JP2513836B2 - Car body parts transportation method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial field of application) The present invention is suitable for use in holding and transporting a plurality of types of vehicle body parts or a plurality of works constituting each of these vehicle body parts in a positioned state. The present invention relates to a method of transporting various vehicle body parts.

(Prior Art) In a recent car body assembly line and a sub line for assembling car body parts to be supplied to the line, there are many cases in which a plurality of kinds of car bodies and car body parts are produced in a mixed flow. If a plurality of works constituting a car body part are held and conveyed in a positioned state, the work position can be specified when performing work on those car body parts or works, so that automatic work using a robot or the like can be easily performed. It is possible to automate the line and is preferable.

By the way, as a conventional method for carrying out the above-mentioned transportation, for example, there is one disclosed in JP-A-62-110581. In this method, a plurality of three-degree-of-freedom Cartesian coordinate type robots are mounted on a carriage. By vertically arranging and holding the body parts in a positioned state by the work receiving members provided on the wrists of those robots, and by driving the transfer carriage by the external drive means in the held state, the transfer of the body parts is performed. And then
Further, the type of the vehicle body parts to be transported is changed by program-controlling the robots and changing the arrangement of the work receiving members.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the above-mentioned conventional method, since the plurality of robots are located on the transport carriage and each robot has three degrees of freedom, the work receiving member is rearranged. In order to achieve this, the number of power sources for operating the robot, that is, the number of servo motors, is considerably large even with a single carrier truck.

Therefore, in order to increase the carrying capacity of the vehicle body parts, if a plurality of the above-mentioned carriages are circulated along, for example, a loop-shaped route, if they are used on the same line, the number of servo motors becomes extremely large. In addition, the number of control devices for controlling those servomotors becomes extremely large, which causes a problem that equipment cost increases and control of those servomotors becomes complicated and difficult.

The present invention provides a transportation method that advantageously solves the problems of the conventional method.

(Means for Solving the Problem) A method for transporting a vehicle body component according to the present invention has a plurality of work holding means and a plurality of holding position changing means for changing the arrangement of the work holding means. When carrying and holding a body part or a plurality of works constituting the body part in a positioning state by using a carrying cart equipped with the work carriage, the work positioning means is detachably mounted on the carrying carriage. When the carriage arrives at the type switching stage, the workpiece positioning means is separated from the transport carriage on that stage, and the power source provided on the stage is connected to the holding position changing means in the separated state. Driving the holding position changing means by the power source to dispose the work holding means in the vehicle body part or the next. After changing the power source from the holding position changing means, the work positioning means is mounted again on the transfer carriage, and then the transfer carriage is changed according to the type of the work constituting the work. The work body was moved to a receiving stage, and at the work receiving stage, the body part or work was placed on the work positioning means of the carrier, and the work positioning means held the body part or work in a positioned state. After that, the carrier vehicle is moved in the holding state.

Further, in the invention, in the type switching stage, the driving sources, which are smaller in number than the holding position changing means, are selectively connected to the holding position changing means, and the holding position changing means are sequentially operated by the driving source. It may be driven to.

Another method of transporting vehicle body parts according to the present invention is
A power source and a traveling direction determining means for autonomously traveling on a predetermined route, which has a plurality of work holding means and a work positioning means having a plurality of holding position changing means for changing the arrangement of the work holding means, are provided. When carrying and holding a body part or a plurality of works constituting the body part in a positioned state by using a carrying carriage, the carrying carriage first arrives at a type switching stage, and the power provided on the stage is changed. Source is connected to the holding position changing means, the holding position changing means is driven by the power source, and the arrangement of the work holding means is changed according to the body part to be held next or the kind of works constituting the same. The power source is disconnected from the holding position changing means, and then the transport carriage is operated from the type switching stage. Moving to a receiving stage, at the work receiving stage, the body part or work is placed on the work positioning means of the carrier, and the work positioning means holds the body part or work in a positioned state, In the holding state, the transport carriage is moved from the work receiving stage to an assembly stage where the plurality of works positioned and held by the positioning means are joined to each other to assemble the vehicle body parts, and then the transport carriage is moved. It is characterized in that the assembled body parts are circulated so as to return to the type switching stage via a delivery stage for delivering the assembled body parts to a predetermined position in the next step.

And in this invention, the transport carriage is circulated so as to pass through a separation stage before the delivery stage and a coupling stage after the delivery stage, and in the coupling stage, it is already mounted on the transport vehicle. The other work positioning means is mounted so as to be coupled with the work positioning means, and the separation stage separates the other work positioning means from the existing work positioning means and transports the work. It may be removed from the carriage and the other work positioning means may be sent from the separation stage to the joining stage via a route different from that of the transport carriage.

Further, in the present invention, one type switching stage may be used in combination for a plurality of patrol routes of the carrier truck.

