JPH04244334A - Assembling method for car body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the assembling method of a car body which can improve the assembling work efficiency of a cowl dash connecting member and a rear package tray and can shorten the assembly line when assembling at least the body side panel and roof panel of the car body. CONSTITUTION:An assembling jig unit provided with multiple positioning means and clamping means for positioning and assembling various body configuration members respectively is erectly arranged in the inside space of the body via a floor opening before a main floor is assembled, and a front body 2 sub- assembled with a cowl dash connecting member 6 and a rear floor assembly member 5 sub-assembled with a rear package tray 8 are fed to the assembly line to assemble the body main body via the jig unit. The conveying system of members can be simplified, the load of the assembly line is reduced, and the assembly line can be shortened. An inner member and an outer member are separately sub-assembled and fed to the assembly line to be assembled for at least one of a body side panel 4A and a roof panel.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method of assembling an automobile body, and in particular, the present invention relates to a method of assembling an automobile body. When assembling the side panel, cowl/dash coupling member, rear package tray, and roof panel, the cowl/dash coupling member is sub-assembled to the front body, and the rear package tray is supplied to the docking station as a subassembly to the rear floor assembly member. The present invention relates to an assembly method.

0002

[Prior Art] When assembling a body on an automobile body assembly line, these days, the main floor panel, front body, cowl,
Dash connection members, rear body including rear floor, rear package tray, body side panels (including side inner panels and side outer panels), roof panels (
(including roof inner members and roof outer panels) and lid members (side doors, bonnets, trunk lids, etc.) are sub-assembled and then supplied to the body assembly line.

Next, in the underbody assembly stage of the body assembly line, the main floor panel, front body, and rear body are positioned and fixed on a trolley equipped with a plurality of positioning members and clamps, and temporary welding and additional welding are performed. Assemble the underbody. Next, the trolley and underbody are transferred to the upper body assembly stage, where the body side panels, cowl/dash coupling members, rear package tray, roof panel, etc. are assembled to the underbody. The upper body is assembled by positioning and fixing the outer panels using a tool with reference to the reference plane, and performing temporary welding and additional welding there. Note that the front fender and rear fender are also assembled and connected at this stage.

On the other hand, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1667/1983 states that
A holding device for holding a partially assembled body is disclosed. This holding device pivots the main frame vertically to two of the four pillars on one side of the four pillars erected on the factory floor, so that it can be supported horizontally by the four pillars. This main frame is provided with three pairs of upright internal frames, which correspond to the vicinity of the body cowl, the center of the body, and the rear of the body, respectively, and can swing open and close in the vehicle width direction, and each of these internal frames is equipped with a plurality of clamps and It is equipped with tools, etc. Then, from above, the main body of the holding device was inserted into the roof opening of the partially assembled body shell (the underbody and left and right side inner panels appear to have been at least temporarily assembled) before the roof was assembled. Swing the frame downward to insert the three pairs of narrowly closed internal frames into the body shell, then swing the three pairs of internal frames open to approach the inside of the left and right sides of the body shell. The rest of the body assembly work is done using multiple clamps and tools.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the recent body assembly methods described above, panel members are positioned using a dedicated positioning jig with reference to the reference plane of an outer panel such as a body side panel. The outer panel has a complicated curved shape, and due to the influence of springback, the shape error is large and the rigidity is low, so the positioning accuracy of panel members tends to be low.The outer panel has a different shape depending on the car model, so It is necessary to provide a positioning jig for each station, and since multiple types of positioning jigs are fixedly installed at each station, it is disadvantageous in terms of equipment economy. As the tools have to be attached and detached, work efficiency decreases accordingly.Since the floor panel is assembled from the beginning of the body assembly process, large multi-functional jigs and equipment for body assembly cannot be placed inside the body. Moreover, it becomes very difficult to install fittings such as a seat device into the body.

[0006] In the assembly method using the holding device described in the above publication, the holding device is applied after at least the underbody and body side panels are temporarily assembled, so it is difficult to hold the body in the temporarily assembled state. Secondly, it is necessary to provide brackets, stays, bolts, etc. to the panel members, which complicates the structure of the panel members, and because three pairs of internal frames are inserted into the body shell through a relatively small roof opening, it is large and multifunctional. It is difficult to make the internal frame of However, it has also been proposed that the internal frame be inserted into the body through the floor opening instead of the roof opening, but the details are unknown.

