JP2861529B2 - Conveyor for engine assembly - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an engine assembling transfer device used in an engine assembling line such as an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of engine assembling transfer apparatus uses a transfer train that runs along guide rails installed on a floor surface, and is rotatable about a vertical axis on the train. It is provided with an engine supporting turntable.

In an engine body assembly line, a transport train is moved to, for example, a head assembly station with a cylinder block supported on a turntable in advance, and a cylinder head is assembled on the top of the cylinder block. Thereafter, the transport train is moved to the next, for example, a manifold assembling station, where the turntable is appropriately rotated to assemble the manifold to a required side surface of the cylinder block.

[0004]

The above-described conventional engine assembling transfer device has a configuration in which an engine supporting turntable is provided above a transfer train running on the floor surface. In the case where the cylinder head is assembled to the cylinder block in the engine assembly line, the mounting position of the cylinder head is considerably higher than the floor surface, resulting in poor workability. In addition, when assembling a manifold or the like to the side surface of the cylinder block, the operator can assemble at a certain place by rotating the turntable, but since the transport train itself has a considerable width, The distance between the cylinder block on the table and the worker became longer, and the workability was also poor in this regard.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an engine assembling transfer device which can solve the above-mentioned conventional problems. A frame 3 suspended from a transport train 1 running along a guide rail 2 is indicated by a reference numeral.
A horizontal support 4 rotatably connected to the machine frame 3 about a horizontal axis X parallel to the train traveling direction; and an engine rotatably supported by the horizontal support 4 about a vertical axis Y. And a support turntable 5.

In implementing the apparatus of the present invention having the above configuration,
The horizontal support 4 can be connected to the machine frame 3 so as to be able to move up and down.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a conveyor which travels along a guide rail 2 installed on the ceiling side of an engine assembly factory. It is a train for business. The transport train 1 includes a driving trolley 7 and a driven trolley 8 disposed in front and rear of the traveling direction.
Each of the trolleys 7 and 8 includes a trolley body 9 provided with a wheel 10 for rolling on the upper surface of the guide rail 2 and a vertical shaft roller 11 for steadying the guide rail 2 therebetween. Is mounted with an electric motor (including a reduction gear) 12 for rotationally driving the wheels 10, and a power supply line 14 attached to a side surface of the guide rail 2.
A current collecting unit 13 is provided so as to be in sliding contact with the electric motor 12, and power is supplied from the power supply line 14 to the electric motor 12 and other control devices via the current collecting unit 13.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a machine frame suspended from the transport train 1, which is formed by mounting a machine frame body 15 inside one of the front and rear frames of a rectangular frame-shaped outer frame 16.
Are vertically connected to the lower end of the trolley body 9 of the drive trolley 7 and the lower end of the trolley body 9 of the driven trolley 8, respectively.
The drive trolley 7 and the driven trolley 8 which are hung relatively rotatably around the guide rail 7 and which are connected by the machine frame 3 can travel along the horizontal curved path of the guide rail 2.

On the machine frame body 15 of the machine frame 3, a horizontal support 4 is supported in a cantilever manner via an elevating frame 20 so as to be positioned in an outer frame 16 having a rectangular frame shape. Horizontal support 4
Is integrally connected to the lower end of a vertical support frame 18 rotatable around the horizontal axis X in the front-rear direction via the rotary drive means 21 on the elevating frame 20, and together with the vertical support frame 18, an L-shaped support frame is provided. 19 are formed. The turntable 5 is rotatably supported around the vertical axis Y on the horizontal support table 4 via the rotation driving means 22, and the engine support attachment 6 is mounted on the turntable 5.

As the rotation driving means 21 and 22, an air drive system or a mechanical drive system can be appropriately selected and adopted as required in addition to the electric system. In the case of an electric system, a direct drive motor, an AC servo motor (including a pulse motor), a geared motor with a brake, etc. can be used. The air drive system includes, for example, a high rotor system, and the machine drive system includes a Geneva system. A guide roller type can be used.

The lift frame 20 is supported by the machine frame body 15 via a lift drive mechanism 23 so as to be able to move up and down. The elevating drive mechanism 23 is attached to the elevating frame 20, a rotation driving means 24 provided on the upper side of the machine frame body 15, a vertically extending ball screw shaft 25 which is rotated and driven by the driving means 24. A lifting block 27 screwed to the ball screw shaft 25 and non-rotatably guided and supported by a guide rod 26 provided on the machine frame body 15 side. 25
As a result, the lifting frame 20 moves up and down, so that the horizontal support 4 moves up and down. This rotation driving means 24
For example, an electric drive unit such as a servomotor (including a pulse motor) or a motor with a brake by an inverter control system, or an air drive type rotary drive unit such as an air motor with a brake can be used.

In the engine assembling and transporting apparatus having the above-described structure, as shown in FIG. 1, a cylinder block CB of an engine body is attached to a turntable 5 on a horizontal support 4 by an engine supporting attachment 6 and a required clamp (see FIG. 1). (Not shown), the transport train 1 is moved along the guide rail 2 to, for example, a head assembling station, where an assembling worker stands on one of the left and right sides of the horizontal support 4. , The cylinder head CH can be assembled. At this time, since the horizontal support 4 is at a low position near the floor F, the cylinder block CB
Even if the height of the cylinder head CH itself is high, the height from the floor surface F to the top of the cylinder block CB supported on the turntable 5 is low, so that the assembling work of the cylinder head CH is facilitated.

When a manifold, for example, is mounted on a required side surface of the cylinder block CB supported on the turntable 5 in the same manner as described above, the rotation driving means 22 is operated, and the position of the cylinder block CB where the manifold is mounted is determined by the worker. Can be performed by rotating the turntable 5 around the vertical axis Y by an appropriate angle so as to be close to. At this time, there is no transport train traveling on the floor near the feet of the worker, and the worker is right beside the horizontal support 4 supported by the machine frame 3 suspended from the transport train 1,
Since it is located at a close distance to the cylinder block CB, the work of assembling the manifold becomes very easy.

On the other hand, for example, when the cylinder block CB is large and its height is very high, and it is difficult to assemble the cylinder head CH when the horizontal support 3 is used as shown in FIG. It is sufficient that the horizontal support 3 is rotated by an appropriate angle around the horizontal axis X in the front-rear direction by the setting 21 so that the top of the cylinder block CB is at an appropriate low position.

Although only the cylinder head CH is assembled to the cylinder block CB, the same operation as described above can be performed, for example, when the oil pan OP is assembled to the bottom of the cylinder block CB.
That is, in assembling the oil pan OP, the top side of the cylinder block CB may be supported on the turntable 5 by the attachment 6 in advance.

[0016]

According to the transfer device for engine assembly of the present invention which can be implemented as described above, the horizontal support having the turntable for supporting the engine to be assembled runs while being guided by the guide rail. It is suspended from the transport train. Therefore, the working position with respect to the engine becomes sufficiently low with respect to the floor surface, and the assembling worker works directly beside the horizontal support in the train traveling direction, that is, at a close distance to the engine on the horizontal support. It can be carried out. Therefore, workability can be significantly improved.

Further, since the horizontal support is rotatable around the horizontal axis with respect to the machine frame, for example, when the cylinder head is mounted on a large and tall cylinder block, the horizontal support is appropriately rotated. By lowering the cylinder head assembling position to the required height, the assembling operation can be easily performed at a low position.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the height of the turntable for supporting the engine can be adjusted according to the height of the worker and the working area of the mounted engine, and the workability is further improved. Can be done.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a transfer device for engine assembly according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyance train 2 Guide rail 3 Machine frame 4 Horizontal support stand 5 Turntable 21 Rotation drive means 22 Rotation drive means 23 Elevation drive mechanism X Front-back direction horizontal axis Y Vertical axis

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A transport train that travels along a guide rail.
A frame suspended from the frame, a horizontal support rotatably connected to the frame about a horizontal axis parallel to the train traveling direction, and a rotatable support for the vertical support on the horizontal support.
And a turntable for supporting the engine . 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal support is connected to the machine frame so as to be able to move up and down.
It is sintered, the transport device for an engine assembly according to claim 1.