JP2009298515A - Line conveyer for conveying vehicle, and method for conveying vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a line conveyor for conveying a vehicle and a method for conveying the vehicle capable of being inexpensively constituted. <P>SOLUTION: A right front wheel 5a of the vehicle is rolled in a forward direction by pressing a rear side of a rolling surface in the right front wheel 5a by a roller 32 of a tire pusher 3 by driving the tire pusher 3 in the vehicle conveying direction by a drive unit. As a result, the vehicle can be conveyed along a vehicle assembling line. The drive unit has a simple structure for circulating an endless chain 8 in a stipulated track by driving a motor by a speed reduction machine, and thereby the largely inexpensive line conveyor compared with a slat conveyer can be provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle conveyor line conveyor and a vehicle conveyor method, and more particularly to a vehicle conveyor line conveyor and a vehicle conveyor method for transporting a vehicle with wheels mounted on a vehicle assembly line.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a slat conveyor is known as a means for transporting a vehicle equipped with wheels in a vehicle assembly line (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Slat conveyors are suitable for lines that produce a large number of vehicles at regular intervals, but are difficult to introduce into a line that produces few slats because of expensive equipment. Therefore, conventionally, in a line where the number of production is extremely small, several workers have been transported by hand, but it is not preferable to push the body directly by hand in order to ensure the appearance quality of the vehicle. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for transporting a vehicle by placing each wheel on a respective carriage. However, since a jack is used, in addition to the weight of the carriage, the wheels are placed on the floor surface. There is a problem that the work height at the time of assembling increases by the amount lifted from the top.
JP 2000-289824 A JP-A-7-165394

  Then, this invention was made | formed in view of the said situation, and it was made as a subject to provide the vehicle conveyor line conveyor and vehicle conveyance method which can be comprised cheaply.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a vehicle conveyor line conveyor according to the present invention is a vehicle conveyor line conveyor that transports a vehicle with wheels mounted on the vehicle assembly line along the vehicle assembly line. A tire pusher that presses a rolling surface of a selected wheel of a vehicle placed on a line, and a drive unit that drives the tire pusher in a vehicle transport direction, and the selected wheel is moved to the tire pusher. The vehicle is transported along the vehicle assembly line by being pressed and rolled in the forward direction.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a vehicle transport method according to the present invention is a method for transporting a vehicle with wheels mounted on a vehicle assembly line along the vehicle assembly line, and is a vehicle stationary on the vehicle assembly line. The vehicle is transported along the vehicle assembly line by pressing the rolling surface of the selected wheel and rolling it forward.

(Aspect of the Invention)
In the following, aspects of the invention that is recognized as being capable of being claimed in the present application (hereinafter referred to as claimable invention) will be exemplified, and each exemplified aspect will be described. Here, as in the claims, each aspect is divided into paragraphs, numbers are assigned to the respective paragraphs, and the descriptions of other paragraphs are cited as necessary. This is for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the claimable invention, and is not intended to limit the combination of the constituent elements constituting the claimable invention to those described in the following sections. In other words, the claimable invention should be construed in consideration of the description accompanying each section, the description of the embodiment, etc., and as long as the interpretation is followed, another aspect is added to the aspect of each section. Moreover, the aspect which deleted the component from the aspect of each term can also be one aspect of the claimable invention.
In the following items, each of items (1) to (5) corresponds to each of claims 1 to 5.