[0007] Therefore, the inventors of the present application have proposed an assembly jig unit which is provided with a plurality of clamping means and a plurality of positioning means and which is arranged upright from below in a space corresponding to the inner body space. A method for assembling an automobile is proposed in which left and right body side panels and roof panels are positioned and fixed with reference to side inner panels and roof inner members.

By the way, in the conventional car body assembly technology,
The cowl/dash coupling member and the rear package tray were each pre-assembled separately and supplied to the docking station in the same way as the body side panels and roof panel, so the transport system for transporting them was As these parts have many connection points with other adjacent parts, the positioning and connection work becomes complicated and work efficiency decreases, and the number of assembly stations increases and the assembly line becomes longer. , and other problems.

An object of the present invention is to improve the efficiency of assembling the cowl/dash coupling member and the rear package tray at least when assembling the body side panel, the cowl/dash coupling member, the rear package tray, and the roof panel. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for assembling an automobile body that can shorten the line.

0010

[Means for Solving the Problems] The method for assembling an automobile according to claim 1 includes the steps of assembling at least the left and right body side panels, the cowl/dash coupling member, the rear package tray, and the roof panel in the vehicle body assembly process. At the docking station, the left and right body side panels and the roof are attached via an assembly jig unit that is equipped with a plurality of clamping means and a plurality of positioning means and is arranged vertically from below in a space corresponding to the inner body space. In an automobile assembly method in which panels are positioned and fixed based on side inner panels and roof inner members, the cowl/dash coupling member and/or the rear package tray are fixed to the front body. The rear package tray is supplied to the docking station in a sub-assembled state, and the rear package tray is supplied to the docking station in a sub-assembled state to the rear floor assembly member.

[0011] A method for assembling an automobile according to a second aspect of the invention is the method for assembling an automobile according to the first aspect, wherein the rear floor assembly member connects a rear floor panel, a rear package tray, and a rear package tray to the rear floor panel. It is characterized by being a subassembly of left and right wheel house inner members and left and right rear frames.

[0012] The method for assembling an automobile according to claim 3 is the method for assembling an automobile according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the left and right body side panels and the roof panel is an inner member sub-assembled in advance. The outer member is separately supplied to the docking station.

[0013]

[Operation] In the method for assembling an automobile according to claim 1, the docking station is provided with a plurality of clamping means and a plurality of positioning means, and is arranged vertically from below in a space corresponding to the inner body space. When assembling the left and right body side panels, the cowl/dash coupling member, the rear package tray, and the roof panel using the assembly jig unit, the cowl/dash coupling member is attached to the docking station while being sub-assembled to the front body. At the same time, the rear package tray is supplied to the docking station in a sub-assembled state to the rear floor assembly member, so it is possible to omit the transport system for transporting these separately to the docking station.
The positioning and coupling operations at these docking stations are simplified, improving work efficiency, and the assembly line can be shortened by omitting stations for supplying and assembling them.

In the method for assembling an automobile according to claim 2, in addition to the effect of claim 1, the rear floor assembly member includes a rear floor panel, a rear package tray,
Since it is a subassembly of the left and right wheel house inner members for connecting the rear package tray to the rear floor panel and the left and right rear frames, assembly work at the docking station is significantly reduced and the assembly line can be shortened. can be achieved.

In the method for assembling an automobile according to claim 3, in addition to the effects of claim 1 or 2, at least one of the left and right body side panels and the roof panel is formed by subassembling an inner member and an outer member in advance. Since the components are separately supplied to the docking station, the assembling workability, especially the welding workability, of the left and right body side panels and the roof panel is improved.

[0016]

Effects of the Invention As explained in the section on effects, the following effects can be obtained. According to the method for assembling an automobile according to claim 1, when assembling the left and right body side panels, the cowl/dash coupling member, the rear package tray, and the roof panel, the cowl/dash coupling member and the rear package tray are each individually assembled. It is possible to omit the transport system for transporting these to the docking station, simplifying the positioning and coupling work at these docking stations, improving work efficiency, and eliminating the need for a station for supplying and assembling these items. assembly line can be shortened.

According to the method for assembling an automobile according to the second aspect, in addition to the effects of the first aspect, the assembly work at the docking station can be significantly reduced, and the assembly line can be shortened.

