JPH04244335A - Automatic assembling device for air cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve space efficiency by arranging a fitting device, a pressing device, and a shifting robot shifting a case from the fitting device to the pressing device and setting the case to a conveyor at a three-way position faced to the upstream end of the conveyor. CONSTITUTION:A fitting device 4 fitting cover assembling nuts to a case, a pressing device 5 pressing a vibration-proof member to the fitting hole to a car body provided on the case, and a shifting robot 6, which clamps the case delivered from the fitting device 4, controls the attitude of the case, presses the vibration-proof member with the pressing device 5, and shifts the pressed case to the conveyor 3, are arranged. The position and attitude of the case are controlled by the shifting robot while the case is held, and the vibration- proof member is pressed by the pressing device 5.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic assembly apparatus for an air cleaner mounted on a vehicle.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art An air cleaner mounted on a vehicle is assembled by setting an element in a case and then tightening a lid to the case, and then attached to the vehicle body in the assembled state. Since the element is attached to the vehicle body through a seismic isolation member made of an elastic body such as a grommet, the seismic isolation member is press-fitted into a mounting hole previously provided in the case before setting the element in the case. Furthermore, since the case is made of plastic, a lid tightening nut is installed in advance at a predetermined position on the case in order to ensure the tightening force with the lid. Attachment of earthquake-proof parts and nuts to these cases, setting of elements, and tightening of lids are performed manually.

0003

As described above, the conventional air cleaner assembly is performed manually, resulting in poor working efficiency, and automation of the assembly is desired. however,
Simply arranging the nut mounting devices and the press-fitting devices for earthquake-proofing members from the upstream side of the conveyor is inefficient in terms of space.In particular, since the angles of the mounting holes are individually different, it is necessary to provide a case posture control mechanism. Space efficiency deteriorates. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for automatically assembling an air cleaner without deteriorating space efficiency.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, an apparatus according to the present invention is an air cleaner in which a case housing an air cleaner element is sequentially conveyed to each work station by a conveyor, and an element and a lid are assembled to the case. In this automatic assembly device, a mounting device for mounting a nut for assembling the lid to the case is provided in three directions facing the upstream end of the conveyor, and a vibration-proofing member is installed in the mounting hole for the vehicle body provided in the case. A press-fitting device for press-fitting and a transfer robot for transporting the case discharged from the mounting device to the press-fitting device and transferring the case from the press-fitting device to a conveyor are arranged, and the case is gripped by the transfer robot. The present invention is characterized in that the seismic isolation member is press-fitted by the press-fitting device while controlling the position and posture of the case.

[0005]

[Operation] In the present invention, a mounting device, a press-fitting device, and a transfer robot are arranged in three directions facing the upstream end of the conveyor that conveys the case, and the case is removed from the mounting device after the nut mounting is completed. is gripped by a transfer robot that performs a teaching operation, the case is conveyed to a press-fitting device, the position and orientation of the case is controlled, and the press-fitting device press-fits the seismic isolation member into the mounting hole, and then the case is transferred to the conveyor. Transfer. By the way, when installing a nut, it is necessary to set the case on the installation device, install the nut on the case, and take out the case with the nut installed. Since space efficiency would be poor if the device was configured with a transer-type device, an index table is provided in the mounting device, and the above-mentioned work stations are arranged around the index table, and the cases placed on the index table are The workers moved to work stations one by one to install nuts. Note that the mounting device is placed adjacent to a work space provided on the side of the work station where elements and lids are set on cases midway through the conveyor, and the station where cases are placed on the index table is located on the side of the work space. By positioning them, the same operator can set the cases on the index table and set the elements and lids on the cases on the conveyor.