(1) A vehicle conveyer line conveyor that conveys a vehicle with wheels mounted on the vehicle assembly line along the vehicle assembly line, and presses a rolling surface of a selected wheel of the vehicle placed on the vehicle assembly line. A tire pusher and a driving means for driving the tire pusher in the vehicle transport direction, and pressing the selected wheel with the tire pusher to roll the vehicle in the forward direction, thereby allowing the vehicle to enter the vehicle assembly line. A line conveyor for transporting along vehicles.
According to the vehicle transfer line conveyor described in this section, for example, a vehicle introduced in a state of being hung on a hanger is placed on a final assembly line, for example, an outfitting line. Then, a tire pusher is set on a selected wheel of the vehicle, for example, the right front wheel. In this state, the tire pusher is driven in the vehicle transport direction by the driving means, and the rolling surface of the right front wheel is pressed in the vehicle transport direction by the tire pusher. As a result, the right front wheel of the vehicle rolls in the forward direction (the direction of rotation when the vehicle moves forward), and as a result, the vehicle is transported along the final assembly line while rolling each wheel.
In the aspect of this section, the timing for setting the tire pusher on the wheel may be before or after the wheel of the vehicle suspended on the hanger contacts the floor.

(2) The tire pusher includes a frame that is detachably attached to the driving means, and a roller that is rotatably supported by the frame and that is in contact with the vicinity of the ground contact portion of the rolling surface of the selected wheel. (1) The line conveyor for vehicle conveyance which has.
According to the line conveyor for vehicle conveyance described in this section, the vicinity of the ground contact portion of the rolling surface of the selected wheel (tire) is pressed by the roller in the vehicle conveying direction, in other words, the rolling surface of the selected wheel. A portion close to the floor surface is horizontally pressed by a roller from the rear side. Thereby, the selected wheel rolls in the forward direction while rotating the roller in the reverse direction. Therefore, a force (frictional force) acting in a direction that prevents the wheel from rolling is not generated between the wheel and the tire pusher, and the wheel (the right front wheel in the aspect of this section) rolls smoothly. As a result, the vehicle can be smoothly advanced.

(3) The driving means includes an endless chain that is stretched along the vehicle assembly line, a drive unit that drives the endless chain to circulate along a predetermined track, and a locking means that locks the tire pusher to the endless chain. And (1) or (2) the vehicle conveyor line conveyor.
According to the line conveyor for vehicle conveyance described in this section, the endless chain is wound around, for example, two sprockets. The drive unit includes, for example, a motor with a speed reducer that rotationally drives one of the two sprockets and an inverter control device that controls the motor. The locking means is, for example, a hook attached to the other end of the chain, one end of which is connected to the frame of the tire pusher. The tire pusher is locked to the endless chain by the hook being hooked on the endless chain of the drive unit.
In the aspect of this section, for example, the position of the tire pusher can be detected by appropriately disposing a limit switch on the track of the endless chain (feeding chain) and hitting the limit switch by the tire pusher. .

(4) The driving means further includes a guide rail extending along the vehicle assembly line, and a plurality of cam followers disposed on the tire pusher and abutting against a side surface of the guide rail. Line conveyor.
According to the vehicle conveyer line conveyor described in this section, the tire pusher is guided along the vehicle assembly line by bringing the cam follower into contact with the side surface of the guide rail.
In the aspect of this section, the guide rail can be made of, for example, an angle material. The cam follower is preferably disposed at a position where the cam follower is pressed against the guide rail by a reaction force acting on the tire pusher when the rolling surface of the wheel is pressed by the tire pusher. For example, when the rear side of the rolling surface of the right front wheel of the vehicle is pressed by the tire pusher, the reaction force acting on the tire pusher acts on the tire pusher counterclockwise in plan view. In this case, a cam follower that abuts on the outer side surface of the guide rail tire pusher and a cam follower that abuts on the inner side surface of the guide rail may be disposed on the front and rear of the tire pusher frame.

(5) A method of transporting a vehicle having wheels mounted thereon in the vehicle assembly line along the vehicle assembly line, wherein the rolling surface of a selected wheel of the vehicle placed on the vehicle assembly line is pressed in the forward direction. A vehicle transport method for transporting a vehicle along a vehicle assembly line by rolling to a vehicle.
According to the vehicle conveyance method described in this section, for example, a vehicle introduced in a state of being hung on a hanger is placed on a final assembly line (for example, a fitting line). The vehicle is transported along the vehicle assembly line while rolling each wheel by pressing the selected wheel of the vehicle, for example, the rolling surface of the right front wheel in the vehicle transport direction and rolling in the forward direction. Is done.