(Operation) According to the above-described transfer method of the present invention, the work positioning means is detachably mounted on the transfer carriage, and the work positioning means is separated from the transfer carriage by the type switching stage to be used as the type switching stage. The holding position changing means is driven by the provided power source to change the arrangement of the work holding means on the transport carriage, and then the power source is separated from the holding position changing means, and the work positioning means is again attached to the transport carriage. After mounting, and then at the work receiving stage, the body positioning means having the work holding means holds the body parts and a plurality of works constituting the body in a positioned state, and the transport carriage is moved in the held state. When transporting the car body parts or workpieces using the transport carriage, the transport carriages are sequentially moved to the type switching step. By moving so as to pass through the carriage, it is possible to use the power source in combination with a plurality of carriages, and therefore, the number of power sources for driving the holding position changing means can be significantly reduced as compared with the conventional one. The equipment cost can be reduced, the control of the power source can be facilitated, and the degree of freedom in arranging the power source with respect to the holding position changing means is increased, so that the connection between them can be made more directly. It can be carried out.

If the power source is selectively connected to the plurality of holding position changing means and they are sequentially driven, the number of power sources can be further reduced.

In addition, if the transport vehicle is allowed to run autonomously, and if the type switching stage, the work receiving stage, the assembly stage, and the delivery stage are to be cycled through in sequence, then using multiple transport vehicles, It is possible to easily configure a sub-line for mixed production of multiple types of car body parts consisting of multiple workpieces.Here, a coupling stage and a separation stage are provided before and after the transfer stage to couple the workpieces from receiving to joining. The workpieces are transported by the transport carriage while being held by the two workpiece positioning means, and after joining the workpieces, only one of the workpiece positioning means that holds a part of the assembled body parts is left on the transport carriage and delivered. The work positioning means holds the body parts up to the stage, and the other work positioning means If it separately forwarded from the release stage to binding stage, by delivery stage, it is possible to easily perform the work to portions other than the holding portions of the body parts.

Furthermore, if one type switching stage is used in combination for a plurality of patrol routes of the carrier vehicle, there are few types of vehicle bodies and vehicle body parts to be produced, such as when the vehicle body assembly line and its sublines are initially started up. Even if the frequency of switching is low, it is possible to increase the operating rate of the power source of the type switching stage and prevent waste of equipment.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a layout of a vehicle body assembly line to which an embodiment of a method for carrying vehicle body parts according to the present invention is applied. In the figure, 1 is a left hood ridge subline, 2 is a dash lower subline, and 3 is a dash lower subline. A radiator core support subline, 4 is a right hood ridge subline, 5 is a front floor subline, and 6 is a rear floor subline.

In this vehicle body assembly line, the radiator core support, the left and right hood ridges, and the dash lowers, which are the vehicle body parts assembled in the above sublines 1 to 4, are assembled to the engine compartment assembly stage 7 and joined to each other to assemble the engine compartment. By assembling the engine compartment and the front floor and the rear floor, which are the vehicle body parts assembled in the sublines 5 and 6, to the floor main assembly stage 8 and joining them together, the floor main is assembled,
After that, the spot welding to the floor main is additionally performed at the floor main increasing stage 9 arranged in five places.

On the other hand, in the figure, 10 is a roof panel subline, 11 is a parcel shelf subline, 12 is an air box subline,
13 is a rear panel sub line, 14 is a left body side sub line, 15 is a right body side sub line,
In the car body assembly line here, the above sub line 10
By gathering the roof panel, the parcel shelf, the air box, the rear panel and the left and right body sides which are the body parts assembled in ~ 15 to the body main assembly stage 16 together with the above-mentioned increased floor main and joining them together, Assemble the body main that makes up the vehicle body, and then add spot welding to the body main.
Will be done at.

Here, each of the sub-lines is, for example, as shown in FIG. 2 for the left hood ridge sub-line 1 and as shown in FIG. 3 for the front floor sub-line 5, for example, a type switching stage 21 and a work receiving stage 22.
In addition to the assembly stage 23 and the delivery stage 24, the production amount of one or more units, each of which autonomously travels along a loop-shaped path shown by A to L in FIG. It is provided with the number of transporting vehicles 25 according to the number.

In this embodiment, the transport carriages 25 arranged on the respective sub-lines determine the traveling direction by detecting the guide tapes laid along the respective routes on the floor surface with, for example, an optical sensor and operate the guide tapes. The steering mechanism for steering the wheels and the drive mechanism for driving the drive wheels by operating the motor by the battery built in the carriage 25 can be autonomously traveled along each of the paths, and each of the stages It has a transceiver that sends and receives radio signals to and from each stage, and when the truck approaches each stage, it stops at a predetermined position on each stage based on the signal transmitted by those stages, and each stage works there. It can start based on the signal output after the end, and further has a forward detection device that detects the front with the ultrasonic transceiver at the front end of the carriage 25, and there is an obstacle on the path or another carrier If you or caught up with the 25,
It can be paused until the obstacle is removed or the bogie in front starts. (Since such a trolley is well known, illustration of each mechanical device is omitted.) Further, on each transport trolley 25, a work positioning device 26 as a work positioning means for positioning and holding a work and an assembled body part. The work positioning device 26 in this case is, for example, for a rear floor, of a type that holds work and car body parts below them, as shown in FIG. Each reciprocating mechanism is mounted on a base 27 that is fixed to the top or is erected on the base 27, which is positioned by a locate pin (not shown) or the like and is separably mounted, in a mechanism similar to that of a Cartesian robot having three degrees of freedom. The ball screw shaft is connected to one end of a flexible shaft (trade name) 28 instead of a servomotor, and a work holding means is provided through a moving mechanism 29 as a holding position changing means. The work receiving member 30 and formed by a plurality support.