By the way, in order to perform the mounting and press-fitting described above, the positioning accuracy will deteriorate unless the same part of the case is held as a reference. Therefore, when installing the nut, use the cover mounting surface of the case as the reference surface. Place the case on the index table with the reference surface facing down, and once the mounting is complete, pick up the case, release the reference surface, use the reference surface as a reference again, position the case with the positioning member, and grip it on the transfer robot. After pressing the seismic member into the mounting hole with the transfer robot gripping the case, the case was transferred onto the conveyor with the reference surface facing upward.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to a case where an element 11 is stored in a case 1 shown in FIG. 1 and a lid 12 is then tightened to the case 1. Note that the upper surface of the case 1 in the figure, that is, the mounting surface of the lid 12 is referred to as a reference surface A, and a nut 13 for positioning and tightening the lid 12 protrudes from the reference surface A. Brackets 14, 14' for attachment to the vehicle body are provided on the wall surface, and each bracket 14, 14' is provided with a mounting hole. A seismic isolation member, which will be described later, is press-fitted into the mounting hole. By the way, the above nut has the shape shown in FIG.
It has a shaft portion 21 with an internal thread provided on its tip surface, and
A notch 22 is provided that engages with a protrusion, which will be described later, provided on the case 1, and the case 1 is installed from the bottom in FIG. 1 with the internal thread facing upward. In addition, the above seismic insulation member is shown in Figure 3.
This is a cylindrical rubber grommet 23 shown in FIG. 4, and a collar 25 with a flange shown in FIG. An apparatus for performing the above assembly is shown in FIG. A conveyor 3 is disposed in the assembly device, and the conveyor 3 sequentially carries 3A to 3 from the left side of the figure, that is, from the upstream side.
A work station F is set, and the assembly is completed while the case 1 is being transferred from the first station 3A where it is set to the dispensing station 3F. A mounting device 4 for mounting the nut 13 on the case 1 is disposed in three directions facing the first station 3A, that is, on the lower side in the figure, and on the left side is the bracket 14, 14'.
The grommet 23 is press-fitted into the grommet 23, and a press-fitting device 5 for inserting the collar 25 into the hollow portion 24 of the press-fitted grommet 23 is arranged.
The case 1 with the nut 13 attached thereto is transferred to the press-fitting device 6, the grommet 23 is press-fitted and the collar 25 is inserted, and then the case 1 is set on the conveyor 3 at the first station 3A. A transfer robot 6 consisting of a robot was placed. Then, downstream of the first station 3A, the element 11 and the lid 1 are placed in the case 1 by the worker M.
There is a station 3B for setting the nut runners 7, and a station 3C located further downstream has two nut runners 7 on the side.
A tightening robot 7 that individually controls the case 1 and the lid 12 is arranged to tighten the case 1 and the lid 12 when they reach the station 3C. Then, stations 3D and 3F are provided further downstream, and labeling devices 81 and 82 are arranged on each side,
When the air cleaner assembly is completed by pasting a predetermined label on the top surface of the lid 12 assembled to the case 1, the conveyor 3
The paper is transferred to the payout station 3F located at the most downstream position. Further, a sub-conveyor 91 whose conveyance direction is opposite to that of the conveyor 3 is installed parallel to the conveyor 3,
The conveyor 3 and the sub-conveyor 91 are connected by a gate-shaped transfer loader 9, and the assembled air cleaner that has arrived at the delivery station 3F is transferred to the sub-conveyor 91. Next, to explain the mounting device 4 in detail, the mounting device 4 includes an index table 4 that rotates by 60 degrees.
1 is provided, and six stations 4A to 4F are provided on the index table 41. Of these stations, station 4A is provided opposite the space where the worker M performs work, and the case 1 is placed on the station 4A by the worker M. Nuts 1 are arranged and discharged from the parts feeder 42 near the side of the station 4C.
A set loader 43 was disposed to grip the nut 13 and set the nut 13 at a predetermined position on the case 1. By the way, the predetermined position where the nut 13 of the case 1 is set is, as shown in FIG. This is a through hole 18 that is penetrated through. Then, the shaft portion 21 of the nut 13 held by the set loader 43 is inserted into the through hole 18, and at this time the protrusion 1 protruding from the outer edge 15
9 and the notch 22 of the nut 13 are engaged with each other. In addition, an ultrasonic welding head 44 is located directly above station 4D.
was arranged so that the protrusion 19 was melted and the nut 13 was welded to the case 1. As shown in FIG. 7, a case reversing device 45 is provided directly above the payout station 4F. The case reversing device 45 includes a pedestal 45 that stands on a base.
1 has an elevating platform 454 that can be moved up and down along a rail 453 by the operation of a cylinder 452 provided vertically downward. A case clamper 456 is suspended. The case clamper 456 includes a guide bar 46 whose tip enters between the main body and the outer edge 15 of the case 1 to position the case 1, and a case 1 positioned by the guide bar 46 is clamped by expanding. An air bag 47 is provided. Therefore, after inflating the airbag 47 and clamping the case 1 in the state shown in FIG. 6 will be facing. Next, a portion of the transfer robot 6 that clamps the case 1 will be explained using FIG. 8. The tip of the arm 61 of the transfer robot 6 has a dowel hole 62 into which the shaft 21 of the nut 13 welded to the case 1 is inserted. A rough guide 63 is provided to guide the inner surface, and a cylinder 64 is connected to the arm 61. A rotary clamper 65 provided at the tip of the cylinder 64 clamps the outer edge 15 and moves the reference surface A into the arm. 61 side to improve positional accuracy when clamping the case 1. The case 1 clamped by the transfer robot 6 is then transferred to the press-fitting device 5.

