpiece.
Claim 135
Independent Claim
191 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering, said control means includes means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece, means for varying the speed of relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece to vary the amount of material which is applied over different portions of a surface area of the workpiece during relative movement between the workpiece and spray means, and means for effecting operation of said sensor means to detect the thickness of the covering applied over the different portions of the surface area of the workpiece.
Claim 136
Independent Claim
220 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a first composition, means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a second composition, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering, said control means including means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a first covering of the first composition over the workpiece, for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a transition covering which is a mixture of the first and second compositions over the first covering, for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a second covering of the second composition over the transition covering, and for effecting operation of said sensor means to detect the combined thickness of the first, transition and second coverings.
Claim 137
Independent Claim
220 words
An apparatus for applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a first composition, means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a second composition, sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means, and control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering, said control means including means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a first covering of the first composition over the workpiece, for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a transition covering which is a mixture of the first and second compositions over the first covering, for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a second covering of the second composition over the transition covering, and for effecting operation of said sensor means to detect the combined thickness of the first, transition and second coverings.
Claim 138
Independent Claim
202 words
An apparatus for use in applying a covering of material to at least a portion of an airfoil, said apparatus comprising gripper means for gripping at least one end portion of the airfoil, spray means for applying material to the airfoil while the airfoil is held by said gripper means, means for supplying material in a powdered form to said spray means, said spray means including means for heating the material and directing a flow of the heated material toward the airfoil, first drive means for rotating said gripper means relative to said spray means about a first axis which extends generally parallel to the path of flow of heated material from said spray means to change the orientation of the airfoil relative to said spray means, second drive means for rotating said gripper means relative to said spray means about a second axis which extends transversely to the first axis to change the orientation of the airfoil relative to said spray means, and third drive means for rotating said gripper means relative to said spray means about a third axis which extends transversely to said first and second axes to change the orientation of the airfoil relative to said spray means.
Claim 139
Independent Claim
202 words
An apparatus for use in applying a covering of material to at least a portion of an airfoil, said apparatus comprising gripper means for gripping at least one end portion of the airfoil, spray means for applying material to the airfoil while the airfoil is held by said gripper means, means for supplying material in a powdered form to said spray means, said spray means including means for heating the material and directing a flow of the heated material toward the airfoil, first drive means for rotating said gripper means relative to said spray means about a first axis which extends generally parallel to the path of flow of heated material from said spray means to change the orientation of the airfoil relative to said spray means, second drive means for rotating said gripper means relative to said spray means about a second axis which extends transversely to the first axis to change the orientation of the airfoil relative to said spray means, and third drive means for rotating said gripper means relative to said spray means about a third axis which extends transversely to said first and second axes to change the orientation of the airfoil relative to said spray means.
Claim 140
Dependent Claim
37 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 122 further including fourth drive means for moving said gripper means relative to spray means along the first axis to change the distance between the airfoil and said spray means.
Claim 141
Dependent Claim
43 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 122 further including support means connected with said gripper means for supporting said gripper means at a location which is spaced apart from said two of said axes and is disposed on one of said axes.
Claim 142
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 122 further including fourth drive means for moving said gripper means along the third axis to vary the position of the second axis and the airfoil relative to said spray means.
Claim 143
Dependent Claim
41 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 125 further including fifth drive means for effecting relative movement between said gripper means and said spray means along the second axis to change the position of the airfoil relative to said spray means.
Claim 144
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 122 further including support means connected with said gripper means for supporting said gripper means at a location which is spaced apart from the first and third axes and is disposed along the second axis.
Claim 145
Dependent Claim
47 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 126 further including sixth drive means for effecting relative movement between said gripper means and said spray means along the first axis to vary the position of the airfoil along the path of flow of material from said spray means.
Claim 146
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 122 further including fourth drive means for moving said spray means along the second axis to vary the location of the path of flow of material from said spray means relative to said gripper means.
Claim 147
Dependent Claim
57 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 128 further including control means for effecting a variation in the speed of relative movement between said gripper means and said spray means along the second axis to vary the amount of material applied over a surface area of the airfoil during relative movement between the airfoil and spray means.
