JPH04283034A - Car body carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To position and support multiple kinds of car body by moving locate pins to predetermined positions by a driving means located outside of a carrying base at a switching stage. CONSTITUTION:A circulation line is formed of a car body assembly line, in which work stages are formed at predetermined intervals, and a recovery line for connecting the last stage to the first stage of the assembly line, and at the same time a carrying base 20 is located in the circulation line freely to move for circulation, and multiple located pins 3 for supporting a car body are fitted to the carrying base 20 freely to move in three axial directions. A lock means for fastening these respective locate pins, a driving means for releasing the fastening of the locate pins by the lock means, and a moving means for moving the located pins under the condition that fastening is released are provided. Multiple kinds of car body can be thereby carried by one carrying base 20, and correspondence to a new kind of car body can be simplified.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle body conveying device used in a vehicle assembly line, and more particularly to a vehicle body conveying device suitable for mixedly conveying a plurality of types of vehicle bodies.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, the assembly process of an automobile body consists of a floor main process, a main body process, a metal line process, etc. The floor main process is a process in which the engine compartment and front and rear floor panels are assembled together, and the main body process is a process in which body side panels, roof panels, etc. are integrally assembled to the floor main assembled in the floor main process. In the metal line process, door panels, hood panels, trunk lids, etc. are also assembled. In the current car body assembly process, from the perspective of improving productivity, many car models are assembled on the same production line, and many types of workpieces are mixed and transported to the same production line. Become. In the process of assembling a car body and the outfitting process that follows this process, the workpiece, that is, the car body, is often transported using a transport vehicle such as a train or a car truck.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are diagrams showing such a truck-type vehicle body transfer device, in which the base 11 forming the truck body is
Posts and gauges are attached to position and secure the vehicle body. However, as mentioned above, in order to selectively transport a plurality of types of car bodies with one truck, a plurality of posts and gauges at their tips are installed on the base 11.
It is installed on. As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of posts 12a for car A to support workpieces of a certain car type and posts 12b for car B to support other car types are provided on the base 11, and these posts can be switched. cylinder 13
It can be switched by. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of gauges 14a to 14e are each mounted on the base 11, and each of these gauges is switched and operated by a cylinder unit 15.

0004

[Problem to be solved by the invention] For this reason, conventionally,
In order to accommodate multiple vehicle models, it is necessary to provide multiple posts and gauges on the base 11, and also to provide a cylinder for switching along with a drive means on the base, which not only complicates the structure of the base but also requires transportation. If more car models are added, it will be necessary to add fixed posts to the empty spaces. In addition, in order to avoid interference between the posts or between the workpiece and the post, when a car model is added, there are significant restrictions on the position of the newly installed post, making it difficult to support the workpiece in an appropriate position. There are many. Furthermore, since the post is dedicated for each vehicle type, it is necessary to adjust the accuracy of many jigs when adding a vehicle type, which poses a problem in that this work is not easy. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art.It is an object of the present invention to enable one type of gauge to support all types of vehicles, thereby improving the efficiency of transporting vehicle bodies. With the goal.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle body assembly line formed by providing work stages at predetermined intervals, and a final stage and a first stage of the line. A circulation line is formed by a return line that connects the vehicle body, and a transportation vehicle that supports and transports the vehicle body is disposed in the circulation line so as to be movable in circulation, and the transportation vehicle is provided with a plurality of locate pins that support the vehicle body; Each of the locating pins is attached to be movable in three axes of vertical, horizontal, and longitudinal directions, and a locking means for fastening each of the locating pins is provided on the transport vehicle, and the locking means is attached to the switching stage disposed in the circulation line. The vehicle body transport device further includes a drive means for releasing the fastening of the locating pin, and a moving means for moving the locating pin in the state in which the fastening is released, and is arranged on the switching stage.

