JPH06156662A - Overhead hanger and automatic switching device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable the automatic changeover of a receiving means according to the type of a vehicle in an overhead hanger for supporting a vehicle body by placing the vehicle body on a pair of receiving means opposed in the vehicle width direction. CONSTITUTION:An overhead hanger 2 is provided with a supporting means 8a for supporting a receiving means 8 rotatably in its eccentric position, a position holding means 13e for holding the receiving means 8 in the specified rotating position, release means 39, 41, 42 positioned on the passage of the overhead hanger 2 so as to release the receiving means 8 from the position holding means 13, and a rotating means 43 for rotating the receiving means 8 by the specified rotating quantity.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an overhead hanger used in an automobile assembly line or the like and an automatic switching device therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Assembling work of undercarriage parts of an automobile is carried out from below the vehicle body with the vehicle body 1 mounted on an overhead hanger 2 as shown in FIG. .

The vehicle body is mounted by supporting the vehicle body by placing the vehicle body on a pair of receiving members facing each other in the vehicle width direction. Here, as the receiving members, there are a front receiving member 3 that supports a side seal of a front portion of the vehicle body, and a rear receiving member 4 that supports a side seal of a rear portion of the vehicle body, and these receiving members form a pair.

That is, a total of four receivers are provided,
The vehicle body is supported by these receiving members. Here, each receiving member is a so-called fixed type hanger fixed to the main body of the overhead hanger.

[0005]

In the assembly line, there are cases where the type of vehicle to be sent on the same assembly line is changed. When the vehicle type changes, the vehicle width also changes. However, in the conventional fixed type hanger, there is a case where the vehicle body cannot be accurately received by the fixed receiver with respect to the changing vehicle width.

For example, on the side of the rear receiving member, there is a case where the tool cannot be inserted and the work cannot be performed. In order to deal with this, if a common fixed receiver is used, in a vehicle type such as a light vehicle having a small vehicle width, the receiving amount is small, and therefore the vehicle body may drop due to variations.

It is troublesome to manually replace the fixed receiving device each time, and there is a problem that the time loss is large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an overhead hanger capable of automatically switching the receiving device according to the type of vehicle and an automatic switching device therefor.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following constitution.

(1). A position holding means for holding the receiver at a predetermined rotation position is provided (Claim 1).

(2). In (1), there is provided a releasing means located on the passage of the overhead hanger, for releasing the position holding means, and a rotating means for rotating the receiver by a predetermined amount (claim 2).

[0012]

Since the receiving device is eccentrically supported, the area for receiving the vehicle body changes due to the rotation thereof. The rotation control of the receiver is automatically performed by the rotation means.

[0013]

[Example] 1. Example Corresponding to Claim 1 In FIG. 2, the vehicle width direction is indicated by reference numeral X, the vehicle body traveling direction is indicated by reference numeral Y, and the vertical direction is indicated by reference numeral Z. The overall overhead hanger according to the present invention is shown at 14 and the body frame is shown at 5. Overhead hanger 14
Has front receivers 6 and 7 and rear receivers 8 and 9.

In this example, only the receivers 8 and 9 forming a pair on the rear side are subject to automatic switching, and these receivers are rotatably supported by the main body frame 5, and these receivers are also supported. An automatic switching device (described later) is provided for each of the tools.

The body frame 5 belongs to a primary hanger, and this primary hanger engages with a secondary hanger (not shown),
The next hanger moves along the line guided by the rail, but for convenience sake, the secondary hanger is omitted and the roller 10 is directly attached to the primary hanger, and the overhead hanger is guided by the rail provided above the line. Are conveyed in the traveling direction Y.

Since the receiver 8 and the receiver 9 are symmetrical and have the same structure, the receiver 8 will be described below. In FIG. 3, the receiving member 8 is a rectangular plate, and the shaft 8a is fixed at an eccentric position deviated from the central position in the longitudinal direction of the plate. On the other hand, a receiver support member 11 is fixed to the body frame 5, and a support hole penetrates through the receiver support member 11 in the Z direction.

A shaft 8a is fitted in the support hole so as to be rotatable and movable in the axial direction. Assuming that the axis passing through the center of the support hole is indicated by the symbol O-O, the receiving member 8 has this axis O-.
It can rotate around O.

A rotating piece 12 is fixed to the lower end of the shaft 8a. In the rotating piece 12, drive holes 15 are formed at respective positions equally distributed on the line segment orthogonal to the axis O-O about the axis O-O. The distance between the drive holes 15 is D, and the alignment direction of each drive hole is orthogonal to the side portions 8R and 8L.

