JPH04250935A - Machining or assembly method for work - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the operation rate of a work robot, also to facilitate the change in working or assembly work process, and, to reduce the reduction in the production efficiency of the work accompanied by the accident of a truck, etc., in planning the automation with the working or assembly work on the work transferred by being mounted on a truck being executed by utilizing a work robot. CONSTITUTION:A work main body 24 provided with an aperture k1 is prepared, and the working or assembly work on the work main body is executed by a work robot, under the state of the work robot and work main body being transferred by a truck, with the work main body being mounted with the state of the work robot being arranged at the internal part of the work main body through the aperture provided on the work main body on the truck 5 where the work robot 8A, 8B are set up.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for processing or assembling a workpiece in which the workpiece is automatically processed or assembled using a work robot when the workpiece is transported.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art In a car body production line in a vehicle manufacturing process, for example, a plurality of members are joined together to form a door, and an engine is placed in a part forming a passenger compartment, and a door is placed in a part forming an engine room. The main body of the vehicle, in which the hood, trunk lid, etc. that form the trunk space are temporarily fixed and integrated, is coated with a sealant in the painting line section, and then each part is painted as necessary from undercoat to topcoat. After that, the doors, engine hood, trunk lid, etc. are removed, and the vehicle body and the doors, engine hood, trunk lid, etc. are each put into separate work line sections, and each is processed in each work line section. Or, after assembly has been done by assembling various parts, the car body has been re-processed or assembled with various parts, and then the doors, engine hood, trunk lid, etc. have been processed or assembled with various parts. After being properly installed, the vehicle body is completed.

[0003] In the work line division for car bodies in such a car body production line, the car body is placed on a trolley or supported and conveyed by a conveyor, and the car body is Generally, processing or assembly by assembling various parts is carried out by a combination of work by workers and work by installed work robots. In order to achieve further automation, for example, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 62-108183 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 63-265779, the vehicle body is combined with a plurality of vehicle body components, such as an upper vehicle body component. The parts are divided into a floor member or a lower vehicle body component including the floor member, and each vehicle body component is assembled in advance by processing or assembling various parts, and then they are joined together to form the vehicle body. It is proposed to form a

0004

As described above, a plurality of vehicle bodies that are interconnected to form a vehicle body, such as an upper vehicle body component and a floor member, or a lower vehicle body component including a floor member, as described above. In processing each component or assembling it by assembling various parts, a plurality of work line divisions are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of vehicle body component members, and one of the plurality of vehicle body component members is Vehicle body components that form the main part, such as the upper vehicle body component, are fixedly installed in the corresponding work line section, for example, while being placed on a trolley and transported. It is assumed that the working robot is used to process or assemble previously prepared parts. Therefore, in such a work line division, when a large number of the same type of vehicle body components that are sequentially introduced therein are each transported to the position of a fixedly installed work robot, the work robot processes the vehicle body components. Alternatively, since assembly is performed by assembling parts, it is difficult to set the position of each vehicle body component with respect to the work robot with sufficient accuracy, and each work robot absorbs the positional shift of the vehicle body component. In addition, each work robot will be required to perform intermittent work while waiting for the vehicle body components to be transported within the work line division. Therefore, there is an inconvenience that the work robot is not operated efficiently.

[0005] Furthermore, when a change is made to a specific machining or assembly work process for a car body component, the change in the work process will affect the entire work line division established for that car body component. Therefore, there is a problem that each processing or assembly work process for car body components cannot be easily changed, as there is a risk that it will be necessary to re-set the work load distribution etc. in each part of the work line classification. . Furthermore, if a malfunction occurs in one of the plurality of carts that transport the plurality of vehicle body components, or in a work robot that performs processing or assembly work on the vehicle body components, the vehicle will be transported by the malfunctioning trolley. In multiple work line divisions related to a car body that is formed including a car body component, or a car body that is formed to include a car body component that is to be processed or assembled by a work robot that has a failure. There is a risk that work may be stopped, resulting in a significant drop in production efficiency.

