JPH10273078A - Vehicle assembly line and vehicle assembly method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: An automobile assembly line and an automobile assembly method capable of efficiently performing a toe axis adjustment operation by providing a toe axis adjustment station in an overhead conveyance section of a vehicle body in an automobile assembly line. A tire is mounted on at least one position below a suspension-type transfer means in a transfer path, and is mounted on at least a tire (RT, FT) until a vehicle is mounted. The load generating means for applying a load during driving of the completed vehicle to the table 23 which can be detached from the vehicle body by being loaded in a state of contact with the vehicle body and lowered, and the connecting means 48 connecting the table 23 and the lower surface of the vehicle body W 45, 46 and the toe axis adjusting station 7
And a vehicle assembly line characterized by

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automobile assembly line and an automobile assembly method having a plurality of steps for mounting a component on a vehicle body in an automobile manufacturing plant.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional automobile assembly line, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 6-23425, there is a toe axis adjustment station for adjusting the toe axis of a vehicle in the middle of the automobile assembly line. Instead, it was located on the inspection and adjustment line, which was located downstream of the automobile assembly line and was located to inspect and adjust the completed vehicle.

[0003]

However, in the technique described above, when the toe axis adjusting station is installed, a table for receiving the tires of the vehicle and a hole for an operator or machine for adjusting the toe axis are separately prepared. Must be
There was a disadvantage that the cost was high when making the toe axis adjusting station. In addition, since the toe axis adjustment is performed in a place different from the automobile assembly line, if there is a defective part in the mounting of parts, etc., the toe axis adjustment must be performed after all the assembly is completed. Since it is necessary to remove parts other than the repaired part, a large number of man-hours are required for the correction accompanying toe axis adjustment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a toe-axis adjusting work efficiently by providing a toe-axis adjusting station in an overhead conveyance section of a vehicle body in an automobile assembly line. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle assembly line and a vehicle assembly method that can be performed.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and comprises a plurality of suspension type transportation means for suspending and supporting a vehicle body on at least a part of an assembly line.
A transport path for guiding the suspended transport means, and in an automobile assembly line for mounting components on a vehicle body, the transport path is disposed at one position below the suspended transport means so as to be movable up and down, At least the vehicle body to which the component parts are attached until the tire is mounted, is mounted in a state where the tire comes into contact with the tire so that it can float in the horizontal direction by ascending, and a table that is detachable from the vehicle body by descending,
An automobile assembly line is provided with a toe shaft adjusting station having a weight generating means for applying a weight during driving of the completed vehicle to a coupling means for connecting the table and the lower surface of the vehicle body. In addition, in the method of assembling a vehicle, in which the components are mounted on the vehicle body, before mounting all the components on the vehicle body to complete the vehicle, the toe axis of the steering wheel of the vehicle body on which the components are mounted is adjusted at least until the tires are mounted. And an automobile assembling method.

[0006]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automobile assembly line and an automobile assembly method according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the entirety of an automobile assembly line with a small number of production units according to the present invention. As shown in FIG.
The automobile assembly line 1 first attaches the parts related to the rear wheel RT to the vehicle body W after the painting process, supports the front of the other surface of the vehicle body in a state where the rear wheel RT is used, and slowly moves on the slat conveyor 2. And a first component assembling station A for transferring the first component assembling station A
The vehicle body W is connected to the loop-shaped transport path 5 by the lifter 3 that is adjacent to the vehicle and that is linked to the transport path.
Is transferred to a manually-operated hanger 6 for suspending the vehicle body, which is hung from the vehicle, and the vehicle body is suspended and conveyed by the hanger 6 for suspending the vehicle body, and is lifted and lowered by a lifter 8 disposed at a predetermined position. W is lowered, and a second component assembling station B to be transferred to the slat conveyor 9 and a vehicle body is positioned adjacent to the second component assembling station B and the front and rear wheels are seated on the slat conveyor 9. And a third component assembling station C that slowly slides and conveys.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a second component assembling station B, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an elevating lifter,
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a manually pushed suspension type vehicle body transport hanger. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the lifting lifter 3 has a pair of columns 11, 11 '. , 1
Elevating tables 12 and 12 'are held at 1' so that they can move up and down. Further, receiving members 13, 13 'for receiving the vehicle body are provided at the distal ends of the lift tables 12, 12', respectively.
Are supported so as to be able to move up and down freely. The loop-shaped transport path 5 is formed of a box-shaped frame made of steel and suspended from the ceiling of the second component assembly station B, and has a continuous opening groove 5a on the lower surface.

