US 12,066,819 B2
Printed fiducial system for accurate pick and place
David Michael Bain, Port Melbourne (AU); and Martin Alexander Szarski, Port Melbourne (AU)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Oct. 13, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/450,785.
Prior Publication US 2023/0113580 A1, Apr. 13, 2023
Int. Cl. G05B 19/418 (2006.01)
CPC G05B 19/41885 (2013.01) [G05B 19/41825 (2013.01); G05B 19/4183 (2013.01); G05B 19/4188 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for manufacturing a composite part, the method comprising:
identifying a reference location for a fiducial marker on a composite ply from a ply shape model for the composite part;
mounting an end effector, housing a marker adjacent to a cutter, onto a gantry configured to move the end effector along a single axis;
mounting the gantry onto a flatbed configured to move the gantry along an second axis distinct from the single axis;
marking, with the marker in the end effector prior to indexing the composite ply to a pick area, the fiducial marker at the reference location on the composite ply;
cutting, with the cutter in the end effector, the composite ply to have a shape defined by the ply shape model;
forming a measurement from the fiducial marker with respect to a robot adjacent to the flatbed;
subsequently, the robot adjacent to the flatbed placing, using the measurement from the fiducial marker, the ply into storage;
forming a second measurement from the fiducial marker with respect to a second robot; and
subsequently, the second robot picking up, using the second measurement from the fiducial marker, the composite ply from storage and forming a charge by placing the composite ply onto a preform table.