JP2649828B2 - Cover member assembly device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an assembling apparatus for a cover member, and more particularly, to an assembling unit capable of switching a cover holding surface to three positions, transferring the cover member, and applying a sealant. And a robot capable of performing the following.

(Prior art)

Generally, an engine cover that separates the engine and the transmission is mounted on the rear end face of the cylinder block.

When assembling the engine cover at the above-described engine cover assembling stage, the engine cover is usually transported in a horizontal position on a transport conveyor, and the engine cover is transferred onto a temporary mounting table. It is necessary to apply a sealant to the cylinder block, and then transport the engine cover from the horizontal position to the vertical position while assembling it to the cylinder block.

The application of the sealant is too simple to perform manually, but it is difficult to automate it because it is applied along the contour of the curved seal part. It is common to automate.

Therefore, it is also practical to arrange one robot on the engine cover assembly stage to execute the above-described series of operations.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In the above-described assembling apparatus, when one robot performs three operations of transfer operation, application operation, and assembly operation, at least a gripping tool detachably attachable to a robot hand and a sealant application. Since the nozzles must be prepared and these tools and nozzles must be replaced every time each operation is performed, there is a problem that the cycle time for assembling the engine cover becomes long.

On the other hand, when a plurality of robots share the above operations, the cycle time can be shortened, but the assembly device becomes expensive, which is not preferable in terms of equipment economy.

Therefore, it is conceivable to share the work with a robot and an automatic assembly device other than the robot, but it is difficult to provide the automatic assembly device with the function of switching the position of the engine cover and the function of assembling to the cylinder block, and the device is complicated. Therefore, if the sealant is applied while the engine cover is held in the vertical position, a problem of dripping of the applied sealant occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an engine cover assembling apparatus which is advantageous in terms of equipment economy and can efficiently assemble the engine cover in a short cycle time.

[Means for solving the problem]

The apparatus for assembling a cover member according to claim 1, wherein the cover holding surface for holding the engine cover has a first vertical position for receiving the engine cover, a second horizontal position for applying a sealant to the engine cover, and the engine. An assembling unit that can be switched to a vertical third position for assembling the cover to the engine; an engine cover is taken out of a storage portion that stores a plurality of the engine covers in a vertical position, and the assembling unit is transferred and the engine is mounted. And a robot for applying a sealant to the engine cover by a sealant application nozzle after the transfer of the cover.

The cover member assembling device according to claim 2, wherein the cover holding surface holding the cover member has a first vertical position for receiving the cover member, a second horizontal position for applying a sealant to the cover member, and a cover. An assembling unit that can be switched to a vertical third position for assembling the member to the engine, and a cover member that is taken out of a storage portion that stores a plurality of the cover members in a vertical posture, is transferred to the assembling unit, and is covered. And a robot for applying a sealant to the cover member by a sealant application nozzle after the transfer of the member.

[Action]

In the assembling apparatus of the cover member according to the first aspect, the cover holding surface of the assembling unit holding the engine cover has a first vertical position for receiving the engine cover and a horizontal position for applying a sealant to the engine cover. The engine cover, which is provided to be switchable between the second position and the vertical third position for mounting the engine cover to the engine, and which is stored in a plurality of storage units in the vertical position, is first taken out by the robot and is placed on the cover holding surface. It is transferred in a vertical position, then switched to a horizontal position, a sealant is applied by a sealant application nozzle mounted on a robot hand, and then switched to a vertical position and assembled into an engine.

As described above, the work of assembling the engine cover is shared between the assembling unit and the robot in accordance with the work content, and the assembling unit switches the position of the engine cover and assembles the engine. Not only the structure of the assembly unit is simplified, but also the cycle time for assembling the engine cover is shortened, and the assembly can be performed efficiently.

Moreover, since the robot only needs to be provided with the minimum functions required for transferring the engine cover and applying the sealant, an inexpensive robot having relatively little flexibility can be used. As described above, the assembling unit and the robot may have relatively simple structures, which is extremely advantageous in terms of equipment economy.

The cover member assembling device according to the second aspect is different from the first aspect only in that a cover member is assembled in place of the engine cover according to the first aspect. To play.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the cover member assembling apparatus according to claim 1, as described above, by providing the assembling unit capable of switching the work holding surface to the first to third positions, the assembling unit and the robot are provided. In this way, the work can be appropriately shared, and the cycle time for assembling the engine cover can be reduced.

