JP6258811B2 - Suspension assembly assembly method, suspension assembly, and suspension assembly assembly facility - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for assembling a suspension assembly to a vehicle body.

The suspension assembly includes, for example, a torsion beam extending in the vehicle width direction, a trailing arm extending from the torsion beam in the vehicle longitudinal direction, a connecting portion provided at an end portion of the trailing arm, and an elastic member built in the connecting portion. And the connecting portion is connected to the vehicle body via the elastic member.
Various techniques for attaching such a suspension assembly to a vehicle body have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1 (FIGS. 7 and 8)).

Patent document 1 is demonstrated based on the following figure.
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the basic principle of the prior art. As shown in FIG. 10A, a vehicle body 103 indicated by an imaginary line is conveyed by a hanger 102 suspended from an overhead conveyor 101. FIG. The suspension assembly 104 is temporarily fixed (temporarily attached) to the vehicle body 103, and the suspension assembly 104 reaches directly above the lift device 105.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, which is an enlarged view of part b of FIG. 10A, the end of the trailing arm 107 is connected to the bracket 106 on the vehicle body 103 side by a bolt. However, the nut 109 is in an unfastened state at this time.

  In FIG. 10A, the suspension assembly 104 hangs until the spring force of the spring 111 called a suspension spring balances with the weight of the suspension assembly 104. This state is called a full rebound state, and this position is called a “full rebound position”.

  The share of the weight of the completed vehicle (about ¼ of its own weight) is supported by the spring 111 contracting. That is, the spring 111 is contracted to maintain a balance between the spring force and the own weight. From this equilibrium state, the trailing arm 107 swings up and down according to the unevenness of the road surface. Therefore, in the completed vehicle, the spring 111 is contracted in advance and set in an equilibrium state.

Therefore, in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 10C, the trailing arm 107 is lifted in advance by the lift device 105. When the trailing arm 107 reaches a predetermined position, the nut 109 is strongly tightened in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10E, the lift device 105 is lowered. Thus, the vehicle body 103 can be moved to the next process.

  By the way, the vehicle body 103 is simply placed on the hanger 102. If a downward external force is applied to the vehicle body 103, the external force is supported by the hanger 102. If an upward external force is applied to the vehicle body 103, the vehicle body 103 is lifted from the hanger 102 depending on the magnitude of the external force.

In FIG. 10 (c), the vehicle body 103 is considerably lighter than the completed vehicle because the interior and the outfitting have not been completed. Therefore, when lifted by the lift device 105, the vehicle body 103 is lifted by the reaction force of the spring 111.
Although not described in Patent Document 1, a vehicle body lifting prevention jig 112 is provided as a countermeasure.

  However, it is desired that the elastic member (compliance bush) is not twisted at the stage of the completed vehicle without taking measures against the vehicle body lifting.

JP 2001-10563 A

  This invention makes it a subject to provide the technique which can be assembled | attached in the state which a twist does not generate | occur | produce in an elastic member (compliance bush) at the completion vehicle stage.

The invention according to claim 1 is a method of assembling a suspension assembly to a vehicle body,
Mounting the suspension assembly on a support jig by a first transport means;
The elastic member provided inside the connecting portion provided at the end of the trailing arm included in the suspension assembly generates a twist corresponding to the weight of the vehicle body on the support jig. A process of
And a step of fastening and assembling the suspension assembly to the vehicle body while the twist is applied to the elastic member by relatively moving the suspension assembly by a second conveying member .

The invention according to claim 2 is a method for assembling the suspension assembly according to claim 1,
The step of generating the twist includes a step of fixing the shaft so that the shaft inside the elastic member does not rotate, and a step of pushing down the trailing arm until the suspension assembly is in a full rebound state.

The invention according to claim 3 is a method for assembling the suspension assembly according to claim 2,
The step of fixing the shaft is performed with a support jig,
The step of pushing down the trailing arm is performed by relatively twisting the shaft.

The invention according to claim 4 includes a trailing arm and an elastic member built in a connecting portion provided at an end of the trailing arm, and the connecting portion is connected to the vehicle body via the elastic member. Related to the suspension assembly,
A suspension assembly assembly facility for assembling the suspension assembly to the vehicle body,
First conveying means for mounting the suspension assembly on a support jig;
On the support jig, torsion generating means for generating a torsion corresponding to the weight of the vehicle body on the elastic member,
Second conveying means for relatively moving the suspension assembly to the assembly position of the vehicle body with the twist applied to the elastic member;
Fastening means for fastening the connecting portion to the vehicle body using a fastener .

