JP7303636B2 - Vehicle assembly equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to vehicle assembly equipment.

In the vehicle assembly process, various parts are assembled to the vehicle body while the vehicle body is being transported. Specifically, the assembly process usually includes trim lines for assembling instrument panels and wire harnesses to the vehicle body, chassis lines for assembling underbody parts such as engine units and rear suspension units to the vehicle body, and seat and seat belt assembly lines for the vehicle body. A final line is provided for assembling, etc. On the trim line and final line, pallets and slat conveyors convey the car body at a height near the floor surface. ).

For example, in the vehicle assembly facility shown in Patent Document 1 below, a painted vehicle body is transferred from an overhead conveyor (first transport mechanism C1 and second transport mechanism C2) to a first slat conveyor S1, Various parts are attached to the vehicle body while the vehicle body is conveyed by the slat conveyor S1.

JP-A-4-354632

In the case of the above-mentioned vehicle assembly equipment, it is necessary to remove the car body from the carrier of the transfer line (overhead conveyor) and transfer it onto the slat conveyor. This has resulted in an increase in size and cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to reduce the size and cost of a vehicle assembly facility.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a vehicle assembly facility comprising a transfer line for carrying a vehicle body mounted on a carrier, and an assembly line for assembling parts to the vehicle body, wherein the assembly line comprises: , a vehicle assembly facility which has a mobile base serving as a scaffolding for workers, carries the vehicle body mounted on the carrier into the assembly line, and integrates the carrier on which the vehicle body is mounted with the mobile base. I will provide a.

As described above, in the vehicle assembly facility of the present invention, the vehicle body mounted on the carrier is carried into the assembly line, and the carrier is integrated with the movable table provided on the assembly line. This eliminates the need for a large-scale transfer device that removes the car body from the carrier of the transfer line and transfers it to a moving table (such as a pallet) of the assembly line, thereby reducing the size and cost of the equipment.

The carrier of the transfer line preferably runs on rails provided below the vehicle body. Since the rail can be installed at a relatively low position, such a transport line is advantageous in terms of installation cost and maintainability compared to overhead conveyors in which the rail is installed on the ceiling. Further, in this case, since the carrier can be arranged at a relatively low position, it can be easily arranged at substantially the same height as the pallet serving as a foothold for the worker, and the carrier and pallet can be easily integrated.

As described above, the vehicle assembly facility of the present invention does not require a large-scale transfer device for transferring the vehicle body from the transfer line to the assembly line, so that the size and cost of the facility can be reduced. .

1 is a plan view of a vehicle assembly facility according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. (A) is a plan view of a trim line pallet, and (B) is a front view of the same pallet as seen from the transport direction. It is the side view which looked at the carrier of the conveyance line from the width direction. It is a top view of the said carrier. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing how a carrier and a vehicle body are carried into and out of a trim line; FIG. 4 is a side view showing how the carrier and the vehicle body are brought into the trim line; FIG. 8 is a side view showing a state in which the elevating rail is lowered from the state in FIG. 7; It is a top view which shows the state which integrated the pallet and the carrier. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. 9; (A) is a plan view of a pallet according to another embodiment, and (B) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the pallet and a carrier are integrated. FIG. 12 is a plan view of a trim line using the pallet of FIG. 11;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle assembly facility according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a trim line 100 as a first assembly line, a chassis line 200 as a second assembly line, and a final line as a third assembly line. 300, and a transfer line 400 for transferring the painted vehicle body W and carrying it out to the next process (for example, an inspection process) via each line 100, 200, 300.

On the trim line 100, a worker assembles parts such as an instrument panel and glass to the vehicle body W while transporting the vehicle body W at a height near the floor surface. The trim line 100 has a plurality of pallets 110 as a moving table serving as a foothold for workers, pallet transport rails 120 on which the pallets 110 travel, and pallet driving means 130 for driving the pallets 110 . On the trim line 100, the vehicle body W is conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.