[0008] A pair of rollers 15, 15 are pivotally supported on the upper ends of each of the four supports 14, 14, 14, 14 provided on the suspension type vehicle hanger 6. Is fitted into the frame of the transport path 5 and is free to roll and cannot be removed, and the support 14 is movable along the opening groove 5a of the transport path 5. The lower ends of the four sets of supports 14, 14, 14, 14 are fixed to arms 16, 16, 16 connected by pins, and the arms 16, 16, 16 are rotatable in the horizontal direction by pin connection. It has become.

A frame 17 is fixed to the second arm 16 from the head, and L-shaped arms 18 are suspended from the left and right ends of the frame 17, respectively.
Vehicle body receiving members 19, 19 which can be freely rotated by hand are provided at the front and rear lower ends of 8, 18 respectively. The lifting tables 12, 12 'and the receiving members 13, 13' of the lifting lifter 3 do not interfere with the vehicle receiving members 19, 19, 19, 19 of the suspension type vehicle hanger 6;
It can be moved up and down freely.

A toe shaft adjusting station 7 is provided downstream of the lifter 3 in the transport direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the toe axis adjustment station 7 has columns 21, 21, 21 and 21 erected at four corners.
1,2,21,21 slide rails 21a, 21
a, 21a, 21a have guide members 22, 22, 22,
The frame body 23 is supported via the base 22 so as to be able to move up and down. The frame 23 is supported on the floor surface and is connected to upper ends of piston rods 26, 26 which are vertically fitted to hydraulic cylinders 25, 25 provided in a pair on the floor surface. The frame 23 is movable up and down by hydraulic cylinders 25 and 25.

On the upper surface of the frame 23, four floating tables 27, 27, 27, 27
It is arranged to receive the wheel. 5 is a sectional side view of the floating table, and FIG. 6 is a view taken along line XX of FIG. 5. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the floating table 27 has a box 29 having an open top. A base 30 is housed at the bottom of the box 29. This base 30
The slider 3 via the linear bearings 31
2 are slidably supported in the left-right direction, and projecting members 30a, 30a on the upper surface of the base 30 and projecting members 32 on the lower surface of the slider 32.
a, 32a between the coil springs 33,
The slider 32 can be returned to its original position by the resilient action of the pair of coil springs 33, 33.

An adjusting bolt 34 having a flange is screwed to the projecting members 30a, 30a of the base 30 so as to freely advance and retreat.
The position after adjustment by the nut 35 is fixed. That is, the nut 35 is loosened, and the adjustment bolt 34 is rotated forward and reverse to advance and retreat, so that the protrusion member 32a of the slider 32 and the flange 34a of the adjustment bolt 34
Is adjusted, whereby the elastic force of the coil spring 33 contracted between the protrusion 32a of the slider 32 and the flange 34a of the adjustment bolt 34 is adjusted.

The upper surface of the slider 32 and the slider 36
A front-rear floating mechanism 37 similar to the left-right floating mechanism is provided between the lower surfaces of the sliders 32, and the slider 36 is slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the slider 32. A column 39 is erected on the upper surface of the slider 36, and the table 40 at the upper end is supported by bearings 41, 41 arranged on the outer periphery of the column 39.
And a pair of coil springs 4 that are rotatable about
It is possible to return to the original position by the resilient action of 2,42. Reference numeral 43 denotes a bearing for balancing rotation, and reference numeral 44 denotes a funnel-shaped guide for guiding wheels and facilitating positioning on the table 40.
The upper surface of the table 40 at the upper end is substantially the same height as the opening of the box 29, and the table 40 is rotatable and slidable in the left-right direction and the front-back direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the frame 23 has
In addition to the floating table 27, a pair of cylinders 45 with load cells are provided in front and rear with the tip of the piston rod 46 facing upward, and a chain 48 with an engaging member attached to the tip of the piston rod 46 is connected to the front and rear of the automobile. It is possible to apply a load of a predetermined pressure (in a state where a human is riding on the vehicle) to the vehicle in a state where the vehicle is engaged with a part of the vehicle. The single-axis adjustment station 7 is configured as described above.

As shown in FIG. 7, as a measuring device used for the single-axis adjusting station 7, for example, a jig 50 of a sensor is attached to each foil via a jig 49 for positioning a foil, There is a wheel alignment inspection device 52 of a type that measures the toe axis based on the degree of detection of each sensor when operating the steering wheel and displays the measured value on the display screen of the console 51. The wheel alignment inspection device 52 measures a deviation angle of the toe amounts of the left and right front wheels with respect to the toe amounts of the left and right rear wheels, and if the deviation angles do not fall within the allowable angle, each falls within the allowable angle. In this way, the toe amounts of the left and right front wheels are adjusted.