[0006] In view of the above, the present invention aims to automate the processing or assembly of workpieces such as vehicle body components that are carried on a trolley by using a working robot. It is possible to effectively improve the operating rate of the work robot, and when changes are made to the machining or assembly work process, it is possible to flexibly respond to the changed machining or assembly work process. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for processing or assembling a workpiece, which can reduce a decrease in workpiece production efficiency caused by the failure when a failure occurs in a cart that conveys the placed workpiece.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, the method for processing or assembling a workpiece according to the present invention includes a workpiece body provided with an opening and a part of the workpiece body provided with the opening. The components of the workpiece to be processed are separately prepared, and the workpiece body is placed on a trolley on which a working robot is installed, and at that time, the working robot is placed inside the workpiece body through an opening provided in the workpiece body. After that, the work robot and the work body are transported along the work route by the cart, and the work robot is made to perform processing or assembly work on the work body.

[0008]

[Operation] In the method for processing or assembling a workpiece according to the present invention as described above, first, a workpiece body provided with an opening is prepared, and a working robot is installed on the workpiece body provided with the opening. The workpiece is placed on a trolley, and the workpiece and a work robot that performs processing or assembly work on the workpiece are placed inside the workpiece through an opening provided in the workpiece. It is transported by a common trolley, and during the transport,
By having the work robot perform work on the workpiece, processing or assembly work on the workpiece body can be automated efficiently. Specifically, the workpiece body and the work robot are transported by a common trolley, and the work robot performs processing or assembly work on the workpiece body. By being placed inside the main body, while the work robot is performing the work, the positioning of the work main body relative to the work robot can be maintained with high accuracy, reducing the work load on the work robot. In addition, the waiting time in which the work robot waits for the arrival of the work body is eliminated, and it is also possible for the work robot to reach the work target location on the work body and to move from one work target location to the next work target location. The transfer of data is carried out quickly, and the operating rate of the work robot is significantly improved. Furthermore, if a failure occurs in the trolley or the work robot, this will prevent the effect from affecting the entire work line where the trolley is installed, suppressing the decline in production efficiency of the workpiece body, and preventing the damage to the workpiece body. It is possible to easily change the processing or assembly work process without causing any inconvenience to the work line on which the cart is disposed, and the degree of freedom is improved.

[0009]

[Embodiment] FIG. 3 schematically shows the arrangement of an example of a car body assembly line in which the method for processing or assembling a workpiece according to the present invention is carried out.
The upper body member constituting the main part of the vehicle body constitutes a workpiece body on which processing or assembly work is performed according to the workpiece processing or assembly method according to the present invention.

The vehicle body assembly line shown in FIG. 3 includes a vehicle body transport path forming section T1, an upper vehicle body member transport path forming section T2, a floor member transport path forming section T3, an exterior member transport path forming section T4,
Floor component processing line division LF, exterior component processing line divisions LE1 to LE6, work stations S1 and S2, parts assembly work line divisions LP1 and LP2, floor component assembly work line division LFA, and exterior component assembly work line division It is said to include LEA. The floor member processing line section LF is provided along the floor member conveyance path forming section T3, and is also provided along the exterior member processing line section LE.
1 to LE6 are six branched exterior member conveyance path forming portions T4.
are located along each of the

[0011] In the parts assembly work line section LP1, an annular workpiece conveyance path R1 is formed, and a plurality of self-propelled carts 5 move on the workpiece conveyance path R1. Furthermore, the parts assembly work line section LP2 also has an annular workpiece conveyance path R2 formed therein.
It is assumed that a plurality of self-propelled carts 4 move on 2. One end of the portion R1a of the workpiece conveyance path R1 is provided with an upper body member loading section RS to which the terminal end of the upper body member conveyance path forming section T2 is connected, and the other end of the portion R1a is provided with a hanger conveyor. It is connected to one end of portion R2a of workpiece conveyance path R2 via H1. The other end of the portion R2a is connected to one end of the portion R2b of the workpiece conveyance path R2, and the other end of the portion R2b is connected to the hanger conveyor H2.
It is connected to one end of portion R1b of workpiece transport path R1 via. Then, the other end of the portion R1b passes through the hanger conveyor H3 to the floor member assembly work line section L.
The floor member assembly work line section LFA is connected to the exterior member assembly work line section LEA. Further, the floor member assembly work line section LFA is provided with a floor member loading section FS to which the terminal end of the floor member conveyance path forming section T3 is connected. Six exterior member carrying-in portions ES1 to ES6 are sequentially provided, each of which has six exterior member conveyance path forming portions T4 connected to each other at their respective terminal ends.