According to the method for assembling an automobile according to claim 3, in addition to the effects of claim 1 or claim 2, at least one of the left and right body side panels and the roof panel is assembled with an inner member sub-assembled in advance. By separately supplying the outer member to the docking station, it is possible to improve the assembling workability, especially the welding workability, of the left and right body side panels and the roof panel.

[0019]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle body assembly line BL is provided with eight stations S1 to S8, and the assembly jig units JU are sequentially moved to five of the stations S1 to S5 using a transport device (not shown). The vehicle body members are sequentially positioned and fixed to this assembly jig unit JU with their inner panels as a reference to assemble the body body 1, and then the main floor 20 is assembled to the body body 1. In addition, multiple types of assembly jig units JU are prepared according to the vehicle model and are kept on standby at the jig stock station ST, and the conveyance device is a linear type or a lift and carry type of general configuration. It is a transport device. Also,
In the following description, the front, rear, left, and right directions are defined based on the front, rear, left, and right directions of the main body 1.

First, FIG. 2 shows the assembly jig unit JU.
~Explained with reference to FIG. This assembly jig unit JU includes an FB holding mechanism for positioning and fixing the front body 2 in which a pallet P and a cowl/dash coupling member 6 are previously coupled, and a rear floor assembly in which a rear package tray 8 is coupled in advance. An RF holding mechanism for positioning and fixing the member 5, a pair of left and right SP holding mechanisms for positioning and fixing the left and right body side panels 4A, and positioning of the cowl/dash coupling member 6 as necessary. A CD holding mechanism that can be fixed in place, and a front header 7a
and a pair of front and rear RH holding mechanisms for positioning and fixing the rear header 7b, and a rear package tray 8 as required.
a PT holding mechanism that can position and fix the PT, a pair of left and right welding devices 101 that perform temporary welding near the lower end of the front pillar of the body side panel 4A, and welding of the outer periphery of the front window opening and its vicinity. The robot 102 includes a welding robot 102 that welds the parts to be joined from the inside, and a welding robot 102 that performs welding from the inside to the outer periphery of the rear window opening and the parts to be welded in the vicinity thereof.

To explain the FB holding mechanism, a pair of left and right support brackets 30 are provided at the front part of the pallet P at a predetermined interval in the front and rear.
0 is provided with positioning pins 31 and a clamp device C1, and the front ends of the left and right front frames of the front body 2 and both left and right ends of the second cross member are positioned on the pallet P by the four positioning pins 31, and It is fixed onto the pallet P by four clamp devices C1.

To explain the RF holding mechanism, a pair of left and right support brackets 32 are provided at the rear of the pallet P at a predetermined interval in the front and rear.
2 is provided with a positioning pin 33 and a clamp device C2, and the front and rear ends of the left and right rear frames of the rear floor assembly member 5 are positioned on the pallet P by the four positioning pins 33, and the four clamp devices C2 It is fixed on the pallet P by.

The SP holding mechanisms are for positioning and fixing the left and right body side panels 4A with respect to the side inner panels 3, and are provided on the left and right sides of the pallet P, respectively, approximately at the center thereof. However, since the left and right SP holding mechanisms have a symmetrical configuration, the one on the left side will be explained. A fixing table 34 is provided on the left side of the approximate center in the longitudinal direction of the pallet P, and a support plate 35 is provided on the fixing table 34.
is supported movably in the left and right direction, and the support plate 35 is provided with a substantially horizontal F-shaped support frame 36, and the upper end of the body side panel 4A is attached to the upper end of a pair of front and rear vertical columns 36a of the support frame 36. A clamping device C3 is provided for fixing the roof rail inner 9 of the body side panel 4A.
1 and a clamping device C4 for fixing the horizontal member 36b of the support frame 36, and a positioning device P2 for positioning the vicinity of the lower end of the rear pillar liner 11 of the body side panel 4A at the rear end of the horizontal member 36b of the support frame 36. A clamp device C5 is provided. Further, a support stand 37 is provided on the pallet P in front of the fixed stand 34, a movable plate 38 is supported on the support stand 37 so as to be movable in the front and back direction, and a support plate 39 is mounted on the movable plate 38 in a left and right direction. The vertical column 4 is supported on the support plate 39 so as to be movable in the direction.
0 is erected, and a substantially U-shaped support frame 4 is mounted on the top of the vertical column 40.
A positioning device P3 for positioning the vicinity of the lower end of the front pillar inner 12 of the body side panel 4A and a clamping device C6 for fixing are provided at the upper part of the support frame 41. There is a clamp device C7 for fixing the lower front end of the body side panel 4A.
The left body side panel 4A is positioned with respect to the side inner panel 3 via positioning devices P1 to P3, and is fixed by clamp devices C3 to C7.