The base 27 also has, on its side, a switching type having three output shafts 32 selectively coupled to one input shaft 31 via three electromagnetic clutches and a gear mechanism (not shown). A drive input mechanism 33 is provided, and three output shafts 32 thereof are respectively coupled to the other end of the flexible shaft 28. In this case, the drive input mechanism 33 drives one input shaft 31. The work receiving member 30 can be three-dimensionally moved to an arbitrary position by selectively rotating the ball screw shafts of the moving mechanism 29 as appropriate (for details, refer to, for example, the application by the present applicant). 62-187087).

Then, the input shaft 31 is driven by a switching type drive device 34 provided in the type switching stage 21 in this embodiment, and this driving device 34 positions the work on the transport carriage 25 that has arrived at the type switching stage 21. A servo motor shift mechanism 36 for selectively aligning one servo motor 35 as a power source with respect to the plurality of drive input mechanisms 33 of the device 26, and moving the servo motor 35 forward and backward with respect to the drive input mechanism 33. Coupling the output shaft of the servomotor to the input shaft 31
An air cylinder driven servo motor hooking / unloading mechanism 38 which is hooked and unhooked via 37.

The servo motor engaging / disengaging mechanism 38 also attaches / detaches the connector 39 provided on the drive input mechanism 33 side and the servo motor 35 side, and the collector 39 is provided at the connecting portion between each flexible shaft 38 and the ball screw. The rotary encoder 40 with an electromagnetic brake that is released only when electricity is energized, and the brake control circuit and encoder signal circuit are switched together with the control circuit for each electromagnetic clutch of the drive input mechanism 33. It is connected to the control panel 41 of the device 34.

As shown in FIG. 5, the control panel 41 of the switchable drive unit 34 described above includes a sequence management unit 91 and a data memory 92.
, A servo motor control unit 93, a servo amplifier 94, and a servo motor shift mechanism control unit 95, and a transceiver (not shown) connected to the sequence management unit 91. It operates as follows according to a program taught in advance.

That is, the control panel 41 uses a sensor or a carriage (not shown) indicating that the carriage 25 has approached the type switching stage 21.
25 When it detects by receiving the radio signal transmitted by itself,
A radio signal that instructs the stop is transmitted to stop the carrier vehicle 25 at a predetermined position on the stage, and then the servo motor shift mechanism control unit 95 causes the data memory 92 to store the position based on the position data of the drive input mechanism 33. , The servo motor shift mechanism 36 is operated to align the servo motor 35 with one of the drive input mechanisms 33, and then the sequence management unit
By controlling an air pressure circuit switching valve (not shown), the air cylinder of the servo motor engaging / disengaging mechanism 38 is operated to move the servo motor 35 and the connector 39 forward, so that the output shaft of the servo motor is changed to the input shaft 31. Coupling to
37 and the connectors 39 are connected to each other, and then the servo motor control unit 93 releases the brakes of the rotary encoders 40 and the clutches of the switchable drive input mechanism 33 are sequentially and selectively coupled. Then, the reciprocating movement mechanism of the movement mechanism 29 which can be driven by the coupling is fed back to the data memory by the servo motor 35 while directly feeding back the operation amount from the output signal of the rotary encoder 40 and the rotation amount of the ball screw.
A predetermined amount is operated based on the position data of the work receiving member 30 in 92, and thereby one moving mechanism 29 is operated three-dimensionally to arrange the work receiving member 30 provided therein at a predetermined position. Here, the output signal of the rotary encoder 40 is fed back to the servo amplifier 94 as a speed signal, converted into a position signal via the position detection unit 96 in the carriage 25, and fed back to the servo motor control unit 93. Used for proper control of the servo motor 35.
Then, after each reciprocating mechanism has actuated by a predetermined amount, the servo motor control unit 93 causes the electromagnetic brake of the encoder 40 to be stopped and each ball screw shaft to be stopped, so that the work receiving member 30 is brought to the above position. After fixing, the servo motor 35 and connector 39
Is moved backward to separate the coupling 37 and the connector 39 from each other, and then the servo motor shift mechanism 36 moves the servo motor 35 toward the next drive input mechanism 33.

