JPH07112650B2 - Liquid application and assembly method - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid coating and assembling method, and more particularly to setting at least two articles on a pallet conveyed over a plurality of stations, and liquid between the two articles. And then assembling the two articles in close contact.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, a pallet is conveyed over a plurality of stations, and various stations automatically perform assembly while supplying components by a dedicated component supply device at each station, or a plurality of components are preliminarily stored on a pallet. A method of setting and transporting the pallet to a plurality of stations and automatically assembling at each station by various devices has already been put to practical use (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 52-16915 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 52-). 2
1665, JP-A-57-211430).

By the way, in the case of automatically assembling articles on the pallet, it is possible to apply an adhesive or a sealant between the parts at any station and press both parts together at subsequent stations. It is not uncommon to assemble both parts by the method.

In the case of performing such an assembly, conventionally, in a station for applying a liquid agent, a gap is formed between the two articles by a gap forming device, and then the liquid agent is applied between the two articles by an automatic application device. After the application is completed, the gap forming device is returned to bring the two articles into close contact with each other. At a subsequent station, a method of bolting the two articles while applying pressure to the two articles with a pressure device is adopted.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the conventional method, a dedicated gap forming device other than the automatic coating device is provided in the station for applying the liquid agent, and the liquid agent is applied after the gap is formed by the gap forming device. Therefore, there are problems that the cycle time in the station becomes long, the installation space for the gap forming device is required, and the equipment cost becomes expensive.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In the liquid applying and assembling method according to the present invention, at least two articles are set on a pallet and conveyed over a plurality of stations, and at any station, between the two articles. When the liquid is applied and then the two articles are assembled in a close contact at a subsequent station, the two articles are temporarily assembled on a pallet with a movable spacer interposed between the two articles, and the liquid is robotized between the two articles. After coating, the movable spacer is released by the robot, and then the two articles are assembled by pressurizing them by an automatic assembling device.

(Operation) In the liquid coating and assembling method according to the present invention, since the two articles are temporarily assembled through the movable spacer, it is possible to previously form a gap between the two articles at the station preceding the liquid coating. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated gap forming device in the station for applying the liquid.

Then, since the movable spacer is released by the robot that applies the liquid, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated device for releasing the movable spacer.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the liquid application and assembly method of the present invention, as described above, a gap is preliminarily formed between two articles by a simple means such as a movable spacer, and a liquid is applied by a robot before the application. Since the robot releases the movable spacer,
The advantages are that the cycle time at the station for applying liquid can be shortened, a special device for forming a gap can be omitted, and a device for releasing the movable spacer can be omitted.

(Example) Hereinafter, the Example of this invention is described based on drawing.

This embodiment is a case where the present invention is applied to an automatic assembling apparatus (assembly line) AL for a differential device of an automobile, in which a screw locking agent is applied between a gear case and a ring gear and then both are assembled, and an assembling method is applied. Here is an example.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the differential device D first includes a carrier 1, a drive pinion 2, a companion flange 3, a gear case 4 including a differential gear,
It consists of main parts such as ring gear 5, bearings, oil seal 6, and various other small parts.
As the bearings, a front bearing 7 and a rear bearing 8 that support the drive pinion 2 and side bearings 9 that support the left and right end portions of the gear case 4 are provided. Other sim 10, distance piece 1
1, a washer 12, a nut 13, and a bearing cap (not shown) for covering the upper half of the side bearing 9 are provided.

Next, the automatic assembly line AL and related devices will be described.

The automatic assembly line AL has S1 to S20 as shown in FIG.
A loop-shaped transfer line for transferring the pallet P with a conveyor is installed over 20 stations, and each station is equipped with a robot, press-fitting device, parts supply device, nut runner, etc., and 4 types of differential devices are mixed. Each station carries out the following assembling work.

At the S1 to S3 stations, most of the parts are manually set on a predetermined jig on the pallet P (see FIG. 5 to FIG.
(See Figure 11).

In the S4 station, a robot applies a screw lock agent (adhesive) between the gear case 4 and the ring gear 5 with the movable spacer interposed between the gear case 4 and the ring gear 5, and the movable spacer is released by the robot after the application. To be done.