The assembling unit has a structure that switches between a first position that is vertical to the cover holding surface, a second position that is horizontal, and a third position that is vertical,
The structure may be relatively simple, and the robot only needs to be able to hold the engine cover stored in the vertical position and transfer it to the vertical cover holding surface or apply a sealant. A simple structure having a relatively small degree of freedom may be used, so that the equipment cost can be kept low.

In addition, since the sealant is applied with the engine cover in a horizontal position, there is no problem of dripping of the sealant.

According to the cover member assembling device according to the second aspect, the only difference is that the cover member is assembled in place of the engine cover according to the first aspect. Has the effect of

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an engine cover assembling apparatus for assembling an engine cover for separating an engine and a transmission from a rear end surface of a cylinder block.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an engine cover assembling device (hereinafter referred to as a cover assembling device) 1 is installed at an intermediate portion of an engine assembling line 2, and a cylinder block 3 includes a piston and a crankshaft 3a. In a state where the cover assembling apparatus 1 is mounted on the pallet 4 in an inverted state, it is carried into an assembling station 5 on the left side of the cover assembling apparatus 1, and a cover supply table 7 is installed at a supply station 6 in the center of the cover assembling apparatus 1. The plurality of engine covers 8 are accommodated in two rows in a vertical posture in a storage case 9 placed on the cover supply table 7.

In the cover assembling device 1, the engine cover 8 is
After being conveyed to the assembling unit 16 on the left side of the cover assembling apparatus 1, a sealing agent is applied to the front end face 8 a thereof and assembled to the rear end face of the cylinder block 3.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the engine cover 8 is a plate-like member formed in a substantially semi-elliptical shape, and has a substantially central portion through which a rear end of the crankshaft 3a is inserted. 8b are formed, and positioning pins 12 projecting downward are respectively mounted at approximately three equally spaced positions on the lower end surface, and six bolt holes 8c are formed at substantially equal intervals on the outer peripheral portion thereof. An annular mechanical seal 11 with a lip is mounted on the inner peripheral portion.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in the center of the storage case 9, there is provided a left-right direction partition plate 14 for dividing the inside of the storage case 9 into a pair of front and rear storage portions 13. The holding plate 15 is fixed to the front and rear direction at predetermined intervals, and the engine cover 8 has the holding plate 15 with its front end face 8a facing right.
Plural pieces are stored in each storage part 13 while being held in a vertical posture therebetween.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover assembling device 1 seals the cover holding surface 62a for holding the engine cover 8 with the first vertical position for receiving the engine cover 8, and seals the engine cover 8 with the cover. The second horizontal position for applying the agent, the nozzle unit 17 for applying the sealant connected to the sealant supply device for the engine cover 8, and the engine cover 8 taken out of the storage case 9 and moved to the assembly unit 16. A robot 18 for mounting and applying a sealant to the engine cover 8 while holding the nozzle unit 17 after the transfer of the engine cover 8
And

As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 4, the robot 18 has a holding portion 19 for holding the engine cover 8 and the nozzle unit 17 and a transport for transporting the holding portion 19 in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. And a unit 20 and is configured as follows.

The transport unit 20 will be described.
In the rear part, a portal frame 21 extending between the supply station 6 and the coating station 10 is provided. A beam 22 extending in a cantilever manner forward is provided in the middle of the horizontal frame 21a of the portal frame 21 in the left-right direction. Supported movably in the direction
On the left side of the beam 22, a holding unit 19 is supported movably in the front-rear direction. The beam 22 is driven to move in the left-right direction by a driving device (not shown) provided at the right end of the horizontal frame 21a. A carriage 19A that supports 19 is driven to move in the front-rear direction by a driving device (not shown) provided at the rear end of the beam 22. The two driving devices are automatically controlled in a predetermined sequence by a control unit similar to the control means of a normal robot.

The holding section 19 includes a carriage 19A, a hand mechanism 23 that holds the engine cover 8 and the nozzle unit 17, and an elevating mechanism 24 that drives the hand mechanism 23 up and down.

The lifting mechanism 24 will be described.
24 is fixed to the left side of the carriage 19A, and the base plate 2
The support plate 26, which projects horizontally to the left, is located at the approximate middle of
An up-and-down cylinder 27 is set upright in the vicinity of the left end of the support plate 26 with its piston rod 27a facing downward, and is fixed to the support plate 26 near the front and rear sides of the up-and-down cylinder 27. A vertically oriented guide rod 29 is provided through which the inserted guide member 28 is inserted. The lower ends of the piston rod 27a and the guide rod 29 are supported by a support plate 26.
Is connected to the holding plate 30 disposed below the
2 is fixed to the lower end surface of the holding plate 30 and is guided vertically by a guide rod 29 by driving of a lifting / lowering cylinder 27, and extends between a rising position shown by a solid line in FIG. Is driven up and down.

