EP3666725A1

EP3666725A1 - Station for dispensing one or more operating fluids to a motor vehicle being assembled

Info

Publication number: EP3666725A1
Application number: EP19191648.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Silvio BORGARELLO; Gianluca CAI; Bruno CRAVERO; Christian CULLINO
Original assignee: FCA Italy SpA
Current assignee: Stellantis Europe SpA
Priority date: 2018-12-14
Filing date: 2019-08-14
Publication date: 2020-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-14
Also published as: IT201800011136A1; EP3666725B1

Abstract

Described herein is a dispensing station (1) for dispensing one or more operating fluids to a motor vehicle being assembled. The dispensing station (1) is configured for being installed at an above-ground position and purposely includes one or more collection pans for collecting dripping liquids, which are located at an above-ground position.

Description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to motor-vehicle assembly lines and in particular to line equipment. In greater detail, the invention regards stations for dispensing one or more operating fluids to a motor vehicle being assembled on the line, such as one or more lubricant oils, windscreen-wiper liquid, coolant, and the like.

Prior art

Motor-vehicle assembly lines today generally have a rigid structure in which one or more processing stations are arranged according to a fixed scheme dictated by the production cycle and are linked to the infrastructure in a substantially inseparable or practicably inseparable way.
In greater detail, the line structures of industrial plants are supplied by electrical/electronic and fluidic networks and systems that are fixed or integrated in the line structures, and in many cases are arranged in an overhead position, which substantially renders obligate the association of position between the termination of the network or system and the processing station).
Added to the above is the fact that part of the processing stations may themselves be mounted in an overhead position (for example, an overhead conveyor), with the further consequence of rendering substantially unchangeable or practically unchangeable the position of a given station with respect to the infrastructure that houses it, especially when facing reconfiguration requirements.
A further, subordinate, technical problem linked to industrial plants of a known type regards overhead structures. These structures permanently load the structures of the building that houses the plant, such as the trusses and vaults of industrial sheds, the pillars, and in general all the structural nodes of the building.
This means that, in addition to not allowing fast reconfiguration of the lines for the reasons mentioned above, the overhead structures likewise impose the need for periodic checks and adaptations to keep the values of the so-called load at the nodes aligned with the design values, this frequently entailing important works of renewal and consolidation of the structures.
In the case of stations for delivering one or more operating fluids of a motor vehicle, the "interconnection" between the civil infrastructure and the station itself develops at an even higher level. Fluid administration stations require the construction of one or more pits in the floor for housing pans for collecting any dripping fluid in addition to and set alongside the works necessary for movement of partially assembled vehicles. Nevertheless, the units for delivering the operating fluids are generally suspended in an overhead position in such a way that the delivery guns or nozzles are made available to the line operators from above.
Hence, stations for dispensing one or more operating fluids to vehicles being assembled are among the line equipment that poses the biggest problems from the above point of view. Not only do they constitute a burden - in terms of civil works required and in structural terms - for the industrial building that houses the assembly line, but present the additional complication of requiring further works to be carried out at floor level.

Object of the invention

The object of the present invention is to overcome the technical problems mentioned previously. In particular, the object of the invention is to provide a station for dispensing one or more operating fluids to a motor vehicle being assembled that can be implemented substantially without envisaging civil works to be carried out, and that can likewise be implemented without representing a significant burden for the building, and in particular that can be implemented virtually in any building.

Summary of the invention

The object of the invention is achieved by a station having the characteristics that form the subject of the ensuing claims, which constitute an integral part of the technical teaching provided herein in relation to the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be described with reference to the annexed drawings, which are provided merely by way of non-limiting example and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a station for dispensing one or more operating fluids to a motor vehicle being assembled according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a top plan view according to the arrow II represented in Figure 1 and reproduced in Figure 3; and
Figure 3 is a view according to the arrow III represented in Figure 1 and reproduced in Figure 2.