  It is possible to provide a vehicle conveyor line conveyor and a vehicle conveyor method that can be configured at low cost.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the vehicle is transported forward (moves forward) along a final assembly line (for example, a fitting line) in the vehicle assembly line. Further, here, for convenience of explanation, front and rear, left and right, and top and bottom are defined based on vehicles on the final assembly line.

  In the vehicle transport line conveyor 1 (hereinafter referred to as the line conveyor 1) of the present embodiment, the tire pusher 3 is driven in the vehicle transport direction (direction A in FIG. 1, forward in the present embodiment) by the drive unit 2 (drive means). Then, the rear side of the rolling surface 6 of the right front wheel 5a (selected wheel) of the vehicle 4 is pressed by the tire pusher 3, and the right front wheel 5a moves forward (the rotation of the wheel 5 when the vehicle 4 moves forward). Direction). Thereby, the vehicle 4 rolls (rotates) all the wheels 5 and is conveyed along the final assembly line. The wheels 5 except for the right front wheel 5a roll not due to the rolling surface 6 being pressed by the tire pusher 3, but due to friction with the floor surface 7 as the vehicle 4 moves forward. is there.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the drive unit 2 has an endless chain 8 that is stretched along the final assembly line. The endless chain 8 is wound around a driven sprocket 9 provided on the final assembly line start side (left side in FIG. 1) and a drive sprocket 10 provided on the final assembly line end side (right side in FIG. 1). . The endless chain 8 is L-shaped by a pair of guide rollers 11 and 12. The endless chain 8 circulates in an L-shaped track when the drive sprocket 10 is driven by a motor 39 with a reduction gear (drive unit). The driven sprocket 9, the drive sprocket 10, and the guide rollers 11 and 12 are disposed on substantially the same plane.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the drive unit 2 has a feed-side chain guide 13 made of a channel material that accommodates the feed-side chain 8a between the driven sprocket 9 and the guide roller 11. The drive unit 2 also has a return side chain guide 14 made of a channel material that houses the return side chain 8b between the guide roller 12 and the driven sprocket 9. The drive unit 2 has a guide rail 15 made of an angle material and extending along the final assembly line. Further, the drive unit 2 has a rail 17 extending along the final assembly line, and a limit switch 16 for detecting the position of the tire pusher 3 is attached to the rail 17. Each chain guide 13, 14, guide rail 15 and rail 17 are disposed on a common base plate 18. The base plate 18 is fixed substantially horizontally to the floor surface 7 by a plurality of anchors 19.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the tire pusher 3 has a steel frame 20 formed in a substantially L shape in plan view. The frame 20 has a plurality of punched holes 21 for weight reduction and ribs 22 erected for reinforcement. A plurality (three in this embodiment) of casters 23 for the tire pusher 3 traveling on the floor surface 7 are disposed on the lower surface of the frame 20. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the lower surface of the frame 20 includes a cam follower 24 that contacts the right side surface 15 a of the guide rail 15 and a cam follower 25 that contacts the left side surface 15 b of the guide rail 15. Are arranged at the front and rear. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an arm 26 extending across the guide rail 15 and the feed chain guide 13 is provided at the front end of the frame 20. A cam follower 27 that tilts the detector 16 a of the limit switch 16 is provided on the top surface of the tip of the arm 26.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the tire pusher 3 has a shackle 28 fixed to the upper surface of the arm 26. One end of a chain 30 is connected to the shackle 28, and a hook 29 (locking means) that can be locked to the endless chain 8 is attached to the other end of the chain 30. In addition, the tire pusher 3 is provided on the rear side of the rolling surface 6 of the right front wheel 5a of the vehicle 4, more specifically, a portion immediately after the ground contact surface (the surface installed on the floor surface 7) on the rolling surface 6 (hereinafter referred to as “the tire pusher 3”). The roller 32 is in contact with the pressed part 31). The roller 32 is mounted on a bracket 33 whose mounting surface is directed forward (to the right in FIGS. 2 and 4), and rotates about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of the right front wheel 5a of the vehicle 4. Is possible. The roller 32 is configured by arranging two sets of a pair of coaxially arranged rollers in parallel.