Claim 148
Dependent Claim
29 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 122 further including sensor means for detecting the thickness of the covering of material applied to the airfoil by said spray means.
Claim 149
Dependent Claim
70 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 131 further including control means connected with said sensor means and said spray means for comparing the detected thickness of the covering of material with a desired thickness and for regulating the operation of said spray means and all of said drive means as a function of the difference between the detected thickness of the covering and the desired thickness of the covering.
Claim 150
Dependent Claim
32 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 132 further including printer means for providing a record of the thickness of the covering of material applied to the airfoil by said spray means.
Claim 151
Dependent Claim
47 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 122 further including control means for controlling the operation of said spray means and all of said drive means to provide an airfoil covering having a thickness which differs from a desired thickness by less than 0.0015 of an inch.
Claim 152
Dependent Claim
46 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 122 wherein the airfoil has an internal passage, said apparatus further including means for causing cooling fluid to flow through the internal passage in the airfoil during the application of heated material to the airfoil by said spray means.
Claim 153
Dependent Claim
180 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 122 wherein said means for supplying material in powdered form to said spray means includes means for supplying powdered material having a first composition to said spray means and means for supplying powdered material having a second composition to said spray means, said apparatus further including control means for effecting operation of said spray means to direct a flow of material having the first composition toward the airfoil while it is held by said gripper means to apply a covering of the first composition to the airfoil, for effecting operation of said spray means to direct a flow of material having the second composition toward the airfoil while it is held by said gripper means to apply a covering of the second composition to the airfoil, and for effecting operation of said spray means to direct a flow of material having a composition which is a mixture of the first and second materials toward the airfoil to apply to the airfoil a covering which is a mixture of the first and second compositions.
Claim 154
Dependent Claim
51 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 122 further including means for detecting the actual thickness of at least a portion of the covering applied to the airfoil, and printer means for providing a record of the actual thickness of the covering applied to at least a portion of the airfoil.
Claim 155
Independent Claim
229 words
An apparatus for use in accurately applying a covering of material to at least a portion of an airfoil, said apparatus comprising spray means for applying material to the airfoil, means for supplying material in a powdered form to said spray means, said spray means including means for heating the material and directing a flow of the heated material toward the airfoil, drive means for effecting relative movement between the airfoil and said spray means to enable the flow of heated material to be distributed over the surface of the airfoil to form a covering, sensor means for detecting the thickness of the covering applied to the airfoil to within less than 0.0005 inches of the actual thickness of the covering, said sensor means including a lens having a focal point which is located a predetermined distance from said lens and means for supplying radiant energy which is directed against the covering by said lens, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply to the airfoil a covering having a thickness which differs from a desired thickness by less than 0.0015 inches, said control means including means for detecting when a point on the covering is at the focal point of said lens during the directing of radiant energy against the covering by said lens.
Claim 156
Independent Claim
229 words
An apparatus for use in accurately applying a covering of material to at least a portion of an airfoil, said apparatus comprising spray means for applying material to the airfoil, means for supplying material in a powdered form to said spray means, said spray means including means for heating the material and directing a flow of the heated material toward the airfoil, drive means for effecting relative movement between the airfoil and said spray means to enable the flow of heated material to be distributed over the surface of the airfoil to form a covering, sensor means for detecting the thickness of the covering applied to the airfoil to within less than 0.0005 inches of the actual thickness of the covering, said sensor means including a lens having a focal point which is located a predetermined distance from said lens and means for supplying radiant energy which is directed against the covering by said lens, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply to the airfoil a covering having a thickness which differs from a desired thickness by less than 0.0015 inches, said control means including means for detecting when a point on the covering is at the focal point of said lens during the directing of radiant energy against the covering by said lens.
Claim 157
Dependent Claim
53 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 138 wherein said control means cooperates with said drive means and said spray means to effect the application of the covering to the airfoil in a plurality of layers each of which is formed by a plurality of strips of material applied by said spray means.
