JP2948348B2 - How to assemble a car body - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for assembling a vehicle body in which a vehicle body is unitized.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in the manufacture of automobiles, various attempts have been made to unitize the body or each part of the automobile in order to facilitate assembly work on an assembly line and reduce the number of work stations. Among them, as a unit that forms a vehicle body, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-235174, a vehicle body is formed by combining a front body having a dash panel to form an engine room, and a lower unit having a floor member. It is known that a body is divided into an upper unit body having a roof member and left and right body side panels, and these three bodies are connected to each other. In addition, actual opening 64-28
No. 77 discloses that a vehicle body is divided into a lower unit body and an upper unit body, and these two bodies are connected to each other.

[0003]

By the way, in the prior art described above, when the upper unit body and the lower unit body are connected, the upper unit body is brought close to the lower unit body so as to cover the lower unit body from above. Since the joints of the two bodies are joined with bolts and adhesives, both the bodies must always be kept in a predetermined state during the joining operation, and it is necessary to increase the number of joints. There is a problem that the joining work takes time.

In order to solve such a problem, the present inventors have divided the vehicle body into at least a lower unit body having a floor member and an upper unit body having a roof member and left and right body side panels. Then, a new vehicle body assembling method has been devised in which the lower unit body is inserted into the upper unit body relatively from the front side and the two unit bodies are assembled. In this method, since the relative insertion direction of the lower unit body (the front-rear direction of the vehicle body) and the support direction (the up-down direction) are different, the relative insertion of the lower unit body by the support structure and the like, and the assembly may be hindered. Not only that, the lower unit body can be supported by the support structure before the connection of the two unit bodies is completed. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to support the lower unit body until the work of connecting the lower unit body is completed. In addition, an adhesive can be easily used as a method of connecting the two bodies, and a fastening portion using a bolt or the like can be used. Can be reduced as much as possible.

However, when implementing such a method, there are the following problems. That is, in the upper unit body, before the relative insertion of the lower unit body, a cowl member for connecting the left and right body side panels is provided on the front side in advance, and the lower edge of the front window glass is supported by the cowl member. It is desirable to assemble the front window glass from the viewpoint of increasing the efficiency of the assembling work. Also, in the lower unit body, before the relative insertion of the lower unit body, it is necessary to assemble the instrument panel unit equipped with various instruments in the proper assembling position in advance from the viewpoint of improving the efficiency of the assembly work. Is desirable. However, if the cowl member is provided on the upper unit body before the lower unit body is relatively inserted, and the instrument panel unit is attached to the lower unit body in the proper position, this will occur when the lower unit body is relatively inserted. There is a problem that both interfere with each other.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing, and an object thereof is to provide a cowl member in an upper unit body and an instrument panel unit in a lower unit body before relative insertion of the lower unit body. In providing the lower unit body, the two should not interfere with each other during relative insertion of the lower unit body,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of assembling a vehicle body that can effectively increase the efficiency of an assembling operation.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of assembling a vehicle body, the method comprising assembling a vehicle body comprising at least a lower unit body having a floor member, a roof member and left and right members. The upper unit body is divided into the upper unit body having the body side panel, and the lower unit body is inserted into the upper unit body relatively from the front side to assemble the two unit bodies. In the upper unit body, a cowl member that connects the left and right body side panels at the front side thereof and that supports the lower edge of the front window glass is provided. Before the lower unit body is relatively inserted, an instrument panel unit is mounted on the lower unit body in advance, and the lower end of the center stay is rotatably mounted on a floor member of the lower unit body via a support shaft in a vertical direction. With this configuration, the instrument panel unit is movably attached downward from the regular assembly position, and the instrument panel unit is moved below the regular assembly position so as not to interfere with the cowl member when the lower unit body is relatively inserted. I do.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the instrument panel unit is provided on a floor member of the lower unit body via a support shaft at a position where the lower end of the center stay is located at the front end of the console box. Is mounted so as to be rotatable in the up-down direction, and is configured to be movable downward from a regular assembling position.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, as a vehicle body assembling method, a vehicle body is divided into at least a lower unit body having a floor member and an upper unit body having a roof member and left and right body side panels. It is premised that the lower unit body is inserted into the upper unit body from the front side thereof and the two unit bodies are assembled. In the upper unit body, a cowl member that connects the left and right body side panels at the front side thereof and that supports the lower edge of the front window glass is provided. Further, before the lower unit body is relatively inserted, the instrument panel unit is preliminarily inserted into the lower unit body, the center stay is divided into upper and lower parts, one end of the upper center stay is connected to the instrument panel member, and the other end is connected to the lower unit. By rotatably connecting via a support shaft to the upper end of the lower center stay erected on the floor member of the body, it is mounted movably downward from the regular assembling position. At the time of target insertion, the instrument panel unit is moved below a regular assembly position so as not to interfere with the cowl member.

Here, in the invention of claim 4, according to claims 1 to 3, the upper unit body is fixed, and the lower unit body is inserted and moved to assemble them. Conversely, in the invention of claim 5, in the above-mentioned claims 1-3, the lower unit body is fixed, and the upper unit body is inserted and moved to assemble both.

Further, according to the invention of claim 6, in the above-mentioned claim 1,
In Nos. 1 to 5, a seat is previously mounted on the floor member of the lower unit body, and the seat is laid down backward in advance before the assembling process.

[0012]

According to the above construction, in the invention of claims 1 to 6,
At the time of relative insertion of the lower unit body, the instrument panel unit attached to the lower unit body has been moved below the regular assembly position in advance to avoid interference with the cowl member provided on the upper unit body. Is done.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3 show an overall schematic structure of a vehicle body assembled by using a method of assembling a vehicle body according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle body 1 is divided into a lower unit body 2 having a front floor member 21 and an upper unit body 4 having a roof member 41, left and right body side panels 42, 42, and a rear floor member 43. The unit body 2 is connected to the upper unit body 4
To both sides of the unit body 2, 4
It is configured by assembling. After this assembly, an assembly body 9 is assembled to the vehicle body 1 by sub-assembling a power unit 5 such as an engine, a suspension 6 for each wheel, an exhaust device 7, a fuel tank 8, and the like.

The lower unit body 2 has, in addition to the front floor member 21, a dash panel 22 for separating an engine room and a vehicle compartment, and hood ledge panels 23, 23 forming side walls of the engine room. Become. A cowl box 24 is provided on the dash panel 22 so as to extend in the vehicle width direction, and accessories such as pedals 25 and a steering shaft 26 are attached to the dash panel 22 as shown in FIG. Further, a front side frame 27 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction is provided below the hood ledge panel 23, and a rear end of the front side frame 27 is connected to the dash panel 22.

The front floor member 21 has a honeycomb structure made of aluminum or the like as shown in FIG. 4 so as to be lightweight and have sufficient strength. , Two front seats (driver seat and passenger seat) 28, 28 are installed, and a console box 30 having a change lever 29 and the like is mounted between the front seats 28, 28.

Also, on the front floor member 21, FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 8, the lower end of the center stay 37 of the instrument panel unit 35 equipped with various instruments is rotatably mounted via a support shaft 39 at the front end of the console box 30. The instrument panel unit 35 includes an instrument panel member 36 as a support rod extending in the vehicle width direction.
A center stay 37 having an upper end connected to the center of the instrument panel member 36; and an instrument panel (abbreviation for instrument panel) 38 provided to cover the instrument panel member 36 and the center stay 37. It is movable about a shaft 39 between a regular assembling position (a position shown by a solid line in FIGS. 7 and 8) and an avoidance position below it (a position shown by a virtual line in FIGS. 7 and 8). It is attached to the lower unit body 2.

Then, such a lower unit body 2
After the upper unit body 4 and the assembly body 9 are assembled, the hood ledge panel 23
Fender panel 31 is attached to the outside of the engine hood, and the engine hood 3 covers the upper part of the engine room.
2 and the front bumper unit 33 are assembled.

On the other hand, each of the body side panels 42 of the upper unit body 4 has two front and rear door openings 4.
4 and 45 are provided, and the lower unit body 2 is provided.
After assembling, a front door 46 is attached to the front door opening 44 and a rear door 47 is attached to the rear door opening 45 so as to be openable and closable. The body side panel 42 includes a front pillar 48 forming a front edge of the door opening 44, a rear edge of the door opening 44, and the door opening 4.
5 includes a center pillar 49 forming a front edge portion, a rear pillar 50 forming a rear edge portion of the door opening 45, and a side sill 51 forming a lower edge portion of the door openings 44 and 45. I have.

As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the side sill 51 has a closed cross-sectional structure formed by extruding aluminum. Are formed integrally with each other in the longitudinal direction of the side sill 51 (that is, in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body). The two projecting pieces 52, 52 are provided with recesses 5 extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction together with the side surface of the side sill 51 on the vehicle interior side.
The side end of the front floor member 21 is inserted and fitted into the recess 53 from the front side and fixed with an adhesive 54.

A front opening 61, which is a lower unit body insertion port of the upper unit body 4,
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, a cowl member 62 is provided for connecting the front pillars 48, 48 of the left and right bodyside panels 42, 42, and a lower edge of the front window glass 63 is provided on the cowl member 62. Is supported.

FIG. 9 shows an apparatus used for assembling the lower unit body 2 and the upper unit body 4. This apparatus is arranged on an assembling base 11 and supports first and second upper units 4, and... Hangs and transports the upper unit body 4 and mounts the first and second units on the first and second supports 12. , And a slider 15 that can reciprocate on rails 14 provided on the mounting base 11.
, And second support bases 16,... Disposed on the slider 15 to support the lower unit body 2. Then, the slider 15 is moved from the position shown in FIG.
The lower unit body 2 on the slider 15 (the second support table 16) is inserted into the upper unit body 4 on the first support table 12 from the front side by moving the upper unit 4 to the first support table 12 side.

Next, a description will be given of a vehicle body assembling method in the case of the above-described vehicle body structure.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the lower unit body 2 and the upper unit body 4 are each assembled into a predetermined shape. At this time, the front opening 61 of the upper unit body 4
In the above, the lower edge of the front window glass 63 is supported on the cowl member 62 connecting the left and right bodyside panels 42, and the front window glass 63 is mounted. On the other hand, on the lower unit body 2 side, the lower end of the center stay 37 of the instrument panel unit 35 is
The instrument panel unit 35 is attached to the front floor member 21 via the connecting member 9. In assembling the instrument panel unit 35, the instrument panel unit 35 is set to an avoidance position (a position indicated by a phantom line in FIGS. 7 and 8) below a regular assembling position. Further, the seat back 28a of the front seat 28 installed on the front floor member 21 is folded down rearward, and the steering shaft 26 is moved around the support shaft 26a on the base end side (dash panel 22 side). Put it on 21. Thereafter, an adhesive 54 is applied to the inside of the recess 53 of the side sill 51 below the body side panel 42 in the upper unit body 4 and to the front edge of the rear floor member 43.

Subsequently, the side edge of the front floor member 21 of the lower unit body 2 is inserted and fitted from the front side into the recess 53 of the side sill 51 on the upper unit body 4 side. 2 is inserted between the left and right body side panels 42 of the upper unit body 4. At this time, the instrument panel unit 35 on the lower unit body 2 side has been previously moved to the avoidance position below the regular assembling position.
Since the seat back 28a and the steering shaft 26 of the front seat 28 are tilted on the front floor member 21, these members do not interfere with the cowl member 62 of the front opening 61 of the upper unit body 4. The lower unit body 2 can be inserted smoothly.

When the insertion is completed, the rear edge of the front floor member 21 engages with the front edge of the rear floor member 43 and is fixed via an adhesive. As a result, the left and right side edges and the rear edge of the front floor member 21 are both fixedly supported by the upper unit body 4, and the lower unit body 2 and the upper unit body 4 are assembled together. Thereafter, the instrument panel unit 35 is returned from the avoidance position to the regular assembling position. At this position, the left and right ends of the instrument panel member 36 of the instrument panel unit 35 are fixed to the cowl members 62 and the like, and the instrument panel unit 35 is brought into the regular assembly position. Assemble at the attachment position. The instrument panel member 36 of the instrument panel unit 35 supports the tip of the steering shaft 26.

In the case of such an assembling method, the direction in which the lower unit body 2 (the front floor member 21) is inserted (the front-rear direction of the vehicle body) and the direction in which the lower unit body 2 is supported by the engagement structure (the vertical direction) are different. Therefore, not only does the insertion of the lower unit body 2 and the assembling do not interfere with the engagement structure, but also the lower unit body 2 can be supported at the inserted position by this engagement structure. Therefore, unlike the related art, there is no need to support the lower unit body 2 until the work of joining the lower unit bodies 2 is completed, and an adhesive can be easily used as a method of joining the two unit bodies 2 and 4. ,
The number of fastening points by bolts and the like can be reduced as much as possible, and the assembling work can be facilitated and speeded up.

Further, before the lower unit body 2 is inserted, the instrument panel unit 35 is connected to the lower unit body 2.
In addition, the front window glass 63 can be attached to the upper unit body 4 respectively, and the assembly does not hinder the insertion of the lower unit body 2 and facilitates and speeds up the assembly work. Can be planned.

When the lower unit body 2 is inserted from the front side relative to the upper unit body 4, the upper unit body 4 is fixed as in the above-described embodiment, and the lower unit body 2 is moved rearward so as to approach the upper unit body 4. It goes without saying that the lower unit body 2 may be fixed, and the upper unit body 4 may be moved forward so as to approach the lower unit body 2 for insertion.

FIGS. 10 to 12 show modifications of the instrument panel unit used in the vehicle body assembling method of the present invention. In the case of this modification, the center stay that connects the center of the instrument panel member 36 of the instrument panel unit 35 to the floor member is divided into upper and lower parts, and one end of the upper center stay 71 (see the comparison with the center stay 37 in FIG. 6). Is connected to the instrument panel member 36, and the other end is rotatably connected to the upper end of a lower center stay 72 erected on the floor member 21 via a support shaft 73. The lower center stay 72 is a part 75 of an instrument panel provided detachably from the instrument panel body 74.
It is covered so as not to be exposed outside.