  The height of the roller 32 from the floor surface 7 is set to a height at which the right front wheel 5a can be efficiently rolled when the pressed portion 31 of the right front wheel 5a is pressed by the roller 32. For example, in this embodiment, when the pressed portion 31 of the right front wheel 5a is pressed by the roller 32, the component of the pressing force in the axial direction of the right front wheel 5a forms 45 ° with respect to the horizontal component. Thus, the height of the roller 32 from the floor surface 7 is set. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the floor 7 has a pair of guide bars 34 formed of round bars for preventing the right front wheel 5 a and the right rear wheel 5 b of the vehicle 4 from deviating from a prescribed track. , 35 are disposed. Further, reference numeral 36 shown in FIG. 1 is an emergency stop switch, reference numeral 37 is an inverter control unit for controlling a motor 39 with a reduction gear, and reference numeral 38 is a tread. The guide rollers 11 and 12 described above are disposed between the tread plate 38 and the floor surface 7.

Next, the vehicle conveyance method of this embodiment will be described.
The vehicle 4 is introduced into a final assembly line (for example, a fitting line) while being suspended from a hanger from the previous process, and is placed on the final assembly line (lowered to a specified position). The stationary vehicle 4 is in a state where the right front wheel 5a and the right rear wheel 5b are positioned between the guide bars 34 and 35 with the vehicle 4 facing in the transport direction. Next, the tire pusher 3 is set on the rear side of the right front wheel 5a (selected wheel) of the vehicle 4 by the operator. Here, in the tire pusher 3, the front cam follower 24 is in contact with the right side surface 15 a of the guide rail 15, and the rear cam follower 25 is in contact with the left side surface 15 b of the guide rail 15. Further, the roller 32 of the tire pusher 3 is brought into contact with the pressed portion 31 immediately after the contact surface on the rolling surface 6 of the right front wheel 5a.

  Next, the hook 29 (locking means) of the chain 30 of the tire pusher 3 is hooked on the chain 8 a on the feed side of the endless chain 8 in the drive unit 2 (drive means) to lock the tire pusher 3 to the endless chain 8. In this state, the endless chain 8 is driven in the forward direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 5) by the motor 39 (drive unit) with a speed reducer, thereby interlocking with the feed side chain 8a sent in the vehicle conveying direction (accompanying). The tire pusher 3 is driven in the vehicle transport direction. As a result, the pressed portion 31 on the rolling surface 6 of the right front wheel 5a of the vehicle 4 is pressed by the roller 32 of the tire pusher 3, and the right front wheel 5a rolls in the forward direction (the rotational direction when the vehicle 4 moves forward). To do. As a result, the vehicle 4 is transported in the vehicle transport direction (direction A in FIG. 1) along the final assembly line while rolling all the wheels 5.

  When the cam follower 27 provided on the arm 26 of the tire pusher 3 hits the limit switch 16, the driving of the endless chain 8 by the motor 39 with a reduction gear is stopped and the conveyance of the vehicle 4 is stopped. Thereby, the vehicle 4 is positioned at the specified position in the final assembly line. Next, after positioning the vehicle 4 at a specified position, the endless chain 8 is driven in the reverse direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 5) by the motor 39 with a reduction gear for a specified time, and the feed chain 8a is returned to the return direction. A predetermined distance (100 mm in this embodiment) is sent in the direction opposite to the vehicle conveyance direction. Thereby, the chain 30 between the tire pusher 3 and the endless chain 8 is bent, and the hook 29 is removed from the endless chain 8.

  Next, the tire pusher 3 is removed from the right front wheel 5 and the drive unit 2 of the vehicle 4. The removed tire pusher 3 is returned to its original position (starting end of the final assembly line) by a carriage by the operator. The vehicle 4 is lined off after a specified part (for example, an outfitting part) is mounted, the engine is operated, and the operator's drive gets over the step board 38.