[0006]

[Operation] The vehicle body is placed on a transport vehicle and transported through the vehicle body assembly line. At the final stage of this line,
The transport vehicle from which the body has been removed is returned to the first stage of the assembly line by the return line. In the switching stage, the locating pin is unfastened by the driving means disposed on the stage, and in the released state, the locating pin is adjusted and moved to a predetermined position by the moving means. This position corresponds to the type of vehicle body to be placed next, and in this state, a new vehicle body is placed in the first stage of the vehicle body assembly line.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention illustrated in the drawings will be described below. FIG. 1 shows a vehicle body carrier 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
0 is a schematic plan view showing the basic structure of 0, the base 21 has a predetermined size corresponding to the car body that is the work,
The transport means 22 moves in the direction shown by the arrow. A total of four locating units 23a to 23d are provided on the base 21, corresponding to the front and rear ends of the vehicle body, and each unit 23a to 23d is moved in the X axis direction, that is, in the vehicle width direction, by an X axis unit 24a to 24d. It can be moved freely. These Z-axis units 24a to 2
4d is X for each Z-axis unit 25a to 25d.
It is movable in the axial direction, that is, in the vertical direction. Furthermore,
Each of the Z-axis units 25a to 25d is attached to a Y-axis unit 26a to 26d, and is movable in the Y-axis direction, that is, in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. therefore,
All locate units 23a to 23d are X, Y and Z.
It is movable in three axial directions. Incidentally, the reference numeral 27 is a positioning hole used to position the transport vehicle 20 at a predetermined position.

Units 23a, 24a, shown in FIG.
An enlarged view of the portions 25a and 26a is shown in FIG. 2(A), and a front view of FIG. 2(A) is shown in FIG. 2(B). 3 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of the X-axis unit 24a and the Z-axis unit 25a in the directions shown in FIGS. is shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the X-axis unit 24a is connected to the Y-axis unit 25a at a mounting seat plate 30, and this mounting seat plate 30 has two upper and lower guide rails extending horizontally. 31 are fixedly fixed thereto, and a sliding member 32 is engaged with each of these two guide rails 31 so as to be slidable along each of them. The locating unit 2 is attached to these sliding members 32.
An X-axis unit 24a in which the X-axis unit 3a is integrated is attached. The first guide rod 33 parallel to the guide rail 31 is equipped with an air cylinder 34 with a built-in brake, and the second guide rod 35 parallel to the first guide rod 33 is equipped with air for returning to the home position. A cylinder 36 is provided. These cylinders 34, 36 are shown in FIG.
It is connected to the mounting seat plate 30 by a connecting plate 37 shown in FIG. The air cylinder 34 with a built-in brake operates a built-in spring member to release the braking force when air pressure is supplied, and when the braking force is released, the locate unit 23a is moved in the X-axis direction. If a moving force is applied to the unit 23a, the unit 23a will move freely in that direction. When the air pressure is released, braking force is applied by the built-in spring member. Further, when air pressure is supplied to the cylinder 36 for returning to the original position, the cylinder 36 operates to return the mounting seat plate 30 to the original position shown in FIG. This origin position is adjusted by an adjustment bolt 38 shown in FIG.

The internal structure of the Y-axis unit 26a is almost the same as that of the X-axis unit 24a, and when a moving force is applied to the locate unit 23a in the Y-axis direction with the braking force released, it moves in that direction. Unit 23a can be moved. Next, the internal structure of the Z-axis unit 25a will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting seat plate 40 with which the mounting seat plate 30 of the X-axis unit 24a is integrated has two guide rails 41 extending in a direction perpendicular to the guide rails 31. It is installed extending along the Sliding members 42 are slidably engaged with these guide rails 41, and the Z-axis unit 25a is held by these sliding members 42. A screw shaft 43 is rotatably installed inside the Z-axis unit 25a, and a ball screw 4 is attached to this screw shaft 43.
4 is fitted. This ball screw 44 is connected to the mounting seat plate 40 by a bracket 45. Further, an air cylinder 46 with a built-in brake is provided at the end of the screw shaft 43, and when air pressure is supplied to this, the braking force by the built-in spring member is released, and in this state, the air cylinder 46 is applied to the mounting seat plate 40. When a vertical moving force is applied, since the frictional resistance between the ball screw 44 and the screw shaft 43 is small, the screw shaft 43
rotates, and the mounting seat plate 40 can freely move up and down. The aforementioned cylinders 34 and 46 with built-in brakes serve as locking means for locking the movement of the locate pin 53.

