JPH0443031B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A. Object of the Invention (1) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to an automobile assembly transport method and apparatus for transporting a vehicle body for assembling an automobile.

(2) Prior Art Conventionally, on an automobile assembly line, it has been common to transport and assemble vehicle bodies using an overhead conveyor or a slat conveyor.

(3) Problems to be solved by the invention By the way, automobile assembly work involves a large number of parts and many parts that are heavy, so automation has been attempted to reduce the labor burden on workers. It is coming. However, in order to achieve automation,
For example, it is desirable to orient the engine room or the trunk room in a desired direction to simplify the movement of the automatic assembly machine, whereas with the conventional conveyance device described above, it is not possible to change the orientation of the vehicle body along the conveyance direction. It was difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a conveyance method and device for automobile assembly, which makes it possible to change the direction of the vehicle body by 90 degrees and facilitates the automation of assembly.

B. Structure of the Invention (1) Means for Solving the Problems According to the method of the present invention, a conversion position is set in the middle of the transport direction, and a traveling cart carrying a car body is raised and lowered at the conversion position, and the conversion position A movable member that is capable of rotating 90 degrees around a vertical axis of the traveling carriage raised at a position and moving along a conveying direction, and the traveling carriage are moved so that the traveling carriage is in a lowered state at the conversion position. The connection is made switchable between connection and uncoupling when the moving member is in the position, and the traveling carriage can rotate 90 degrees at the conversion position and travel along the transport direction according to the movement of the moving member.

In addition, according to the device of the present invention, the conversion position set midway in the conveyance direction is capable of lifting and lowering operations with the traveling trolley carrying the vehicle body placed thereon, as well as 90-degree rotation around the vertical axis in the raised state. A rotary table capable of rotational movement is disposed, moving members extending along the conveyance direction on both sides of the rotary table are disposed so as to be movable along the conveyance direction, and the traveling cart has a conveyance member at a conversion position. A pin is provided protrudingly to be positioned corresponding to the moving member regardless of the 90 degree conversion along the direction, and the moving member is clamped so as to be able to release the pin of the traveling cart that is in the lowered state at the converted position. A clamping feature is provided, and the clamping mechanism is configured to allow upward movement of the pin in its open state.

(2) Effect In the method of the present invention, the traveling vehicle that has traveled to the conversion position is lifted up with the connection with the moving member released, and the traveling vehicle is moved 90 degrees around the vertical axis.
By connecting the moving member to the traveling carriage which has been rotated by a degree and lowered after the rotation, the traveling carriage whose direction along the conveyance direction has changed by 90 degrees can be made to travel along the conveyance direction.

In the device of the present invention, by opening the clamp mechanism at the conversion position, the traveling trolley placed on the rotary table can be raised and rotated 90 degrees around the vertical axis, and after rotation, the rotary table can be lowered. After the pins are clamped by the clamp mechanism, the movable member is moved, so that the traveling cart whose direction has changed by 90 degrees with respect to the conveyance direction can be made to travel along the conveyance direction.

(3) Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, in FIGS. 1 and 2, during the assembly process of an automobile, a vehicle body 1 is placed on a running bogie 2, and the running bogie 2 in the transport direction 3. Furthermore, each part is assembled to the vehicle body 1 while being transported along the transport direction 3, and depending on the assembly characteristics of those parts, the vehicle body 1 is placed in a posture with its longitudinal direction aligned with the transport direction 3. The vehicle body 1 is transported while switching between a posture in which the width direction coincides with the transportation direction 3, and the height of the vehicle body 1 on the traveling trolley 2 is also adjusted.

In FIG. 3, the traveling trolley 2 has a rectangular base 4.
Equipped with. This base 4 includes a plurality of first wheels 5 arranged in two rows along the longitudinal direction of the base 4, and a plurality of first wheels 5 arranged in two rows in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the first wheels 5. The second wheels 6 are each pivotally supported.

In FIG. 4, the first and second wheels 5 and 6 are arranged so that when each first wheel 5 is installed on the floor surface 7, each second wheel 6 is floating above the floor surface 7. will be established. As a result, the base 4 is rotated using the first wheel 5.
running in its longitudinal direction, and the second wheel 6
It becomes possible to switch the state in which the base 4 is moved in its width direction using the .