An elevating lifter 8 having the same configuration as the elevating lifter 3 is disposed downstream of the uniaxial adjustment station 7 in the vehicle body transport direction. The elevating lifter 8 is composed of a pair of columns 61, 61 '. And a pair of columns 61, 6
Elevating tables 62, 62 'and receiving members 63, 63' at the ends thereof are respectively held at 1 'so as to be able to move up and down (see FIG. 3). The lifter 8 receives the vehicle body from the suspension type vehicle body transport hanger 6, and then lowers the vehicle body to transfer the vehicle body onto the slat conveyor 9 of the third component assembling station C.

Next, a description will be given of the method of use and operation of the automobile assembly line. The car body W after the painting process
First, the rear wheel RT and the suspension are assembled in the lifted state. Then, the vehicle body W to which the rear wheel RT and the suspension are assembled is seated on the slat conveyor 2 of the first component assembling station A with the lower front end placed on the locking member. Since the slat conveyor 2 is a power-driven conveyor having a width smaller than the interval between the left and right front wheels and the left and right rear wheels of the vehicle body W, the front portion of the vehicle body W is supported by the slat conveyor 2,
The rear part of the vehicle body W is supported by rear wheels.

An antenna unit, a wiper unit, a roof lining, a pillar garnish, a floor mat, an operation pedal unit, a heater blower, a clutch operation unit, a brake pipe, a clutch pipe, a radiator, Front damper, door lock unit, door glass, rearview mirror, speaker, regulator, headlight, taillight, each bumper, seat belt,
Mainly the interior components such as the instrument panel, the respective harnesses and the respective wires are sequentially assembled to the vehicle body W.

After the required parts have been assembled in this manner, the vehicle body W reaches the end of the first parts assembly station A, and the column of the lifter 3 at the start end of the second parts assembly station B. After moving to the position between 11, 11 ', the elevator 12, 13 of the lifting lifter 3 is operated by the operator.
The 2 'and the receiving members 13, 13' rise to lift the vehicle body W. Next, the worker pushes the vehicle body transport hanger 6 and moves it to a position covering the vehicle body W. Further, the vehicle body receiving members 19, 19, 19, 19 are manually rotated to rotate the vehicle body receiving members 19, 19, 19, 19 to a position where they are engaged with the vehicle body W, and then the lifting lifter 3 is moved up and down. Stands 12, 12 '
Then, the receiving members 13, 13 'are lowered, and the vehicle body W is transferred to the vehicle body transport hanger 6.

Next, in a state where the vehicle body W is suspended by the vehicle body transport hanger 6, the engine, the front suspension, the front wheels FT, and the like are moved while the vehicle body transport hanger 6 is manually moved along the transport path 5. Attach to W so that at least toe adjustment can be performed. When the vehicle body W is in a state in which the toe adjustment is possible, at this time, the vehicle body transport hanger 6 is manually moved to a position on the toe axis adjustment station 7, and the hydraulic cylinders 25, 25 are driven to cause the piston rods 26, 2 to move.
6, the gantry 23 is raised, and the front and rear wheels of the vehicle body W on which all the wheels are mounted are attached to the floating table 27,
27, 27, 27. At this time, the vehicle body receiving members 19, 19, 1 of the vehicle body transport hanger 6 are provided.
9 and 19 separate from the vehicle body.

Then, cylinders 45, 4 with load cells are provided.
After engaging the engaging portions of the chains 48, 48 with the engaging members connected to the piston rods 46, 46 with the transporting fixed hooks (not shown) on the front and rear lower surfaces of the vehicle body, the load cell reads a predetermined pressure. The piston rods 46, 46 are contracted to bring the automobile closer to a state where a person is riding on the completed vehicle.

In this state, the operator gets on the scaffold provided on the frame 23 and attaches the wheel positioning jig 4 to each wheel of the automobile.
9, the jig 50 of the sensor is attached. This allows
After each sensor detects each other and reads the positional relationship of the wheel of the vehicle body W, the operator turns the steering wheel a small amount, so that the mutual angle sensor mounted on the wheel of the steering wheel (front wheel) cannot be detected ( For example, the state of the toe is calculated based on the state of 7 °). Then, the toe axis adjustment is performed while confirming the measured value on the display screen of the console 51. At this point, if there is an abnormality in the toe axis relation, it is possible to easily perform a component replacement or the like in the second component assembling station B and perform the measurement and adjustment work again.

When the toe axis adjustment operation is completed, the piston rods 4 of the cylinders 45 with load cells
6 and 46, the engaging portions of the chains 48 with engaging members are removed from the fixed hooks for transportation on the front and rear lower surfaces of the vehicle body, and the hydraulic cylinders 25 and 25 are driven to contract the piston rods 26 and 26. When the frame body 23 is lowered, the front wheels and the rear wheels become floating tables 27 and 2.
7, 27, 27, and the vehicle body W is seated on the vehicle body receiving members 19, 19, 19, 19 of the vehicle body transport hanger 6.