By repeating such a procedure, all the work receiving members 30 are moved to relative positions suitable for positioning and holding a plurality of works constituting the vehicle body component to be assembled next based on the data previously input in the data memory 92. When the arrangement is completed, the control panel 41 outputs a radio signal for instructing the vehicle to start and causes the carrier vehicle 25 to start toward the receiving stage 22.

In FIG. 4, only two moving mechanisms 29 and two drive input mechanisms 33 for driving them are used, and only one servo motor 35 and one servo motor shift mechanism 36 and one servo motor locking / unlocking mechanism 37 for moving it. Shown is the moving mechanism 29
The drive input mechanism 33 and the drive input mechanism 33 are provided on the base 27 by the number necessary for holding the work, and the servo motor 35, the servo motor shift mechanism 36, and the servo motor engaging / disengaging mechanism 37 are also provided on both sides of the base 27. For example, a larger number may be provided as required.

Further, the moving mechanism 29 may be provided with a rotating mechanism or the like as required to increase the degree of freedom of movement.

Further, a pressurized air tank is mounted in the transfer carriage 25 as required, and an unillustrated clamp mechanism driven by an air cylinder is provided on the moving mechanism 29 of the work positioning device 26 as required. The carrier vehicle 25 operates the air valve based on the signal transmitted from each stage to supply the air pressure from the tank, thereby causing the clamp mechanism to fix and release the work on the work holding member 30.

Therefore, the work positioning device 26 can position and hold a plurality of works such as the work 42 constituting the rear floor 67 shown in FIG. 4 at a relative position when they are joined to each other, Also type switching stage 21
The arrangement of the work holding member 3 of the work positioning device 26 can be changed according to different types of vehicle body parts to be assembled next, such as sedan type and hard top.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the servo motor 35, which is the drive source of the moving mechanism 29, is shared by a plurality of moving mechanisms, and
Since the servomotors 35 are not provided on the transport carriage 25 and are shared by a plurality of transport carriages 25, the number of servomotors can be extremely reduced, the cost required therefor can be reduced, and the servomotor 35 can be controlled. The circuit configuration and control contents of can be simplified.

Then, the left hood ridge subline 1 shown in FIG.
In the above, the carrier truck 25, in which the base 27 of the work positioning device 26 as described above is erected, circulates along the route A. Here, the work receiving member 30 is arranged on the type switching stage 21 as described above. When the changed carriage 25 arrives at the predetermined position of the next receiving stage 22, the loading robot 43 causes the workpiece positioning device 26 to load the workpieces, such as the panel and the frame, that constitute the left hood ridge 61 of the type to be assembled next. And the work shelves 44 for each type of body parts
Picked up from and placed on, the carriage 25 receives a signal from the stage instructing to start after the placement is finished,
The work is moved toward the next assembly stage 23 while the work is fixedly held by the work positioning device by the clamp mechanism.

When the carriage 25 arrives at a predetermined position on the assembly stage 23,
As a result, when a plurality of works are positioned and fixed at a predetermined relative position and at a predetermined position of the stage, the welding robot 45 here uses the spot welding gun 46 to spot-weld the plurality of works to each other. After assembling the left hood ridge 61 by assembling with each other, and the transport carriage 25 receives a signal from the stage instructing to start after the assembly is completed, the transport carriage 25 moves toward the next delivery stage 24.

Delivery stage 24 of this left Hood Ridge Subline 1
In this embodiment, it also serves as the engine compartment assembly stage 7, and the engine compartment assembly stage 7 also serves as the delivery stage 24 for the right hood ridge subline, the dash lower subline and the radiator core support subline.

That is, to the engine compartment assembly stage 7, the right hood ridge 62, the dash lower 63, and the right hood ridge 62, the dash lower 63, and the right hood ridge subline 4, the dash lower subline 2, and the radiator core subline 3 which are assembled in the same manner as in the left hood ridge subline 1 The three transport carriages 25 for positioning and holding the radiator core supports 64 and the transport carriage 25 for positioning and holding the left hood ridge 61 gather together so as to surround one empty transport carriage 25, and the empty transport carriages are gathered. Position and fix each of the above body parts on the 25.

Then, in this stage 7, the welding robot 45 having the welding gun 46 assembles the engine compartment 65 by spot welding the left and right hood ridges 61, 62, the dash lower 63, and the radiator core support 64 to each other.
Each of the four surrounding transport carriages 25 releases the transported body parts and returns to the sub-line type switching stage 21 to which it belongs, while the central transport carriage 25 positions the engine compartment 65. And is conveyed to the floor main assembling stage 28 along the looped route M shown in FIG.