At the S5 station, the inner race 8a with rollers of the rear bearing 8 and the inner race 7a with rollers of the front bearing 7 are simultaneously pressed into the carrier 1 from above and below by the press-fitting device, while the gear case is driven by another press-fitting device. The inner races 9a with rollers of the side bearings 9 are simultaneously press-fitted to both the upper and lower sides of the bearing 4.

At S6 station, dimension measurement is performed to determine the thickness of shim 10. At S7 station, ring gear 5 is set to 10 mm.
With respect to the gear case 4 and the ring gear 5 which are tightened with the bolts 5a, the pressurization device and the 5-axis nut runner pressurize the gear case 4 and the ring gear 5 and tighten the bolts (twice for each five times).

In the S8 station, the ring gear 5 is bolted to the gear case 4 and the ring gear 5 of the type in which the ring gear 5 is tightened with eight bolts 5a, as in the S7 station. In parallel with this, at the S8 station, the shim 10 and the inner race 8a with the roller of the rear bearing 8 are set and supplied to the drive pinion 2.

At the S10 station, the inner race 8a is press-fitted into the drive pinion 2 by the press-fitting device, and the distance piece 11 is assembled to the drive pinion 2 by the robot. Carrier 1
Is reversed and assembled into the drive pinion 2, and after the reversal, the inner race 7a with the roller of the front bearing 7 is press-fitted into the drive pinion 2 by the press-fitting device.

At the S11 station, the oil seal 6 is press-fitted into the carrier 1 by the press-fitting device, and after the press-fitting, the companion flange 3 is press-fitted into the drive pinion 2 by the press-fitting device.

Below, drive pinion 2 at S12 to S20 stations
Assembling washer 12 and nut 13 to, tightening nut 13 and measuring preload, various other measurements, reversing integrated carrier 1 and drive pinion 2, carrier 1
The gear case 4, the ring gear 5, and the outer race 9b of the side bearing 9, an adjusting screw (not shown), a bearing cap, and a lock plate 14 are attached to the above.

Next, the structure of the pallet P used for assembling the differential device D will be described.

When the pallet P is conveyed in the front direction as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the pallet P has a rectangular base plate 15, a carrier set jig 20 provided in a front portion of the base plate 15, Drive pinion set jig 16 provided in the central part of the base plate 15, gear case / ring gear set jig 30 (referred to as GC / RG set jig) provided at the rear part of the base plate 15, and oil seal receiving Tool 41, companion flange receiving jig 42, inner race receiving jig for front bearing 7
43, a distance piece receiving jig 44, four types of press-fitting punch receiving jigs 45 for press-fitting the side bearings 9, a bearing cap receiving portion 46, an outer race receiving portion 47 of the front bearing 7, and an inner portion of the side bearing 9. A race receiving portion 48 and a pair of front and rear positioning fitting portions 49 for setting the three-dimensional position of the pallet P at each station are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the carrier setting jig 20 has a pair of symmetrical left and right setting jigs 20A and right and left setting jigs 20A.
It is composed of a locking member 21 which connects them to each other and is received by the receiving member 21a.

Each set jig 20A is a cylindrical member 2 installed upright on the base plate 15.
The shaft member 23 is vertically movably inserted and mounted on the shaft 2, and the reversing arm 25 is connected to the bracket 23a at the upper end of the shaft member 23 via the pivot shaft 24 in the left-right direction.
26 is rotatably mounted via a vertical support shaft 27, and a clamper 28 is provided above the support plate 26.
The clamper 28 includes a clamper member 28a and a tightening bolt 28b. Positioning support portions are formed on the four front, rear, left and right sides of the support plate 26 so that four types of carriers 1 of different sizes can be positioned and supported, and each of them is fitted into the bolt hole 1a of the carrier 1. A pair of pins 26a are erected. Then, the front side of the carrier 1 is set downward and the drive pinion mounting hole of the carrier 1 is kept concentric with the outer race receiving portion 47, and the flange portion of the carrier 1 is held.
16 is placed on the left and right support plates 26, positioned by the pair of left and right pins 26a, and the flange portion 1b is fixed by the left and right clampers 28, whereby the carrier 1 is set. . Carrier 1 by reversing device at S10
When reversing the carrier 1, the carrier 1 and the reversing arm 25 can be reversed 180 ° rearward through the pivot shaft 24 and supported by the support base 29.