The pallet 110 has a pallet body 111 and a plurality of wheels 112 provided on the bottom surface of the pallet body 111, as shown in FIG. A groove 113 opening toward the upstream side (left side in FIG. 2A) is provided in the center of the pallet body 111 in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2A).

The pallet transport rail 120 is formed in a loop shape as shown in FIG. and a curved rail 123 connecting the ends of 122 . A large number of pallets 110 are arranged side by side in the conveying direction on the outbound rail 121 and the inbound rail 122 .

The pallet drive means 130 has a roller 131 and a motor 132 that drives the roller 131 to rotate, as shown in FIG. 2B, for example. The pallet 110 is conveyed downstream by rotating the roller 131 with the motor 132 while the roller 131 is pressed against the pallet body 111 . In this embodiment, the pallet driving means 130 collectively conveys a plurality of pallets 110 downstream. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, among the pallets 110 on the outgoing rail 121 on which the vehicle body W is mounted, the pallet 110 on the most upstream side is driven by the pallet driving means 130, and the pallet 110 is pushed out. After that, the pallets 110 on the outgoing rail 121 are collectively conveyed downstream. Similarly, among the pallets 110 on the return rail 122, the pallet 110 on the most upstream side is driven by the pallet drive means 130 so that the pallet 110 on the return rail 122 after this is pushed out to the downstream side of the pallet 110 on the return rail 122. transported in batches to the side. The pallet 110 on the curved rail 123 is conveyed by separate driving means (not shown).

On the chassis line 200, a worker assembles an engine unit, a rear suspension unit, etc. to the vehicle body W from below while transporting the vehicle body W at a predetermined height. The chassis line 200 has a conveying means 210 for conveying the vehicle body W at a predetermined height, and transfer devices 220 and 230 for carrying the vehicle body W into and out of the conveying means 210 . The conveying means 210 is composed of, for example, an overhead conveyor. The transfer devices 220 and 230 are composed of robot arms, for example.

In the final line 300, a worker attaches parts such as a seat and a seat belt to the vehicle body W while transporting the vehicle body W at a height near the floor surface. The final line 300 has a plurality of pallets 310 as a moving table serving as a foothold for workers, pallet transport rails 320 on which the pallets 310 travel, and pallet driving means 330 for driving the pallets 310 . The specific configurations of the pallet 310, the pallet conveying rails 320, and the pallet driving means 330 of the final line 300 are the same as those of the pallet 110, the pallet conveying rails 120, and the pallet driving means 130 of the trim line 100. , the description is omitted.

The transport line 400 has a carrier 410 on which a vehicle body is mounted, a carrier transport rail 420 on which the carrier 410 runs, and a carrier drive means 430 (see FIG. 5) that transports the carrier 420 downstream.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the carrier 410 includes a carrier body 411, wheels 412 provided below the carrier body 411, load bars 413 provided downstream and upstream of the carrier body 411, and It has wheels 414 provided below and a vehicle body support portion 415 provided above the carrier body 411 . The load bar 413 is attached to the carrier body 411 via a joint 416 so as to be able to swing vertically and widthwise (see dotted lines in FIGS. 3 and 4).

The carrier transport rail 420 is provided below the vehicle body, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the carrier transport rail 420 of the present embodiment includes a first rail 421 for transporting the vehicle body W unloaded from the painting process to the trim line 100, and a second rail 421 provided on the trim line 100. A rail 422, a third rail 423 for transporting the vehicle body unloaded from the trim line 100 to the final line 300 through the vicinity of the chassis line 200, a fourth rail 424 provided on the final line 300, and the final line 300. and a fifth rail 425 for conveying the vehicle body carried out from the above to the next process. Each rail 421-425 has the same cross-sectional shape.