In addition, the engine compartment assembly stage 7
In the assembly and the discrete order of the transport carriages 25 in Fig. 3, a control panel 51 provided adjacent to the stage 7 is appropriately controlled by a radio signal so that the carriages and the body parts do not interfere with each other. That is, for example, a direction in which the empty carriage 25 is first arranged at a predetermined receiving position indicated by reference numeral 52 in FIG. 1 and then the carriage 25 holding the radiator core support 69 is directed to the floor main assembly stage 8. Delivery stage 24 in front of the above empty carrier truck 25
, And then transfer the carriages 25 holding the left and right hood ridges 61, 62 to the delivery stages on both sides of the empty carriage 25.
A transport trolley placed at 24 and holding the dash lower 63 at the end
25 is placed on the delivery stage 24 on the rear side of the empty carrier.

As shown in FIG. 3, on the floor main assembly stage 8, in addition to the carrier truck 25 holding the engine compartment 65, the carrier truck 25 holding the front floor 66 assembled in the front floor subline 5 and the rear floor subline. 6, the carriages 25 for holding the rear floor 67 assembled in 6 are assembled, and again, the three carriages 25 are arranged at predetermined positions, respectively, and are aligned, so that the engine compartment 65, the front floor 66, and The rear floor 67 is positioned and fixed at a predetermined relative position,
In this state, the welding robot 45 joins those car body parts to each other by spot welding to assemble the floor main 68.

Then, after that, the transport carriage 25 that has transported the front floor 66 is left first, and the transport carriage 25 that has transported the engine compartment 65 releases it, and then along the route M, the engine compartment assembly stage 7 Returning to the receiving position 52 of the rear floor sub-line 6 along the route F, the carriage 25 carrying the rear floor 67
Then, the carriage 25 carrying the front floor 66 carries the assembled floor main 68 to the next floor main hitting stage 9.

Since the number of spot welding spots is extremely large and it takes a lot of work time, the floor main boosting stage 9 is provided at five places.
Enters there according to the signal transmitted from the vacant stage 9 and stops in place. Then, when the additional welding of the spot welding by the welding robot 45 is completed, the carrier vehicle 25 moves to the body main assembly stage 16 as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, in the roof panel sub line 10, the parcel shelf sub line 11, the air box sub line 12, and the rear panel sub line 13, the carrier vehicles 25 circulate in the same manner as the left hood ridge sub line 1 described above.
In these sub-lines 10 to 13, the assembly stage 23 is used together with the delivery stage 24.

That is, in this embodiment, the overhead conveyor 53 as shown in FIG. 6 is provided so as to autonomously travel along the route N passing above the sublines 10 to 13 and the body main assembly stage 16, and the subline 10 is provided. Roof panel 69 and parcel shelf 7 assembled in ~ 13 each
0, the air box 71 and the rear panel 72 are assembled and delivered on the above-mentioned overhead conveyor 5 at the stages 23 and 24.
3 is delivered to the body main assembly stage 16 by the conveyor 53.

Here, the overhead conveyor 53 is the above-mentioned vehicle body part.
It has a large number of Cartesian robots 54 that hold 69 to 72 in their respective positioning states.
When you arrive at 16, drop lifter 55 and floor main 68
Is lowered to a predetermined position above and fixedly positions and fixes each of the vehicle body parts at a predetermined position of the stage.

And on the body main assembly stage 16,
Left and right body sides assembled in the same way as in the left hood ridge subline 1 described above in the left and right body side sublines 14 and 15 with the work receiving stage 22 and the assembly stage 23 for each of the inner panel and the outer panel. Floor mains 73 and 74 are transfer stages 24 of their sub-lines by the carriages 25, respectively.
It is carried in to the positions on both sides of the 68, and fixed there in a positioning state as shown in FIG. 6. Here, the floor main 68, the left and right body sides 73 and 74, and the roof panel 69 which is an upper part The welding robot 45 joins the parcel shelf 70, the air box 71, and the rear panel 72 to each other by spot welding to assemble the body main.

After that, the overhead conveyor 53 first releases the vehicle body parts, then is lifted by the drop lifter 55 and returns to each of the sub-lines 10 to 13 along the path N again, and the left and right body sides 73 and 74 are conveyed with it. The carrier truck 25 that came back also returned to the type switching stage 21 of the left and right body side sublines 14 and 15, respectively, and then the front floor.
The carrier truck 25 that has carried 66 carries the assembled body body to the next body-main struck stage 17.

Similarly to the floor-main overfilling stage 9, the body-main overblanking stage 17 has five spots for spot welding, which requires a long working time. Therefore, the carrier cart 25 for holding the bodymain is vacant. stage
After entering 17 and stopping at a predetermined position, and when the welding robot finishes hitting, the body main is transferred to a transfer stage (not shown), and the body main is transferred to a drop lifter (not shown) there. Return to the type switching stage 21 of the front floor sub line 5 along the route E as shown in FIG.