Detailed description

Designated as a whole by the reference number 1 in Figure 1 is a station according to the invention for dispensing one or more operating fluids to a motor vehicle being assembled. Each figure moreover reproduces a cartesian reference triad X-Y-Z that identifies the following notable directions: longitudinal direction (axis X), transverse direction (axis Y), and vertical direction (axis Z).
The station 1 comprises an entry section IN, an exit section OUT, a lay-by area 2 set between the entry section IN and the exit section OUT, and a fluid administration unit 4 set upstream of the exit section OUT, the fluid administration unit 4 including one or more dispenser devices 6. In the preferred embodiment illustrated herein, the fluid administration unit 4 is set in a position substantially comprised between the lay-by area 2 and the exit section OUT.
The station 1 further comprises at least one collection pan for collecting leaks of said one or more operating fluids set at an above-ground position and alongside the lay-by area 2. In the preferred embodiment illustrated herein, a first row of collection pans 8 and a second row of collection pans 10 delimit the lay-by area 2, thus defining it. The pans 8, 10 extend longitudinally in a row on opposite sides of the lay-by area 2.
It should be noted that each row of collection pans 8, 10 can also be replaced by a single collection pan that extends along the lay-by area 2, in particular along at least part thereof.
The lay-by area 2 is preferably provided by a portion of the flooring of the building that houses the station 1 that is laterally delimited by the rows of pans 8, 10 which rest on the floor (or, preferably, on a base of the station 1) and rise, as a result, to a height greater than that of the lay-by area (plane of the floor).
The lay-by area 2 is configured for receiving a handling device V for carrying motor vehicles (bodyshells) being assembled (here the motor vehicle is represented schematically and designated by the reference VL), where the handling device V may be provided either (preferably) as autonomous/automated guided vehicle such as an AGV or as mobile assembly platform (the so-called "skillet").
The handling device V is configured for positioning the motor vehicle being assembled VL in the lay-by area 2, in such a way that the motor vehicle VL is in a favourable position for the delivery unit 4, in particular in such a way that the mouths of the reservoirs of the vehicle for containing the operating fluids (which are generally located in the engine compartment) are substantially set in a position corresponding to the dispenser devices 6 of the administration unit 4. The entry section IN is hence configured for enabling entry of the aforesaid handling device V into the station 1, whereas the exit section OUT is configured for enabling exit of the handling device V from the station 1 itself.
According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, a pair of mobile collection pans 12, 14 is set at the exit section OUT. The collection pans 12, 14 are mobile in the transverse direction Y between a first operating position and a second operating position, where in the first operating position the collection pans 12, 14 are at a first transverse distance apart, and in the second operating position the collection pans 12, 14 are at a second transverse distance apart, greater than the first transverse distance.
In the first operating position, the transverse distance between the two pans 12, 14 may be zero (pans in contact with one another) or else, in the case where it is not zero, it is such as to constitute a barrier on the section OUT and, as a result, block the path of exit for the handling device V, which thus remains stationary, with the motor vehicle VL that it is carrying, in the lay-by area 2.
In the second operating position, the transverse distance between the two pans 12, 14 is such as not to interfere with a movement of exit of the handling device V in the longitudinal direction. In particular, the second transverse distance between the pans 12, 14 is such as to be equal to or greater than the transverse distance between the longitudinal rows of pans 8, 10, or more in general equal to or greater than the transverse dimension of the lay-by area 2.
Since the handling device V rests on the floor and carries the motor vehicle being assembled VL at a height greater than that to which the pans 8, 10 rise, it is enough for just the pans 8 not to be a hindrance to the handling device V when it exits from the station 1.
With reference to Figure 2, the fluid administration unit 4 comprises a gantry structure 16 that spans the lay-by area 2 and the bodyshell of the motor vehicle being assembled VL during the dispensing operations of the fluids. In particular, the gantry structure 16 comprises a first column 18 and a second column 20 oriented vertically and arranged at the sides (in a transverse direction) of the lay-by area 2.
The columns 18, 20 carry a transverse horizontal frame 22 that in turn supports two distinct bundles of dispenser devices 6 (cf. also Figure 3). Each dispenser device 6 is in fluid communication with a corresponding reservoir installed on board the station 1 or else is connected up to a fluid-distribution network that forms part of the plant infrastructure. The reservoirs T on board the station 1 are in turn operatively associated to a fluid administration and management facility, which is also set on board the station 1.