In this embodiment, the downstream end of the first rail 421 and the upstream end of the second rail 422 are different in height (see FIG. 7), and there is a height between both rails 421 and 422 between them. A lifting device 440 having a lifting rail 441 is provided. Similarly, between the downstream end of the second rail 422 and the upstream end of the third rail 423 , between the downstream end of the third rail 423 and the upstream end of the fourth rail 424 , between the downstream end of the fourth rail 424 and the third rail 424 . A lifting device 440 is provided between the upstream end of the 5-rail 425 (see FIG. 1). The lifting rail 441 has the same cross-sectional shape as the first to fifth rails 421 to 425 described above.

The carrier driving means 430 has a roller 431 and a motor 432 that drives the roller 431 to rotate, as shown in FIG. 5, for example. The carrier 410 is conveyed downstream by rotating the roller 431 with the motor 432 while the roller 431 is pressed against the carrier main body 411 or the load bar 413 . The carrier driving means 430 are provided at predetermined intervals in the transport direction, for example, at a pitch slightly shorter than the transport direction length L (see FIG. 3) of the carrier 410 .

A method of transporting a vehicle body in the above-described vehicle assembly facility will be described below.

The vehicle body W painted in the painting process is mounted on the vehicle body support portion 415 (see FIG. 3) of the carrier 410 on the first rail 421 of the transfer line 400, and is mounted on the carrier 410 and this by the carrier driving means 430. The vehicle body W is integrally conveyed downstream.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6 , the carrier 410 with the vehicle body W mounted thereon is carried into the trim line 100 along the first rails 421 . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the carrier 410 with the vehicle body W mounted thereon is conveyed to the elevating rail 441 that is continuous with the downstream end of the first rail 421 and stopped on the elevating rail 441 . Along with this, the empty pallet 110 is conveyed to the downstream side of the lifting device 440 and stopped. In this state, the elevating rail 441 is lowered to connect the elevating rail 441 to the second rail 422 as shown in FIG. After that, the carrier driving means 430 (see FIG. 5) transports the carrier 410 downstream, and the pallet 110 and the carrier 410 are integrated as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the carrier main body 411 is fitted into the groove 113 provided in the pallet main body 111, and the pallet main body 111 and the carrier main body 411 are connected by connecting means (not shown). By restricting the relative movement of the two in the transport direction, they can be transported integrally.

Thereafter, while the pallet driving means 130 transports the pallet 110 and the carrier 410 forward, a worker standing on the pallet 110 assembles various parts to the vehicle body W on the carrier 410 . At this time, the parts box 140 (see FIG. 1) is set on the pallet 110 . The parts box 140 contains parts to be assembled to the vehicle body W on the pallet 110 on which the parts box 140 is set. In the illustrated example, the parts box 140 is mounted on the empty pallet 410 before the vehicle body W with the parts assembled is carried out and the next new vehicle body W is carried in.

When the pallet 110, the carrier 410, and the car body W reach near the downstream end of the second rail 422, the pallet 110 and the carrier 410 are disconnected, and the pallet 110 continues to be conveyed downstream, and the carrier 410 and the car body W is stopped on the lifting rail 441 continuous with the downstream end of the second rail 422 . Then, after the elevating rail 441 is raised and connected to the third rail 423, the carrier 410 and the vehicle body W are transported downstream along the third rail 423 by the carrier driving means 430 and unloaded from the trim line 100 ( See Figure 6).

After that, as shown in FIG. 1 , the carrier 410 and the vehicle body W unloaded from the trim line 100 are transported along the third rail 423 and stopped near the transfer device 220 on the chassis line 200 . Then, the transfer device 220 removes the vehicle body W from the carrier 410 on the third rail 423 and transfers it to the transfer means 210 of the chassis line 200 (see arrow 201). Then, while the vehicle body W is being transported by the transport means, an operator assembles parts such as an engine unit and a rear suspension unit from below onto the vehicle body W (see arrows 202 and 203). Then, the vehicle body W to which each part is assembled is transferred from the transfer means 210 to the carrier 410 on the third rail 423 by the transfer device 230 (see arrow 204).