As described above, according to the vehicle body assembly line here, it is possible to assemble the vehicle body parts from a plurality of works in each sub-line and collect the vehicle body parts to assemble the body main. Moreover, according to the above-described method of transporting the work and the vehicle body parts in the sub-line, the drive of the moving mechanism 29 of the work positioning device 26 capable of changing the arrangement of the work holding member 30 is driven by the servo motor 35 of the type switching stage 21.
Since it is done in, it is possible, for example, to easily perform mixed flow assembly of a plurality of types of vehicle body parts different for each vehicle type,
Even if a plurality of carrier vehicles 25 are used, the work positioning device 26
The number of servomotors required for changing the arrangement of the work holding member 30 can be greatly reduced, and the control device and control contents can be simplified.

Further, since the carrier vehicles 25 of the above-described example circulate by autonomous traveling along the respective predetermined routes, it is possible to easily configure a subline using a plurality of carrier vehicles 25, and it is possible to easily change the traveling route. Got it, change the placement of each stage,
It is possible to easily perform expansions and the like, and thus it is possible to give a great degree of freedom in setting and changing the installation location and production capacity of the sub line.

And here, since the transfer carriage 25 equipped with the work positioning device 26 holds the work and the body parts from the receipt of the work to the delivery of the assembled body parts to the predetermined position, the work and the body parts of each stage are The labor and time required for transfer can be saved, and the work and vehicle body parts can be arranged at predetermined positions on each stage with relatively simple equipment.

FIG. 7 shows another example of the method for changing the arrangement of the work receiving member 30 of the work positioning device 26 in the type switching stage 21, in which the base 27 of the work positioning device 26 is the transport carriage 25. With respect to each of the moving mechanisms 29, one end of the ball screw shaft is directly attached to one end of the coupling 37 instead of the flexible shaft 28 of the above-described example, as shown in FIG. Further base
The ball screw shaft extending in the long side direction (Y-axis direction) of 27 is
Four moving mechanisms 29 are selectively driven per one. (This selection drive mechanism is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application No.
See −15818. The work receiving member 30 here has a locate pin that fits into the locate hole of the work.

On the other hand, in the type switching stage 21, a U-shaped base receiving member 80 having a locate hole 80a on the upper surface is fixed, and along each of the three sides of the base receiving member 80,
A switching type drive unit 34 having the same structure as that shown in FIG. 4 is fixedly installed, and as shown in FIG.
The same servo motor engagement / disengagement mechanism 38 as that of
A Z-axis drive device 81 that can be moved within a plane is fixed inside the base receiving member 80.

Further, a guide rail 82 extending from above the Z-axis drive mechanism 81 to above the floor surface outside the base receiving member 80 is laid on the stage 21 through the open end of the base receiving member 80. This guide rail 82 is also of a transfer carriage 83 which also has a U shape and can accommodate the transport carriage 25 inside thereof.
It guides the reciprocating traveling between the delivery position shown by the solid line in FIG. 7 and the arrangement change position shown by the phantom line in FIG.

The transfer carriage 83 here is driven from the outside by using a chain or the like (not shown),
Supporting plates 85, which are raised and lowered by the operation of a plurality of air cylinders 84, are provided on both sides, and when the carriage 25 enters the transfer carriage 83 as shown by an arrow P in FIG. The support plate 85 is raised by 84 to lift the base 27 of the work positioning device 26 from above the transport carriage 25, and then move as shown by arrow Q in the figure to enter the inside of the base receiving member 80, The support plate 85 is lowered to place the base 27 on the base receiving member 80 so that the locate pin 27a protruding below the 27 fits into the locate hole 80a. When the arrangement change of the member 30 is completed, the work positioning device 26 is transferred from the base receiving member 80 onto the transport carriage 25 in the reverse order of the above procedure.

The arrangement of the work receiving member 30 of the work positioning device 26 placed on the base receiving member 80 is changed by controlling the switching type drive device 34 and the Z-axis drive device 81 in the same manner as that shown in FIG. This can be done by controlling the board 41.
Therefore, the type switching stage
At 21, the arrangement of the work receiving member 30 of the work positioning device 26 can be changed, and according to this method, the switching type drive input mechanism 33 can be unnecessary, and the structure of the work positioning device 26 can be simplified. You can train them.

FIG. 10 shows a right body side sub-line 15 and a body main assembly stage 16 using still another embodiment of the method for transporting vehicle body parts according to the present invention. Here, in addition to the configuration of the previous example, the body main assembly stage is shown. Between the delivery stage 24 adjacent to 16 and the type switching stage 21,
A coupling stage 86 is provided, a separation stage 87 is provided between the transfer stage 24 and the second assembly stage 23, and further, a slat conveyor or the like is provided between the coupling stage 86 and the separation stage 87. A conveyor line R is provided.

Here, in the coupling stage 86, FIG. 11 and FIG.
As shown in the drawing, a support arm that is rotated by a bracket provided on the side surface of the transport carriage 25 and a rotating means (not shown).
Another work positioning device 89 transferred by the conveyor line R is transferred and mounted on the 88 so that the work positioning device 26 preliminarily mounted on the transfer carriage 25 is fitted and coupled thereto. The transfer is performed by, for example, a robot or the like (not shown) provided at the end of the conveyor line R.

