Automated production of acoustic structures

• Main Authors: Gerken, Noel Timothy, Bauman, John Scott, Herrera, Eric
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 21.01.2020
• Subjects: ACOUSTICS; ACOUSTICS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; BLASTING; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES; COMBUSTION ENGINES; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; DEAF-AID SETS; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; HAND TOOLS; HEATING; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS; LAYERED PRODUCTS; LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT ORNON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM; LIGHTING; LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKEACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; MANIPULATORS; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METHODS OR DEVICES FOR PROTECTING AGAINST, OR FOR DAMPING,NOISE OR OTHER ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GENERAL; MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS; SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICES; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS

A laser cuts overlapping ribbons of acoustic material into acoustic devices. An automatically controlled manipulator includes an end effector having groups of placement tools for simultaneously placing multiple acoustic devices in a cellular core. The placement tools include mandrels provided with vacuum pickups for picking up and holding the acoustic devices during transport to the core. A vision system aligns the placement tools with the cells of the core. The end effector includes a thermal radiation device for bonding the acoustic devices to the core.