Next, the operator manually moves the hanger 6 for transporting the vehicle body to the second component assembling station B.
In the body W, the inner fender, washer tank, fuel tank, mat guard, exhaust pipe,
Assemble mainly lower mounting parts such as brake units, knuckle arms, tie rods, front arms, drive shafts, front stabilizer springs, engine mount front beams, engine mount rear beams, and front radius slots.

Then, the second component assembling station B
When the assembly of the parts is completed and the vehicle body transport hanger 6 is moved between the columns 61 and 61 'of the lift 8, the operator operates the lift 6 of the lift 8.
2, 62 'and the receiving members 63, 63' rise to lift the vehicle body W, and separate the vehicle body W from the vehicle body receiving members 19, 19, 19, 19 of the vehicle body transport hanger 6. In this state, the worker turns the vehicle body receiving members 19, 19, 19, 19 by hand, moves the vehicle body W to a position where it does not interfere with the vehicle body W, and retracts the same. Then, the elevating tables 62, 62 'of the lifting lifter 8 and By lowering the receiving members 63, 63 ', the vehicle body W is moved to the sled conveyor 9 at the start end of the third component assembling station C.
On the end of the.

Since the sled conveyor 9 is narrow, a front wheel on one side of the vehicle body W rides on the slide conveyor 9 and a front wheel on the other side is seated. Next, a battery, a seat, a door lining, a fuse box, a spare tire, a trunk mat, a roof molding, and a console are attached to the vehicle body W which is slowly advanced from the start end to the end of the third component assembling station C by the slat conveyor 9. Attach large parts such as wind glasses, sun visors, wipers, cowl tops, handles, and seats to the vehicle body W, and apply required liquids such as gasoline, power steering oil, brake oil, washer fluid, and radiator fluid to the vehicle body W. Inject and ship as a finished car.

In the above-described embodiment, the sled conveyor is used as the transporting means at the first component assembling station A. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be a hand-held trolley supporting the lower surface. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the hand-operated suspension type vehicle body transfer hanger is used as the transporting means at the second component assembling station B. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be a hanger. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the toe axis adjustment station 7 and the wheel alignment inspection apparatus 52 are used as the toe axis adjustment apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. It may be of the type incorporated in the.

[0028]

As described above, according to the automobile assembly line of the present invention, the toe axis of the vehicle body, on which the components are mounted, is adjusted at least until the tires are mounted on the overhead conveyance section of the vehicle body in the automobile assembly line. Since the toe axis adjustment station is provided, toe axis adjustment work can be performed before all parts are assembled, and toe axis adjustment and repair work can be performed quickly and efficiently with parts that interfere with the work eliminated. Is possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the entirety of an automobile assembly line according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a second component assembling station according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a lifting lifter.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a manually pushed suspension type vehicle body transfer hanger.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a floating table of the toe axis adjusting station according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view taken along line XX of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an outline of a wheel alignment inspection device used for a toe axis adjusting station according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automobile assembly line A 1st parts assembling station B 2nd parts assembling station C 3rd parts assembling station 2 Slat conveyor 3,8 Lifting lifter 5 Loop-shaped transport path 5a Opening 6 Car body transport hanger 7 Toe axis adjustment station 9 Slat conveyor 15 Roller 16 Arm 18 L-shaped arm 19 Body receiving member 21 Post 23 Frame 25 Hydraulic cylinder 27 Floating table 40 Table 45 Cylinder with load cell (weight generating means) 48 Chain with engagement member (Coupling means) 49 Wheel positioning jig 50 Sensor jig 51 Console 52 Wheel alignment inspection device

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An automobile having a plurality of suspension-type transportation means for suspending and supporting a vehicle body at least in a part of an assembly line, and a transportation path for guiding the suspension-type transportation means, wherein components are mounted on the vehicle body. In the assembly line, the vehicle body, which is disposed at one position below the suspension type conveyance means on the conveyance path so as to be able to move up and down, and at which the component parts are attached at least until the tire is mounted, can be floated in the horizontal direction by ascending. A table capable of being detached from the vehicle body by being loaded with the tire in contact with the vehicle, and being lowered, and a load generating means for applying a load at the time of driving the completed vehicle to coupling means for connecting the table and the lower surface of the vehicle body. An automobile assembly line, comprising: a toe axis adjusting station having: 2. A method of assembling a vehicle for mounting a component on a vehicle body, the method comprising the steps of:
A method for assembling a vehicle, comprising: adjusting a toe axis of a steering wheel of a vehicle body to which components are attached at least until a tire is mounted.