The hand mechanism 23 will be described. A substantially flat connecting member 32 is disposed on each of the left and right sides of a casing 31 fixed to the lower end of a holding plate 30, and four sets of holding cylinders (shown in FIG. Abbreviation) is installed in the horizontal direction,
The piston rod 33 projects out of the left and right sides of the casing 31 and is fixed to the connecting member 32. A pair of left and right first hands 34 projecting rearward is fixed to the lower end of the connecting member 32. A pair of left and right second hands 35 projecting downward is fixedly attached, and the nozzle unit 17 and the engine cover 8 are driven by a holding cylinder to drive the first hand 34 and the second hand 35.
Are held respectively.

The nozzle unit 17 is held on a support 36 erected on the floor on the left side of the cover supply table 7 as follows.
Note that the nozzle unit 17 itself is a well-known existing unit, and therefore a detailed description is omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, a support member 37 protruding forward is fixed to the upper end of the column 36,
A support pin 37a protrudes upward in the vicinity of the front end of the support 37, and a receiving member 38 is supported in a cantilever shape toward the front at a middle portion of the support column 36. A pair of front and rear cups 39 for receiving the dripping sealing agent are attached. A connecting member 40 is fixed to an outer peripheral portion near the upper end of the main body member 17a of the nozzle unit 17, and a nozzle 17b for ejecting a sealant is protruded downward so as to be inserted into the cup 39 at a lower end portion of the main body member 17a. 17 is a connecting member
A support pin 38 is inserted through an insertion hole formed in the vicinity of the rear end of the support 40, and is held on the front side of the support 36. In addition, the nozzle unit 17 is attached to and detached from the column 36 by being driven downward and upward while the front end of the connecting member 40 is held by the first hand 34.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the assembling unit 16 is installed between the assembling station 5 and the cover supply table 7, and is supported on the support table 41 and the support table 41 so as to be movable left and right. A supporting frame 42, a receiving stand 43 erected on the upper right side of the upper surface of the supporting stand 41 and receiving the engine cover 8 from the robot 18;
A moving drive mechanism for moving and driving the frame 42 to the receiving position, the painting position, and the assembling position;
A holding unit 45 for holding the holding unit 45, a rotation driving mechanism for rotating the holding unit 45, and a positioning mechanism for positioning the cover holding surface 62a of the holding unit 45 at the first position, the second position, and the third position. Have.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the frame 42 is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross-section by front and rear side wall members 48a and 48b and a bottom plate member 49. The bottom plate member 49 is provided with four guide members 50 at the lower end surface thereof, and a pair of front and rear guide rails 51 provided on the upper surface of the support base 41 via the respective guide members 50. Along the right and left directions.

The receiving table 43 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a supporting plate 52 is erected and fixed on the upper right side of the supporting table 41, and a receiving table 53 is mounted on the upper end of the supporting plate 52. At the lower end thereof, a support portion 53a projecting leftward is provided, and an insertion hole 53b through which the positioning pin 12 can be inserted is formed upright at approximately three equally spaced positions in the front-rear direction of the support portion 53a,
An upright insertion groove 53c through which the lower end of the second hand 35 can be inserted is formed at the left end of the cradle 53, and the engine cover 8 has the front end face 8a facing rightward on the left side of the cradle 53 in a vertical posture. Is held.

The moving driving mechanism will be described. The moving driving mechanism moves the holding unit 45 right and left over a position where the engine cover 8 is transferred to the holding unit 45 and a position where the engine cover 8 is attached to the cylinder block 3 from the holding unit 45. It is for moving and driving. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, an assembling cylinder 54 oriented in the left-right direction is fixed to a substantially middle portion of the right end face of the support plate 52, and the piston rod 54a extends through the support plate 52. A pressing cylinder 55 extending in the left-right direction is fixed to the left center of the bottom plate member 49 at a substantially central portion of the upper left portion thereof, and the piston rod 55a extends rightward to the right of the piston rod 54a via the connecting member 56. The frame 42 is connected to the left end, and the frame 42 is
It is driven to move from a coating position shown by a solid line in the drawing to an assembling position shown by a two-dot chain line, and is driven to move from the coating position to a receiving position shown by a one-dot chain line by driving the pressing cylinder 55.