Next, the press-fitting device 5 will be explained using FIG. 9. 51 is a turning column; the turning column 51
Two first holders 52 for inserting and holding the grommet 23 and two second holders 53 for externally fitting and holding the collar 25 are provided vertically facing each other. and the conveyor 3 of the turning column 51
A press-fitting position P is provided on one side of the side, and when any one of the first and second holders 52, 53 is rotated to the press-fitting position P, the first
The press-fitting device P is provided with a press-fitting rod 55 that pushes out the grommet 23 in the holder 52 into the mounting hole, and a hook 56 that pushes up the third holder 53 to fit the collar 25 into the grommet 23. As mentioned above, while any one of the first and second holders 52 and 53 is selected at the press-fitting position P, the other first and second holders 52 and 53 are each loaded by the operation of the parts set loader 57. A new grommet 23 and collar 25 are being set. Therefore, after aligning the center of the mounting hole of the bracket 14 with the press-fitting position P, the press-fitting rod 55 is lowered to press-fit the grommet 23 into the mounting hole, and the hook 56 is further raised to insert and fit the collar 25 into the grommet 23. The press-fitting rod 55 and the hook 56 are moved back up and down, and then the posture of the case 1 is changed by the teaching operation of the transfer loader 6, and the center of the mounting hole provided in the bracket 14' is aligned with the press-fitting position P. The rotating column 51 is rotated to select the other first and second holders 52 and 53 to the press-fitting position P, and press-fit them into the mounting holes in the same manner as described above. And bracket 14,1
When the press-fitting into the mounting hole provided at 4' is completed, the first
At station 3A, case 1 is set on conveyor 3 and the above-mentioned assembly is performed. By the way, when the grommet 23 is press-fitted into the mounting hole, a pressing force is applied to the case 1 via each bracket 14, 14', and there is a risk that unreasonable force may be applied to the case 1 and the transfer robot 6. A supporting tool 54 is provided on the rotating column side of the press-fitting position P, and when the center of the mounting hole is aligned with the press-fitting position P, the tip of the bracket engages with the recess provided in the supporting tool 54, and the above-mentioned pressure The input is received by the supporting tool 54. The parts set loader 57 is erected on an elevating plate 572 that can be raised and lowered by a cylinder 571, and a first gripping tool 575 that grips the grommet 23 and a collar 25 are mounted on a rotating column 574 that can be semi-rotated around a vertical axis by a motor 573. There are two pairs of upper and lower second gripping parts 576 that grip the grommets 23 and collars 25 that are supplied vertically from each parts feeder 50 via each rail 578 to the first and second gripping tools 575.
, 576, the rotating column 574 is raised and rotated, the first and second gripping parts 575, 576 are moved to positions directly above the first and second holders 52, 53, and then the rotating column 574 is Lower it again and attach the grommet 23 to each holder.
and color 25. In the above embodiment, the nut was attached to the case by setting the nut in the through hole 18 and welding it after the setting, but the welding process is omitted and the nut is attached by press fitting into the through hole 18. It is also possible, in which case the mounting device 4
The work station 4D and the ultrasonic welding head 44 are no longer necessary, and the space of the mounting device 4 can be further reduced.

