JPH11123730A - Device and method for filling vehicle closed cross section - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a filling device for a vehicle closed cross section suitable for the mass production of vehicle such as automobiles. SOLUTION: A filling device is provided with a manipulator 38 movable to desired positions, a jet device 50 set on the manipulator 38, a jet means 56 for feeding a foaming material to the jet device 50 and a controller 40 for controlling the position of the manipulator 30 so as to position the jet device 50 on the position of feeding the foaming material to a vehicle section through an injection inlet of the section of the vehicle closed section and also controlling the controlling means so as to fill the foaming material just by the amount in compliance with the volume in the section of vehicle closed section.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for filling a closed cross section of a vehicle body (that is, a closed space of the vehicle body). The present invention relates to a filling device and a filling method for a vehicle body closed cross section suitable for reinforcement.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a growing demand for improved collision safety of automobiles. In order to protect the occupants from collisions, crushable zones must be provided at the front and rear of the vehicle body to absorb the collision energy, and strong safety is provided in the cabin where the occupants are located to secure the occupant's living space. -A cell must be built.

However, if the thickness of each pillar, chassis frame, and the like is increased in order to increase the strength of the cabin, the weight of the vehicle body increases and the fuel efficiency deteriorates.

Therefore, the applicant of the present application has filled the inside of a closed cross section of a part of a vehicle body such as a pillar or a chassis frame with a room temperature-curable foamable two-pack type polyurethane material and kept the wall thickness of the pillar or the like thin while maintaining the thickness of the body. Applications for structures and methods for increasing strength (Japanese Patent Application Nos. 9-79759 and 9-1882)
26 etc.).

[0005]

However, in general, automobile production is mass-produced by a moving assembly method by division of labor and adoption of a conveyor. That is, the vehicle bodies are sequentially welded or a large number of components are sequentially mounted on a line where a large number of vehicle bodies sequentially flow. From this viewpoint, it has been desired to develop a filling device and a filling method for a closed body cross section suitable for mass production.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a filling device and a filling method for a closed cross section of a vehicle body suitable for mass-producing vehicles such as automobiles.

[0007]

According to the present invention, a manipulator movable to a desired position, an ejection device attached to the manipulator, a supply device for supplying a foamable material to the ejection device, Along with controlling the position of the manipulator so that the injection device is positioned at a position where the foamable material can be supplied to the vehicle body cross-section through the injection port of the vehicle body closed cross-section, according to the volume in the vehicle body closed cross-section. And a controller for controlling the supply means so as to fill the foamable material by a set amount, so that a large amount of vehicle body sequentially flows on a line,
In accordance with the flow of the line, the foamable material can be filled in the closed cross section of each part of the vehicle body.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a position detecting sensor provided in the manipulator for detecting a shift amount between the injection device and the injection port in the closed cross section of the vehicle body, and the controller detects the shift amount from the position detecting sensor. And the controller adjusts the position of the manipulator so that the displacement amount becomes zero, so even if the vehicle body is misaligned, the injection device is inserted into each injection port of the vehicle body closed cross section. Accurate matching can be achieved.

According to the invention of the present application, a monitor device for monitoring the state of the foaming material being cured and foamed in the closed cross section of the vehicle body is provided. When an unfilled portion that is not filled is monitored, the vehicle body having the unfilled portion can be handled as a defective product.

Further, according to the present invention, when the monitoring device monitors an unfilled portion not filled with the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body, the monitoring device determines the position of the unfilled portion according to the position of the unfilled portion. Since the reference image of the injection port is corrected, occurrence of an unfilled portion can be reduced.

[0011] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims.

Before describing an embodiment of the present invention in detail, the present invention is limited to its application to the detailed arrangement and construction of the components set forth in the following description and illustrated in the drawings. It should be understood that it is not. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. It is also to be understood that the terms and terms used herein are for explanation and should not be construed as limiting.

[0013]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
A description will be given based on FIGS.