The CD holding mechanism is for positioning and fixing the cowl-dash coupling member 6 as required.A positioning pin 42 and a clamp device C8 are mounted on the cylinder 57 at the top of the left and right support frames 41. (see FIG. 5), and the cowl panel 13 and dash panel upper 14 are positioned near both rear ends with positioning pins 42 and fixed with a clamp device C8. However, in this embodiment, since the cowl-dash coupling member 6 is sub-assembled to the front body 2 in advance, this CD holding mechanism can be omitted.

To explain the above-mentioned RH holding mechanism, a pair of vertical columns 4 in the front and rear are provided between the left and right fixing tables 34 of the pallet P.
A support frame 44 is provided between the upper ends of both vertical columns 43, and a front header 7a as an inner member of the roof panel is installed at the end of a pair of front arm portions 44a of the support frame 44. A positioning device P4a for positioning the vicinity of both ends from below and a clamping device C9a for fixing are provided, and a roof panel is provided at the rear end of the bifurcated arm portion 44b at the rear end of the support frame 44. The front header 7a is provided with a positioning device P4b for positioning the vicinity of both ends of the rear header 7b as an inner member from below, and a clamping device C9b for fixing the rear header 7b. The rear header 7b is positioned and fixed to the pallet P via C9a, and the rear header 7b is connected to a pair of positioning devices P4.
b and the clamp device C9b, it is positioned and fixed to the pallet P. In addition, at both ends of the pair of arm parts 44c provided at the center of the support frame 44, a positioning device P5 for positioning the vicinity of both ends of the roof bow 7c of the roof outer panel 7B and a clamp device C10 for fixing are provided. It is provided.

As shown in FIG. 6, the clamp devices C1 to C10 are toggle clamp devices having a general configuration, and include a substantially crank-shaped clamp lever 45 and an air cylinder 46 for rotationally driving the clamp lever 45. The positioning devices P1 to P5 have a general configuration including a positioning pin 47 and an air cylinder 48 for driving the positioning pin 47 forward and backward. In addition, in the SP holding mechanism, Fig. 6
As shown in FIG.
insert it from the side and clamp the side inner panel 3.

The PT holding mechanism is for positioning and fixing the rear package tray 8 as required. A support plate 50 is provided on the rear upper surface of the left and right fixing bases 34, and a support plate 50 is provided on the support plate 50. A movable plate 53 on which a member 51 is supported so as to be movable back and forth, and has a pair of left and right support brackets 52 extending rearward on the rear side of the support member 51.
is supported so as to be movable up and down, and the movable plate 53 is
It is driven up and down by a pair of cylinders 54. The left and right support brackets 52 are provided with four positioning pins 55 and a pair of clamp devices C11, and each clamp device C11 is a toggle equipped with a pair of front and rear clamp levers 56a and an air cylinder 56b that rotationally drives the clamp levers 56a. The rear package tray 8 is composed of a clamping device, and the rear package tray 8 has four positioning pins 5.
5, and is fixed by the left and right clamp devices C11. However, in this embodiment, since the rear package tray 8 is sub-assembled to the rear floor assembly member 5 in advance, the PT holding mechanism can be omitted.

The clamp devices C3 to C5 and the positioning devices P1 and P2 are connected to each other via the support frame 36, and the clamp devices C6 to C8, the positioning device P3, and the positioning pin 42 are connected to each other by the vertical column 40, the movable plate 38, and the support plate 39. As shown in FIG. 3, the clamp device C11 and the positioning pin 55 are moved by a drive mechanism (not shown) when assembling the vehicle body member to the assembly jig unit JU via the support member 51 and the movable plate 53. After being moved and driven to the assembly position shown by the solid line, and the necessary vehicle body members being assembled to assemble the main body 1, the main floor 20 corresponding to the lower side of the passenger compartment is moved to the floor opening 1a before being assembled. In order to pull out the assembly jig unit JU downward relative to the main body 1 from the assembly jig unit JU (see FIG. 5), the assembly jig unit JU is moved and driven to the retracted position shown in the imaginary line.