This embodiment has the following effects.
According to the present embodiment, the tire pusher 3 is driven in the vehicle transport direction by the drive unit 2 (driving means), and the rolling surface 6 on the right front wheel 5a (selected wheel) of the vehicle 4 is driven by the roller 32 of the tire pusher 3. By pressing the rear side, the right front wheel 5a rolls in the forward direction (the rotation direction when the vehicle 4 moves forward). Thereby, the vehicle 4 can be conveyed along a vehicle assembly line. The drive unit 2 (driving means) has a simple structure in which the endless chain 8 is circulated in a prescribed path by driving a motor 39 with a reduction gear (driving unit), so that it is significantly less expensive than a slat conveyor. A line conveyor can be provided.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the right front wheel 5a (selected wheel) of the vehicle 4 is pressed, so that the outer plate of the vehicle 4 may be recessed as has been a problem in manual conveyance. The appearance quality of the vehicle 4 can be ensured.
Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since it is not necessary to provide a pit on the floor surface 7, it is easy to introduce, and at the same time, it is possible to flexibly cope with relocation by changing the line layout.

In addition, embodiment is not limited above, For example, you may comprise as follows.
In the present embodiment, the tire pusher 3 is formed in a substantially L shape in plan view (see FIG. 2). However, the tire pusher 3 is configured by forming the frame 20 in a substantially U shape, for example. May be.
In the present embodiment, the tire pusher 3 has the cam followers 24 and 25 disposed before and after the frame 20, but the number and arrangement of the cam followers can be set as appropriate.
In the present embodiment, the right front wheel 5a and the right rear wheel 5b are guided by the pair of guide bars 34, 35. However, guides corresponding to the guide bars 34, 35 can be provided on the frame 20 of the tire pusher 3, and the wheels When it is not necessary to guide 4, the guide member can be omitted.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole this embodiment. It is a top view of the principal part of this embodiment. It is a front view of the principal part of this embodiment. It is a right view of the principal part of this embodiment. It is a top view which shows the track | orbit of an endless chain in the drive unit (drive means) of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Line conveyor (vehicle conveyor) 2 Drive unit (drive means) 3 Tire pusher 4 Vehicle 5 Wheel (5a front right wheel) 6 Rolling surface 8 Endless chain 15 Guide rail 20 Frame 24 , 25 Cam follower, 29 Hook (locking means), 32 rollers, 39 Motor with speed reducer (drive unit)

Claims (5)

A vehicle conveyor line conveyor for transporting a vehicle with wheels mounted on the vehicle assembly line along the vehicle assembly line,
A tire pusher that presses a rolling surface of a selected wheel of a vehicle placed on the vehicle assembly line, and a drive unit that drives the tire pusher in the vehicle conveyance direction,
A vehicle conveyor line conveyor, wherein the vehicle is transported along the vehicle assembly line by pressing the selected wheel with the tire pusher and rolling it forward. The tire pusher is
A frame detachably attached to the driving means;
A roller rotatably supported by the frame and in contact with the vicinity of the ground contact portion of the rolling surface of the selected wheel;
The line conveyor for conveying a vehicle according to claim 1. The driving means includes
An endless chain stretched along the vehicle assembly line;
A drive unit that drives the endless chain to circulate in a prescribed path;
Locking means for locking the tire pusher to the endless chain;
The line conveyor for vehicle conveyance according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The driving means further includes
A guide rail extending along the vehicle assembly line;
A plurality of cam followers disposed on the tire pusher and in contact with a side surface of the guide rail;
The line conveyor for vehicle conveyance according to claim 3, wherein A method of transporting a vehicle with wheels mounted on a vehicle assembly line along the vehicle assembly line,
A vehicle transporting method, wherein the vehicle is transported along the vehicle assembly line by pressing a rolling surface of a selected wheel of a vehicle placed on the vehicle assembly line to roll it forward.

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