The receiver 8 is supported by its own weight by the receiver support member 11
The upper surface of the rotating piece 12 and the lower surface of the receiving member support member 11 are apart from each other by about 25 mm when in contact with the upper surface of. Therefore, if the turning piece 12 is pushed up from below, the receiving tool 8 will also be about 25
mm will rise.

This ascendable dimension (25 mm) is larger than the height (about 20 mm) of the two position holding bodies 13 provided on the receiving member support member 11. The position holder 13 is X
They are arranged side by side.

The rotating position of the receiving member 8 shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 is a position that fits the vehicle body of a vehicle model having a large vehicle width (hereinafter referred to as G vehicle body). In the illustrated state, the side portion 8R of the receiver 8 is in contact with the position holding portion body 13 and positioned.

For a vehicle body of a vehicle type having a small vehicle width (hereinafter referred to as "S vehicle body"), the receiving member 8 is changed from the state shown by the solid line in FIG.
Rotate it by 80 degrees to get the state shown by the chain double-dashed line. At the time of this rotation, the receiver 8 is pushed upward from the receiver support member 11 in order to avoid the position holder 13. Then, the receiver 8 is rotated.

After turning, when the receiver 8 is lowered by its own weight, the side portion 8L of the receiver is now in contact with the position holding body 13, and the receiver is positioned at a position suitable for the width of the S vehicle body. 8 is retained. As described above, since the position of the shaft 8a is eccentric in the X direction on the receiver 8, the distance between the opposed receivers changes every time the receiver 8 changes its rotational position by 180 °. .

In FIG. 10, the receiver 8 in the middle of the rotation is shown by a solid line, and the receiver 8 after the rotation is shown by a chain double-dashed line. The posture of the receiver 8 after the rotation is either the state in which the side portion 8R of the receiver 8 follows the position holding body 13 or the state in which the side portion 8L follows the position holding body 13.

At this time, the distance from the axis O--O to the end of the receiving tool is either L1 or L2. Therefore, the rotation of the receiving tool 8 changes the vehicle width with the change of the vehicle type. Will be able to adapt to.

As described above, the shaft 8a and the receiving member support member 11 constitute a supporting means for rotatably supporting the receiving device at the eccentric position, and the position holder 13 positions the receiving device at the predetermined rotating position. Position holding means for holding is configured.

2. Example Corresponding to Claim 2 An automatic switching device for rotating the receiving member 8 by 180 ° as necessary will be described. In FIG. 4, which shows a plan view of a part of the transfer line of the overhead hanger, reference numeral 29 indicates a rail for guiding the roller 10, which is a straight line following the Y direction.

A chain 30 for pulling and moving the overhead hanger is provided along the rail 29. The chain 30 is driven in the arrow direction, and dogs 31 are provided at regular intervals.

The dog 31 is a kind of hook, and advances along with the progress of the chain 30, and when the hook portion provided on the overhead hanger 14 is hooked during the progress of the chain 30, the overhead hanger is towed.

The chain 30 is pulled by elastic means 32 to obtain a predetermined tension on the way.
The portion is separated from the rail 29. In this separation section 33, the dog of the overhead hanger is stopped from moving by the natural disengagement from the hook provided on the chain.

In this separation section, the overhead hanger 14 is pushed by the feeding means by a cylinder (not shown) and is sent to the end position of the separation section, where it waits for the arrival of the next dog. The automatic switching device 34 according to the present invention is provided at the position shown in FIG. 4, which is the position waiting for the arrival of this dog.

The switching of the receiving member 8 is performed under the condition that the overhead hanger 14 is fixed at a predetermined position of the automatic switching device 34. The fixing means at this predetermined position is a pressing means provided at three locations on one side of the overhead hanger 14 and at six locations as a whole.

These pressing means are designated by reference numeral 6 in FIGS.
It shows with 0-65. More specifically, the front end pressing means 60,
63, intermediate pressing means 61, 64, rear end pressing means 6
It consists of 2, 65 etc.

Of these holding means, the front end holding means 60, the middle holding means 61, and the rear end holding means 62 will be described, and the other parts are merely symmetrical, so the description thereof will be omitted.

First, as to the front end pressing means 60, as shown in FIG. 7, a cylinder 67 pivotally attached at one end side to a base 66 which is an immovable member, and a link mechanism 6 connected thereto.
8 and a pressing tool 69 and the like. Usually 2
It is retracted to the position shown by the dashed line, and when fixing the overhead hanger, the front end of the main body frame 5 is pressed by the pressing tool 69 as shown in the figure.