Again in FIG. 1, one or more conversion positions P are set in the middle of the conveyance direction 3 by the traveling carriage 2, and at this conversion position P, the direction of the traveling carriage 2, that is, the vehicle body 1 on the traveling carriage 2 is changed. direction is 90
Angular displacement is caused by degrees. For example, the traveling trolley 2 is made to travel to a conversion position P with its longitudinal direction aligned with the conveyance direction 3, and after being angularly displaced by 90 degrees at this conversion position P, its longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the conveyance direction 3. The driver resumes running in a relaxed posture.

A pair of first conveyance devices 8 for causing the traveling cart 2 to travel to the conversion position P, and a pair of second conveyance devices for causing the traveling truck 2 to travel from the conversion position P in the conveying direction 3 after the direction has been changed. The device 9 is
These end portions are arranged on both sides of the rotary table 35 at the conversion position P. Both conveyance devices 8 and 9 basically have the same configuration, and only the structure of the first conveyance device 8 will be described in detail below.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, the first conveying device 8
are provided in pairs on the floor surface 7 in parallel along the conveyance direction 3. That is, two rows of parallel grooves 10 are provided on the floor surface 7, and the first conveying device 8 is installed in the grooves 10.
will be placed.

This first conveying device 8 includes a moving member 13 which is capable of reciprocating in a groove 10, extends long along the conveying direction 3, and has a pair of racks 11 and 12 carved on both upper and lower surfaces, and A pair of pinions 14 and 15 are arranged to mesh with the racks 11 and 12 at a plurality of positions along 3, and a moving member 13.
and a clamp mechanism 16 disposed on the moving member 13 to connect the traveling carriage 2 to the moving member 13.

The racks 11 and 12 are carved along the transport direction 3 on both sides of the upper and lower surfaces of the moving member 13, respectively. Also, pairs of brackets 17 are fixedly disposed at a plurality of positions spaced apart along the conveying direction 3, and upper and lower pairs of pinions 14, which mesh with the racks 11 and 12 of the moving member 13, are respectively fixed. 15 are pivotally supported by both brackets 17, respectively. Moreover, the bracket 17a fixed at a specific position along the conveying direction 3 has a pair of upper and lower pinions 14a and 15a that mesh with the racks 11 and 12.
A drive motor 18 as a drive source is connected to the lower pinion 15a. Furthermore, the drive motor 18 is capable of forward and reverse rotation, and the movement of the drive motor 18 causes the movable member 13 to reciprocate along the transport direction 3.

The clamp mechanism 16 clamps a pin 19 protruding downward from the traveling carriage 2 in a freely openable manner, and includes a drive member 20 that is relatively movable in the longitudinal direction on the movable member 13 and a drive member 20 A cylinder 22 connected to one end of the piston rod 21 and supported and fixed on the moving member 13, and a driving member 20.
A pair of support plates 23 are fixed on the top of the conveyor plate 23 facing each other at positions spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction. A pair of shafts 24, 2
5, and a first gripping piece 2 whose intermediate portion is fixed to one shaft 24 and whose one end is connected to the drive member 20.
6, a second gripping piece 27 whose one end is fixed to the other shaft 25, and gears 28 and 29 which are fixed to both shafts 24 and 25 and mesh with each other.

At the other ends of both gripping pieces 26 and 27, notches 30 and 31 are provided facing each other to form a hole into which the pin 19 is fitted in order to grip the pin 19 in cooperation with each other. It will be established as follows. These gripping pieces 26,2
7 is connected to pin 1 with their other ends in contact with each other.
By moving the driving member 20 with the cylinder 22, both gripping pieces 2
6 and 27 are rotated in a direction in which the other ends thereof are brought closer to each other or in a direction in which they are moved away from each other.

Referring again to FIG. 3, on the lower surface of the base 4 of the traveling vehicle 2, there is a virtual circle 3 centered at the center of the base 4.
Four pins 19 are provided on 2 to protrude downward. Moreover, each pin 19 is connected to two first conveying devices 8.
The two pins 19 are arranged to correspond to the positions corresponding to the two pins 19, respectively, and the two pins 19 are arranged to correspond to the positions corresponding to the two second conveyance devices 9, respectively.