The pair of left and right welding devices 101 are fixedly or adjustable in position at the rear upper ends of the corresponding support frames 41, and the welding heads 101a are used to weld parts near the lower end of the front pillar of the body side panel A4. The structure is such that temporary welding is performed on the parts. Further, the welding robot 102 is, for example, a five-axis small multi-jointed robot that is fixed upright on a pallet P near the front side of the vertical column 43 on the front side, and the welding robot 103 is a two-pronged robot at the rear of the support frame 44. For example, it is a small multi-joint robot with five axes, which is arranged and fixed in an inverted manner between the robots. Note that the arms on each hand side of the welding robots 102 and 103 are controlled to expand and contract via an expansion and contraction mechanism.

Next, vehicle body members to be supplied to the vehicle body assembly line BL will be explained with reference to FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 10, the front body 2 includes left and right front frames 2a, left and right wheel aprons 2b, a dash panel lower 2c, and a dash lower member (second cross member).
and a cowl/dash connecting member 6, etc.
Subassembly is performed on subline SL1. still,
The cowl-dash coupling member 6 consists of a cowl panel and a dash panel upper, which are sub-assembled and then sub-assembled and coupled to the front body 2. In addition, the shroud panel at the front end of the body is sub-assembled in the same way, but after the engine is installed, the body
be assembled into. The rear floor assembly member 5 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, from the rear floor panel 5a, the left and right rear frames 5c, the fourth cross member, the rear package tray 8, the left and right wheel house inners 5b for connecting the rear package tray 8 to the rear floor panel 5a, etc. and are sub-assembled in the first sub-line SL1. In addition, the trunk floor, rear end cross member, and rear end panel are on the first subline SL1.
It is sub-assembled as a rear end assembly member at the station S2, and then supplied to the second station S2 for assembly.

The left and right side inner panels 3 are each made up of a subassembly of an inner panel main body, a roof rail inner, an impact bracket, a wheel house, a suspension reinforcement, etc., and the left and right side outer panels 4 are made up of an outer panel main body and a front hinge reinforcement, respectively. The left and right body side panels 4A are formed by subassembling materials, rear hinge reinforcement materials, center pillar reinforcement materials, rear striker reinforcement materials, corner plates, etc., and the left and right body side panels 4A are formed by connecting the side inner panels 3 and side outer panels 4 to the second subline SL.
2, it is assembled by subassembly. The front header 7a and the rear header 7b, which serve as roof inner members of the roof panel, are assembled by subassembling a header inner panel and a header outer panel, respectively, in the second subline SL2. The roof outer panel 7B is assembled by subassembling the outer panel main body, the roof bow 7c, etc. in the second subline SL2. The main floor 20 is the fourth sub-line S
It is sub-assembled at L4. Regarding the lid member,
The bonnet 16 and trunk lid 17 are each sub-assembled on the fifth sub-line SL5, and the four side doors 15 are each equipped with a door inner panel, a door outer panel, a sash, a window glass, a window regulator, etc., and are sub-assembled on the fifth sub-line SL5. assembled.

Next, a method of assembling the vehicle body 1 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 7 to 14. However, prior to the following assembly of the body main body 1, the various vehicle body members are sub-assembled in advance on the sub-lines SL1 to SL5. When assembling the body body 1 on the car body assembly line BL, the assembly jig units JU are sequentially transferred to stations S1 to S5 on the car body assembly line BL, and the assembly jig units JU are placed on the car body assembly line BL. Each station S1 to S8 is assembled by assembling the parts.
The details of the assembly work will be explained sequentially from the upstream side. Note that the assembly jig units JU located at stations S1 to S5 in the figure are omitted from illustration. Also, stations S1 to S
3 corresponds to the docking station.