A locating unit 23a is mounted on the mounting seat plate 40.
Since the weight of the X-axis unit 24a is added to the X-axis unit 24a, in order to move these units up and down, a weight balance cylinder 48 is movably provided on the guide shaft 47 in order to offset these loads when moving up and down. . After being positioned at a predetermined position, the screw shaft 43 is braked by the brake cylinder 46 even if the air pressure in the balance cylinder 48 is released, so that the mounting seat plate 40, that is, the X-axis unit 24a and the locate unit 23a is fixed in position. As described above, the X-axis unit 24a, the Y-axis unit 26a, and the Z-axis unit 25a do not have a drive source inside them, and are externally connected to a drive source for releasing the braking force. The air pressure is supplied to the By supplying air pressure in this manner, the locate unit 23a can move freely in the three axial directions, and by moving itself, the locate pin can be positioned at any desired position.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing details of the locate unit 23a, which is fixed to the X-axis unit 24a at a mounting seat plate 50. Mounting seat plate 50
is equipped with an air cylinder 51, and this air cylinder 5
A workpiece receiving member 52 is provided at the upper end of 1. A locate pin 53 that fits into a positioning hole formed in the workpiece is attached to the workpiece receiving member 52. A clamp rod 55 is attached to a piston 54 provided in the clamp cylinder 51, and the tip of an arm 57 that can swing freely around a pin 56 is a workpiece receiving member that protrudes from a slit 58 formed in the locate pin 53. 5
2 constitutes a clamp portion 57a that clamps the workpiece. The arm 57 is attached to the clamp rod 55 with a pin 59.
A clamping force is applied to the arm 57 by the elastic force of a spring member 60 incorporated in the clamp cylinder 51. When releasing this clamping force, air pressure is supplied into the clamp cylinder 51 to raise the piston 54 against the spring force.

An annular groove 61 is formed in the workpiece receiving member 52 of the locate unit 23a, and this portion is adapted to be gripped by a robot hand (not shown). Therefore, at this portion, the robot moves the unit 23a in three axial directions while holding the locate unit 23a. 2 to 6 show the internal structure of one of the four locate units and the like provided in the vehicle body transport vehicle 20 shown in FIG. 1, but the other units have a similar structure. There is.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an assembly line for assembling a vehicle body using the vehicle body carrier 20 shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows a floor main line A, a body main line B, an additional line C of the body main line, and a metal line D. The vehicle body is transported in the direction shown by the solid arrow in the figure. In this figure, transport vehicle 2
Each stage is installed at the position indicated by 0, and a predetermined work is performed at each position. The vehicle body placed on the trolley 20 at the first stage Aa of the floor main line A is sequentially conveyed stage by stage until it reaches the final stage Bb of the body main line B, whereupon the vehicle body 20 passes through the return line 70 and returns to the stage. A vehicle type switching stage 71 is installed between the final stage Bb and the first stage Aa, and at this position, the locate pin is set in accordance with the vehicle type on which the bogie 20 is to be placed. 53, that is, the position of the locate unit 23a is set. Similarly, the cart 20 moves from the first stage Ca of the additional line C to the final stage Db of the metal line D.
Once reached, the vehicle is returned to stage Ca through the return line 72, but a vehicle type switching stage 73 is installed between both stages Ca and Db, and at this position the position of the locate pin 53 is changed according to the vehicle type. Set. As shown in FIG. 7, lines A and B and lines C and D are circulation lines with return lines 70 and 72, respectively.