[0009]

As explained above, according to the invention according to claim 1, there is provided a mounting device, a press-fitting device, a transfer device for transferring a case from the mounting device to the press-fitting device, and setting the case on a conveyor. The loading robot is placed in three directions facing the upstream end of the conveyor, which reduces the length of the assembly equipment and improves space efficiency.The grommet and collar, which are earthquake-proofing members, are press-fitted into the case with a single press-fitting device, making it even easier. Improves space efficiency. Further, according to the invention according to claim 2, the mounting device is provided with an index table, the case is placed on the index table, and a station for mounting the nut on the case is provided around the index table. The mounting device can be made more compact, further improving space efficiency. Furthermore, according to the invention according to claim 3, the same worker can set the case on the mounting device and set the element and lid on the case on the conveyor, which improves personnel efficiency.

According to the invention according to claim 4, since the case is clamped by the transfer robot 6 using the cover mounting surface of the case as a reference when attaching the nut, the positioning accuracy of the clamp is improved. Therefore, the positioning accuracy of the case with respect to the press-fitting device is improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

[Figure 1] Diagram showing the configuration of an air cleaner

[Figure 2] Diagram showing the shape of the nut

[Figure 3] Diagram showing the shape of the grommet

[Figure 4] Diagram showing the shape of the collar

[Fig. 5] Plan view showing the configuration of the assembly device

[Figure 6] Detailed view showing the nut welding part of the case

[Figure 7] X-arrow view showing the configuration of the case reversing device

[Figure 8] Diagram showing the clamping state of the case by the transfer robot

[Fig. 9] Y-arrow view showing the configuration of the press-fitting device

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Case 3 Conveyor 4 Mounting device 5 Press-fitting device 6 Transfer robot 7 Tightening robot 9 Transfer loader 13 Nut
23 Grommet 25 Color

Claims (4)

[Claims] Claim 1: An automatic air cleaner assembly device in which a case housing an air cleaner element is sequentially conveyed to each work station by a conveyor, and the element and a lid are assembled to the case, comprising three directions facing the upstream end of the conveyor. a mounting device for mounting a nut for assembling the lid onto the case; a press-fitting device for press-fitting the seismic insulation member into a mounting hole for the vehicle body provided in the case; and a case ejected from the mounting device. A transfer robot that transfers the case to the press-fitting device and transfers the case from the press-fitting device to the conveyor is arranged, and the transfer robot controls the position and posture of the case while holding the case, and the press-fitting device performs earthquake prevention. An automatic air cleaner assembly device characterized by press-fitting parts. 2. The mounting device includes an index table on which the case is placed, a station around the index table for placing the case on the index table, and a station for placing the case on the index table, and a station for placing the case on the index table; 2. The air cleaner automatic assembly apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a station for mounting the nut and a station for discharging the case to which the nut is mounted. 3. The mounting device is disposed at a side position of the upstream end adjacent to a work space provided on the side of a work station for setting elements and lids on the case in the middle of the conveyor, and 3. The air cleaner automatic assembly apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mounting station is provided opposite to the work space. 4. The case is placed on the index table with the lid mounting surface facing down, and the case is picked up from the index table at the case dispensing station, and a case clamper attached to the operating end of the transfer robot is used. 4. The case dispensing means for delivering the case is provided in the case clamper, and the case clamper is provided with a positioning member for positioning the case at the time of clamping with reference to the lid mounting surface. Air cleaner automatic assembly equipment.