In the vehicle body entrance path forming portion T1, as shown in FIG.
The car body 20, which is constructed by integrating various structural members including exterior parts such as the engine hood 22 and the trunk lid 23, is coated with a sealant in the painting line section, and then coated as required for each part from undercoat to topcoat. The items will be delivered with the appropriate paint applied. In this way, the vehicle body 2 from the painting line section is placed in the vehicle body entry path forming portion T1.
In the car body assembly line shown in FIG. 3 where the 0 is carried in, processing or assembly work according to the workpiece processing or assembly method according to the present invention is performed as follows.

First, the vehicle body 20 carried into the vehicle body entrance path forming part T1 is transported to the work station S1, and at the work station S1, the vehicle body 20 is moved to the front door 21F and rear door 21R as shown in FIG. , an upper vehicle body member 24 including exterior members such as an engine hood 22 and a trunk lid 23, and a floor member 25. The upper vehicle body member 24 includes a front door 21F and a rear door 2.
Cabin forming part A1 where 1R is arranged, engine hood 2
2, and a trunk space forming part A3, in which a trunk lid 23 is arranged, and the floor member 25 is removed from the bottom of the cabin forming part A1. A partial floor opening is provided.

The upper car body member 24 and the floor material 25 obtained at the work station S1 are sent to the upper car body member conveyance path forming section T2 and the floor member conveyance path forming section T3, respectively, and the upper car body member 24 is transferred to the upper car body member. While transporting the floor member 25 to the work station S2 provided in the transport path forming section T2, the floor member 25 is transferred to the floor member transport path forming section T3.
The material is transported to the floor member processing line section LF through the floor member processing line section LF. Then, in the floor component processing line section LF, the floor component 25 is subjected to various treatments such as sealing treatment, secondary rust prevention treatment, etc., and parts installation, etc., and after that, various treatments and parts installation, etc. The floor member 25 is again transported through the floor member transport path forming section T3 to the floor member carrying-in section FS in the floor member assembly work line section LFA.

[0015] Furthermore, at the work station S2,
As shown in FIG. 6, for the upper vehicle body member 24 brought in from the work station S1, the front door 21F and rear door 21R are removed from the cabin forming part A1, and the engine hood 22, front fender 26, and the like are removed from the engine room forming part A2. Remove the front shroud 27, and further remove the trunk lid 23 and rear panel 28 from the trunk space forming portion A3. Thereby, at the work station S2, the upper vehicle body member 24 is attached to the floor part opening K1 and the front door part opening formed by sandwiching the center pillar 1a at the bottom part and left and right sides of the cabin forming part A1, respectively. A section K2 and a rear door section opening K3 are provided, an engine room section opening K4 is provided at the engine room forming section A2, and a trunk space section opening K5 is provided at the trunk space forming section A3. be done.

[0016] Subsequently, a floor opening K is formed in the cabin forming part A1 obtained at the work station S2.
The upper car body member 24 provided with the above-mentioned parts No. 1 is transported to the upper car body member carrying-in part RS in the parts assembly work line section LP1 through the upper car body member transport path forming part T2. An exterior member conveyance path forming portion T4 that branches the various exterior members of the front door 21F, rear door 21R, engine hood 22, front fender 26, front shroud 27, trunk lid 23, and rear panel 28 that have been removed into six parts. Through exterior parts processing line divisions LE1 to LE6
They will be transported to the respective locations.