Next, as for the intermediate pressing means 61, as shown in FIG. 8, a cylinder 70 pivotally attached to an immovable member.
And the link mechanism 71 connected to this and the retainer 7.
It is composed of 2 etc. Normally, it is retracted to the lower position, but when fixing the overhead hanger, as shown in the figure, the middle part of the main body frame 5 is pressed from below by the pressing tool 72.

Next, as for the rear end pressing means 62, as shown in FIG. 9, a cylinder 73 pivotally attached to an immovable member.
And a pressing member 74 and the like connected thereto. The retainer 74 is pivotally attached to the support 75. Normally, it is retracted to the lower position, but when fixing the overhead hanger, the rear end portion of the main body frame 5 is pressed by the pressing tool 74 as shown in the figure.

The configuration of the receiver switching portion of the automatic switching device will be described. In FIG. 1, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, reference numeral 35
Shows a releasing means for releasing the receiver from the position holding means, and a movable table equipped with a rotating means for rotating the receiver.

A groove is formed on the lower surface of the movable table 35. Below the moving table 35, a fixed table 36 made of a groove-shaped material integrally formed with the immovable member is provided. A rail 37 is provided on the fixed base 36 in parallel with the Y direction.
Groove is slidably engaged.

Therefore, the movable table 35 is guided by the rails 37 and is free to move in the Y direction. The movable table 35 is
Both ends in the Y direction are pulled by equal forces in opposite directions in the Y direction. Alternatively, it is possible to select a configuration that pushes with equal force.

Therefore, the movable table 35 can move in the Y direction when an external force in the Y direction acts. It is stationary at that position unless external force is applied.

Referring to FIG. 10, the central portion of the fixed base 36 is hollow. A cylinder 39 is attached to the back surface of the moving table 35. This cylinder has a fixed base 35
It occupies a position in the hollow part of. A plate-shaped mount 40 is attached to the tip of the plunger 39P of this cylinder.

As a result, when the cylinder is driven, the mount 40 is reciprocated in the Z direction by a fixed amount determined by the stroke of the cylinder in response to the reciprocal movement of the plunger 39P.
That is, it can be moved up and down.

In order to perform this movement smoothly, the mounting base 4
A guide bar 41 extends from 0, and the guide bar 41 is engaged with a guide portion 42 formed integrally with the moving table 35. It should be noted that these guide bars, moving bases, etc. are appropriately provided in addition to those shown in the drawings.

A rotary actuator 43 is provided on the back surface of the mounting base 40. The rotary actuator 43 has a function of reversing the rotation shaft 43d by 180 ° each time it is driven. That is, first 18
If it rotates 0 ° to the right, then it rotates 180 ° to the left,
Next, the operation such as clockwise rotation is repeated.

A rotating plate 44 is integrally attached to the rotating shaft 43d. This rotating plate 44 has a rotating shaft 43d.
The drive pins 45 are respectively arranged at intervals d on the line segment passing through the center of the center of the center of the line.

The distance d between the drive pins 45 is equal to that of the rotating piece 1.
The distance D is equal to the distance D between the two drive holes 15 and the diameters of these holes are formed so that they can be fitted into the drive pins 45.

The relative positions of these two drive pins 45 are determined so that the alignment direction thereof after being driven by the rotary actuator 43 matches the Y direction.

Therefore, the rotating plate 44 is in the original position with the drive pins 45 aligned in parallel to the Y direction, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 or the two-dot chain line in FIG. It is 180 degrees from the state.

The progress of the rotation of the rotary plate 44 and the drive pin 45 is shown by solid lines in FIGS. An actuator 46, which is made of metal and has a U-shape, is provided at one end of the rotating plate 44. Two opposing pieces 4 that constitute the actuator 46
6a and 46b are evenly distributed with an imaginary straight line passing through the center of the rotation shaft 43d in between.

As shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.
A proximity switch 47b is provided at a position close to the facing piece 46b when 4 is in a certain rotating position. Further, a proximity switch 47a is provided at a position facing and approaching the facing piece 46a when it is in another rotation position.

Therefore, the turning direction of the turning plate 44 when the rotary actuator 43 is driven is determined by which of the proximity switches 47a and 47b detects the facing piece. For example, in FIG. 11, since the facing piece 46b and the proximity switch 47b are facing each other, if the rotary actuator 43 is driven, the facing piece 46a and the proximity switch 46a rotate in the counterclockwise direction from the illustrated state. 47
The relationship with a is opposite. And at the next drive,
It turns clockwise and returns to the state shown in FIG.