The drive pinion set jig 16 is a base plate.
A lift 17 that can be moved up and down is guided by a pair of guide rods 17a that are erected on a stand 15, and a holder 18 that holds the drive pinion 2 that is set upright on the lift 17 so as not to fall. A shaft center setting pin 17b that fits into a recess at the center of the rear end of the drive pinion 2 is incorporated in the center of the upper end of the lift table 17, and the shaft center setting pin 17b is biased by a spring. The holder 18 is attached to a boulder guide 18a provided upright on the base plate 15 so that the position of the holder 18 can be adjusted in the left-right direction, and a substantially semicircular cutout portion 18b into which the driver pinion 2 is fitted is formed at the tip of the nelder 18.

The GC / RG setting jig 30 is composed of a pair of left and right symmetrical setting jigs 30A as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and 8. Each set jig 30A is a cylindrical member 3 that is erected on the base plate 15.
1.A shaft member 32 is attached to 1 so as to be movable up and down, and an integral support plate 33 is fixed to the upper end of the shaft member 32 over the left and right,
Compression spring with support plate 33 inside spring case 34
The upper end position is restricted by the lower end flange 32a of the shaft member 32, and the lower limit position is restricted by the restricting members 35 provided on the lower side of the support plate 33 on the left and right sides. A positioning regulating plate 37 is provided on the support plate 33 so as to be rotatable around a shaft member 36 standing upright.

Then, at the upper end of the support rod 38 which is vertically movably mounted on the shaft member 36 and is urged upward by a compression spring, a square tube member 38a is provided.
Is horizontally mounted in the left-right direction, and the rectangular tubular member 38a
Movable spacers 39 are attached to each other so as to face each other, and a vertical handle portion 39a is formed at an outer end portion of the movable spacer 39.

In order to support and position the four types of gear cases 4 and the ring gear 5, the positioning regulation plate 37 is provided with a receiving portion 37a for receiving the tapered end surface of the ring gear 5 and an outer peripheral end portion of the ring gear 5 on the four sides of the front, rear, left and right sides. A positioning regulating portion 37b for regulating is formed. That is, the ring gear 5 is held in a predetermined posture by the receiving portions 37a of the left and right setting jigs 30A, and is set by the positioning regulating portion 37b so that its axial center position is set to a predetermined position with respect to the pallet P.

As described above, with respect to the base plate 15 of the pallet P, the carrier 1, the drive pinion 2, the gear case 4, the ring gear 5, the oil seal 6, the companion flange 3, the inner race 7a of the front bearing 7, the distance piece 11, the side bearing 9 are attached. The press-fitting punches and the like are set to have predetermined positions and postures, and the pallet P is roughly positioned by each stopper at each station, and then the fitting pins of each station are fitted into the pair of positioning fitting holes 49. Since they are accurately positioned by combining them, at each station, assembly work can be carried out almost automatically through various automatic press-fitting devices, robots, nutrunners, and parts supply devices.

In the S4 station, a bolt 5a for tightening the gear case 4 and the ring gear 5 and an applicator for applying a screw lock agent to the contact surfaces of the gear case 4 and the link gear 5 as necessary will be described.

As shown in FIG. 12, the S4 station is provided with a 6-axis articulated robot 50 serving as the coating device, and a hand portion 51 is equipped with a nozzle 52 for coating a screw lock agent, and the nozzle 52 is connected to the nozzle 52. The screw lock agent supply device 53 supplies the screw lock agent. Further, after the application of the screw locking agent is completed, the pair of left and right movable spacers 39 are moved laterally to bring the gear case 4 and the ring gear 5 into contact with each other, so that the hand portion 51 of the robot 50 has the handle portion 39a of the movable spacer 39. There is provided an engagement tool 54 capable of engaging with the.