In the exterior member processing line section LE1, necessary processing is performed on the front shroud 27, and in the exterior member processing line section LE2, the necessary processing is performed on the trunk lid 2.
The necessary processing for 3 is carried out in the exterior member processing line section L.
E3 carries out the necessary processing and parts installation for the rear panel 28, exterior parts processing line section LE4 carries out the necessary processing for the engine hood 22, and exterior parts processing line section LE5 carries out the necessary processing for the front door 21.
The necessary processing and parts installation are performed for the F and rear door 21R, and the necessary processing and parts installation are performed for the front fender 26 in the exterior component processing line section LE6. front shroud 27, trunk lid 23, rear panel 28, engine hood 22,
The front door 21F, the rear door 21R, and the front fender 26 are transported through the six exterior member conveyance path forming portions T4 to the six exterior member assembly work line sections LEA.
These are transported to the exterior member carrying-in sections ES1 to ES6, respectively.

On the other hand, the upper vehicle body member 24 transported to the upper vehicle body member loading section RS in the parts assembly work line section LP1 through the upper vehicle body member conveyance path forming section T2 is transferred from the upper vehicle body member loading section RS to the parts assembly. The part R1a of the workpiece conveyance path R1 is introduced into the work line section LP1.
It is placed on the self-propelled trolley 5 at one end. Then, the upper body member 24 placed on the self-propelled cart 5 is transported by the self-propelled cart 5 along the portion R1a of the workpiece conveyance path R1 from one end to the other end in the direction of the arrow X1. Various parts such as wire harnesses, grommets, clips, etc. are assembled to the vehicle body member 24. Thereafter, the upper body member 24 on which various parts have been assembled in the portion R1a of the workpiece conveyance path R1 is moved to the self-propelled trolley 5 at the other end of the portion R1a.
The workpiece is transferred from above to the hanger conveyor H1 to be transferred to the parts assembly work line section LP2, and via the hanger conveyor H1, it is self-propelled at one end of the part R2a of the workpiece transport path R2 in the parts assembly work line section LP2. Place it on the trolley 4.

Then, the upper body member 24 placed on the self-propelled cart 4 is transported by the self-propelled cart 4 from one end to the other end of the portion R2a of the workpiece transport path R2, and further, The interior unit, dashboard unit,
Assemble various parts such as the rear seat, front and rear windshield glass. Next, the workpiece conveyance path R
The upper vehicle body member 24, on which various parts have been assembled in parts R2a and R2b of 2, is reassembled from the self-propelled trolley 4 at the other end of part R2b to parts assembly work line section LP.
1 to the hanger conveyor H2, and then transferred to the parts assembly work line section LP via the hanger conveyor H2.
The workpiece is placed on the self-propelled cart 5 at one end of the portion R1b of the workpiece transport path R1 in No. 1.

Next, the upper body member 24 placed on the self-propelled trolley 5 is transported again by the self-propelled trolley 5 from one end to the other end in the portion R1b of the workpiece transport path R1. The assembly screw members for the various parts assembled to the vehicle body member 24 are retightened, and then the upper vehicle body member 24 is attached to the self-propelled bogie 5 at the other end of the portion R1b.
It is transferred from above to the hanger conveyor H3 to be transferred to the floor member assembly work line section LFA, and then carried into the floor member assembly work line section LFA via the hanger conveyor H3.

In the floor member assembly work line segment LFA, the upper vehicle body member 24, which has been brought in from the parts assembly work line segment LP1 and has been assembled with various parts in the parts assembly work line segments LP1 and LP2, is The floor member 25 introduced from the floor member carrying-in section FS is assembled through the floor member conveyance path forming section T3. Subsequently, the upper vehicle body member 24 on which the floor member 25 has been assembled is transferred from the floor member assembly work line section LFA to the exterior member assembly work line section LEA.

[0022] In the exterior member assembly work line section LEA, the front shroud 2 introduced from the exterior member delivery section ES1 is attached to the upper vehicle body member 24 on which the floor member 25 from the floor member assembly work line section LFA has been assembled.
7. The trunk lid 23 is introduced from the exterior component loading section ES2, the rear panel 28 is introduced from the exterior component loading section ES3, the engine hood 22 is introduced from the exterior component loading section ES4, and the front is introduced from the exterior component loading section ES5. The door 21F, the rear door 21R, and the front fender 26 introduced from the exterior member loading section ES6 are sequentially assembled to complete the assembly of the upper vehicle body member 24.