The second conveyance device 9 is also arranged in parallel along the conveyance direction 3 like the first conveyance device 8, and the pin 1 of the traveling cart 2 whose direction has been changed by 90 degrees at the conversion position P.
9 correspond to the positions corresponding to both second conveyance devices 9, two each.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a pair of guide rails 33 are laid on the floor surface 7 in parallel with both second conveyance devices 9, and the second wheels 6 are placed on these guide rails 33, respectively. . Furthermore, when the second wheel 6 is placed on the guide rail 33, the first wheel 5 is in a state of floating from the floor surface 7. Therefore, each guide pin 19 also rises higher than when the first wheel 5 is on the floor surface 7, but each gripping piece 26, 27 of the second conveying device 9 is raised enough to grip the pin 19. formed for a long time.

Referring again to FIG. 4, a pit 34 is provided on the floor 7 at the conversion position P, and within this pit 34 is a rotary table 35 that can be moved up and down on which the traveling trolley 2 is placed and angularly displaced by 90 degrees. a rotation drive means 36 for driving the rotary table 35 through angular displacement; and a lifting cylinder 37 for raising and lowering the rotary table 35.
is stored.

The rotary table 35 is formed into a disk shape,
A plurality of positioning cylinders 38, for example four, are arranged on the upper surface of the rotary table 35 at equal intervals around its vertical axis. Each positioning cylinder 38 can extend and contract between a state in which its piston rod 38a protrudes upward from the upper surface of the rotary table 35 and a state in which it is retracted below the upper surface. Four possible fitting recesses 39 are provided on the lower surface of the base 4 of the traveling carriage 2.

A shaft 40 protruding vertically downward from the central lower surface of the rotary table 35 is rotatably supported by a disk-shaped support plate 41. Moreover, the rotating table 35
A plurality of rollers 42 are arranged between the lower surface of the support plate 41 and the upper surface of the support plate 41 .

On the bottom plate 43 fixed to the bottom of the pit 34,
A lifting cylinder 37 having a vertical axis is fixed, and the piston rod 4 of this lifting cylinder 37
The tip, that is, the upper end of the support plate 41 contacts the lower center surface of the support plate 41 . Further, a plurality of guide tubes 45 surrounding the lifting cylinder 37 are erected on the bottom plate 43, and guide rods 46 projecting downward from the lower surface of the support plate 41 are slidably engaged with the guide tubes 45, respectively. Therefore, the support plate 41, that is, the rotary table 35 is raised and lowered by the expansion and contraction operation of the lifting cylinder 37.

The rotation drive means 36 includes a motor 48 that is supported and fixed with a vertical axis on a bracket 47 that projects laterally from the support plate 41, and a drive that is fixed to the tip of the output shaft of the motor 48. It consists of a gear 49 and a driven gear 50 carved all over the outer peripheral surface of the rotary table 35 to mesh with the drive gear 49. According to this rotation drive means 36, the motor 48
By operating for a certain period of time, the rotary table 35 can be rotated by 90 degrees.

A pair of cylindrical guide posts 51 are erected on the base 4 of the traveling truck 2 with an interval larger than the width of the vehicle body 1 in the longitudinal direction of the base 4. On the other hand, the left and right bottom portions of the vehicle body 1 are respectively received by receiving members 52, and these receiving members 52
can be moved up and down along each guide post 51.

In FIG. 7, an elevating cylinder 53 is slidably fitted inside the guide post 51, and a support member 54 is suspended from the upper end of the elevating cylinder 53 protruding from the upper end of the guide post 51 along the outer surface of the guide post 51. A receiving member 52 is fixed to the lower end of this supporting member 54.

A nut 55 is fixed to the lower end of the elevating cylinder 53,
A screw shaft 56 is screwed into this nut 55. At the upper end of the screw shaft 56,
A guide member 57 that can slide within the elevator tube 53 is fixedly installed, and a first bevel gear 58 is fixedly installed at the lower end of the screw shaft 56.