When the cylinder 39 is driven, the mounting base 40 rises and the drive pin 45 fits into the drive hole 15. When the mounting base 40 further rises, the seat surface 45Z of the drive pin 45 comes into contact with the turning piece 12, and the turning piece is lifted, so that the receiver 8 floats above the position holding body 13. It becomes a state.

Under this floating state where the rising end of the cylinder 39 is taken, the rotary actuator 43 is driven to move the receiver 8 from the G vehicle body compatible state to the S vehicle body compatible state or the S vehicle body compatible state. It is possible to change from the No. position to the G body conforming position.

In this case, the stop position of the overhead hanger 2 varies and is fixed by the pressing means. However, since the bending can occur due to the clamping force, the drive pin 45 is always in the drive hole 15. It does not always match exactly.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the receiving member support member 11 is provided with a guide hole 76, and the mounting base 40 is provided with a guide pin 77 which is fitted into the guide hole 76. The positional relationship is set so that the fitting is performed before the fitting.

By doing so, even if there is a slight deviation between the positions of the drive pin 45 and the drive hole 15, the guide pin 77 is driven first by driving the cylinder 39.
Is fitted into the guide hole 76, the movable table 35 moves along the rail 37 in the Y direction against the force of the elastic means 38, and the two match, and the drive pin 45 is driven by the drive hole 1.
5 will be correctly inserted.

From the above, the cylinder 39 and the guide bar 4
1, the guide plate 42, and the like constitute an example of a release unit that releases the receiver from the position holding unit, and the rotary actuator 43
Is an example of a rotating unit that rotates the receiver by a predetermined amount.

3. Control of automatic switching In FIG. 1, Y corresponding to the traveling passage of the main body frame 5
In the direction, the front, middle, and rear parts of the automatic switching device 34 are divided into three parts.
Phototube-type detection means for detecting the position of the receiving tool 8 is provided at each of the locations. The front, middle, and rear detection means are designated by reference numerals 78, 79, and 80, respectively.

Based on the information from these detecting means, the receiver 8
It is detected whether or not is out or is in a retracted state.

On the other hand, it is known in advance from the vehicle type control panel whether the vehicle body to be suspended by the overhead hanger, that is, the vehicle type to be switched is the S vehicle body or the G vehicle body.

Further, it is determined by which output the proximity switches 47a and 47b the rotary piece 12 is in which rotary position.
That is, it is possible to know from the next rotation command whether it is in a state of being able to rotate 180 ° to the right or 180 ° to the left.

Therefore, in FIG. 12, the vehicle type information from the vehicle type control panel (step S1) and the detecting means 80 are shown.
From the state of the receiver 8 according to (step S2), it is determined whether or not the receiver needs to be switched (step S3). If it is determined that there is no need, the vehicle is allowed to pass without switching, and when it is determined that it is necessary, The rotary actuator 43 is driven to switch the receiver (step S4).

When switching in step S4, the information from the proximity switches 47a and 47b is used in advance.
It is necessary to prepare it so that it can rotate as required.

The detecting means 79 can be used to confirm the state immediately before and after the switching, and the detecting means 80 can be used to confirm the state of the receiver immediately before leaving the switching device.

[0066]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an overhead hanger capable of automatically switching the receiving device according to the type of vehicle and its automatic switching device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating main parts of an automatic switching device and an overhead hanger according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an overhead hanger according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a receiver according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a position of an automatic switching device on a conveyor line according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating the arrangement of the pressing means in the automatic switching device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating the arrangement of the pressing means in the automatic switching device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating a front pressing means in the automatic switching device according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view for explaining the pressing means in the middle part in the automatic switching device according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view illustrating a rear pressing unit in the automatic switching device according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an automatic switching device and a receiver according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of an automatic switching device according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for controlling the automatic switching device according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 8 Receiving tool 39 Cylinder (as releasing means) 41 Guide bar 42 (as releasing means) Guide part 43 (as releasing means) Rotary actuator (as rotating means)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An overhead hanger for supporting a vehicle body by placing a vehicle body on a pair of receiving articles facing each other in the vehicle width direction, and supporting means for rotatably supporting the receiving instrument at an eccentric position, and the receiving instrument. An overhead hanger having position holding means for holding a position at a predetermined rotation position. 2. The release device according to claim 1, further comprising: a release unit located on the passage of the overhead hanger and configured to release the receiver from the position holding unit, and a rotating unit for rotating the receiver by a predetermined rotation amount. Automatic switching device for overhead hangers characterized by.