Claim 158
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 139 wherein said control means cooperates with said spray means and said drive means to effect the application of one of the layers with the longitudinal axes of strips in the one layer offset from the longitudinal axes of strips in a next adjacent layer.
Claim 159
Dependent Claim
152 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 138 wherein said means for supplying material in a powdered form to said spray means includes means for supplying powdered material having a first composition to said spray means and means for supplying powdered material having a second composition to said spray means, said control means including means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a first covering of the first composition over the airfoil, for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a transition covering which is a mixture of the first and second compositions over the first covering, and for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a second covering of the second composition over the transition covering to thereby form over the airfoil the covering which differs from a desired thickness by less than 0.0015 inches and is formed by at least the first, transition and second coverings.
Claim 160
Dependent Claim
43 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 138 wherein the airfoil has an internal passage, said apparatus further including means for causing cooling fluid to flow through the internal passage in the airfoil during the application of the heated material to the airfoil.
Claim 161
Independent Claim
269 words
An apparatus for applying a covering having a predetermined thickness to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising gripper means for holding the workpiece, spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece while it is held by said gripper means, means for supplying said spray means with the material in powdered form, said spray means including means for heating the material and means for directing a flow of the heated material toward the workpiece, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means during operation of said spray means to effect the application of a covering of the material to the workpiece, sensor means for sensing the thickness of the covering of material applied to the workpiece without engaging the covering with a solid object and while the workpiece is held by said gripper means, said sensor means including a source of electrical energy and means for utilizing energy from said source of electrical energy to detect the thickness of the covering, and control means connected with said spary means, drive means and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means and drive means to apply to the workpiece an initial covering having a thickness which is less than the predetermined thickness, for interrupting operation of said spray means after application of the initial covering to the workpiece, for effecting operation of said sensor means to sense the thickness of the initial covering, and for again effecting operation of said spray means and drive means to increase the thickness of the initial covering to the predetermined thickness.
Claim 162
Independent Claim
269 words
An apparatus for applying a covering having a predetermined thickness to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising gripper means for holding the workpiece, spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece while it is held by said gripper means, means for supplying said spray means with the material in powdered form, said spray means including means for heating the material and means for directing a flow of the heated material toward the workpiece, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means during operation of said spray means to effect the application of a covering of the material to the workpiece, sensor means for sensing the thickness of the covering of material applied to the workpiece without engaging the covering with a solid object and while the workpiece is held by said gripper means, said sensor means including a source of electrical energy and means for utilizing energy from said source of electrical energy to detect the thickness of the covering, and control means connected with said spary means, drive means and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means and drive means to apply to the workpiece an initial covering having a thickness which is less than the predetermined thickness, for interrupting operation of said spray means after application of the initial covering to the workpiece, for effecting operation of said sensor means to sense the thickness of the initial covering, and for again effecting operation of said spray means and drive means to increase the thickness of the initial covering to the predetermined thickness.
Claim 163
Dependent Claim
37 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 143 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said sensor means to sense the thickness of the initial covering at a plurality of points on the workpiece.
Claim 164
Dependent Claim
60 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 143 wherein said drive means includes first motor means for effecting relative movement between the workpiece and said spray means along a first axis extending transversely to the flow of material and during operation of said spray means and second motor means for effecting rotational movement of the workpiece about the first axis.
Claim 165
Dependent Claim
40 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 143 wherein said drive means includes motor means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and workpiece along a straight path and for effecting rotational movement between said spray means and workpiece.
Claim 166
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 143 wherein said means for utilizing said energy includes means for converting electrical energy to radiant energy and means for directing the radiant energy against the covering.
Claim 167
Independent Claim
191 words
An apparatus for use in applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising gripper means for holding the workpiece, spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece while it is held by said gripper means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means, said drive means including motor means for effecting relative movement between said gripper means and said spray means along a first axis extending transversely to the path of flow of material from said spray means and for effecting rotational movement between said gripper means and said spray means about the first axis, sensor means for detecting the location of a point on the surface of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means while the workpiece is held by said gripper means, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means, and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply to the workpiece a covering having a point on its outer surface which is disposed in a predetermined location relative to the workpiece.