<First station> First station S
1, as shown in FIG. 7, the front body 2 including the cowl-dash coupling member 6 and the rear After being supplied, the rear floor assembly member 5 including the package tray 8 is positioned and fixed. At this time, the front body 2 is attached via the four positioning pins 31 and four clamping devices C1 of the assembly jig unit JU, and the rear floor assembly member 5 is attached via the four positioning pins 33 and four clamping devices C2 of the assembly jig unit JU. Accurately position and fix to the assembly jig unit JU. As mentioned above, since the cowl-dash coupling member 6 is sub-assembled to the front body 1, and the rear package tray 8 is sub-assembled to the rear floor assembly member, the amount of assembly work on the body assembly line BL is significantly reduced. Moreover, the conveyance system for conveying the cowl/dash coupling member 6 and the rear package tray 8 to the vehicle body assembly line BL can be omitted.

<Second Station> Second Station S
2, as shown in FIG. 7, with respect to the assembly jig unit JU that has been transferred and positioned from the first station S1,
From the second sub-line SL2 to the left and right body side panels 4
A, the front header 7a, and the rear header 7b are supplied, positioned, and fixed, and the rear end assembly members are supplied from the first subline SL1, and then positioned and fixed. At this time, the side inner panels 3 of the left and right body side panels 4A are moved between the positioning devices P1 to P3 and the clamp devices C3 to
C7, the front header 7a via the positioning device P4a and the clamp device C9a, and the air header 7b via the positioning device P4b and the clamp device C9b, respectively, to accurately position and fix the front header 7a to the assembly jig unit JU. do. Thereafter, the welding robot 102 temporarily and additionally welds both ends of the front header 7a to the left and right side inner panels 3, and the welding robot 103
By doing so, both ends of the rear header 7b are temporarily welded and additionally welded to the left and right side inner panels 3. When performing these welds, since the roof outer panel 7B is not assembled, welding can be performed efficiently and reliably. The air end assembly member is attached to the rear floor assembly member 5 using a separate assembly jig.
Position and fix.

Now, to explain the transfer device 60 for transferring the body side panel 4A from the second subline SL2 to the second station S2, as shown in FIG. A guide rail (not shown) is provided that extends to the upper part of the second station S2, and a pair of left and right vertical frames 61 extending downward are movably supported on the guide rail. The elevating arm 62 is supported in a vertically movable manner, and is driven up and down by an elevating drive mechanism (not shown) provided near the upper end of the vertical frame 61 . A guide rail 63 is provided on the side of each lifting arm 62.
The guide rail 63 supports a base plate 64 that is driven to move in the left and right direction by a cylinder 65, and the base plate 64 has a cylinder 6 that is oriented in the vertical direction.
A movable plate 67 is provided at the lower end of the piston rod 66a of the cylinder 66, and the movable plate 67 includes a support arm 68 and a swing prevention arm 69 that can be inserted from the door opening of the body side panel 4A. is rotatably provided, and the body side panel 4A is provided with a support arm 68.
It is supported via the anti-swing arm 69 and is conveyed in a state in which it is held so as not to swing.

<Third Station> Third Station S
3, the roof outer panel 7B is supplied from the third subline SL3 to the assembly jig unit JU positioned at that station, as shown in FIG. Position and fix with high precision through the Next, the left and right side inner panels 3 are temporarily welded to the front body 2 and the rear floor assembly member 5 by two welding robots 70 provided at the third station S3, and the roof outer panel 7B is welded to the left and right side outer panels 4. Temporarily weld.

Furthermore, at the third station S3, the side inner panel 3 near the lower end of the front pillar 12 is temporarily welded by the welding device 101, and the cowl is welded by the external welding robot 70 and the internal welding robot 102. Temporary welding is performed at the joint location between the dash joint member 6 and the side inner panel 3. Further, the welding robot 70 outside and the welding robot 103 inside perform temporary welding at the joint portion of the rear floor assembly member 5 and the side inner panel 3. In this way, the welding robots 102 and 103 and the welding device 101 attached to the assembly jig unit JU
Since temporary welding is also performed from the inside of the body main body 1 via the welding section, the efficiency of welding work can be improved and the number of welding stations can be reduced.

<4th station> 4th station S
4, as shown in FIG. 8, two welding robots 71
As a result, the first additional welding is performed at the joining locations between the front body 2, the rear floor assembly member 5, the left and right body side panels 4A, and the roof outer panel 7B.

<5th station> 5th station S
5, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 13, stations S1 to
At S4, the body main body 1, which has been generally assembled, is lifted by the lifting device 82, and the assembly jig unit JU is removed relatively downward from the body main body 1, and the assembly jig unit JU is transferred to the jig stock station ST. , body 1
is transferred onto the pallet CP of the 6th station S6 (
(See Figure 14).