Note that at the other end of the portion R1a of the workpiece conveyance path R1 in the parts assembly work line section LP1,
The self-propelled trolley 5 from which the upper body member 24 placed thereon has been removed is moved along the workpiece conveyance path R1 in its portion R1a.
from the other end to one end of portion R1b, and also along the workpiece transport path R2 in the parts assembly work line section LP2.
The self-propelled cart 4 from which the upper body member 24 placed thereon has been removed is moved from the other end of the portion R2b to the portion R2 along the workpiece conveyance path R2.
The self-propelled trolley moves to one end of a, and further, at the other end of the portion R1b of the workpiece conveyance path R1 in the parts assembly work line section LP1, the upper body member 24 placed thereon is removed. 5 moves along the workpiece transport path R1 from the other end of the portion R1b to one end of the portion R1a.

When the upper car body member 24 is assembled as described above, the upper car body member 24 moves along the workpiece conveyance path R1 in the parts assembly work line section LP1.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the self-propelled trolley 5 on which the workpiece is placed has wheels driven by a motor 6 attached thereto, and a pair of rails 3 forming a workpiece conveyance path R1. It is assumed that the vehicle will run on top of the vehicle. The upper vehicle body member 2 to be placed is placed on the mounting surface portion 5A of the self-propelled trolley 5.
The main pallet 7 for positioning No. 4, the first and second working robots 8A and 8B that work on the upper vehicle body member 24 positioned by the main pallet 7, and the first and second working robots 8A and 8B. two robot tool placement tables 9A and 9B provided respectively for the robot;
Two control units 10A and 10B are installed to control the operations of the first and second working robots 8A and 8B.

The main pallet 7 is formed into a frame shape, and columnar support members 32 are installed at a plurality of locations, and engagement pins 31 provided at the top of each columnar support member 32 are connected to the upper vehicle body. The upper vehicle body member 24 is supported and positioned by the columnar support member 32 in a state where it is engaged with an engagement hole provided in the bottom surface of the member 24 .

The first working robot 8A has a rotating part 15A attached to a base 14A that is fixed on the mounting surface 5A of the self-propelled cart 5 in a state surrounded by the central part of the main pallet 7. The movable arm part 16A, which is placed in the recess 14AG provided in the recess 14AG and supported by the rotating part 15A, is attached to the bottom surface of the cabin forming part A1 of the upper vehicle body member 24, which is positioned by the main pallet 7. It is made to enter the inside of the cabin forming part A1 through the provided floor part opening K1. The rotating portion 15A that supports the movable arm portion 16A is movable along the longitudinal direction of the upper vehicle body member 24 within a recess 14AG provided in the base 14A. In this way, the rotating part 15A of the first working robot 8A
The first and second sub-pallets 12A and 12B on which parts are placed are placed on the base 14A on which the parts are placed.
G is placed in opposing positions, and various parts P such as grommets and wire harnesses, which are to be assembled mainly inside the cabin forming part A1 of the upper vehicle body member 24, are arranged in a predetermined manner on the upper surface of each of them. It is placed with

The second working robot 8B is rotatably mounted on a base 14B fixed on the mounting surface 5A of the self-propelled cart 5 in a state partially surrounded by the U-shaped end of the main pallet 7. The movable arm part 16B, which is installed with the part 15B disposed in the recess 14BG provided in the base 14B and supported by the rotating part 15B, is placed in the engine compartment of the upper vehicle body member 24 positioned by the main pallet 7. It is made to enter into an engine room partial opening K4 provided in the forming part A2. The rotating portion 15B that supports the movable arm portion 16B is movable along the longitudinal direction of the upper vehicle body member 24 within a recess 14BG provided in the base 14B. In this way, the base 14B on which the rotating part 15B of the second working robot 8B is arranged.
Above, a third sub-pallet 12C on which parts are placed is disposed at a position corresponding to the engine compartment opening K4, and on the top surface of each sub-pallet 12C is located a portion of the upper vehicle body member 24 that mainly forms the engine compartment. Various parts P' such as grommets and wire harnesses to be assembled inside A2 are arranged in a predetermined manner.