Claim 168
Independent Claim
191 words
An apparatus for use in applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising gripper means for holding the workpiece, spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece while it is held by said gripper means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means, said drive means including motor means for effecting relative movement between said gripper means and said spray means along a first axis extending transversely to the path of flow of material from said spray means and for effecting rotational movement between said gripper means and said spray means about the first axis, sensor means for detecting the location of a point on the surface of a covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means while the workpiece is held by said gripper means, and control means connected with said spray means, drive means, and sensor means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply to the workpiece a covering having a point on its outer surface which is disposed in a predetermined location relative to the workpiece.
Claim 169
Dependent Claim
41 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 148 wherein said sensor means includes a source of electrical energy and means for utilizing energy from said source of electrical energy to detect the location of the point on the covering of material.
Claim 170
Dependent Claim
46 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 148 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said spray means in such a manner as to effect the application to the workpiece of a covering having different thicknesses over different surface areas of the workpiece.
Claim 171
Dependent Claim
45 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 148 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said spray means in such a manner as to effect the application of a covering of substantially uniform thickness over at least a portion of the workpiece.
Claim 172
Dependent Claim
133 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 148 wherein said control means is operable to effect operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a first layer of the covering in strips, said control means being operable to effect operation of said drive means to cause relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece in such a manner as to apply a second layer of the covering in strips which overlie the strips of the first layer of the covering and have longitudinal central axes which are offset from longitudinal central axes of the strips of the first layer of the covering to thereby facilitate the application to the workpiece of a covering having a desired thickness.
Claim 173
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 148 wherein the workpiece has an internal passage, said apparatus further including means for causing cooling fluid to flow through the internal passage in the workpiece during the application of the covering to the workpiece.
Claim 174
Dependent Claim
107 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 148 further including means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a first composition, means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a second composition, said control means including means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a first covering of the first composition over the workpiece, for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a transition covering which is a mixture of the first and second composition over the first covering, and for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a second covering of the second composition over the transition covering.
Claim 175
Dependent Claim
78 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 148 wherein said sensor means includes means for detecting the location of the point on the surface of the covering to within less than 0.0005 inches of the actual thickness of the covering, said control means being operable to effect operation of said spray means to apply the covering with the point on its outer surface disposed at a location which differs from a desired location by less than 0.0015 inches.
Claim 176
Independent Claim
213 words
An apparatus for use in applying a covering of material to at least a portion of an airfoil, said apparatus comprising spray means for applying material to the airfoil, means for supplying material to said spray means, said spray means including means for heating the material supplied to said spray means and for directing a flow of the heated material toward the airfoil, gripper means for gripping at least one end portion of the airfoil, first drive means for effecting movement of said gripper means and the airfoil relative to said spray means, second drive means for effecting movement of said spray means relative to said gripper means and the airfoil, and control means for controlling operation of said first and second drive means to effect movement of said spray means and said gripper means to vary the spatial relationship between said spray means and the airfoil, said control means including means for effecting operation of said first drive means to move said gripper means and the airfoil along a first axis and to rotate said gripper means and the airfoil about the first axis, said control means including means for effecting operation of said second drive means to move said spray means along a second axis extending transversely to said first axis.
Claim 177
Independent Claim
213 words
An apparatus for use in applying a covering of material to at least a portion of an airfoil, said apparatus comprising spray means for applying material to the airfoil, means for supplying material to said spray means, said spray means including means for heating the material supplied to said spray means and for directing a flow of the heated material toward the airfoil, gripper means for gripping at least one end portion of the airfoil, first drive means for effecting movement of said gripper means and the airfoil relative to said spray means, second drive means for effecting movement of said spray means relative to said gripper means and the airfoil, and control means for controlling operation of said first and second drive means to effect movement of said spray means and said gripper means to vary the spatial relationship between said spray means and the airfoil, said control means including means for effecting operation of said first drive means to move said gripper means and the airfoil along a first axis and to rotate said gripper means and the airfoil about the first axis, said control means including means for effecting operation of said second drive means to move said spray means along a second axis extending transversely to said first axis.