The invention according to claim 5 is an assembly facility for the suspension assembly according to claim 4,
The elastic member has a built-in shaft,
This shaft is provided with a grip portion formed by cutting out at the outer peripheral portion .

In the invention according to claim 1, the elastic member is twisted by its own weight corresponding to the weight of the vehicle body, and the suspension assembly is fastened and assembled to the vehicle body in this state. In a state where the weight of the completed vehicle is applied, the elastic member can be in a state in which no twist is generated.
No upward external force is applied to the vehicle body when and after the suspension assembly is fastened and assembled to the vehicle body. As a result, the suspension assembly can be assembled without using the vehicle body lifting prevention jig.

  In other words, the elastic member (compliance bush) can be assembled in a state where no twist is generated at the stage of the completed vehicle.

  In the invention according to claim 2, the step of generating twist includes a step of fixing the shaft so that the shaft inside the elastic member does not rotate, a step of pushing down the trailing arm until the suspension assembly is in a full rebound state, Consists of. Fixing the shaft can be easily performed. It is also easy to push down the trailing arm. Therefore, the method of the present invention can be easily performed.

  In the invention according to claim 3, the step of fixing the shaft is performed by a support jig, and the step of pushing down the trailing arm is performed by relatively twisting the shaft. The shaft can be easily fixed with a support jig. The energy required for the elastic member can be stored by relatively twisting the shaft.

In the invention according to claim 4, the suspension assembly assembling equipment for assembling the suspension assembly to the vehicle body includes the first transport means for mounting the suspension assembly on the support jig, and the weight of the vehicle body on the elastic member on the support jig. A torsion generating means for generating a torsion corresponding to its own weight load, a second conveying means for relatively moving the suspension assembly to the assembly position of the vehicle body, and fastening for fastening the connecting portion to the vehicle body using a fastener. Means. The supporting jig, the first conveying means, the twist generating means, the second conveying means, and the fastening means can all be configured easily, and the assembly equipment for the suspension assembly can be simplified.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, the shaft built in the elastic member of the connecting portion of the suspension assembly is provided with a grip portion that is formed by notching the outer peripheral portion of the shaft. The existing suspension assembly only needs to be cut out, and no significant design changes are required for the suspension assembly. An increase in the cost of the suspension assembly can also be suppressed.

It is a perspective view of a suspension assembly. It is an exploded view of a suspension assembly. FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. FIG. 5 is a view taken in the direction of arrow 5 in FIG. 4. It is a side view of the support jig concerning the present invention. It is a basic composition figure of the assembly equipment of a suspension assembly concerning the present invention. It is a figure explaining a fixing process and a pushing-down process. It is a figure explaining the process of assembling a suspension assembly to a vehicle body. It is a figure explaining the basic principle of the prior art.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are viewed in the direction of the reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the suspension assembly 10 includes an H-shaped suspension arm 12 in plan view, and springs 13 and 13 and dampers 14 and 14 attached to the suspension arm 12.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the suspension arm 12 includes a torsion beam 15 extending in the vehicle width direction and trailing arms 16, 16 extending from the end of the torsion beam 15 in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

Connecting portions 30 and 30 connected to the vehicle body by bolts 17 and nuts 18 as fasteners are provided at ends (in this example, tip portions) of the trailing arms 16 and 16.
Brake drums 19 and 19 are rotatably provided at other ends (rear ends in this example) of the trailing arms 16 and 16.

Further, a plate-like spring receiving portion 21 is integrally formed at a corner portion between the torsion beam 15 and the trailing arm 16. The spring receiving portion 21 is provided with a through hole 22.
A spring mount member 23 is attached so as to close the through hole 22, and a lower portion of the spring 13 is attached to the spring mount member 23.

  As shown in FIG. 4 which is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3, the connecting portion 30 includes an outer cylinder 31 fixed to the end of the trailing arm 16, a shaft 32 corresponding to the inner cylinder, and the shaft. 32 and an elastic member 33 passed between the outer cylinder 31. The elastic member 33 is bonded to the outer cylinder 31 and the shaft 32 by a vulcanization bonding method or the like. Both ends of the shaft 32 protrude from the outer cylinder 31 and the elastic member 33, and a grip portion 34 is provided at the protruding portion.

  The elastic member 33 is also called a compliance bush and elastically deforms. Although it is slight, it allows the wheel to move back and forth and contributes to improving the ride comfort.