These vehicle type switching stages 71 and 73 are provided with an air pressure supply unit 74 and a robot 75, and are transported to the vehicle type switching stage 71 through a return line 70 after passing through stage Bb. Transport trolley 2
0 first stops there. In this state, the joint portion provided in the air pressure supply unit 74 is connected to the joint portion of each unit. Then, when pressurized air is supplied from the pneumatic supply unit 74 to each air cylinder, the braking force in the units 24a to 26a is released, and pneumatic pressure is supplied to the balance cylinder 48 in the Z-axis unit 25a. The ball screw 44 is
The weight of the locate unit 23a and the X-axis unit 24a is no longer added. In addition, each of the units 24a to 2
6a is returned to the original position by a cylinder for returning to the original position. In this state, using the robot 75, the hand of the robot 75 is engaged with the groove 61 of the locate unit 23a. Then, the robot 75 moves the locate pin 53 in three axes to a position corresponding to the workpiece of the next vehicle type.
Move the position of. At this time, since no braking force is applied to each of the units 23a to 26a, the locate pin 53, that is, the locate unit 23a can be easily positioned at a predetermined position. Note that a power supply unit (not shown) is also arranged in the switching stages 71 and 73, and current is supplied from this power supply unit to sensors and the like provided in the transport vehicle 20.

Thereafter, the carriage 20 is carried to the position of the first stage Aa on the floor main line A, and holds a predetermined workpiece. In addition, one transport vehicle 2
The number of locate pins 53 provided in 0, that is, the number of locate units 23a, is not limited to the above-mentioned four, but can be set to any number. For example, line A
, B may use six to eight locate pins, and the trolley 20 used for lines C and D may use four locate pins. As described above, the transport vehicle 20 is provided with a predetermined number of locating pins that hold the workpiece (car body), and is moved in three axes directions, and these locating pins are driven by the moving vehicle. Since this is carried out by an external drive source that is not provided, many types of vehicle bodies can be held with a small number of locate pins without using a large number of locate pins on the transport vehicle. Although a cylinder with a built-in brake is used to fasten the locate pin 53, an electric motor may be used and the motor may be operated by an externally supplied current. In addition, in the illustrated embodiment, the switching stages 71, 7
3, the locate pin 53 is returned to the original position, but if the original position can be detected, it may be moved to the next position without returning to the original position.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention, the transport vehicle is provided with a sufficient number of locate pins to support one vehicle body, and these are movable in three axes directions. A locking means is provided for fastening the locating pin in a predetermined position, and the locating pin is moved to a predetermined position by a driving means disposed outside the transport vehicle at the switching stage. By simply providing one set of locating pins, it is possible to position and support vehicle bodies of multiple vehicle types. therefore,
Even if the number of car bodies to be transported by the transport truck increases, it is possible to easily support new car bodies by simply changing the position of the locating pin, without increasing the cost of the device. This has reduced the preparation period and greatly improved vehicle transport efficiency.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a transport vehicle;

[Figure 2]
is an enlarged view showing a unit in which one of the four locating pins shown in FIG. 1 is movable;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of the X-axis unit and Z-axis unit shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG.

[Figure 5
] is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of the locate unit;

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing an assembly line where transport vehicles move to assemble vehicle bodies;

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a support post provided on a conventional carrier;

FIG. 9 is a front view showing a gauge provided on a conventional transport vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

20... Transport vehicle, 23a to 23d... Locate unit,
24a-24d...X-axis unit, 25a-25d...Z-axis unit, 26a-26d...Y-axis unit, 34...Air cylinder with built-in brake, 46...Brake cylinder, 7
0...Return line, 72...Return line, 74...Pneumatic supply unit, 75...Robot.

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A circulation line is formed by a car body assembly line formed by providing work stages at predetermined intervals, and a return line connecting the last stage and the first stage of the line, and a car body assembly line is formed. A transport vehicle for supporting and transporting the vehicle body is disposed in the circulation line so as to be freely cyclically movable, and the transport vehicle is provided with a plurality of locate pins for supporting the vehicle body, and each locate pin is moved in three axial directions: up and down, left and right, and front and rear directions. A locking means for movably attaching and fastening each of the locating pins is provided on the transport vehicle, and a driving means for releasing the fastening of the locating pin from the locking means is provided on the switching stage disposed in the circulation line, and the locating pin is fastened. A vehicle body conveyance device, wherein a moving means for moving the locating pin is disposed on the switching stage in a released state.