Claim 178
Dependent Claim
29 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 156 further including sensor means for detecting the thickness of a covering of material applied to the airfoil by said spray means.
Claim 179
Dependent Claim
36 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 157 wherein said sensor means includes a source of electrical energy and means for utilizing energy from said source of electrical energy to detect the thickness of the covering.
Claim 180
Dependent Claim
41 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 156 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of at least one of said drive means to effect rotational movement between said spray means and said gripper means about said second axis.
Claim 181
Dependent Claim
50 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 159 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of at least one of said drive means to effect rotational movement between said spray means and said gripper means about a third axis which extends transversely to said first and second axes.
Claim 182
Dependent Claim
53 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 160 wherein said control means includes means for effecting operation of said spray means and said first and second drive means in such a manner as to effect the application to the airfoil of a covering having different thicknesses over different surface areas of the airfoil.
Claim 183
Dependent Claim
50 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 160 wherein said control means includes means for varying the speed of relative movement between said spray means and the airfoil to vary the amount of material which is applied over a surface area of the airfoil during operation of said spray means.
Claim 184
Dependent Claim
91 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 156 wherein said means for supplying material to said spray means includes means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a first composition and means for supplying to said spray means powdered material having a second composition, said control means including means for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a first covering of the first composition to the airfoil and for effecting operation of said spray means to apply a second covering of the second material over the first covering.
Claim 185
Dependent Claim
46 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 156 wherein the airfoil has an internal passage, said apparatus further including means for causing cooling fluid to flow through the internal passage in the airfoil during the application of heated material to the airfoil by said spray means.
Claim 186
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 156 further including detector means for detecting the location of a point on a covering of material applied to the airfoil without engaging the covering and while the airfoil is held by said gripper means.
Claim 187
Independent Claim
169 words
An apparatus for use in applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, gripper means for holding the workpiece while material is directed toward the workpiece by said spray means, universal joint means for supporting said gripper means for rotational movement about an axis extending through the workpiece when it is held by said gripper means and for supporting said gripper means for pivotal movement relative to said spray means about a pivot point disposed on the axis to enable the orientation of the workpiece relative to said spray means to be varied, first drive means for rotating said gripper means about the axis which extends through the workpiece to vary the orientation of the workpiece relative to said spray means, and second drive means for pivoting said gripper means in any direction about the pivot point to further vary the orientation of the workpiece relative to said spray means.
Claim 188
Independent Claim
169 words
An apparatus for use in applying a covering of material to at least a portion of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising spray means for directing a flow of material toward the workpiece, gripper means for holding the workpiece while material is directed toward the workpiece by said spray means, universal joint means for supporting said gripper means for rotational movement about an axis extending through the workpiece when it is held by said gripper means and for supporting said gripper means for pivotal movement relative to said spray means about a pivot point disposed on the axis to enable the orientation of the workpiece relative to said spray means to be varied, first drive means for rotating said gripper means about the axis which extends through the workpiece to vary the orientation of the workpiece relative to said spray means, and second drive means for pivoting said gripper means in any direction about the pivot point to further vary the orientation of the workpiece relative to said spray means.
Claim 189
Dependent Claim
55 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 166 further including a longitudinally extending support member disposed between and connected with said universal joint means and said gripper means, said second drive means being operable to pivot said support member through at least a portion of a conical plane having its peak at said pivot point.
Claim 190
Dependent Claim
60 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 166 further including third drive means for moving said universal joint means toward and away from said spray means along a first path extending generally parallel to a path of flow of material from said spray means to vary the distance between said spray means and a workpiece held by said gripper means.
Claim 191
Dependent Claim
43 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 168 further including fourth drive means for moving said universal joint means toward and away from said spray means along a second path extending transversely to the path of flow of material from said spray means.