After that, the carrier 410 and the vehicle body W are conveyed along the third rail 423 and brought into the final line 300 . A method of connecting the carrier 410 and the pallet 310 on the final line 300, a method of transporting them, and a method of carrying in the parts box 340 are substantially the same as those of the trim line 100, so description thereof will be omitted. The vehicle body W on which the parts have been assembled on the final line 300 is conveyed along the fifth rail 425 to the next process (for example, an inspection process).

As described above, in the vehicle assembly facility according to the present embodiment, the vehicle body W transported by the transport line 400 is carried into the assembly line (the trim line 100 and the final line 300) while being mounted on the carrier 410. The pallets 110 and 310 are connected and integrated. As a result, there is no need to remove the vehicle body W from the carrier 410 and transfer it to a pallet or the like, so a large-scale transfer device such as a robot arm or a drop lift is not required, and the size and cost of the equipment can be reduced. .

Further, by connecting the pallets 110, 310 and the carrier 410 and conveying them in an integrated state, the driving means can be simplified as compared with the case where they are separately conveyed. In this embodiment, in the trim line 100 and the final line 300, the pallet driving means 130, 330 transport the pallet 110, 310 and the carrier 410 as an integrated product. No need to set. In other words, the second rail 422 and the fourth rail 424 of the carrier transport rail 420 need not be provided with the carrier driving means 430 .

In addition, in the present embodiment, since the carrier transport rail 420 of the transport line 400 is provided below the vehicle body W, compared to a transport line in which a rail is provided above the vehicle body like an overhead conveyor, the carrier transport rail Installation and maintenance of 420 and carrier driving means 430 are facilitated. In addition, since the carrier 410 is provided at a relatively low position, it can be easily arranged at substantially the same height as the pallets 110 and 310 serving as footholds for workers on the trim line 100 and the final line 300. , 310 is facilitated.

The invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below, but descriptions of the same points as those of the above-described embodiments will be omitted.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, carrier 410 is mounted on pallet 110 on trim line 100 . Specifically, the pallet 110 is provided with rails 114 . In the illustrated example, the rail 114 is provided at the center of the pallet body 111 in the width direction. In the illustrated example, rails 114 are provided over the entire length of the pallet body 111 in the conveying direction. The rail 114 has the same cross-sectional shape as the carrier transport rail 420 of the transport line 400 . As shown in FIG. 11B, the carrier 410 is mounted on the pallet 110 by fitting the wheels 412 of the carrier 410 onto the rails 114 of the pallet 110 . In this case, the second rail 412 (see FIG. 1) provided on the trim line 100 of the above embodiment for running the carrier 410 can be omitted.

Further, wheels 417 as auxiliary support portions are provided on the vehicle body support portion 415 of the carrier 410 shown in FIG. 11(B). The wheels 417 are provided on both sides of the carrier body 411 in the width direction. With the carrier 410 mounted on the pallet 110, the wheels 417 are brought into contact with the upper surface of the pallet 110, so that the vicinity of both ends in the width direction of the vehicle body support portion 415 of the carrier 410 is supported from below via the wheels 417. The support of the vehicle body W can be stabilized.

FIG. 12 shows a method of loading and unloading the carrier 410 on the trim line 100 using the pallet 110 of FIG. First, the pallet 110 is arranged on the downstream side of the first rail 421 of the transfer line 400, and the first rail 421 and the rail 114 of the pallet 110 are connected. Then, the carrier 410 on which the vehicle body W is mounted is conveyed along the first rail 421, transferred to the rail 114 of the pallet 110 and stopped, and the pallet 110 and the carrier 410 are connected by a connecting means (not shown) to be integrated. (see arrow A). After that, the pallet 110 on which the vehicle body W and the carrier 410 are mounted is moved in the width direction (see arrow B), and the worker standing on the pallet 110 is conveyed in the directions of arrows C, D and E by the pallet driving means. assembles various parts to the vehicle body W.