To explain the elevating device 82, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, vertical columns 83 are erected on the right side of the fifth station S5 and the sixth station S6 at a predetermined distance apart from each other. A lifting arm 84 is attached to the vertical column 83.
is supported to be movable up and down, a support frame 85 is provided at the tip of both lifting arms 84, a guide rail 86 is installed between the front and rear support frames 85, and the guide rail 86 connects the support frame 85 and the lifting arm 84. Both are driven up and down by a lifting drive mechanism 87. A base plate 88 is suspended from the guide rail 86 so as to be movable in the front-back direction, and four support arms 89 that can support the main body 1 from below are swingably supported at the four corners of the base plate 88. is the arm portion 8 of the support frame 85
13 through a cylinder 90 attached to the cylinder 5a, and is driven to open and close to the operating position shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. When transferring the main body 1 from the fifth station S5 to the sixth station S6 and lowering the main body 1 onto the pallet CP, the welding robot 73 fixed in advance on the pallet CP as shown in FIG. is inserted into the main body 1.

<6th station> 6th station S
6, as shown in FIG.
External 2 for body main body 1 with the following additional welding
Second additional welding is performed using the welding robot 72 on the stand and the welding robot 73 inserted into the body main body 1. In this way, since the welding robot 73 is also arranged inside the main body 1 for welding, it is possible to improve the efficiency of welding work and reduce the number of welding stations.

<Seventh Station> The seventh and eighth stations S7 and S8 actually extend linearly with respect to the upstream stations S1 to S6, and from the sixth station S6 to the seventh station S7. The main body 1 is transferred by a lifting device similar to the lifting device 82, but at this time, as shown in FIG.
By setting the main floor 20 on a predetermined jig placed at 7 and lowering the main body 1 from above, the main floor 20 is positioned and fixed relative to the main body 1, and then the welding provided on the outside is The robot 74 performs temporary welding and additional welding. In the manner described above, the main body 1 (corresponding to the body shell) including the main floor 20 is completed.

<Eighth Station> Next, after transferring the body shell from the seventh station S7 to the eighth station S8, at the eighth station S8, the left and right side doors 15, bonnet 16, and trunk supplied from the fifth subline SL5 are transferred. The lid 17 and front fender 18 are assembled to the body shell. The side door 15 is assembled using a door assembly robot (not shown), and the bonnet 16 and trunk lid 17 are attached to the body shell.
Then, the left and right front fenders 18 are assembled to the front body 2, and temporary welding and additional welding are performed. The shroud panel shall be assembled after the engine assembly is completed.

As described above, according to the automobile body assembly jig unit JU, the front body 2 can be accurately positioned and fixed via the four sets of positioning pins 31 and the four sets of clamp devices C1. 4 sets of positioning pins 33 and 4
The rear floor assembly member 5 can be accurately positioned and fixed via the set of clamp devices C2, and the positioning devices P1 to P1
3 and clamp devices C3 to C7, the left and right body side panels 4A can be accurately positioned and fixed.
The front header 7a and the rear header 7b can be positioned and fixed with high precision through the positioning device P5 and the clamp device C10, and the roof outer panel 7B can be positioned and fixed with high precision through the positioning device P5 and the clamp device C10. Since it is equipped with a pair of welding devices 101 and a pair of front and rear welding robots 102 and 103, welding is required efficiently from the inside of the body 1 to the outer periphery of the front and rear window openings and to the necessary welding locations near them. Can be welded.

Furthermore, the assembly jig unit JU is provided in an upright manner from below in the body inner space from the floor opening 1a, and is moved downward relative to the body body 1 after the body body 1 is assembled. Since it is configured to be pulled out from the main body 1, the assembly jig unit JU can be configured into a large, multifunctional unit. However, the positioning pin, positioning device, and clamp device of this embodiment are merely examples, and it goes without saying that they can be implemented with various modifications, and various other modifications may be made to the assembly tool unit JU. It is also possible to attach tools, welding electrodes and heads, and multiple small welding robots.