Claim 192
Dependent Claim
37 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 169 further including fifth drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means along a third path extending transversely to said first and second paths.
Claim 193
Dependent Claim
58 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 170 further including means for effecting operation of said fifth drive means to vary the speed of relative movement between said spray means and the workpiece to vary the amount of material which is applied over a surface area of the workpiece during relative movement between the workpiece and spray means.
Claim 194
Dependent Claim
29 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 166 further including sensor means for detecting the thickness of the covering of material applied to the workpiece by said spray means.
Claim 195
Dependent Claim
57 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 172 wherein said sensor means includes a source of electrical energy and means for utilizing energy from said source of electrical energy to detect the thickness of the covering to within less than 0.0005 inches of the actual thickness of the covering without engaging the covering with a solid object.
Claim 196
Independent Claim
285 words
An apparatus for use in applying a bond covering and a thermal barrier covering over at least a portion of an airfoil, said apparatus including spray means for directing a flow of a first material toward the airfoil to apply the bond covering to the airfoil and for directing a flow of a second material toward the airfoil to apply the thermal barrier covering over the bond covering, said spray means including means for supplying the first material to said spray means in powdered form, means for supplying the second material to said spray means in powdered form, means for heating the first and second materials, and means for directing a flow of heated material toward the airfoil, gripper means for holding the airfoil during the application of the first and second materials to the airfoil by said spray means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means along each of three transversely extending axes and for effecting rotational movement between said spray means and said gripper means about each of three transversely extending axes, sensor means for use in detecting the thickness of the bond covering and the thermal barrier covering while the airfoil is held by said gripper means, and control means connected with said sensor means, said drive means and said spray means for comparing the detected thicknesses of the bond and thermal barrier coverings with desired thicknesses for these coverings and for regulating operation of said spray means and drive means to effect the sequential application of said bond and thermal barrier coverings to the airfoil to form a combined covering having a thickness which differs from a desired thickness by less than 0.0015 inches.
Claim 197
Independent Claim
285 words
An apparatus for use in applying a bond covering and a thermal barrier covering over at least a portion of an airfoil, said apparatus including spray means for directing a flow of a first material toward the airfoil to apply the bond covering to the airfoil and for directing a flow of a second material toward the airfoil to apply the thermal barrier covering over the bond covering, said spray means including means for supplying the first material to said spray means in powdered form, means for supplying the second material to said spray means in powdered form, means for heating the first and second materials, and means for directing a flow of heated material toward the airfoil, gripper means for holding the airfoil during the application of the first and second materials to the airfoil by said spray means, drive means for effecting relative movement between said spray means and said gripper means along each of three transversely extending axes and for effecting rotational movement between said spray means and said gripper means about each of three transversely extending axes, sensor means for use in detecting the thickness of the bond covering and the thermal barrier covering while the airfoil is held by said gripper means, and control means connected with said sensor means, said drive means and said spray means for comparing the detected thicknesses of the bond and thermal barrier coverings with desired thicknesses for these coverings and for regulating operation of said spray means and drive means to effect the sequential application of said bond and thermal barrier coverings to the airfoil to form a combined covering having a thickness which differs from a desired thickness by less than 0.0015 inches.
Claim 198
Dependent Claim
71 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 174 wherein said sensor means includes means for sensing the thickness of the bond covering without engaging the bond covering with a solid object and while the airfoil is held by said gripper means and for sensing the thickness of the thermal barrier covering without engaging the thermal barrier covering with a solid object and while the airfoil is held by said gripper means.
Claim 199
Dependent Claim
50 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 174 wherein said control means further includes means for effecting operation of said spray means and drive means to apply a transition covering formed by a mixture of the first and second materials to the airfoil between the bond and thermal barrier coverings.
Claim 200
Dependent Claim
28 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 174 further including printer means for providing a printed record of the detected thicknesses of the bond and thermal barrier coverings.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1985-06-14 | 1985-12-14 | 1986-06-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1989-06-14 | 1989-12-14 | 1990-06-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1993-06-14 | 1993-12-14 | 1994-06-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |