JP5297362B2 - Car body assembly apparatus and body assembly method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device and a method for assembling a vehicle body of an automobile allowing reduction of a space required for assembling the vehicle body of the automobile and shortening of a cycle time. <P>SOLUTION: This device 10 includes a conveying device 12 for conveying a side panel W1, a positioning tool 14 for positioning the side panel W1 at a welding position, and a robot 16 for receiving the side panel W1 from the conveying device 12 and setting the side panel W1 to the positioning tool 14. The conveying device 12, the positioning tool 14 and the robot 16 are installed in an assembling station. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle body assembly apparatus and a vehicle body assembly method for assembling a vehicle body by welding and joining left and right side panels to other vehicle body components such as a floor and a roof.

  In general, an automobile body is assembled by joining a plurality of vehicle body components such as left and right side panels, floors, and roofs by welding using an assembly device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A conventional automobile body assembly apparatus that performs such assembly includes a set station that performs a setting process for setting a vehicle body component including a side panel, and a welding station that performs a welding process for welding the set vehicle body component. Prepared separately.

  In order to assemble an automobile body with the conventional automobile body assembly apparatus configured as described above, the body components are set (preset) with a preset jig at the set station, then transported to the welding station, and then transferred to the welding station. The vehicle body components are welded by the installed welding robot.

JP 2000-203472 A

  In the above-described conventional automobile body assembling apparatus, the setting process and the welding process of the vehicle body constituent members are performed at different stations, so that a large space is used for assembling the automobile body and equipment costs are high. Moreover, since it is necessary to convey the preset vehicle body component from the set station to the welding station, the cycle time is increased accordingly.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an automobile body assembly apparatus and body assembly method capable of reducing the space required for the assembly of an automobile body and reducing the cycle time. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle body assembly apparatus for assembling an automobile body by welding the left and right side panels to other vehicle body components such as a floor and a roof. An apparatus, a positioning jig that positions the side panel at a welding position, and a robot that receives the side panel from the conveying apparatus and sets the side panel on the positioning jig, the conveying apparatus, the positioning jig, and the robot Are installed in one assembly station.

  According to the above-described configuration of the present invention, the conveying device that conveys the side panel, the positioning jig for the side panel, and the robot that moves the side panel are arranged in one assembly station. It is possible to reduce the required space. Also, unlike the prior art in which the body component constituting member setting process and the welding process are performed at different stations, in the present invention, the body component constituting member setting process and the welding process are performed at one assembly station. Time can be shortened. Conventionally, the side panel is positioned by the transfer robot. However, in the present invention, since the positioning accuracy of the side panel is obtained by the positioning jig, the positioning of the side panel to the positioning jig by the robot is high. The accuracy is not required, the rigidity required for the robot and the handling jig attached to the robot can be reduced, the speed of the operation of the robot can be increased, and as a result, the cycle time can be shortened.

  Further, in the above-described automobile body assembly apparatus, the robot is a robot main body, a handling jig that is detachable from the robot main body, and that receives the side panel from the transfer device and sets the side panel on the positioning jig. The positioning jig is configured to hold the handling jig.

  According to the above configuration, since the handling jig is held by the positioning jig, there is no need to provide a place for the handling jig in another place, and accordingly, space can be saved. Also, in order to store the handling jig in the positioning jig, the side panel is held from the outside of the side panel (the side that becomes the outside of the vehicle body) by the handling jig. When loading, an extra operation such as reversing the side panel is unnecessary, and as a result, the cycle time can be shortened.

  Further, in the above-described automobile body assembly apparatus, the positioning jig includes a base portion, a plurality of brackets extending from the base portion, and a gripping mechanism provided at a tip portion of each bracket, A space is provided between the base portion and the gripping mechanism so that the handling jig can enter through a gap between the brackets.

  According to said structure, it is comprised so that a handling jig can enter a positioning jig through the clearance gap between brackets. Accordingly, a space for accommodating the handling jig in the positioning jig can be secured with a simple configuration.

  In the automobile body assembly apparatus, the robot may further include a welding gun that can be attached to and detached from the robot body.

  According to the above configuration, after the robot sets the side panel on the positioning jig, the handling jig can be changed to the welding gun to weld the vehicle body constituent members. That is, the robot has two functions of a transfer robot for transferring the side panel and a welding robot for welding the vehicle body constituent members. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of welding robots installed in the assembly station.

  The present invention also relates to a vehicle body assembly method for assembling an automobile body by welding the left and right side panels to other vehicle body structural members such as a floor and a roof, the robot body and the robot can hold the side panel, A robot having a handling jig that can be attached to and detached from the main body receives the side panel from a conveying device that conveys the side panel, and sets the received side panel to a positioning jig that positions the side panel at a welding position. Then, the handling jig is stored in the positioning jig to separate the handling jig from the robot body, and then the handling jig is stored in the positioning jig in the side A panel and the vehicle body component are welded together, and the positioning jig is connected to the side panel. Recovering said handling jig using said robot body after opening the, characterized in that.

  According to the above-described method of the present invention, unlike the conventional technique in which the setting process and the welding process of the vehicle body constituent member are performed in separate stations, the setting process and the welding process of the vehicle body structural member are performed in one assembly station. The cycle time of the assembly process can be shortened. Further, by storing the handling jig in the positioning jig, there is no need to provide a place for the handling jig in another place, and accordingly, space can be saved. Also, in order to store the handling jig in the positioning jig, the side panel is held from the outside of the side panel (the side that becomes the outside of the vehicle body) by the handling jig. When loading, an extra operation such as reversing the side panel is unnecessary, and as a result, the cycle time can be shortened.

  Further, in the above vehicle body assembling method, after the handling jig is housed in the positioning jig and the handling jig is separated from the robot body, the welding gun is attached to the robot body, and the welding gun The side panel and the vehicle body constituting member are welded to each other by the robot equipped with.

  According to the above method, after the robot sets the side panel to the positioning jig, the handling jig is changed to the welding gun and the vehicle body components are welded, so the number of welding robots installed in the assembly station can be reduced. Is possible.

  According to the automobile body assembling apparatus and the car body assembling method according to the present invention, the space required for assembling the automobile body can be reduced and the cycle time can be shortened.

1 is a partially omitted front view showing a first state of an automobile body assembly apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a partially-omission front view which shows the 2nd state of the assembly apparatus of the motor vehicle body which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a partially-omission front view which shows the 3rd state of the assembly apparatus of the motor vehicle body which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is an overall plan view showing an automobile body assembly apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating that the welding gun can be attached to and detached from the robot main body, and FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating that the handling jig can be attached to and detached from the robot main body. 6A is a view of the positioning jig viewed from the inside of the assembly station, and FIG. 6B is a view of the positioning jig holding the side panel viewed from the inside of the assembly station. 7A is a view of the positioning jig viewed from the A direction in FIG. 6A, and FIG. 7B is a view of the positioning jig in a state where the side panel is held viewed from the A direction in FIG. 6B.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of an automobile body assembly apparatus 10 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 3 are partially omitted front views showing an automobile body assembly apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an overall plan view showing the automobile body assembly apparatus 10. An automobile body assembly apparatus 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as “assembly apparatus 10”) is a facility for assembling an automobile body by welding the left and right side panels W1 to other vehicle body components W such as a floor W2 and a roof W3. It is.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the assembling apparatus 10 includes a conveying device 12 that conveys the side panel W <b> 1, a positioning jig 14 that positions the side panel W <b> 1 at a welding position, and a positioning of the side panel W <b> 1 from the conveying device 12. A robot 16 to be transferred to the jig 14 and welding robots 18 </ b> A to 18 </ b> E that perform welding on the vehicle body component W are provided, and these are installed in one assembly station 22. In FIGS. 1 to 3, the welding robots 18A, 18B, and 18E are not shown.

  The vehicle body constituting member W includes a body W4 constituting the core portion of the vehicle body, a side panel W1 constituting the side surface portion of the vehicle body, a floor W2 constituting the lower portion of the vehicle body, a roof W3 constituting the upper portion (ceiling portion) of the vehicle body, and the like. These are welded and joined by the assembling apparatus 10 and assembled as an automobile body.

  Note that the vehicle body constituting member W in the illustrated example is configured as a member for a truck vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for other types of vehicles such as a sedan type vehicle, a wagon type vehicle, and a high roof type vehicle. It may be configured as a member.

  On the lower side of the assembling apparatus 10, a station jig 24 and a body throwing apparatus 26 are installed. The station jig 24 is a jig for placing the vehicle body constituting member W. The body loading device 26 has a movable support portion 27 configured to be capable of horizontal reciprocation between the inside of the assembly station 22 and the outside of the assembly station 22, and a body W 4 is placed on the movable support portion 27. It is an apparatus for carrying the body W4 into the assembly station 22 and placing it at a predetermined position. It should be noted that the movable support portion 27 of the body loading device 26 in the illustrated example moves in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

  Above the station jig 24, the transfer device 12 described above is installed. The transport device 12 according to one configuration example includes a panel holding unit 30 capable of holding the left and right side panels W1, and a horizontal direction (perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1) of the panel holding unit 30 parallel to the movable support unit 27 described above. A transfer mechanism 32 that moves in a direction).

  The holding form of the side panel W1 by the panel holding unit 30 is not particularly limited, and may be suction, gripping, hanging by engagement, or the like. The configuration of the transfer mechanism 32 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a belt mechanism, a chain mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism, a linear motor, and a ball screw mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the robot 16 is disposed on both the left and right sides of the assembly station 22. Specifically, the handling jig 38 is held by the conveyance device 12 so that the robot 16 of the illustrated example can receive the side panel W1 from the conveyance device 12 by the handling jig 38 attached to the hand unit 37. It is installed on a support base 34 set to a length (height) that can reach the side panel W1.

  Each robot 16 includes a robot body 36 and a handling jig 38. The robot body 36 is configured as an articulated robot capable of three-dimensionally changing the position and posture of the hand unit 37 (tip portion), and the position of the hand unit 37 is controlled by a control unit (not shown). And the attitude is controlled. The handling jig 38 is configured to receive the side panel W <b> 1 from the transport device 12 and set it on the positioning jig 14.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the handling jig 38 is configured to be detachable from the robot body 36. Specifically, the handling jig 38 includes a jig main body 40 that can hold the side panel W <b> 1 and a jig-side connection portion 42 attached to the jig main body 40. The jig body 40 in the illustrated example is provided with support portions 44 and 45 on which the side panel W1 can be hooked, and the side panel W1 can be held by hooking the side panel W1 on the support portions 44 and 45. It is configured.

  Note that the jig body 40 is not limited to the configuration in the illustrated example, and may be configured to suck or grip the side panel W1. The jig side connection part 42 is configured to be detachable from the hand part 37 of the robot body 36. The hand portion 37 of the robot body 36 is configured to be able to hold and release the jig side connection portion 42.

  The size and shape of the handling jig 38 are appropriately set according to the size and shape of the side panel W1 to be held.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the robot 16 includes a welding gun 46 that can be attached to and detached from the robot body 36. For this reason, the welding gun 46 is provided with a gun-side connection portion 48 configured to be detachable from the hand portion 37 of the robot body 36. When the welding gun 46 is separated from the robot body 36, the welding gun 46 is placed on a gun place 47 (see FIG. 4) provided in the assembly station 22.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the welding gun 46 according to one configuration example is configured as a so-called C-type gun, and includes a C-shaped member 50, a movable electrode tip 51 provided at one end of the C-shaped member 50, and C It has a fixed electrode tip 52 provided at the other end of the shape member 50. Note that the welding gun 46 may be configured as a welding gun of another form such as an X-type gun.

  6A is a view of the positioning jig 14 when the side panel W1 is not held as viewed from the inside of the assembly station 22 (the station jig 24 side), and FIG. 6B holds the side panel W1. It is the figure which looked at the positioning jig 14 from the inside of the assembly station 22. 7A is a view of the positioning jig 14 when the side panel W1 is not held as viewed from the direction A in FIG. 6A, and FIG. 7B is a positioning jig when the side panel W1 is held. It is the figure which looked at the tool 14 from the A direction in FIG. 6B.

  As shown in these drawings, the positioning jig 14 has a movable frame 54 and a jig body 56 provided on the movable frame 54 on the station jig 24 side. The movable frame 54 is supported by a support frame 58 so as to be movable in a direction (B direction) approaching and separating from the station jig 24. Specifically, a slide mechanism 59 is constituted by a guide rail 59a provided on the upper surface of the support frame 58 and extending in the B direction, and a slide block 59b slidable along the guide rail 59a. The movable frame 54 is movable in the B direction by the mechanism 59.

  The movable frame 54 can be positioned at the “advance position” for positioning the side panel W1 at the welding position by being driven forward and backward in the B direction by a jig driving mechanism (not shown). It is possible to be positioned at a “standby position” that is a predetermined distance away from the assembly station 22 in the outer direction (the direction of arrow B2 in FIGS. 7A and 7B).

  The jig body 56 of the positioning jig 14 includes a base portion 60 extending in the vertical direction, a plurality of brackets 62 extending from the base portion 60 inward of the assembly station 22 (in the direction of arrow B1), and each bracket 62. And a plurality of clamp mechanisms (gripping mechanisms) 64 to 66 provided (fixed) at the front end of the head. The clamp mechanisms 64 to 66 are configured to be able to grip (hold) and release the vehicle body constituting member W.

  The clamp mechanism 64 is for gripping the side panel W1. For this reason, the arrangement position of the clamp mechanism 64 is set so that the side panel W1 can be gripped.

  The clamp mechanism 65 is for gripping both the side panel W1 and the floor W2 and positioning the relative positions of both members. For this reason, the arrangement position of the clamp mechanism 65 is set on the lower side of the jig body 56 so that the side panel W1 and the floor W2 can be held together.

  The clamp mechanism 66 is for gripping both the side panel W1 and the roof W3 and positioning the relative positions of both members. For this reason, the arrangement position of the clamp mechanism 66 is set on the upper side of the jig body 56 so that the side panel W1 and the roof W3 can be gripped together.

  Of course, the arrangement positions and the number of the clamp mechanisms 64 to 66 are not limited to the illustrated example, and can be appropriately set according to the shape, size, and the like of the vehicle body constituent member W to be gripped.

  In the jig body 56 of the positioning jig 14, the clamp mechanisms 65 and 66 may be omitted. In this case, the function of the clamp mechanism 65 is provided to a positioning jig (not shown) for the floor W2, and the clamp mechanism 65 is clamped. The function of the mechanism 66 may be provided in a positioning jig (not shown) for the roof W3.

  Alternatively, the positioning jig for the side panel W1, the positioning jig for the floor W2, and the positioning jig for the roof W3 are engaged with each other, for example, pins are inserted into the pin holes. The vehicle body constituting members W (side panel W1, floor W2 and roof W3) gripped by the positioning jigs are positioned relative to each other by mutual positioning of the frames. May be.

  Further, on the inner side (B1 side) of the assembly station 22 of the base portion 60, a support member 70 for supporting the side panel W1 and a position for positioning the side panel W1 with respect to the base portion 60 at a predetermined position. Positioning pins 72 are provided.

  In the jig main body 56, a space 69 for temporarily storing (detaining) the side panel W <b> 1 is provided between the clamp mechanisms 64 to 66 and the base portion 60. For this reason, the arrangement position and length of each bracket 62 are set such that a space 69 in which the side panel W1 can be accommodated is formed between the clamp mechanisms 64 to 66 and the base portion 60.

  In addition, a jig support portion 74 for supporting the handling jig 38 is provided on the inner side (B1 direction side) of the assembly station 22 of the base portion 60, up to the inner side of the jig main body 56. The handling jig 38 is configured to be held by the jig body 56 when a part of the handling jig 38 that has entered is caught on the jig support 74.

  Note that the jig support portion 74 may be omitted from the jig main body 56, and the bracket 62 may have the function of the jig support portion 74 instead. That is, the handling jig 38 may be configured such that the handling jig 38 is held by the jig body 56 when a part of the handling jig 38 (for example, the support portions 44 and 45) is caught by the bracket 62. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of (five in the illustrated example) welding robots 18 </ b> A to 18 </ b> E are disposed around the station jig 24 in the assembly station 22. Each welding robot 18 </ b> A to 18 </ b> E includes a robot main body 76 and a welding gun 78 fixed (attached) to the hand portion 77 of the robot main body 76. The configuration of the robot body 76 is configured as an articulated robot similar to the robot body 36 of the robot 16 described above. The welding gun 78 is configured as a C-type gun, similar to the welding gun 46 of the robot 16.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a roof transport robot 20 for positioning the roof W <b> 3 at a predetermined welding position is installed in the assembly station 22. The roof transport robot 20 includes a robot body 80 and a gripping portion 82 that is fixed (attached) to the hand portion 81 of the robot body 80 and grips the roof W3. The robot body 80 is configured as an articulated robot, similar to the robot body 36 of the robot 16 described above.

  The assembly apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is basically configured as described above, and the operation and effect thereof will be described below.

  In the assembly process of the automobile body in the assembling apparatus 10, as shown in FIG. 1, first, the left and right side panels W <b> 1 are conveyed above the station jig 24 by the conveying device 12, and the handling jig 38 is respectively transferred to the hand portion 37. The left and right robots 16 wearing the left and right side panels W1 receive the left and right side panels W1 with the handling jig 38 under the control action of a control unit (not shown). At this time, the positioning jig 14 stands by at a stand-by position outside the assembly station 22.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, each robot 16 sets the side panel W <b> 1 received from the transport device 12 on the jig body 56 of the positioning jig 14. That is, the robot 16 positions the side panel W1 at a predetermined position with respect to the jig body 56, and the clamp mechanism 64 of the jig body 56 grips the side panel W1, so that the side panel W1 is moved to the jig body 56. Is held and fixed at a predetermined position (see FIGS. 4, 6B and 7B).

  When the side panel W1 is gripped by the clamp mechanism 64, as shown in FIG. 7B, the side panel W1 is released from the handling jig 38, and the robot 16 places the handling jig 38 in the gap between the brackets 62. The handling jig 38 is separated from the side panel W <b> 1 by being moved to the back side of the jig body 56 through 69.

  Then, the handling jig 38 is held by the jig body 56. That is, in the present embodiment, the handling jig 38 is hooked on the jig support 74 provided on the back side of the jig main body 56. In FIG. 7B, the handling jig 38 held on the back side of the jig main body 56 is drawn with imaginary lines.

  When the handling jig 38 is held on the jig body 56, the robot 16 separates the handling jig 38 from the hand portion 37. As a result, the handling jig 38 is housed (detained) in the positioning jig 14 (specifically, the jig body 56). On the other hand, the robot body 36 with the handling jig 38 opened receives the welding gun 46 from the gun place 47 (see FIG. 4). That is, the robot main body 36 attaches the welding gun 46 to the hand portion 37 and starts preparation for welding.

  In parallel with the storage of the handling jig 38 in the positioning jig 14, the body W 4 is input into the assembly station 22 by the body input device 26 and the floor W 2 is input (loaded in) into the assembly station 22 by a floor input device (not shown). It is placed and fixed on the station jig 24.

  When the handling jig 38 is stored in the positioning jig 14, the positioning jig 14 holding the side panel W1 is moved inward of the assembly station 22 (in FIG. 7B) by the jig driving device (not shown). B1 direction) is moved to a predetermined advance position. Thereby, the side panel W1 is positioned at a predetermined welding position. FIG. 3 shows a state where the positioning jig 14 is on its way to the advanced position.

  When the side panel W1 is positioned at a predetermined welding position, the clamp mechanism 65 of the positioning jig 14 grips both the side panel W1 and the floor W2, thereby positioning the relative positions of both members. Next, the roof transport robot 20 presets the roof W3 to the body W4, and the clamp mechanism 66 of the positioning jig 14 grips both the roof W3 and the side panel W1, thereby positioning the relative positions of both members.

  When positioning has been completed for all the vehicle body constituent members W, welding is performed on a predetermined temporary hit point of the vehicle body constituent member W by the robot 16 equipped with the welding robots 18A to 18E and the welding gun 46. When the welding to the temporary hitting point is completed, the gripping (clamping) of the vehicle body constituent member W by the positioning jig 14 is released, and the positioning jig 14 is moved toward the outside of the assembly station 22 (direction B2 in FIG. 7B). Move and retract to the standby position.

  Further, when the robot 16 equipped with the welding gun 46 completes the welding of the welding location in charge, the welding gun 46 is returned to the gun place (the welding gun 46 is separated from the robot body 36). Then, the robot body 36 attaches the handling jig 38 housed in the positioning jig 14 that has returned to the standby position, and takes out the handling jig 38 from the positioning jig 14. The robot 16 to which the handling jig 38 is mounted again takes the side panel W1 to be used as the vehicle body constituting member W of the automobile body to be assembled next.

  On the other hand, in parallel with the operation in which the positioning jig 14 returns to the standby position or the operation in which the robot body 36 takes out the handling jig 38 from the positioning jig 14, all or a part of the welding robots 18A to 18E is subjected to a predetermined additional stroke. Weld the spot. When the welding for all the additional hit points is completed and the automobile body is assembled, the automobile body is unloaded from the assembly station 22 toward the next process station.

  According to the assembling apparatus 10 and the vehicle body assembling method according to the present embodiment described above, the conveying apparatus 12 that conveys the side panel W1, the positioning jig 14 for the side panel W1, and the robot 16 that moves the side panel W1 are one. Since it is disposed in the assembly station 22, it is possible to reduce the space required for the assembly of the automobile body.