Then, when the pallet 110 reaches the downstream end of the return rail, the rail 114 of the pallet 110 and the third rail 423 are connected. In this state, the connection between the pallet 110 and the carrier 410 is released, and the carrier 410 and the vehicle body W mounted thereon are carried out from the rail 114 of the pallet 110 to the third rail 423 (see arrow F). After that, the empty pallet 110 is moved in the width direction, and the rail 114 of this pallet 110 and the first rail 421 are connected (see arrow G).

By connecting the rails 114 of the pallet 110 and the carrier transport rails 420 (the first rail 421 and the third rail 423) of the transport line 400 in this way, the carrier 410 can be moved to the pallet without the need for a lifting device or the like. It can be mounted on and integrated with 110 . In particular, in this embodiment, since the rails 114 are open on both sides of the pallet 110 in the transport direction, the carrier transport rails 420 can be continued on either side in the transport direction. As a result, the direction in which the carrier 410 is carried into the pallet 110 (see arrow A in FIG. 12) can be made different from the direction in which the carrier 410 is carried out from the pallet 110 (see arrow F in FIG. 12). As a result, the flexibility of the layout of the trim line 100 is increased, and the space of the equipment can be further reduced.

It should be noted that the pallet 110 shown in FIG. 11 and the loading/unloading method shown in FIG. 12 may be applied to the final line 300 .

In the above embodiment, the pallets 110 and 310 are used as the carriages provided on the trim line 100 and the final line 300, but the carriages are not limited to these, and may be, for example, slat conveyors.

Further, in the above embodiment, the chassis line 200 is provided with the transfer devices 220, 230. good.

100 trim line 110 pallet (moving table)
120 pallet transport rail 130 pallet driving means 140 component box 200 chassis line 210 transport means 220, 230 transfer device 300 final line 310 pallet (moving table)
320 pallet transport rail 330 pallet drive means 340 parts box 400 transport line 410 carrier 420 carrier transport rail 421 first rail 422 second rail 423 third rail 424 fourth rail 425 fifth rail 430 carrier drive means 440 lifting device 441 Elevating rail W Car body

Claims (3)

A vehicle assembly facility comprising a transportation line that transports a vehicle body mounted on a carrier and does not assemble parts to the vehicle body, and an assembly line that assembles parts to the vehicle body,
The assembly line has a pallet serving as a foothold for workers,
the pallet has a pallet body,
The pallet body is provided with a long hole that penetrates the pallet body in the vertical direction, extends in the transport direction of the pallet, and opens upstream in the transport direction,
The carrier has a carrier body and a vehicle body support portion provided above the carrier body,
The vehicle body mounted on the vehicle body support portion of the carrier is carried into the assembly line, and the carrier body of the carrier on which the vehicle body is mounted is inserted into the long hole of the pallet body from the upstream side in the transport direction. A vehicle assembly facility that integrates the carrier and the pallet by fitting. A vehicle assembly facility comprising a transportation line that transports a vehicle body mounted on a carrier and does not assemble parts to the vehicle body, and an assembly line that assembles parts to the vehicle body,
The assembly line has a pallet serving as a foothold for workers,
the pallet has a pallet body,
The pallet body is provided with a rail extending in the pallet conveying direction and opening upstream in the conveying direction,
The carrier has a carrier body, a vehicle body support portion provided above the carrier body, and wheels provided below the carrier body,
The vehicle body mounted on the vehicle body support portion of the carrier is carried into the assembly line, and the wheels of the carrier on which the vehicle body is mounted are fitted into the rails of the pallet body from the upstream side in the transport direction. and a vehicle assembly facility for integrating the carrier and the pallet. 3. The vehicle assembly facility according to claim 1 , wherein said carrier runs on a rail provided below said vehicle body.

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