Prior to the relative insertion of the lower unit body, the lower end of the upper center stay 71 and the upper end of the lower center stay 72 are connected in advance, and the instrument panel unit 35 is assembled to the lower unit body. In this assembling, the instrument panel unit 35 is set to an avoidance position (a position shown by a virtual line in FIGS. 11 and 12) below the regular assembling position. After the lower unit body is relatively inserted, the instrument panel unit 35 is set at a regular assembling position (FIG. 1).
1 and the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 12), and the left and right ends of the instrument panel member 36 are fixed to the cowl member 62 and the like at that position. Thereafter, a part 75 of the instrument panel is mounted between the instrument panel unit 35 and the console box 30 with the lower center stay 72 covered from the vehicle interior side.

[0032]

As described above, according to the vehicle body assembling method according to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, the lower unit body is relatively inserted into the upper unit body from the front side to assemble the two unit bodies. The front window glass can be attached to the upper unit body beforehand and the instrument panel unit can be attached to the lower unit body before the lower unit body is relatively inserted, and the instrument panel unit is attached to the lower unit body when the lower unit body is relatively inserted. Interference with the cowl member on the unit body side can be prevented, so that the assembling work can be made easier and faster.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a vehicle body structure of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which accessories are removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an assembled state of a vehicle body.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an engagement structure between a front floor member and a side sill.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state when the lower unit body is inserted.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a mounting structure of the instrument panel unit.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a side view showing an apparatus used for assembling the lower unit body and the upper unit body.

FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 6, showing a modification of the instrument panel unit.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 10;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Body 2 Lower unit body 4 Upper unit body 21 Front floor member 35 Instrument panel unit 41 Roof member 42 Body side panel 62 Cowl member 63 Front window glass

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroaki Inoue 3-1, Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Inside Mazda Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-4-334665 (JP, A) JP-A-4 JP-A-334666 (JP, A) JP-A-2-254078 (JP, A) JP-A-4-303084 (JP, A) JP-A-63-176879 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. . ^6, DB name) B62D 65/00 B23P 21/00 303

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. The vehicle body is divided into at least a lower unit body having a floor member and an upper unit body having a roof member and left and right body side panels.
In a vehicle body assembling method in which the lower unit body is inserted into the upper unit body relative to the upper unit body from the front side thereof and the two unit bodies are assembled, the upper unit body is configured such that left and right body side panels are joined to each other at the front side. linked and has a cowl member for supporting the lower edge of the windshield, the instrument panel unit in advance the lower unit body before the relative insertion of the lower unit body, the Sentasu
Attach the lower end of the
By being mounted on the lower member so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, it is mounted so that it can be moved downward from the regular assembly position, and the instrument panel unit does not interfere with the cowl member when the lower unit body is relatively inserted. A vehicle body assembling method, wherein the vehicle body is moved below a mounting position of the vehicle body. 2. The instrument panel unit according to claim 1, wherein a lower end of the center stay is rotatably mounted in a vertical direction on a floor member of the lower unit body via a support shaft at a position of a front end of the console box. The vehicle body assembling method according to claim 1, wherein the method is configured to be movable downward from the mounting position. 3. The vehicle body has at least a floor member.
Lower unit body, roof member and left and right body support
Divided into an upper unit body with an id panel,
Connect the lower unit body to the upper unit body
Both unit bodies are inserted relatively from the front side
In the method of assembling an automobile body, the upper unit body is provided with left and right bodies at its front side.
Side panels and front windshield
A cowl member that supports the lower edge of the lower unit body.
The instrument panel unit in the
Divide the table into upper and lower parts and insert one end of the upper center stay
And connect the other end to the lower unit body.
At the upper end of the lower center stay erected on the floor member
By connecting rotatably via the support shaft, the regular assembly position
The lower unit body
When inserting the instrument panel, insert the instrument panel unit
Below the regular mounting position so as not to interfere with the cowl member
A method of assembling a vehicle body, comprising: 4. Leave fixing the upper unit body, according to claim 1-3 noise, characterized in that assembling the two by moving plug the lower unit body
An automobile body assembling method according to any one of the preceding claims. 5. Leave fixing the lower unit body, characterized in that assembling the two by moving plug the upper unit body according to claim 1-3 Neu
Body assembly method of the automobile of Zurekani described. 6. The seat according to claim 1, wherein a seat is mounted on the floor member of the lower unit body in advance, and the seat is laid down backward before the assembling step. A method for assembling a vehicle body according to any one of the claims.