First and second working robots 8A and 8B
is an articulated robot, and each movable arm part 16
A or 16B is the rotating part 15A or 15, respectively.
It can be rotated by B and can bend and stretch at multiple locations, and has a wrist part 17 at its tip.
A or 17B is provided.

The robot tool placement table 9A is a wrist portion 17A provided on the movable arm portion 16A of the first working robot 8A outside the cabin forming portion A1 of the upper vehicle body member 24 supported by the main pallet 7. Various tools Q, which are removably attached to the wrist portion 17A of the first working robot 8A, are arranged on the tool mounting surface in a predetermined manner. Further, the robot tool placement table 9B includes a wrist portion 17 provided on the movable arm portion 16B of the second working robot 8B in the vicinity of the engine room forming portion A2 of the upper vehicle body member 24 supported by the main pallet 7.
Various tools Q', which are removably attached to the wrist part 17B of the second working robot 8B, are arranged in a predetermined manner on the tool mounting surface.

The two control units 10A and 10B are
It is disposed at the end of the mounting surface 5A of the self-propelled trolley 5, and supplies operation control signals according to a preset control program to each of the first and second working robots 8A and 8B, for example. and control their operations.

[0031] Such first and second working robots 8
The present invention relates to the upper vehicle body member 24 transported to the upper vehicle body member carrying-in section RS through the upper vehicle body member transport path forming section T2 in the parts assembly work line section LP1 including the self-propelled cart 5 where A and 8B are installed. When performing assembly by assembling various parts according to the processing or assembly method of the workpiece, first, the upper car body member 24 carried into the upper car body member loading section RS is divided into parts assembly work line sections. The workpiece is placed from above on one of the plurality of self-propelled carts 5 that run on a pair of rails 3 constituting the workpiece transport path R1 in LP1. that time,
The movable arm portion 16A of the first working robot 8A installed on the mounting surface portion 5A of the self-propelled trolley 5 is placed on the upper vehicle body member 2.
The second work robot 8B enters the inside of the cabin forming part A1 through the floor opening K1 provided in the cabin forming part A1 of No. , the movable arm portion 16B is connected to the engine room forming portion A of the upper vehicle body member 24.
The mounting surface 5 of the self-propelled trolley 5 is designed to fit inside the engine room partial opening K4 provided in the
Engagement pins 31 provided on each of the plurality of columnar support members 32 planted on the main panel 7 installed on A
By fitting the engagement holes provided in the engine room forming part A2 and the trunk space forming part A3 of the upper vehicle body member 24, the upper vehicle body member 24 is formed into a plurality of columnar shapes as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is supported and positioned by the support member 32.

Next, the motor 6 of the self-propelled cart 5 on which the upper body member 24 is placed is activated, and the self-propelled cart 5 moves at a predetermined speed on the pair of rails 3 toward the parts assembly work line section LP2. the upper vehicle body member 24 in the first direction.
Then, the robot is transported along with the second working robots 8A and 8B toward the parts assembly work line section LP2.