Describing the above-mentioned rotation drive mechanism, the rotation drive mechanism is for rotating the holding unit 45 holding the engine cover 8 to selectively switch the first position, the second position and the third position. . As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7,
The shaft members 57a and 57b facing in the front-rear direction are rotatably supported via bearings at positions corresponding to the substantially middle portion of the receiving table 53 on the left portion of each of the side wall members 48a and 48b. The holding unit 45 is connected and supported between the inner ends of the
An actuator 58 is provided on the right end of the front end face of the front end 48a, and a rotational drive shaft 58a in the front-rear direction of the actuator 58 is mounted on the shaft member 57a so as to be relatively non-rotatable. It is driven to rotate about 180 ° around 57a and 57b. The actuator 58 has a general configuration including a pair of upper and lower cylinders 59 and a conversion mechanism for converting the driving force of the cylinder 59 in the vertical direction into the rotating force of the rotation drive shaft 58a.

The holding unit 45 is described above. The holding unit 45 has a cover holding surface 62a for holding the engine cover 8, and is driven by a rotation mechanism, a positioning mechanism, and a movement drive mechanism to be used for assembling the engine cover 8. . As shown in FIG. 5 (however, FIG. 5 shows a state in which the holding unit 45 is in the third position for assembling the engine cover 8) and FIG. 6, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 61 is formed by two shaft members 57a. A substantially flat holding plate 62 is fixed to the left end surface of the casing 61, and a pair of positioning pins 63 projecting leftward from the left end surface of the holding plate 62.
The engine cover 8 is held upside down on the cover holding surface 62a on the left end surface of the holding plate 62 by inserting positioning pins 63 into a pair of bolt holes 8c at the lower end thereof.

A housing hole 64 is formed substantially in the center of the casing 61 and the holding plate 62 in a front-rear direction, and a cap-shaped holding sleeve 65 projecting to the left of the holding plate 62 is formed in the housing hole 64 so that the opening thereof is directed to the right. A holding portion 65a is formed at the left end of the holding sleeve 65 so as to be able to be inserted into the mechanical seal 11, and is fitted to the right end surface of the casing 61. A pushing rod that extends rightward and penetrates substantially the center of the lid member 66
The pressing rod 67 is fixed between the end wall portion 65a and the lid member 66.
Is provided with a spring member 68 composed of a compression coil spring, and the holding sleeve 65 is always provided to the left via the pressing rod 67 and the spring member 68.

The positioning mechanism will be described. This positioning mechanism is used to position the cover holding surface 62a of the holding unit 45 at a first position on the right side, a second position on the upper side, and a third position on the left side. Things. Figures 5 to 7
As shown in the figure, a first block 69 that can contact the lower end surface of the holding plate 62 at the third position is provided on the upper surface of the bottom plate member 49.
And a second block 70, which can contact the lower end surface of the holding plate 62 at the first position, is fixed upright at predetermined intervals on the left and right sides, and a positioning cylinder 7 is provided on the rear end surface of the side wall member 48b.
1 is provided in the left-right direction, its piston rod 71a extends horizontally to the left through the guide member 72 provided on the side wall member 48b, and the rear end of the shaft member 57b penetrates the side wall member 48b. A locking member 73 that extends rearward and has a locking portion 73a that can contact the left end of the piston rod 71a is fixed to the shaft end. When switching the cover holding surface 62a from the first position to the second position, the cylinder 71 and the locking member 73
For holding the holding unit 45, when the cover holding surface 62a is in the third position, the second position, and the first position as shown in FIG. The position of the chain line and the position of the chain line are held. When the holding unit 45 is turned by the turning drive mechanism as shown by a solid line in FIG. 6, the lower end surface of the holding plate 62 abuts on the first block 69, and the cover holding surface 62a extends vertically to the third position. 6 and rotated clockwise 180 ° in FIG. 6 from that position, the lower end of the holding plate 62 abuts on the second block 70 as shown by a two-dot chain line, and the cover holding surface 62a is It is held in the first position. Then, the engine cover 8 is attached to the cover holding surface 62a.
Then, with the piston rod 71a of the cylinder 71 extended, the holding unit 45 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG.
When rotated 90 °, the locking portion 73a comes into contact with the tip of the piston rod 71a, and the cover holding surface 62a is positioned at the second position.