  Further, unlike the prior art in which the setting process and the welding process of the vehicle body component member W are performed at different stations, the setting process and the welding process of the vehicle body component member W are performed at one assembly station 22, so that the cycle time of the assembly process Can be shortened.

  In addition, since the positioning accuracy of the side panel W1 is obtained by the positioning jig 14, a high positioning accuracy is not required for the setting of the side panel W1 to the positioning jig 14 by the robot 16, and the robot 16 and the handling attached thereto. The rigidity required for the jig 38 can be reduced, the speed of the operation of the robot 16 can be increased, and as a result, the cycle time can be shortened.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, by storing the handling jig 38 in the positioning jig 14, there is no need to provide a place for the handling jig 38 in another place, so that space can be saved accordingly. It is.

  Further, in order to store the handling jig 38 in the positioning jig 14, the side panel W1 is held by the handling jig 38 from the outside of the side panel W1 (the side that becomes the outside of the vehicle body). When the side panel W1 is transferred to the tool 14, an extra operation such as reversing the side panel W1 is unnecessary, and as a result, the cycle time can be shortened.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the space 69 into which the handling jig 38 can enter through the gap between the brackets 62 is provided between the base portion 60 and the clamp mechanisms 64 to 66. Since the handling jig 38 can enter the positioning jig 14 through the gap between the brackets 62 in this way, the handling jig 38 can be accommodated in the positioning jig 14 with a simple configuration. Space 69 can be secured.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the robot 16 sets the side panel W1 on the positioning jig 14, the handling jig 38 is changed to the welding gun 46 and the vehicle body component W is welded. That is, the robot 16 has two functions of a transfer robot for transferring the side panel W1 and a welding robot for welding the vehicle body constituent member W. Therefore, the number of welding robots installed at the assembly station 22 can be reduced.

  In the above description, the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Automobile body assembly apparatus 12 ... Conveyance apparatus 14 ... Positioning jig 16 ... Robot 18A-18E ... Welding robot 22 ... Assembly station 36, 76, 80 ... Robot main body 38 ... Handling jig 40, 56 ... Jig main body 46 78 ... Welding gun 62 ... Bracket 64, 65, 66 ... Clamp mechanism 69 ... Space W ... Car body component W1 ... Side panel W2 ... Floor W3 ... Roof W4 ... Body

Claims (4)

In an automobile body assembly apparatus that assembles an automobile body by welding the left and right side panels to other body components such as a floor and a roof,
A transport device for transporting the side panel;
A positioning jig for positioning the side panel at a welding position;
A robot that receives the side panel from the transfer device and sets the side panel on the positioning jig;
The transport device, said positioning jig and the robot is installed in one assembly station,
The robot includes a robot body, and a handling jig that is detachable from the robot body and receives the side panel from the transfer device and sets the side panel on the positioning jig.
The positioning jig is configured to be capable of holding the handling jig, and includes a base portion, a plurality of brackets extending from the base portion, and a gripping mechanism provided at a tip portion of each bracket. ,
A space is provided between the base portion and the gripping mechanism so that the handling jig can enter through a gap between the brackets.
An automobile body assembly apparatus characterized by the above. In the automobile body assembly apparatus according to claim 1 ,
The robot further includes a welding gun that can be attached to and detached from the robot body.
An automobile body assembly apparatus characterized by the above. In a vehicle body assembly method for assembling an automobile body by welding the left and right side panels to other vehicle body components such as a floor and a roof,
A robot having a robot body and a handling jig that can hold the side panel and is detachable from the robot body receives the side panel from a transport device that transports the side panel. , Set the side panel in a positioning jig for positioning the welding position,
Thereafter, the handling jig is housed in the positioning jig, and the handling jig is separated from the robot body,
Then, the side panel and the vehicle body component member are welded and joined in a state where the handling jig is housed in the positioning jig,
After the positioning jig has opened the side panel, the handling jig is collected using the robot body.
A method for assembling a vehicle body. The vehicle body assembly method according to claim 3 ,
After said handling fixture is accommodated in the positioning jig to separate the handling jig from the robot body, fitted with a welding gun to the robot body,
The side panel and the vehicle body constituent member are welded and joined by the robot equipped with the welding gun.
A method for assembling a vehicle body.

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