In FIG. 8, a groove 59 extending in the axial direction is provided on the inner surface of the guide post 51 over the entire length, and a protrusion 60 that slides into the groove 59 is provided on the outer surface of the elevating cylinder 53. . As a result, the elevating tube 53 is prevented from rotating around the axis, but is allowed to move in the axial direction, so that the elevating tube 53 moves up and down in accordance with the rotational movement of the screw shaft 56. Moreover, the support member 54 is provided on the elevator tube 53.
Since the receiving member 52 is connected via the
2 goes up and down.

The lower end of the guide post 51 protrudes into the base 4, and a gear box 61 is fitted into and fixed to the lower end of the guide post 51. A first bevel gear 58 is rotatably supported within the gearbox 61. Further, a support tube 62 extending inward of the base 4 is connected to the side of the gearbox 61, and a second bevel gear 63 rotatably supported by the support tube 62 is connected to the first bevel gear 63 within the gearbox 61. It meshes with the bevel gear 58.

A drive source (not shown) is mounted inside the base 4 between both guide posts 51, and a transmission shaft 64 connected to the drive source is coaxially connected to the second bevel gear 63. As a result, both receiving members 52 move up and down in accordance with the operation of the drive source.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. The vehicle body 1 is placed on both receiving members 52 of the traveling truck 2. In this state, the traveling trolley 2 travels to the conversion position P with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 1 perpendicular to the transport direction 3. That is, by contracting the cylinders 22 in the clamp mechanisms 16 of both the first conveyance devices 8, each pin 19 of the traveling carriage 2 is held between the two gripping pieces 26 and 27, and the moving member 13 is moved by the operation of the drive motor 18. By moving it in the longitudinal direction, the traveling trolley 2 moves to the conversion position P.

At the conversion position P, the positioning cylinder 38 is extended and the tip of the piston rod 38a is fitted into the positioning recess 39, and the rotary table 3 of the traveling carriage 2 is rotated.
Positioning is performed on 5. In this state, the cylinder 22 is extended and both the gripping pieces 26 and 27 are rotated in the opening direction, and the clamping mechanism 16 holds the pin 1.
The clamp state of 9 is released.

Next, the rotary table 35 is raised by the extension operation of the lifting cylinder 37, and the first wheel 5 is lifted off the floor surface 7.

Therefore, after angularly displacing the rotary table 35 by 90 degrees by the rotary drive means 36, the rotary table 35
to descend. As a result, each of the second wheels 6 is placed on the guide rail 33, and in this state, each of the first wheels 5 is floating above the floor surface 7.

With each second wheel 6 placed on the guide rail 33, each pin 19 is clamped by the clamp mechanism 16 of the second transport device 9, and the moving member 13 is moved along the transport direction 3. Therefore, the traveling trolley 2 starts traveling forward along the transport direction 3 with the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 1 aligned with the transport direction 3.

In this way, the car body 1 can move by changing its direction in 90 degree increments, and the car body 1
Since it is also possible to raise and lower the vehicle body 1, the orientation and height of the vehicle body 1 can be selected depending on the parts to be assembled to the vehicle body 1, and the efficiency of the assembly work is improved.

In the above embodiment, the first
Although the traveling carriage 2 is driven by the transport device 8 and the second transport device 9 separately, a conversion position is provided in the middle of the two rows of transport devices, and the pin 19 is released from the clamped state by the clamp mechanism 16. It is also possible to change the direction of the traveling trolley 2 when the vehicle is moved.
Furthermore, at least one pin 19 may be provided protruding from the traveling carriage 2. Further, the racks 11 and 12 do not need to be provided over the entire length of the movable member 13, but only partially by the length necessary for movement.
1 and 12 may be provided. In this case, Rack 11,
The movement of the moving member 13 may be guided by rollers in areas where the moving member 12 is not provided.

C. Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the method of the present invention, a conversion position is set in the middle of the transport direction, and the traveling trolley carrying the vehicle body is raised and lowered at the transformation position, and the traveling trolley raised at the transformation position. A movable member capable of rotating by 90 degrees around a vertical axis and movable along the conveying direction and the traveling trolley are connected and connected when the traveling trolley is in a lowered state at the conversion position. The connection can be switched so that the release can be switched, and the traveling trolley can rotate 90 degrees at the conversion position, and the traveling trolley can travel along the conveyance direction according to the movement of the moving member, so it can be connected to the moving member at the conversion position. By releasing this, it is possible to stop the traveling trolley and rotate it 90 degrees in the raised state, and by lowering the traveling trolley and connecting it with the moving member, it is possible to rotate the traveling trolley with respect to the transport direction. It is possible to transport a car body whose orientation has changed by 90 degrees in the transport direction, and it is possible to change the direction of the car body during transport and transport it, making assembly to the car body easier and faster assembly. Work can be easily automated.

In addition, according to the device of the present invention, the conversion position set midway in the conveyance direction is capable of lifting and lowering operations with the traveling trolley carrying the car body placed thereon, as well as 90-degree rotation around the vertical axis in the raised state. A rotary table capable of rotational movement is disposed, moving members extending along the conveyance direction on both sides of the rotary table are disposed so as to be movable along the conveyance direction, and the traveling cart has a conveyance member at a conversion position. A pin is provided in a protruding manner so as to be positioned corresponding to the moving member regardless of the 90 degree conversion along the direction, and the moving member is clamped so as to be able to release the pin of the traveling cart that is in a lowered state at the converted position. A clamping function is provided, and the clamping mechanism is configured to enable the pin to move upward when the clamping mechanism is in its open state, so that the traveling carriage is caused to travel by driving the movable member while the pin is clamped by the clamping mechanism. When the clamping state of the pin by the clamping mechanism is released at the conversion position, the traveling cart is raised by the rotary table and 90°
It is possible to lower the pin after rotating it once, and by clamping the pin with the clamp mechanism after lowering, it becomes possible for the moving member to travel again in the conveying direction, and the method of the present invention can be carried out appropriately. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is an overall plan view, FIG. 2 is a side view thereof, FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the traveling trolley, and FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of the conversion position. Figure 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken along the line - - of Fig. 1, Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken - line of Fig. 5, Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken - line of Fig. 3, and Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken It is a - line enlarged sectional view of a figure. 1... Vehicle body, 2... Traveling trolley, 3... Conveyance direction, 11, 12... Rack, 13... Moving member,
15a...Pinion, 16...Clamp mechanism, 1
8... Drive motor, 19... Pin, 35... Rotary table, P... Conversion position.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a transport method for transporting a car body 1 for assembling a car, a conversion position P is set in the middle of the transport direction 3, and the conversion position of the traveling trolley 2 on which the car body 1 is placed is set at the conversion position P. A movable member 13 capable of raising and lowering at P and rotating 90 degrees around the vertical axis of the traveling carriage 2 raised at the conversion position P, and capable of moving along the conveyance direction 3; are connected so that connection and disconnection can be switched when the traveling carriage 2 is in a lowered state at the conversion position P, and the traveling carriage 2 is rotated by 90 degrees at the conversion position P.
and the traveling trolley 2 according to the movement of the moving member 13.
A transportation method for assembling an automobile, characterized in that it is possible to travel along the transportation direction 3. 2. In a vehicle assembly conveyance device for conveying a vehicle body 1 for assembling a vehicle, a conversion position P set in the middle of the conveyance direction 3 is used for lifting and lowering with the traveling trolley 2 carrying the vehicle body 1 placed thereon. A rotary table 35 is provided which enables operation and rotational movement of 90 degrees around the vertical axis in an elevated state, and movable members 13 extending along the conveying direction 3 on both sides of the rotary table 35 are arranged in the conveying direction 3. The traveling cart 2 is provided with a pin 19 to be positioned corresponding to the moving member 13 regardless of the 90 degree conversion of the direction along the conveyance direction 3 at the conversion position P.
is provided protrudingly, and the movable member 13 is provided with a clamping function 16 that clamps the pin 19 of the traveling trolley 2 that is in the lowered state at the conversion position P in a manner that it can be opened. A transport device for automobile assembly, characterized in that it is configured to enable the pin 19 to move upward. 3. Racks 11, 12 are provided at least partially on the sides of the moving member 13, and racks 12
3. The transportation device for automobile assembly according to claim 2, wherein a drive motor 18 which can freely rotate in forward and reverse directions is connected to the pinion 15a that meshes with the pinion 15a.