Next, the operation of the cover assembling apparatus 1 will be described.

First, in order to transfer the engine cover 8 to the cover holding surface 62a, the storage case 9 is moved by the second hand 35 of the robot 18.
The engine cover 8 housed in the vertical position is taken out and transported above the receiving stand 43, and the positioning pin 12 is inserted into the insertion hole 53b by the lowering of the second hand 35, and is held at a predetermined position of the receiving stand 53. You. Then, the holding unit 45 is rotated by the actuator 58, the cover holding surface 62 is switched to the vertical first position, and the pressing cylinder 55 is driven to move to the receiving position together with the frame 42. At this time, the engine cover 8 held by the support 53 is
Are inserted into the bolt holes 8c and positioned, and the holding portion 65a is inserted into the seal 11 and held on the cover holding surface 62a.

Next, in order to apply the sealant to the front end surface 8a of the engine cover 8, the holding unit 45 is moved to the application position and the cover holding surface 62a is switched to the second horizontal position. It is held horizontally with the surface 8a facing upward. Then, the sealant is applied to the front end surface 8a of the engine cover 8 by the nozzle unit 17 removed from the support 36 by the first hand 34 of the robot 18.

Next, in order to mount the engine cover 8 on the rear end face of the cylinder block 3, the cover holding surface 62a is switched to the third vertical position, and the engine cover 8 is held vertically with the front end face 8a facing left. The cylinder block 3 is driven to the assembling position by the driving of the assembling cylinder 54 and assembled to the rear end face of the cylinder block 3. At this time, the holding sleeve 65 is pushed rightward against the spring 68 at the rear end of the crankshaft 3a and retreats, and the rear end of the crankshaft 3a is inserted into the seal 11 so that the engine cover 8 Is mounted on the cylinder block 3. After the engine cover 8 is assembled, the cylinder block 3 is conveyed to a bolting station at the rear, where bolts are fastened to the bolt holes 8c by a multi-axis nut runner.

As described above, according to the engine cover assembling device of the present embodiment, the cover holding surface 62a can be switched between the first position, the second position, and the third position by rotating about the rotation axis. By providing the assembling unit 16 having a relatively simple structure having the holding unit 45, a series of operations of assembling the engine cover 8 can be optimally shared between the robot 18 and the assembling unit 16 to shorten the cycle time. Automatic assembly of the engine cover 8 can be efficiently performed.

Since the engine cover 8 can be stored in the storage case 9 in a vertical position, the storage efficiency is better than in the case where the engine cover 8 is stored in a horizontal position.
Since the transfer is carried out in the vertical position, the useless function of the robot 18 can be omitted and its structure can be simplified, and the sealant is applied with the engine cover 8 in the horizontal position, so that dripping of the sealant can be prevented. I can do it.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 is a plan view of a cover assembling apparatus, FIG. 2 is a front view of the same, FIG. 3 is an outer view of an engine cover, and FIG. 4 is a main part of a robot. Side view, fifth
FIG. 6 is a plan view of a cutout of a main part of the assembly unit, FIG. 6 is a front view of a cutout of a main part of the assembly unit, FIG. 7 is a rear view of the assembly unit, and FIG. It is a principal part cross-sectional plan view of a holding unit. 1 ... cover assembling device, 3 ... cylinder block, 8 ...
... Engine cover, 9 ... Storage case, 13 ... Storage section,
16: Assembly unit, 17: Nozzle unit, 18: Robot, 45: Holding unit, 62a: Cover holding surface.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A cover holding surface for holding an engine cover has a first vertical position for receiving the engine cover, a second horizontal position for applying a sealant to the engine cover, and a structure for attaching the engine cover to the engine. An assembling unit that can be switched to a vertical third position, an engine cover is taken out of a storage portion that stores a plurality of the engine covers in a vertical position, and the assembling unit is transferred and the engine cover is transferred to the engine cover. An assembly device for a cover member, comprising: a robot for applying a sealant by a sealant application nozzle. A cover holding surface for holding the cover member; a first vertical position for receiving the cover member; a second horizontal position for applying a sealant to the cover member; and a second position for attaching the cover member to the engine. An assembling unit that can be switched to a vertical third position, a cover member that is taken out of a storage portion that stores a plurality of the cover members in a vertical position, is transferred to the assembling unit, and is transferred to the cover member after the transfer of the cover member. An assembly device for a cover member, comprising: a robot for applying a sealant by a sealant application nozzle.