The facility in question enables management of the delivery of fluid via the dispenser devices 6 and likewise enables treatment of the fluids on board the station. This facility includes - for example, and in a non-exclusive way - distribution valves, delivery valves, filters, mixing and delivery pumps, mixing reservoirs, flow meters, pressure meters, and corresponding electronic control units of the hydraulic circuit. By means of the above electronic control units it is possible to drive - electrically and/or pneumatically - the components referred to above and it is possible, for example, to regulate the rate of supply for each dispenser device 6 on board the station 1.
A number of dispensers can moreover be connected to one and the same reservoir, if necessary, and the dispensers of the two bundles supported by the frame 22 do not necessarily have to be symmetrical as regards the type of fluid delivered.
For instance, the set of dispensers 6 on one side of the lay-by area 2 can be configured for delivering operating fluids that on the motor vehicle are stored in reservoirs that are located on a corresponding side of the motor vehicle itself: for example, the right-hand bundle 6D may be dedicated to filling of the reservoirs on the right-hand side of the motor vehicle, whereas the left-hand bundle 6S may be dedicated to filling of the reservoirs on the left-hand side of the motor vehicle.
The possible operating-fluid reservoirs that are located on board the station 1 (as well as the fluid administration and management facility described above) are, like the pans 8, 10, 12, 14, installed at an above-ground position. With reference to Figure 2, the station 1 may comprise one or more reservoirs T for operating fluids for the motor vehicle that are installed on a treading surface TH, which extends on the pans 8 and in particular delimits the pans 8 at the top, as may be seen in Figure 1. The treading surface may be provided as a set of treadable gratings that are rested above the pans 8, preferably by resting on a frame that forms part of the base of the station 1 or even directly resting on the pans 8 themselves.
Preferably, for water-based operating fluids like windscreen-wiper liquid and/or coolant, it is possible to envisage a direct connection of the dispenser devices 6 to a distribution line integrated in the plant as an alternative to direct storage in the reservoirs T (which in any case remains preferable in the perspective of rendering the station 1 independent of the line structures). Alternatively, it is possible to store just the additive (detergent, ethylene glycol) in corresponding reservoirs T and dilute it in the station by means of connection to the water mains supply of the plant.
Different operating fluids such as the lubricant oils for the engine and/or transmission, or the operating fluids of hydraulic systems of the motor vehicle (actuators of various nature, for example an actuator for the clutch for connection of the rear axle in the case of a motor vehicle with engageable four-wheel drive) are preferably drawn from a network of the plant that is interfaced with the operating fluid administration and management facility on board the station 1, which in this way can directly manage delivery thereof through the dispenser devices 6 independently of the reservoirs T on board the station itself. Hence, the fluid administration and management facility on board the station 1 is effective both for the operating fluids stored in the reservoirs T and for operating fluids that come from outside.
Operation of the station 1 is described in what follows.
The station 1 is configured for being monitored by at least one operator, who manually operates the dispenser devices so as to deliver to the motor vehicle being assembled the operating fluids of the type required and in the amounts required.
As has been mentioned, the station 1 is likewise configured for interacting, during operation, with the handling device V, whether it is constituted by normal assembly platforms mobile along the line (the so-called skillets), in which case the pans 12, 14 are not provided, or else - preferentially - by completely autonomous handling devices, such as AGVs that carry a respective motor-vehicle bodyshell and move it through the production plant.
Whatever the solution chosen, the handling device V (skillet or AGV) enters the station 1 through the entry section IN, and positions the bodyshell VL in the lay-by area 2, as may be seen in the figures.
In the case of use of autonomous/automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) as handling device, the presence of the pans 8, 10 at an above-ground position provides a longitudinal guide for the motor vehicle itself, which, thanks to the proximity sensors typically forming part of the equipment on board the vehicle, is able to position itself in the transverse direction to pass between the rows themselves. As regards the longitudinal arrest in the lay-by area 2, this can be provided either by means of optical position references that can be "read" by the sensors on board the AGV or by the action of the pans 12, 14. If present, the pans 12, 14 can be brought into the first operating position immediately after exit of the previous AGV from the station 1 and in any case before the current AGV enters the station. When the AGV passes through the section IN, the pans 8, 10 provide the longitudinal guide according to the modalities described, and the barrier constituted by the pans 12, 14 can be used for stopping the AGV once again thanks to the proximity sensors that equip it. In other words, the proximity sensors on board the AGV detect the barrier and bring about arrest of the vehicle within a pre-set distance from the barrier. By calibrating the distance in question it is hence possible to stop the AGV substantially in the lay-by area 2.
When the bodyshell VL has been positioned in the lay-by area 2, the operator working on the station 1 carries out delivery of the operating fluids. To prevent errors of delivery, the station 1 may be equipped with a reader device, preferably an optical reader, configured for reading a code identifying a motor vehicle being assembled VL. The station 1 can then be equipped with an electronic controller configured for enabling a dispensing map of operating fluids on the basis of the identification code read by the reader device. Alternatively, it may be the reader device itself that is equipped with a controller that is able to retrieve fluid-dispensing maps stored in an electronic memory on board the station 1.
Moreover, the station 1 can be equipped with a radiofrequency reader configured for reading a badge identifying the line operator and possibly for carrying out height adjustment of the dispensers 6 and/or of the treading surface TH, if these are mounted in a vertically slidable way, so as to improve the ergonomics for the benefit of the operator.
During delivery, any leakage of operating fluids is promptly collected into the pans 8, 10 and 12, 14 (if the pans 12, 14 equip station 1, during the cycle of delivery of the operating fluids they are always in the first operating position) to prevent uncontrolled dispersion thereof. The station 1 can moreover be equipped with a system (either autonomous or provided via the plant infrastructure, for example a centralised system) for intake of fumes and vapours in order to keep the area where the operator is working, which comprises the area in which the fluid administration unit 4 is located and the area occupied by the vehicle V, in healthy conditions. For this purpose, the station 1 is equipped with at least one suction manifold SM set in the lay-by area 2. Preferentially, the station 1 is equipped with a pair of suction manifolds SM, where each manifold SM develops longitudinally along a side of the lay-by area 2 (in the case of pairs of manifolds SM these run along opposite sides of the lay-by area 2 itself) and is set in the proximity of the floor.
Each suction manifold SM comprises a plurality of intake mouths SP arranged along it and is moreover operatively associated (hence also in fluid communication) with a respective suction unit AU, which in this preferred embodiment is located in an overhead position, carried by the gantry structure 16. Each fluid-suction unit AU includes a respective suction machine, and fluid communication is provided by means of ducts that run along the gantry structure 16.
At the end of the operations of delivery of the operating fluids, the handling device V with the bodyshell VL on it leaves the station 1 through the exit section OUT, and the work cycle restarts with the next handling device (carrying the corresponding bodyshell VL) that enters the station.
The person skilled in the branch will thus appreciate that the station 1 constitutes a system that is autonomous from the standpoint of installation and line infrastructures. All the equipment necessary for operation thereof, including the reservoirs T and the drip-collection pans 8, 10, 12, 14 are present on board the station 1 and do not require dedicated civil-engineering works. Moreover, with the gantry structure 16, the dispensers 6 can be arranged in an overhead position, without weighing on the structures forming the vault of the industrial building that houses the assembly line. The station 1 can be installed in virtually any industrial building, without any particular requirements, and is well suited to implementation of a production plant by means of modular units to be installed above ground, for example of the type described in the patent application No. 102018000004086 filed in the name of the present applicant.
It should, in any case, be noted that the gantry structure is not the only possible choice: any frame mounted on the base of the station 1 that can support the dispensers 6 in a position overlying the lay-by area 1 can be used instead of the gantry structure 16. For instance, a pair of columns can be used each having a respective swing beam, which are located at the sides of the lay-by area 2 like the columns 18, 20, where the swing beam supports the bundles 6D, 6S of dispenser devices 6. In any case, both the gantry structure 16 and the columns with swing beam can be separated from the station 1 and installed/disinstalled according to the requirements.
Of course, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary widely with respect to what has been described and illustrated herein, without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the annexed claims.