Subsequently, an operation control signal sent from the control unit 10A installed on the running self-propelled cart 5 according to a preset control program is supplied to the first working robot 8A, and the first working robot 8A 8A, the rotating part 15A moves as necessary within the range of the recess 14AG provided in the base 14A fixed on the mounting surface part 5A of the self-propelled trolley 5, and the movable arm part 16A moves as necessary. , the wrist portion 17A provided thereon reaches the position of the robot tool placement table 9A through the front door partial opening K2 or the rear door partial opening K3 provided in the cabin forming portion A1 of the upper vehicle body member 24. After one of the tools Q placed on the robot tool placement table 9A is attached to the wrist part 17A, the attached tool Q is used to move the first and second sub-pallets 12A and 1
The various parts P arranged in 2B are brought into a state in which they are mainly assembled one after another inside the cabin forming part A1 of the upper vehicle body member 24. In such a state, the first working robot 8A uses the tool Q attached to the wrist part 17A to pick up various parts P placed on the first sub-pallet 12A, as shown by the solid line in FIG. Select and hold a specific one from
It is assembled to the area around the first sub-pallet 12A in the cabin forming portion A1 of the upper vehicle body member 24, and as shown by the dashed line in FIG.
A tool Q attached to the wrist part 17A selects and holds a specific part from among the various parts P arranged on the second sub-pallet 12B, and transfers it to the second part in the cabin forming part A1 of the upper vehicle body member 24. sub-palette 12B
Attach to the surrounding area. When assembling various parts P to the upper vehicle body member 24, the tool Q attached to the wrist portion 17A of the first working robot 8A is attached to the parts P to be assembled to the upper vehicle body member 24. Depending on the situation, an operation is also performed to replace it with something suitable for handling it.

[0034] At the same time, the self-propelled trolley 5
An operation control signal sent from the control unit 10B installed in the control unit 10B according to a preset control program is supplied to the second working robot 8B, and the rotating part 15B of the second working robot 8B is connected to the self-propelled cart 5. The movable arm part 1 moves as necessary within the range of the recess 14BG provided in the base 14B fixed on the mounting surface part 5A of the
6B causes the wrist portion 17B provided thereon to reach the position of the robot tool placement table 9B, and one of the tools Q' placed on the robot tool placement table 9B is attached to the wrist portion 17B. After setting the state, the installed tool Q'
, the various parts P' arranged on the third sub-pallet 12C are brought into a state in which the various parts P' arranged on the third sub-pallet 12C are mainly assembled one after another inside the engine room forming part A2 of the upper vehicle body member 24. When assembling various parts P' to the upper vehicle body member 24, the second work robot 8B uses the tool Q' attached to its wrist part 17B to assemble the parts P' to the upper vehicle body member 24.
'In response to the situation, it is also possible to replace it with something suitable for handling it.

As described above, it is possible to obtain the upper car body member 24 in which the various parts P and P' have been assembled, and the upper car body member 24 is removed from the self-propelled truck 5 as a part assembly. Workpiece conveyance path R in attached work line section LP2
2 is transferred to one of the plurality of self-propelled carts 4 that are intended to travel.

In this way, as shown in FIG. 8, the upper vehicle body member 24 and the first to third subpallets 12A to 1
2C, first and second working robots 8A and 8B, control units 10A and 10B, and robot tool placement tables 9A and 9B are installed on a common self-propelled cart 5 and transported, while The various parts P and P' arranged on the first to third sub-pallets 12A to 12C are assembled to the upper car body member 24 by the second working robots 8A and 8B. Assembly is performed, and at that time, the first working robot 8A,
Mainly the cabin forming portion A1 in the upper vehicle body member 24
The various parts P are assembled to the inside of the robot with its movable arm 16A placed inside the cabin forming part A1 through the floor opening K1, and the second working robot 8B mainly By assembling the various parts P' to the inside of the engine room forming portion A2 of the upper vehicle body member 24 with the movable arm portion 16B disposed within the engine room portion opening K4, the During the parts assembly work by the first and second working robots 8A and 8B, the first part of the upper vehicle body member 24
The positioning of the first and second working robots 8A and 8B is maintained with high precision, reducing the workload of the first and second working robots 8A and 8B. The waiting time during which the robots 8A and 8B would have to wait for the arrival of the upper body member 24 is eliminated, and in addition, the first and second working robots 8A and 8B
The tools can be replaced as necessary for each of them in an extremely short time, and the operating rates of the first and second working robots 8A and 8B are significantly improved.