Further, in the separation stage 87, the support arm 88 is once rotated downward, and then the other work positioning device.
As shown in FIG. 13, 89 is separated from the work positioning device 26 preliminarily mounted on the transport carriage 25, lifted from the transport carriage 25, and transferred to the starting end portion of the conveyor line R. For transfer, for example, conveyor line R
It is performed by a robot or the like (not shown) provided at the beginning end of the.

The transport carriage 25 travels with the two work positioning devices 26 and 89 mounted from the joining stage 86 to the separating stage 87, and only one work positioning device 26 from the separating stage to the joining stage 86. It is mounted and runs, and the conveyor line R feeds the work positioning device 89 from its start end to its end.

According to such a transfer method, a large positioning device that joins the two positioning devices 26 and 89 can be used for many operations until the plurality of workpieces are received, they are joined in a positioning state, and the right body side 74 is assembled up. Positioning can be performed to maintain the positioning accuracy of workpieces sufficiently high, and when the assembled right body side 74 is placed at a predetermined position with respect to the floor main 68 etc. on the transfer stage 24, the body side 74 By holding only near the strong side sill part of the body, it is possible to provide enough space for assembling the delivery stage 24 and thus the body side 74 at the body main assembly stage 16, and if the work is easy. Can be tightened.

Incidentally, the disposition for assembling the right body side 74 on the body main assembly stage 16 can be easily performed by, for example, lifting the work positioning device 26 from the transport carriage 25 and erecting it.

Further, the above-described transfer method can be used not only on the left body side sub line 14 but also on another assembly line.

FIG. 14 shows another example of the carrier vehicle that can be used in the present invention. The carrier vehicle 100 of this example is equipped with the same work positioning device 26 as described above, but does not run autonomously and is laid in the floor. The above-mentioned chain 101 and pin 1 which have a pin 102 that can be engaged with the chain 101
By moving 02, it moves along a predetermined path, and the lifter with locate pins provided on each stage lifts the dolly itself from the floor surface and the pin 102 is separated from the chain 101 to a predetermined position. Positioned and fixed to.

By using such a carriage 100, the structure of the carriage can be simplified.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the illustrated example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and for example, the work positioning device 2
6, 89 is for moving the work receiving member 30 by an ordinary robot equipped with a motor, and a type switching stage.
21 may indicate only the arrangement of those work receiving members.

(Effect of the invention) Thus, according to the method for transporting vehicle body parts of the present invention, when a plurality of vehicle carriers are used to transport the vehicle body components and works, the vehicle carriers are sequentially passed through the type switching stage. By moving so, it is possible to use the power source in combination with the plurality of carrier vehicles,
The number of power sources for driving the holding position changing means can be significantly reduced as compared with the conventional one, and the facility cost can be reduced.
The control of the power source can be facilitated, and moreover, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the power source with respect to the holding position changing means is increased, so that the connection between them can be made more directly.

If the power source is selectively connected to the plurality of holding position changing means and they are sequentially driven, the number of power sources can be further reduced.

In addition, if the transport vehicle is allowed to run autonomously, and if the type switching stage, the work receiving stage, the assembly stage, and the delivery stage are to be cycled through in sequence, then using multiple transport vehicles, It is possible to easily configure a sub-line for mixed production of multiple types of car body parts consisting of multiple workpieces, in which a coupling stage and a separation stage are provided before and after the transfer stage, and the transport carriage is equipped with two workpiece positioning means. By doing so, it is possible to easily perform work on the portion other than the holding portion of the vehicle body component on the delivery stage.

