US4419170A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Automated lay-up machine
Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corp
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Filing: 1982-05-27
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Granted: 1983-12-06
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Expires: 2002-05-27
Abstract
Abstract An automated lay-up machine for the fabrication of composite structures comprising an upper carriage (12) which carries a material handling system (14) and a lower carriage which carries a laying head (46). The upper and lower carriages each have a selected number of degrees of freedom of movement to allow positioning of the material handling system and the laying head. Means (20, 32, 50, 60, 145) are provided to move and control the motion of the upper and lower carriages. The movement of the upper carriage is slaved to the movement of the lower carriage to allow the material handling system to dispense material to the laying head. The material handling system and the laying head can also rotate to provide an extra degree of freedom, with the rotation of the material handling system also being slaved to the rotation of the laying head. The laying head can also be independently moved normal to a work surface.
Inventors
- 👤 Leiv H. Blad
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 00:00
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29C; B29C70/00; B29C70/04; B29C70/28; B29C70/30; B29C70/38; B29C70/386; B29C70/54; B29C70/545; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T156/00; Y10T156/12; Y10T156/1317; Y10T156/1343; Y10T156/1348
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
113 words
A lay-up machine for laying up material comprising: supply means for supplying said material; upper carriage means adapted to carry said supply means and having a selected number of degrees of freedom of movement to allow positioning of said supply means; means for moving said upper carriage means; laying means adapted to receive said material from said supply means; lower carriage means adapted to carry said laying means and having a selected number of degrees of freedom of movement to control the position of said laying means; means for moving said lower carriage means; and means for slaving the motion of said upper carriage means to the motion of said lower carriage means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
113 words
A lay-up machine for laying up material comprising: supply means for supplying said material; upper carriage means adapted to carry said supply means and having a selected number of degrees of freedom of movement to allow positioning of said supply means; means for moving said upper carriage means; laying means adapted to receive said material from said supply means; lower carriage means adapted to carry said laying means and having a selected number of degrees of freedom of movement to control the position of said laying means; means for moving said lower carriage means; and means for slaving the motion of said upper carriage means to the motion of said lower carriage means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
The lay-up machine of claim 1 further comprising means for moving said laying means relative to said upper carriage means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The lay-up machine of claim 2 wherein said means for moving said laying means includes means coupled to said lower carriage means for moving said laying means toward and away from the plane of said upper carriage means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The lay-up machine of claim 2 wherein said means for moving said laying means includes means for moving said laying means rotationally with respect to said lower carriage means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
The lay-up machine of claim 4 further comprising: means for rotationally moving said supply means relative to said upper carriage means; and means for slaving the rotational motion of said supply means to the rotational motion of said laying means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
The lay-up machine of claim 2 further comprising: means for moving said supply means relative to said upper carriage means; and means for slaving the motion of said supply means to the motion of said laying means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
43 words
The lay-up machine of claim 2 wherein said means for moving said laying means includes means coupled to said upper carriage means and said lower carriage means for moving said laying means toward and away from the plane of said upper carriage means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
The lay-up machine of claim 7 wherein said means coupled to said upper carriage means is loosely coupled to said lower carriage means to permit relative movement therebetween.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The lay-up machine of claim 1 further comprising means for moving said supply means relative to said upper carriage means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
29 words
The lay-up machine of claim 9 wherein said means for moving said supply means includes means for moving said supply means rotationally with respect to said upper carriage means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
48 words
The lay-up machine of claim 1 wherein said slaving means includes transducer means coupled to said upper and lower carriage means for sensing the relative motion thereof and generating an output signal in response to said relative motion to control said means for moving said upper carriage means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
10 words
The lay-up machine of claim 1 further comprising controller means.
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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) | 1986-12-05 | 1987-06-06 | 1987-12-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-12-05 | 1991-06-06 | 1991-12-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-12-05 | 1995-06-06 | 1995-12-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |