JP2006088799A - Wheel mounting auxiliary device, assembling stand, and mounting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce man-hour and make one equipment compatible with different car models of a plurality of standards by a wheel assembly step, suited to assembly work, of delivering wheels to a position of a vehicle to be assembled without use of a hoist and performing the assembly work on a rotary assembling stand. <P>SOLUTION: A worker rolls the wheels one by one on the stand installed on a side portion of the vehicle under assembly of wheels to be installed to deliver the wheels. Alignment of the wheels with axles is performed, using an auxiliary tool 4 and a lifting stand 5 of simple structure. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method, a tool, and equipment used in a vehicle assembly process. The present invention is used in a process of attaching wheels to a vehicle being assembled. The present invention is an invention related to a prior application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-66516, PCT / JP2004 / 003135, title of invention “vehicle assembly method and assembly factory”) related to the applicant of the present application. The present invention has been experimentally implemented in the working process of the form disclosed in this prior application, but the present invention is not limited to the process disclosed in this prior application, and can be implemented in a wide variety of forms in the vehicle manufacturing process. can do.

  In this specification, the “wheel” refers to a wheel in a form in which a rubber tire is mounted on a metal wheel core. “Wheel mounting” means that a wheel with a tire attached is attached to the axle of the vehicle being assembled or an axle tip member. At the vehicle manufacturing site, the process of attaching “wheels” with tires already attached to both ends of the “axle” assembled to the frame or the car body is conventionally called the “tire mounting process”. This is referred to as the “wheel mounting process” so as not to conflict with the above definition.

  Conventionally, the wheel mounting process in the vehicle assembly work is carried out by carrying a wheel fitted with a tire to a vehicle frame on which an axle is mounted, which is an assembly target being conveyed by a conveyor, and aligning with the axle. A bolt protruding from the axle side is passed through the corresponding hole on the wheel side, and a nut is tightened on the bolt. In many of the conventional methods, a hoist is used to carry wheels into such process work positions. For wheel alignment with the axle, the wheel suspended by the hoist is brought close to the axle to be mounted, and the wheel is slightly higher from the floor of the work place, and the operator finely adjusts the position with both arms. Is executed. This operation is performed in the same manner whether the conveyor that transports the vehicle to be assembled pauses its movement in the area of the process or continues to move slowly without stopping in the area of the process. be able to. In the form in which the conveyor continues to move slowly, the hoist that suspends the wheels is configured to move in synchronization with the movement of the conveyor.

Edited and published by the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan “Automotive Technology Handbook” Volume 4 Volume, Production / Quality / Maintenance, published on September 1, 1991, especially on pages 283-286.

  The prior application disclosed a new method and apparatus for assembling a vehicle on a rotating assembly table, rather than moving the vehicle to be assembled on a linear production line. That is, an embodiment is described in which the vehicles being assembled are placed one by one (or a small number of vehicles) on a disk-shaped table, and the assembly operation is performed while slowly rotating the table. This disk-like rotary assembly base rotates, for example, several tens of minutes. In the meantime, modules or parts necessary for vehicle assembly are supplied one after another from a peripheral preparation area set radially toward the center of the rotary assembly table. Then, when the rotary assembly base has just made one revolution, the vehicle is completed to a state where it can run on its own, and the driver gets into the vehicle to start the engine, and runs on its own to leave the rotary assembly base.

  By adopting the vehicle assembly process disclosed in the previous application, it is possible to reduce the scale of the mass production assembly factory, thereby reducing the quantity of work in progress, and the time that the product stays in the factory as work in progress It is understood that the interest rate for assembling automobiles can be made economical. This new vehicle assembly process is particularly advantageous when the specifications of the vehicle being assembled are not uniform. In this new vehicle assembly process, only a small number (as a rule, only one) of crane devices (or hoists) arranged in the space above the assembly work site are simple enough to carry the necessary modules individually. Group only). For this reason, it is considered inappropriate to suspend the wheel to be mounted by a hoist and carry it into the vehicle assembly process with the assistance of an operator, and a simpler method has been studied.

  The present invention is an invention made in such a test study, and an object thereof is to reduce the work man-hour related to wheel mounting. In particular, it is an object to simplify the procedure for carrying in wheels to a vehicle being assembled, and to reduce the number of steps required to align the wheels with the axles. An object of this invention is to provide the apparatus and construction method which can carry in a wheel without using a hoist and can align a wheel and an axle shaft without using a hoist. It is an object of the present invention to provide a wheel mounting device suitable for vehicle assembly using the rotary assembly table disclosed in the above-mentioned prior application, and a method for the same. An object of this invention is to provide the construction method and apparatus which can assemble the vehicle model from which several standards differ with one installation.

  A first aspect of the present invention is an invention of a wheel mounting auxiliary device, in which a frame (1) and a pair of rotation shafts mounted on the inner side of the frame body in parallel with each other so as to be rotatable around the rotation shaft. An auxiliary tool (4) including a roller (2), and a lifting platform (5) on which the auxiliary tool is placed are provided. The lifting platform (5) preferably has a structure including means for adjusting and controlling the height of the upper surface according to the operation in a state where a load for one tire is applied. The means for adjusting and controlling the height of the upper surface can be hydraulic or pneumatic means. The numbers in the parentheses are reference numbers for the embodiment drawings to be described later.

  More specifically, the lifting platform (5) includes a lower box (5a) having a high edge, and an upper box (5b) having a high edge that is covered with the lower box so that the edges thereof are rubbed together. The balloon (5c) accommodated in the space in the box, and the means for adjusting and controlling the height of the upper surface may include means for adjusting the air pressure supplied to the balloon.

  A second aspect of the present invention is an invention relating to a vehicle assembly table, in which a lifting platform (5) for placing the auxiliary tool (4) is provided at each wheel mounting position of front, rear, left and right wheels of the vehicle to be assembled. (2) The rotating shaft is arranged so as to be parallel to the axle. A plurality of lifting platforms (5) can be arranged so as to correspond to a plurality of axle positions for different vehicle standards. Between the plurality of lifting platforms arranged on the left and right sides, a connecting platform having a height equal to the standard height of the lifting platform can be used to roll and carry wheels with tires mounted on the coupling platform. It can be a linked structure.

  The third aspect of the present invention is an invention of a wheel mounting method, on the lifting platform (5) of the wheel mounting auxiliary device, on the frame body and on the inner side of the frame body, the rotation axes of which are parallel to each other. Auxiliary tool (4) including a pair of rollers rotatably attached to each other is mounted so that the roller axis direction is parallel to each axle corresponding to each wheel mounting position on both sides of the vehicle to be assembled. A step of placing a wheel (a wheel on which a tire is mounted) on the auxiliary tool (4), and a step of adjusting the height of the elevator (5) to adjust the height of the wheel carried in the step. A step of aligning the center axis position with the axle of the vehicle, and a step of rotating the wheel (7) placed on the auxiliary tool (4) around the axis to align the mounting bolts. It is characterized by including. In this construction method, the step of carrying in the wheel may include a step of rolling in the wheel one by one and carrying it in.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is an invention of a wheel mounting auxiliary tool, and a pair of a frame (1) and a pair of rotation shafts mounted on the inner side of the frame body so as to be rotatable around the rotation shaft in parallel with each other. It has a roller (2) and an inclined board for climbing (3) attached to one side parallel to the roller of the frame. A similar auxiliary tool of this form is known, but the one provided with the ramp for climbing (3) is novel. By providing the climbing inclined plate (3), the heavy wheels that are rolled and carried in are smoothly decelerated by the climbing inclined plate (3), and are properly stopped at a position that straddles the pair of rollers (2). There is an action that can.

  According to the present invention, the number of work steps in the wheel mounting process is reduced, and there is no need to provide a hoist for carrying in the wheels. By carrying out the method of the present invention, it is possible to carry out wheel mounting with the same equipment and the same method for a plurality of different vehicle types with one device.

(Example)
FIG. 1 is a side view for explaining the method of the present invention. Wheels 7 to be attached to the position of the axle 11 of the vehicle to be assembled are rolled in one by one by an operator from a carry-in slope 8 whose upper surface on the rear wheel side is inclined. In the vehicle shown in FIG. 1, the left rear wheel is already attached, and the left front wheel is shown to be attached. That is, the auxiliary tool 4 is placed on the lifting platform 5 at the front axle position, and the wheel 7 loaded by rolling is set on the auxiliary tool 4 to determine its stop position. The slope 12 on the front wheel side indicates a carry-out slope when the completed vehicle goes out by itself.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the auxiliary tool. That is, the auxiliary tool 4 includes a frame body 1, a pair of rollers 2 whose rotation axes are mounted on the inner side of the frame body 1 so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis, and the frame 1. It is a structure provided with the inclined board 3 for riding mounted on one side parallel to the roller 2. The length in the axial direction of the pair of rollers 2 is substantially equal to the width of the tire mounted on the wheel. The wheel that the worker rolls in with his / her arm while walking on the ride-up inclined plate 3 is stopped moving with its weight supported by the pair of rollers 2. The frame body 1, the pair of rollers 2, and the climbing inclined plate 3 are all made of metal.

  With reference to FIG. 3, when the operator rotates the wheel 7 in the direction of the arrow in this state, the pair of rollers supporting the weight can rotate to freely rotate left and right. In other words, the operator can lightly support the wheel 7 with the force of both arms and rotate it around the shaft with the force of both arms, so that the position of the wheel mounting hole can be adjusted to the position of the bolt protruding from the vehicle axle. .

  Referring to FIG. 4, the operator places auxiliary tool 4 on a lifting platform provided at the axle position of the vehicle to be attached. More specifically, the operator places the auxiliary tool 4 on the upper surface of the lifting platform 5 so that the direction between the axes of the pair of rollers is located in a vertical plane including the vehicle axle to be attached. Then, by operating the operation switch 9, the height of the lifting platform 5 on which the auxiliary tool 4 is placed is raised so as to be indicated by an arrow. By operating the operation switch 9 in detail, the center axis position of the wheel 7 is matched with the center axis position of the axle 11. At this time, the operator gently presses the wheel 7 with the left hand, holds the operation switch 9 in the palm of the right hand, and operates the buttons of the operation switch 9 with the thumb.

  When the center axis position matches, the operator rotates the wheel 7 around the center axis so as to hold the wheel 7 with both arms, and adjusts the mounting hole position to the position of the bolt protruding from the axle 11. Then, by pushing the wheel 7 in the axial direction with the force of both arms, the bolts (six bolts) of the axle 11 penetrate the mounting holes of the wheel 7. In this state, a predetermined tool (not shown) is picked up and the bolt is tightened. Thereafter, the operation switch 9 is operated to lower the lifting platform 5. Thereby, the attachment of the wheel 7 to the axle 11 is completed.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1 (or as shown in FIG. 4), a plurality of lifting platforms 5 are arranged, in this example, three on one side (left wheel) with respect to the rear wheel. Although not visible in the drawings, the corresponding right wheel is similarly configured. As shown in FIG. 1, for the front wheels, one lifting platform 5 is arranged for each of the left and right wheels. This is because a single facility can deal with vehicles having different distances (wheel bases) between the front axle and the rear axle of the vehicle to be assembled. That is, for the front wheels, a pair of left and right lifting platforms 5 corresponds to all vehicle types. As for the rear wheels, three pairs of lifting platforms 5 are arranged on each of the left and right sides, and by using a pair of these, it is possible to work on vehicles with different wheel bases.

  An auxiliary table 6 having a height equal to the minimum height of the lifting platform 5 is arranged before and after the plurality of lifting platforms 5. The upper surface of the lifting / lowering platform 5 becomes a plane that continues to the left and right of the vehicle via the auxiliary platform 6. This structure is devised so that the wheels can be rolled and carried on the upper surfaces of the lifting platform 5 and the auxiliary platform 6. A structure that can form a slope that can be carried in while rotating the wheel is provided at the end of the auxiliary stand 6 on the rear wheel side, and is formed by pulling out the carry-in slope 8 when the wheel is carried in. The wheel attaching operation itself can be performed when the axle module is attached to the frame module. The wheels are first carried by the operator rolling the front wheel from the inclined position of the carry-in slope 8, and then the rear wheel is carried from the carry-in slope 8 and carried to the mounting position, and is attached to the axle as described above. This is executed in parallel by two workers on the left and right sides of the vehicle or alternately left and right, and a tire tightening operation is performed using a tire tightening tool.

  Next, the structure of the lifting platform 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment apparatus, the lifting platform 5 has a structure of a ball box (or basket box). That is, the lifting platform 5 is housed in a lower box 5a having a high edge, an upper box 5b having a high edge that covers the lower box 5a so that the edges thereof are rubbed together, and a space in the box. A balloon 5c is provided, and the air pressure supplied to the balloon 5c is adjusted as means for adjusting and controlling the height of the upper surface. The balloon has a cylindrical shape, and its waist has a bellows shape. By sending air into the interior, the height direction of the cylinder becomes longer. Then, crossbars 5d that are pivotally attached at the center position are provided on both the left and right sides (front and rear in the drawing) of the lifting platform 5 so as to keep the box alignment parallel when the air pressure is increased or decreased. This works well on a trial basis, but the structure of the lifting platform 5 is not particular to this, and the drive form can be implemented in various forms such as electric and hydraulic.

  In the above embodiment, the auxiliary tool 4 for the rear shaft has been described so that an operator places it on the lifting platform 5 in accordance with vehicle standards. However, when the vehicle standard or vehicle type to be manufactured is fixed, the auxiliary tool 4 is not placed on the lifting platform 5 but is attached to a predetermined position on the lifting platform 5. can do.

  Although the said Example demonstrated the example which manufactures a vehicle on a rotation assembly stand, the construction method and apparatus of this invention can be implemented by the vehicle assembly process of various forms as a whole or partly.

The side view which shows the implementation method of this invention. The perspective view of this invention Example auxiliary tool. The perspective view which mounted the wheel in this invention Example auxiliary tool. The perspective view explaining this invention Example construction method. Explanatory drawing of this invention Example lifting stand (low position). Explanatory drawing (high position) of this invention Example lifting platform.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Frame 2 Roller 3 Lifting inclination board 4 Auxiliary tool 5 Lifting stand 6 Auxiliary stand 7 Wheel 8 Carry-in slope 9 Operation switch 10 Wheel attachment auxiliary device 11 Axle 12 Carry-out slope

Claims (9)

  An auxiliary tool including a frame, and a pair of rollers mounted on the inner side of the frame so that the rotation axes thereof are parallel to each other and rotatable around the rotation axis, and the auxiliary tool is placed on the upper surface thereof A wheel mounting auxiliary device comprising a lifting platform.   The wheel mounting assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the lifting platform includes means for adjusting and controlling a height of an upper surface according to an operation.   The lifting platform includes a lower box with a high edge, an upper box with a high edge so that the edges of the lower box are rubbed together, and a balloon accommodated in a space in the box, 3. The wheel mounting assist device according to claim 2, wherein the means for adjusting and controlling the height of the upper surface includes means for adjusting the air pressure supplied to the balloon.   A lifting platform for mounting an auxiliary tool including a frame and a pair of rollers mounted on the inner side of the frame so that the rotation axes thereof are parallel to each other and rotatable around the rotation axis is a vehicle to be assembled. A vehicle assembly table characterized in that the rotation shaft of each of the rollers is arranged in parallel to the front and rear axles.   The vehicle assembly table according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of lifting platforms are arranged so as to correspond to a plurality of axle positions corresponding to different vehicle standards.   The vehicle assembly table according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of lifting platforms arranged on the left and right are connected by a connecting table having a height equal to a standard height of the lifting platform. An auxiliary tool including a frame and a pair of rollers attached to the inner side of the frame body, the rotation axes of which are parallel to each other so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis, is assembled on the lifting platform of the wheel mounting auxiliary device. A step of placing the roller shaft direction in parallel with each axle corresponding to each wheel mounting position on both sides of the vehicle,
Carrying a wheel on the auxiliary tool;
Adjusting the height of the lifting platform to match the center axis position of the wheel carried in in the step with the axle of the vehicle;
And a step of rotating the wheel placed on the auxiliary tool around its axis and aligning it with the mounting bolt.   The wheel mounting method according to claim 7, wherein the step of carrying in the wheels includes a step of rolling in and carrying the wheels one by one.   A frame, a pair of rollers whose rotation axes are mounted on the inner side of the frame in parallel with each other and rotatable about the rotation axis, and for riding on one side of the frame that is parallel to the rollers A wheel mounting auxiliary tool comprising an inclined plate.

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