When the pallet P is conveyed to the S4 station by the conveyer 55, it is roughly positioned by the stopper and the fitting pin 56a formed on the upper end portion of the piston rod of the positioning cylinder 56 has the base plate 15 of the pallet P. The front and rear and left and right positions of the pallet P are set with high precision by being fitted into the pair of front and rear fitting holes 49 of the fitting pin.
The height position of the pallet P is also set with high accuracy by pushing up the base plate 15 with the flange portion 56a and locking the side edge upper end surface of the base plate 15 with the edge plate 55a of the transport frame.

A pressurizing device and a nut runner for pressurizing and bolting the gear case 4 and the ring gear 5 to which the screw lock agent is applied as described above in the S7 station and the S8 station will be described.

A differential device D of the type in which the ring gear 5 is fastened to the gear case 4 with ten bolts 5a and eight bolts.
There is a differential device D of the type that is fastened by 5a, but 10 bolts 5a of S7 station and 8 bolts 5a of S8 station are bolted. In other words, the S7 station is equipped with a pressure device and a 5-axis nut runner 57 (5 bolts x 2 bolts), and the S8 station is equipped with a pressure device and a 4-axis nut runner (4 bolts x 2 bolts). It will be provided, but the S7 station will be explained.

As shown in Fig. 13, the frame at the S7 station
A 5-axis nut runner 57 is vertically movably mounted on the column portion of 58, and the five sockets 57a are adapted to correspond to the gear case 4 and the ring gear 5 on the pallet P on which the five sockets 57a are positioned from above. 57 is wire 59
Supported by counterweight 60 through the nutrunner
57 is connected to the lower end of a piston rod 62 of a hydraulic cylinder 61 provided on the upper frame 58a.
It is designed to be driven up and down by 61.

The gear mechanism, the drive mechanism, and the control device of the nut runner 57 are provided in the casing 57b.
Automatically performs simultaneous tightening of the five bolts 5a, indexing of the socket 57a to the position of the next five bolts 5a, and simultaneous tightening of the remaining five bolts 5a. Since the nut runner 57 itself is the same as the existing one, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

A hydraulic cylinder 63 is provided on the upper frame 58a as a pressurizing device, and a pressurizing rod 64 connected to a piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder 63 extends through the central portion of the nut runner 57 to a position near the upper portion of the central portion of the gear case 4, A press punch having a press head 65 at its lower end attached to the upper end of the gear case 4.
Opposite 66.

When the hydraulic cylinder 63 pressurizes the base plate 15, the base plate 15 receives the pressure without applying it. Therefore, at the position corresponding to the pair of left and right shaft members 32 of the GC / RG setting jig 30, the pallet P is A pair of right and left pedestals 67 are provided on the lower side, and the lower ends of the shaft members 32 are received by the pedestals 67.

At the time of pressurizing and bolting, the control device of the hydraulic cylinder 63 automatically controls the hydraulic cylinder 63 based on a command signal from the control device of the positioning cylinder 56 that positions the pallet P, for example, and becomes a pressurized state. At this time, the hydraulic cylinder 63 is controlled by the hydraulic cylinder 61 and the nut runner 57.
A command signal is output to a control device that controls the hydraulic cylinder 61 and the nut runner 57 to automatically operate.

Next, in the automatic assembly line AL of the differential device D described above, a method of assembling by applying a screw locking agent between the gear case 4 and the ring gear 5 and then pressing them together will be described.

First, in the stations S1 to S3, the carrier 1, the drive pinion 2, the oil seal 6, the companion flange 3, and the inner race 7 are respectively attached to predetermined jigs on the pallet P.
a, the distance piece 11 etc. are set manually, while the ring gear 5 and the gear case 4 are set on the GC / RG setting jig 30 as shown in FIG.
The inner end portion 39b of 39 is interposed between the ring gear 5 and the flange portion 4a of the gear case 4, and the ring gear 5 and the gear case 4 are
A gap 68 of, for example, 8 mm is secured between and. Further, in this state, insert 10 or 8 bolts 5a and washers into the bolts.
Lightly tighten 5a to temporarily assemble it. The inner race 9a is set in the inner race receiving portion 48, and the inner race of the side bearing 9 is attached to the upper end of the gear case 4.
9a and press-fitting punch 69 are set.