Furthermore, if one type switching stage is used in combination for the plurality of patrol routes of the carrier vehicle, even if the type switching frequency is low, the operating rate of the power source of the type switching stage is increased and waste of equipment is reduced. Can be prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a layout of a vehicle body assembly line to which an embodiment of a method for transporting vehicle body parts according to the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a left hood ridge subline and an engine compartment assembly stage of the vehicle body assembly line. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a front floor subline, a floor main assembly stage, and a floor main boosting stage of the vehicle body assembly line, and FIG. 4 is a carrier truck used in the vehicle body assembly line. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a part of the work positioning device and a part of a switching type driving device of the type switching stage, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a control system in the type switching stage, and FIG. 6 is a view of the vehicle body assembly line. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the body main assembly stage, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an apparatus used in another example of the method for changing the arrangement of the receiving member, FIG. 8 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a side view seen from the direction of arrow IX in FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a layout of a right body side sub-line and a body main assembly stage using still another embodiment of the method of the present invention, and FIGS. 11 and 12 are shown in FIG. A perspective view of a carrier truck equipped with two work positioning devices in a combined state, which is used in the right body side subline, and its arrow XI.
A side view seen from the direction I, FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing a state in which one of the two work positioning devices is separated, and FIG. 14 is another example of a carrier truck used in the method of the present invention. It is a perspective view shown. 1 …… Left Hood Ridge Subline 2 …… Dash Lower Subline 3 …… Radiator Core Support Subline 4 …… Right Hood Ridge Subline 5 …… Front Floor Subline 6 …… Rear Floor Subline 7 …… Engine Compartment Assembly Stage 8 …… Floor Main Assembly stage 9 …… Floor main overdrive stage 10 …… Roof panel sub line 11 …… Parcel shell sub line 12 …… Air box sub line 13 …… Rear panel sub line 14 …… Left body side sub line 15 …… Right body side sub line 16 …… Body main assembly stage 17 …… Body main overdrive stage 21 …… Type switching stage 22 …… Work receiving stage 23 …… Assembly stage, 24 …… Transfer stage 25 …… Transport trolley, 26 …… Work positioning device 29 …… Motion mechanism, 30 …… Workpiece receiving member 34 …… Switching type drive device, 41 …… Control panel 44 …… Workpiece rack, 45 …… Welding robot 53 …… Overhead conveyor 61 …… Left hood ridge, 62 …… Right hood Ridge 63 …… Dash lower 64 …… Radiator core support 65 …… Engine compartment 66 …… Front floor, 67 …… Rear floor 68 …… Floor main, 69 …… Roof panel 70 …… Parcel shelf, 71 …… Air box 72 …… Rear panel, 73 …… Left body side 74 …… Right body side, 80 …… Base receiving member 81 …… Z-axis drive mechanism, 82 …… Guide rail 83 …… Transfer carriage, 86 …… Coupling stage 87 ...... Separation stage 89 ...... Another work positioning device 100 …… Transport vehicle, 101 …… Chain 102 …… Latching pins A to M …… Transport vehicle route N …… Drop lifter route R …… Conveyor Line

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. Having a plurality of work holding means,
When carrying and holding a body part or a plurality of works constituting the body parts in a positioned state by using a carrying carriage equipped with a work positioning means having a plurality of holding position changing means for changing the arrangement of the work holding means , The work positioning means is detachably mounted on the carrier, and first the carrier is allowed to arrive at the type switching stage,
At the stage, the work positioning means is separated from the transport carriage, and the power source provided on the stage is connected to the holding position changing means in the separated state,
The holding position changing means is driven by the power source, and the arrangement of the work holding means is changed according to the type of a vehicle body component to be held next or a work forming the same, and then the power source is changed to the above-mentioned After separating from the holding position changing means, the work positioning means is mounted on the transfer carriage again, then the transfer carriage is moved to the work receiving stage, and at the work receiving stage, the work positioning means of the transfer carriage is moved. A vehicle body, characterized in that the vehicle body component or work is placed thereon, and the workpiece positioning means holds the vehicle body component or work in a positioned state, and then the transport carriage is moved in the held state. How to transfer parts. 2. In the type switching stage, the driving sources, which are smaller in number than the holding position changing means, are selectively connected to the holding position changing means, and the holding positions changing means are sequentially operated by the driving sources. The method for transporting vehicle body parts according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. Having a plurality of work holding means,
Using a carrier carriage equipped with a work positioning means having a plurality of holding position changing means for changing the arrangement of the work holding means and having a power source and a traveling direction determining means for autonomous traveling on a predetermined route, When holding and transporting a component or a plurality of works constituting the component in a positioned state, the transport carriage first arrives at a type switching stage, and a power source provided on the stage is connected to the holding position changing means. Then, the holding position changing means is driven by the power source, and the arrangement of the work holding means is changed according to the type of the vehicle body component to be held next or the work forming the same, and then the power source is changed. Is separated from the holding position changing means, and then the carrier is moved from the type switching stage to the work receiving stage, At the picking stage, the vehicle body component or the work is placed on the work positioning means of the transport carriage, and the work body positioning means holds the body component or the work in the positioned state. From the work receiving stage to an assembly stage where the plurality of works positioned and held by the positioning means are joined to each other to assemble the car body parts, and then the transport carriage is assembled from the assembly stage. A method of transporting a vehicle body component, characterized in that the vehicle body component is circulated so as to return to the type switching stage through a delivery stage for delivering the vehicle body component to a predetermined position in the next step. 4. The transport carriage is circulated so as to pass through a separation stage before the transfer stage and a coupling stage after the transfer stage, and in the coupling stage, it is already mounted on the transport carriage. The other work positioning means is mounted so as to be coupled with the work positioning means, and the separation stage separates the other work positioning means from the existing work positioning means and transports the work. 4. The method for transporting vehicle body parts according to claim 3, wherein the workpiece positioning device is detached from the carriage, and the other work positioning means is fed from the separation stage to the joining stage on a route different from the transport carriage. 5. A single type switching stage is used together with a plurality of patrol routes of the carrier truck.
The method for transporting vehicle body parts according to claim 3 or 4.