Claims

A station (1) for dispensing one or more operating fluids to a motor vehicle being assembled (VL), the station comprising:
- an entry section (IN);

- an exit section (OUT);

- a lay-by area set between said entry section (IN) and exit section (OUT);

- a fluid administration unit (4) set upstream said exit section (OUT), said fluid administration unit (4) comprising one or more dispenser devices (6) for operating fluids; and

- at least one collection pan (8, 10, 12, 14) for collecting leaks of said one or more operating fluids,
wherein:
- said lay-by area (2) is configured for receiving a handling device (V) for moving motor vehicles being assembled (VL);

- said entry section (IN) is configured for enabling entry of said handling device (V) into the station (1);

- said exit section (OUT) is configured for enabling exit of said handling device (V) from the station; and

- said at least one collection pan (8, 10, 12, 14) is is arranged at an above-ground position and alongside said lay-by area (2).
The station (1) according to Claim 1, wherein the fluid administration unit (4) comprises a first bundle of dispenser devices (6S) and a second bundle of dispenser devices (6D), the first bundle of dispenser devices (6S) and the second bundle of dispenser devices (6D) being arranged on opposite sides of said lay-by area (2).
The station (1) according to Claim 1, comprising a first row of collection pans (8) and a second row of collection pans (10) arranged longitudinally along opposite sides of said lay-by area (2).
The station (1) according to Claim 1 or Claim 3, comprising a pair of collection pans (12, 14) at said exit section (OUT), the collection pans of said pair being movable in a transverse direction (Y) between a first operating position, and a second operating position, wherein in the first operating position the collection pans of the pair (12, 14) are at a first transverse distance apart, and in the second operating position the collection pans of the pair (12, 14) are at a second transverse distance apart, greater than said first transverse distance.
The station (1) according to Claim 4, wherein the first transverse distance is zero or else is such as to provide a barrier on said exit section (OUT).
The station (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, further including one or more reservoirs (T) configured for storing a corresponding operating fluid, each reservoir (T) being in fluid communication with an associated dispenser device (6) of said fluid administration unit (4).
The station (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said dispenser devices (6) are arranged in an overhead position with respect to said lay-by area (2).
The station (1) according to Claim 7, wherein said dispenser devices (6) are carried in an overhead position by a gantry structure (16) that spans said lay-by area (2).
The station (1) according to Claim 1, further comprising a reader device configured for reading an identification code of a motor vehicle being assembled, the station (1) being moreover configured for enabling a dispensing map of operating fluids on the basis of the identification code read by said reader device.
The station (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one suction manifold (SM) in a position corresponding to said lay-by area (2), preferably a pair of suction manifolds on opposite sides of said lay-by area (2), each suction manifold (SM) developing longitudinally along a side of said lay-by area (2).
The station (1) according to Claim 10, wherein each suction manifold (SM) is operatively connected to a respective suction unit (AU) set in an overhead position, preferably supported by said gantry structure (16).
The station (1) according to Claim 6, wherein each reservoir (T) is operatively associated to a fluid administration and management facility configured for managing delivery of operating fluid through said dispenser devices, wherein said fluid administration and management facility is moreover configured for managing dispensing of operating fluid through said dispenser devices (6) that comes from a supply external to the station (1).
An assembly comprising a station (1) according to any one of the preceding claims and an automatic guided handling device (V) configured for carrying a motor vehicle being assembled (VL), the handling device (V) being configured for introducing the motor vehicle being assembled into said station (1) through the entry section (IN), positioning the motor vehicle being assembled (VL) in said lay-by area (2) for subsequent dispensing of one or more operating fluids thereto, and removing the motor vehicle being assembled (VL) from the lay-by area (2) through said exit section (OUT).