Next, at the S4 station, the robot 50 automatically applies the screw lock agent to the peripheral surface of the bolt 5a between the ring gear 5 and the gear case 4, and the screw lock agent is also applied to the surfaces of the link gear 5 and the gear case 4 facing each other. In the case of the type in which the screw lock agent is applied, the screw lock agent is automatically applied to the opposite surfaces by the robot 50.

Further, after the application of the screw lock agent is completed, the left and right movable spacers 39 are laterally moved by the robot 50 to bring the ring gear 5 and the gear case 4 into contact with each other. In this case, the robot
The movable spacer 39 is released by engaging the engaging member 54 of the hand portion 51 of the 50 with the handle portion 39a of the movable spacer 39 and moving the handle portion 39a laterally.

Next, at S5 station, 1 for gear case 4
The pair of inner races 9a are simultaneously press-fitted, the press-fitting punch 69 is removed by a robot or manually at any of the S5 to S6 stations, and the pressure punch 66 is set on the upper end of the gear case 4. However, the press-fitting punch 69 can be used for pressurization at the S7 station.

Next, at the S7 station (or S8 station), the pressure punch 66 is driven by the hydraulic cylinder 63 and the pressure rod 64.
The gear case 4 is pressed downward via the ring gear 5, and the gear case 4 is pressed against the ring gear 5 in a state where the lower end of the shaft member 32 is received by the pedestal 67, and both are held in close contact with each other.

Subsequently, the socket 57a of the nut runner 57 is set at a predetermined tightening position, the nut runner 57 is lowered by the hydraulic cylinder 61, the five bolts 5a are simultaneously tightened by the nut runner 57, and then the nut runner 57 is raised by the hydraulic cylinder 61. In this state, the socket 57a of the nut runner 57 is indexed to the next tightening position, the nut runner 57 is lowered again, and the remaining five bolts 5a are tightened at the same time. The pressure punch 66
Will be removed robotically or manually at any of the subsequent stations.

As described above, when the gear case 4 and the ring gear 5 are set in the S1 to S3 stations, the movable spacer 39 only forms a predetermined gap 68 between them, and the S4 station does not form the gap and the robot 50 With this, the screw lock agent can be applied quickly.
Since the movable spacer 39 is released by the robot 50, the movable spacer 39 can be easily released.

The liquid applying and assembling method of the present application is such that, when assembling various mechanical devices, a liquid substance such as an adhesive, a sealant, a paint, and a grease is applied between two parts, and then the two parts are pressed to obtain a close contact state. The same can be applied to the step of assembling to.

[Brief description of drawings]

The drawings relate to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a differential device, FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of an automatic assembly line of the differential device, FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a pallet, and FIG. Figure is a plan view of the pallet, Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional side view of the pallet, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of Fig. 4, Fig. 7.
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in Fig. 4, and Fig. 8 is Fig. 4 VIII-VI.
II sectional view, FIG. 9, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are rear views of the companion flange receiving jig, the inner race receiving jig, and the distance piece receiving jig, respectively, and FIG. FIG. 13 is a rear view of the pallet and the robot, and FIG. 13 is a rear view of the pallet, the nut runner, and the pressurizing device on the transfer conveyor shown in the vertical section. 4 ... Gear case, 5 ... Ring gear, 5a ... Bolt,
P ... Pallet, 30 ... Gear case / ring gear set jig, 39 ... Movable spacer, 39a ... Handle part, 39b ...
… Inner end, 50 …… Robot, 57 …… Nutrunner, 57a
...... Socket, 58 …… Frame, 58a …… Upper frame, 61 …… Hydraulic cylinder, 62 …… Connecting rod, 63 …… Pressurizing hydraulic cylinder, 64 …… Pressurizing rod, 65 …… Pressurizing head, 66 ...... Pressure punch, 67 …… Cage.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. At least two articles are set on a pallet and conveyed over a plurality of stations, a liquid is applied between the two articles at any station, and the two articles are brought into close contact with each other at a subsequent station. In assembling, two articles are temporarily assembled on a pallet with a movable spacer interposed between the two articles, a liquid is applied between the two articles by a robot, the movable spacer is released by the robot, and then the two articles are assembled. A method for applying and assembling a liquid, wherein the assembly is performed by applying pressure to the assembly by an automatic assembly device.