Furthermore, the self-propelled cart 5 or the first and second
When a failure occurs in at least one of the working robots 8A and 8B, the self-propelled cart 5 is evacuated from the workpiece transport path R1 in the parts assembly work line section LP1. A situation in which a failure of at least one of the first and second working robots 8A and 8B is affected by the entire parts assembly work line section LP1 is avoided, and a decrease in production efficiency of the upper vehicle body member 24 is suppressed. , the assembly work process for the upper vehicle body member 24 on the self-propelled trolley 5 can be easily changed without causing any inconvenience to the parts assembly work line section LP1, and the degree of freedom is improved. It will be done.

[0038]

As is clear from the above description, according to the method for processing or assembling a workpiece according to the present invention, first, for example, an opening, which is an upper vehicle body component provided with a floor opening, is A work body is prepared, and the work body with the opening and a work robot that performs processing or assembly work on the work body are inserted into the work body through the opening provided in the work body. During the transportation, the work robot performs various tasks such as assembling parts to the work body. The work load on the work robot is reduced by maintaining accurate positioning for the work body, and the waiting time for the work robot to wait for the arrival of the work body is eliminated. The work robot can reach the work target location and move from one work target location to the next work target location quickly, and the operating rate of the work robot can be significantly improved. moreover,
If a malfunction occurs in the trolley or the work robot, this will prevent the impact from affecting the entire work line where the trolley is installed, suppressing the decline in production efficiency of the workpiece body, and preventing the processing of the workpiece body. Alternatively, the assembly work process can be easily changed without causing any inconvenience to the work line on which the trolley is disposed, and the degree of freedom is improved. Therefore, the processing or assembly work for the workpiece body can be automated efficiently.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a portion of a vehicle body assembly line in which a method for processing or assembling a workpiece according to the present invention is carried out together with an upper vehicle body member.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a portion of a vehicle body assembly line where the method for processing or assembling a work according to the present invention is carried out together with an upper vehicle body member.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the arrangement of a vehicle body assembly line on which the method for processing or assembling a workpiece according to the present invention is implemented.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a work process of a vehicle body assembly line in which a method for processing or assembling a workpiece according to the present invention is implemented.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the work steps of a vehicle body assembly line in which the method for processing or assembling a workpiece according to the present invention is carried out.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the work steps of a vehicle body assembly line in which the method for processing or assembling a workpiece according to the present invention is carried out.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a work process of a vehicle body assembly line in which a method for processing or assembling a workpiece according to the present invention is implemented.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a work process of a vehicle body assembly line in which a method for processing or assembling a workpiece according to the present invention is implemented.

[Explanation of symbols]

T1 Vehicle body loading path forming section T2 Upper vehicle body member transport path forming section T3 Floor member transport path forming section T4 Exterior member transport path forming section LF Floor member processing line division S1 Work station S2 Work station LP1 Parts assembly work line division LP2 Parts assembly Work line division LFA Floor member assembly work line division LEA Exterior member assembly work line division 5 Self-propelled cart 7 Main pallet 8A First work robot 8B Second work robot 10A Control unit 10B Control unit 20 Vehicle body 24 Upper vehicle body Member 25 Floor member K1 Floor opening K4 Engine room opening

Claims (4)

[Claims] [Claim 1] A work body provided with an opening and a work component to be assembled into a portion of the work body provided with the opening are separately prepared, and the work body is assembled into a work robot installed on the work body. The work robot is placed on a cart with the work robot disposed inside the work main body through an opening provided in the work main body, and the work robot and the work main body are transported along the main work path by the cart. A method for processing or assembling a workpiece, in which the work robot performs processing or assembly work on the workpiece body under conditions where the workpiece body is 2. After performing a predetermined process on the work component prepared separately from the work main body through a sub-work path different from the main work path, the work component is transferred to the main work path as described above. 2. The method for processing or assembling a workpiece according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is assembled to a main body of the workpiece. 3. The method for processing or assembling a workpiece according to claim 1, wherein the work robot is configured to replace tools attached to the workpiece body depending on the contents of the processing or assembly work on the workpiece body. 4. A work body to be placed on a truck is a car body, and parts to be assembled in addition to the car body are placed on the truck, and the work robot is moved to a floor opening provided in the car body and an engine room. The method for processing or assembling a workpiece according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is placed inside the vehicle body through at least one of the partial openings.