According to the method for assembling an automobile body, the front body 2 and the rear floor assembly member 5 are first positioned and fixed via the assembly jig unit JU, and then the body side parts are attached to the assembly jig unit JU. The panel 4A, front header 7a, and rear header 7b are supplied, and are positioned and fixed with high accuracy using the inner member as a reference via the assembly jig unit JU, and the left and right body side panels 4A are attached to the front body 2 and rear floor assembly member 5. Front and rear header 7
Since it is connected to a and 7b, it can be assembled accurately and efficiently. Furthermore, since the cowl-dash coupling member 6 and the rear package tray 8 are sub-assembled to the front body 2 and the rear floor assembly member 5, respectively, are supplied to the assembly line BL in a sub-assembled state, the transportation system for these can be omitted, and the assembly line The assembly line BL can be shortened by reducing the amount of assembly work in the BL.

In particular, after connecting the front and rear headers 7a and 7b to the body side panel 4A, the roof outer panel 7
B is supplied and assembled, so the front and rear headers 7a and 7b
It is possible to efficiently weld the connecting portion between the side inner panel 3 and the side inner panel 3, and there is no need to provide a welding hole or the like in the side inner panel 3.

[0048] However, the roof panel is attached to the front and rear headers 7a.
7b and the roof outer panel 7B are sub-assembled in advance, the side inner panel 3 and the side outer panel 4 are individually sub-assembled, and the left and right side inner panels 3 and the roof panel are moved to the second station S2. After supplying and assembling, and completing the welding of the joints between the front and rear headers 7a and 7b and the side inner panel 3,
The left and right side outer panels 4 may be supplied and assembled. In this case as well, the joint portions between the front and rear headers 7a and 7b and the side inner panels 3 can be efficiently welded.

[0049] Since the body main body 1 is assembled using the large and multi-functional assembly jig unit JU, the assembly work can be carried out efficiently. Since vehicle body parts such as the body side panels 4A and roof panel 7A are directly assembled to the assembly jig unit JU, there is no need to temporarily assemble the body shell in advance. The structure of the car body parts can be simplified without using bolts or bolts.
Moreover, a temporary assembly process can be omitted.

Welding device 1 installed in assembly jig unit JU
01 and welding robots 102 and 103 from the inside of the body body 1, temporary welding and additional welding can be performed from the inside of the body body 1. Since additional welding can also be performed from the welding point, these welding operations can be carried out efficiently and the number of welding stations can be significantly reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle body assembly line.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembly jig unit.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the assembly jig unit.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the assembly jig unit.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the assembly jig unit.

FIG. 6 is a view taken along arrow 6 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of main parts of a vehicle body assembly line.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of main parts of the vehicle body assembly line.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of main parts of the vehicle body assembly line.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the front body.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the rear floor assembly member.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the transfer device.

FIG. 13 is a front view of the lifting device at the fifth station.

FIG. 14 is a front view of the lifting device at the sixth station.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Body main body 2 Front body 3 Side inner panel 4 Side outer panel 4A Body side panel 5 Rear floor assembly member 5a Rear floor 5b Wheel house inner 5c Rear frame 6 Cowl/dash connection member 7B Roof outer panel 7a Front header 7b Rear header 8 Rear package tray 31・33・42・55 Positioning pin JU
Assembly jig unit C1 to C11 Clamp device P1 to P5 Positioning device

Claims (3)

[Claims] [Claim 1] When assembling at least the left and right body side panels, the cowl/dash coupling member, the rear package tray, and the roof panel in the vehicle body assembly process,
At the docking station, the left and right body side panels and the roof are attached via an assembly jig unit that is equipped with a plurality of clamping means and a plurality of positioning means and is arranged vertically from below in a space corresponding to the inner body space. In an automobile assembly method in which panels are positioned and fixed based on side inner panels and roof inner members, the cowl/dash coupling member and/or the rear package tray are fixed to the front body. A method for assembling an automobile body, characterized in that the rear package tray is supplied to a docking station in a sub-assembled state, and the rear package tray is supplied to the docking station in a sub-assembled state to a rear floor assembly member. 2. The rear floor assembly member is a subassembly of a rear floor panel, a rear package tray, left and right wheel house inner members for connecting the rear package tray to the rear floor panel, and left and right rear frames. The method for assembling an automobile body according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3. At least one of the left and right body side panels and the roof panel has an inner member and an outer member sub-assembled in advance and separately supplied to the docking station. How to assemble an automobile body.