  As shown in FIG. 5 which is a view taken in the direction of arrow 5 in FIG. 4, the gripping portions 34 and 34 can be easily formed by linearly cutting a circular arc surface of a cylinder. This kind of notch is called “double chamfering” because the gripping portions 34, 34 are formed of two planes parallel to each other. Since it is widely implemented, the processing cost does not increase.

  In FIG. 4, since the elastic member 33 serves as a cylindrical spring, when the shaft 32 is twisted relative to the outer cylinder 31, strain energy is accumulated in the elastic member 33.

Next, the structure of the support jig that supports the suspension assembly 10 described above and includes twist generating means will be described.
As shown in FIG. 6, the support jig 40 includes a pallet 41, a support 42 standing on the pallet 41, a movable piece 43 arranged corresponding to the support 42, and a bracket 44 via a bracket 44. A laterally moving cylinder 45 provided horizontally to move the movable piece 43, a cylinder 48 standing on the pallet 41 and extending the piston rod 46 upward, and a piston rod extending upward on the pallet 41 and extending the tip of the trailing arm 16. A pull-down cylinder 49 to be pulled down, a hook 51 to be attached to the piston rod of the pull-down cylinder 49, a receiving portion 52 to be attached to the piston rod 46, and a pointed pin 53 are provided.

  A rectangular gripping portion storage portion 54 is cut out at the upper corner of the column 42. When the movable piece 43 is advanced by the lateral movement cylinder 45 in a state where the grip portion 34 of the shaft 32 is stored in the grip portion storage portion 54, the shaft 32 is fixed by the movable piece 43 and the grip portion storage portion 54. Can do.

  Although the operation will be described with reference to FIG. 8 described later, the column 42 and the receiving portion 52 serve to support the suspension assembly 10, and the column 42, the movable piece 43, the lateral movement cylinder 45, the cylinder 48, and the lowering cylinder 49 are The twist generating means 50 is configured.

Next, the structure of the assembly equipment for the suspension assembly will be described.
As shown in FIG. 7, the suspension assembly assembly facility 70 (hereinafter abbreviated as assembly facility 70) is configured to mount the suspension assembly 10 on the support jig 40 waiting at the position P <b> 2. Means 71 are provided. The first conveying means 71 is preferably a robot. As described with reference to FIG. 6, the support jig 40 also has the twist generating means 50.

The vehicle body 72 is transported to an assembly position by a hanger 74 that moves along ceiling rails 73 and 73 extending in the front and back direction in FIG.
The assembly facility 70 further includes second transport means 75 that relatively moves the suspension assembly 10 to the assembly position P3 of the vehicle body 72. The second conveying means 75 includes, for example, a self-propelled carriage 76, a pantograph link 77 provided on the self-propelled carriage 76, and a lifting plate 78 supported by the pantograph link 77. A support jig 40 is placed.

  Further, the assembling facility 70 includes fastening means 79. The fastening means 79 includes, for example, a robot 81 and a nut runner 82 provided at the tip of the robot 81.

Next, the process of fixing the shaft of the present invention and the process of pushing down the trailing arm will be described.
As shown in FIG. 8A, the spring receiving portion 21 is placed on the receiving portion 52 that is positioned at a predetermined height by the cylinder 48, and the shaft 32 is placed on the rectangular gripping portion accommodating portion 54. Thus, the suspension assembly 10 is supported by the support jig 40. Next, the movable piece 43 is moved forward and sandwiched between the gripping portion storage portion 54 and the movable piece 43 so as to sandwich and hold the gripping portion 34 (fixing step).
Next, the hook 51 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the tip of the torsion beam 16.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, the lowering cylinder 19 is contracted. The cylinder 48 also contracts synchronously. As a result, the trailing arm 16 is pushed up so as to rotate counterclockwise around the shaft 32 (pushing-down process).

  In this pressing process, the shaft 32 does not rotate. That is, the shaft 32 does not rotate, but the trailing arm 16 rotates by an angle θ. Thus, strain energy is stored in the elastic member (FIG. 4, reference numeral 33). In the push-down process, the trailing arm 16 is lowered until the elastic member is twisted by its own weight load corresponding to the weight of the vehicle body.

  The above fixing process and pushing-down process are collectively called a twisting process. This twisting process is preferably performed at a position P2 shown in FIG. However, the twisting process may be performed anywhere as long as it is between position P2 and position P3.

The lift plate 78 is raised at a position P3 in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9A, the connecting portion 30 is inserted into the vehicle body side bracket 84. At this time, the grip portion 34 of the shaft 32 is continuously fixed by the support column 42 and the movable piece 43, and the shaft 32 cannot be rotated.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the bolt 17 is passed through the vehicle body side bracket 84 and the shaft 32, and the nut 18 as a fastener is applied to the bolt 17 with a nut runner (FIG. 7, reference numeral 82). Screw in. Both ends of the shaft 32 are restrained by the vehicle body side bracket 84, and a frictional force of a predetermined value or more is generated. As a result, even if the support column 42 and the movable piece 43 were removed, there was no concern that the shaft 32 would rotate. Therefore, the support post 42 and the movable piece 43 are removed from the shaft 32.

Next, the lever 57 described in FIG. 8B is removed from the spring receiving portion 21. As a result, the trailing arm 16 tries to return from FIG. 8B to FIG.
The trailing arm 16 is fixed at the pushed-down position by the lowered left end cylinder 49.

  That is, FIG. 9C shows a form in which the suspension assembly 10 is assembled to the vehicle body 72, and the weight of the vehicle body 72 is added to the elastic member 33 in advance without taking measures against the vehicle body lifting as described in the prior art. Since it can be assembled to the vehicle body in a state in which a twist corresponding to its own weight load is generated, it is possible to realize a state in which the elastic member is not twisted in the self-weight state after the fitting process.

The method of the present invention can be summarized as follows.
First, according to the method of the present invention, the elastic member 33 provided in the end portion of the trailing arm 16 included in the suspension assembly 10 is provided with an elastic load 33 corresponding to the weight of the vehicle body 72. A step of generating twist, and a step of fastening and assembling the suspension assembly 10 to the vehicle body 72 while the twist is applied to the elastic member 33. The process of generating the twist is as described in FIG. The assembling process is as described with reference to FIG.

  Further, the step of generating twist includes a step of fixing the shaft 32 so that the shaft 32 inside the elastic member 33 does not rotate, and a step of pushing down the trailing arm 16 until the suspension assembly 10 is in a fully rebound state. . The fixing process is as described in FIG. 8A, and the pressing-down process is as described in FIG.

In the embodiment, the suspension arm 12 includes the torsion beam 15, but the present invention can be applied to a configuration in which the torsion beam 15 is not included.
Moreover, the support jig 40 may change the structure shown in the Example suitably. The same applies to the twist generating means 50, the first conveying means 71, the second conveying means 75, and the fastening means 79.

  The present invention is suitable for a technique for assembling a suspension assembly to a vehicle.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Suspension assembly, 16 ... Trailing arm, 17 ... Bolt as a fastener, 18 ... Nut as a fastener, 30 ... Connection part, 32 ... Shaft, 33 ... Elastic member, 34 ... Gripping part, 40 ... Supporting jig 50, twist generating means, 70, assembly equipment for the suspension assembly, 71, first conveying means, 72, vehicle body, 75, second conveying means, 79, fastening means.

Claims (5)

A method for assembling a suspension assembly to a vehicle body,
Mounting the suspension assembly on a support jig by a first transport means;
The elastic member provided inside the connecting portion provided at the end of the trailing arm included in the suspension assembly generates a twist corresponding to the weight of the vehicle body on the support jig. A process of
A suspension assembly comprising: a step of relatively moving the suspension assembly by a second conveying member and fastening the suspension assembly to the vehicle body while the twist is applied to the elastic member. Method. A method for assembling a suspension assembly according to claim 1,
The step of generating the twist includes
Fixing the shaft so that the shaft inside the elastic member does not rotate;
A method of assembling the suspension assembly, the method comprising: pushing down the trailing arm until the suspension assembly is in a fully rebound state. A method for assembling a suspension assembly according to claim 2,
The step of fixing the shaft is performed with a support jig,
The step of pushing down the trailing arm is a method for assembling a suspension assembly, wherein the shaft is relatively twisted. A trailing arm and an elastic member built in a connecting portion provided at an end of the trailing arm, and the suspension is connected to the vehicle body via the elastic member.
  A suspension assembly assembly facility for assembling the suspension assembly to the vehicle body,
  First conveying means for mounting the suspension assembly on a support jig;
  On the support jig, torsion generating means for generating a torsion corresponding to the weight of the vehicle body on the elastic member,
  Second conveying means for relatively moving the suspension assembly to the assembly position of the vehicle body with the twist applied to the elastic member;
  A suspension assembly assembling facility comprising fastening means for fastening the connecting portion to the vehicle body using a fastener. An assembly facility for a suspension assembly according to claim 4,
The elastic member has a built-in shaft,
This shaft is an assembly facility for a suspension assembly that includes a gripping portion that is cut out on the outer periphery .

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