The apparatus for filling a closed cross section of a vehicle body according to this embodiment includes a robot 10 as a manipulator that can be moved to a desired position, an injection device 50 attached to the robot 10, and a foaming material. A pump 56 serving as a supply means for supplying a cold-setting foamable two-component polyurethane material as the above, and a position of the robot is controlled so that the injection device is aligned with an injection port of the vehicle body closed cross-section, and the position of the robot in the vehicle body closed cross-section is controlled. And a controller for controlling the pump 56 so as to fill the cold-setting foamable two-pack polyurethane material by an amount set according to the volume.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the robot 10 shown in FIG. 1 constitutes a manipulator. The robot 10 is installed at a work position 14 provided along an automobile manufacturing line 12. A detection device 16 that detects that a vehicle body (for example, a white body) 100 has entered the work position 14 is provided near the robot 10.

The robot 10 includes a base portion 20 fixed to a floor 18 of a factory, a body portion 24 pivotally mounted on the base portion 20 about a longitudinal axis 22, and a body portion 2.
4, a first arm 28 pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis 26, and a horizontal axis 3 at the end of the first arm 28.
A second arm 32 pivotally mounted about zero; and a second arm 32 pivotally mounted on a distal end of the second arm 32 about a horizontal axis 34 and rotating about a rotation axis 36. And a hand unit 38 that is freely attached.

As described above, when the vehicle body 100 flows on the production line 12 and reaches the vicinity of the robot 10, the detecting device 16 detects this, and the input / output (I / O) device 42
That the vehicle body has entered the work position 14 to the controller 40 through Based on this, the controller 40 gives an instruction to the robot 10 through an input / output (I / O) device 42, pivots the body 24 with respect to the base 20, and moves the first arm 28 to the body 24. By pivoting the second arm 32 with respect to the first arm 28 and pivoting or rotating the hand 38 with respect to the second arm 32. 38 can be moved to a desired position.

The injection device 50 is provided at the tip end of the hand portion 38,
That is, it is fixed to the terminal side. The injection device 50 includes a discharge filling nozzle 52 protruding toward the production line 12 side. The discharge filling nozzle 52 can be provided with a valve (not shown) that can be opened and closed. By controlling the timing of opening this valve, the timing of starting the discharge of the foamable material can be controlled more accurately, By controlling the timing of closing the valve after discharging the conductive material, it is possible to prevent drooling. Such a valve constitutes a part of the supply means. The injection device 50
It is connected through a conduit 54 to a pair of pumps 56 (shown as one pump in the figure). The pair of pumps 56 are connected to tanks 58 and 60. One tank 58 stores a main agent (for example, a polyol main agent), and the other tank 60 stores a curing agent (for example, a polyisocyanate curing agent). The main component and curing agent of these room temperature curing foamable two-pack polyurethane materials are as follows:
The material is discharged from the discharge filling nozzle 52 by being separately pressure-fed to the injection device 50 by the pair of pumps 56 and subjected to collision mixing.

A vehicle body 100 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 sequentially flows at predetermined intervals on the automobile manufacturing line 12 (in FIG. 1, the features of this embodiment are clearly shown). For simplicity, the vehicle body 100 is shown in simplified form by dotted lines). The vehicle body 100 flows forward. In this embodiment, for example, the vehicle body 10
The A pillar portion 102, the B pillar portion 104, the B pillar upper portion 108 which also forms a part of the roof portion 106 provided above the B pillar portion 104, and the rocker portion 110.
Each constitute a closed cross section of the vehicle body (in other words, a closed space of the vehicle body). However, the present invention is not limited to these parts, and
The closed cross section of the vehicle body may be constituted by the side impact bar 132, the cross member 134, the rear side member 136, the bumper reinforcement 138, and the like provided on the door.

The robot 10 shown in FIG. 1 has an A-pillar section 10 on the right side (or the side shown in FIG. 2) as viewed in FIG.
2, for discharging and filling the cold-setting foamable two-pack polyurethane material into the closed cross-sections of the B-pillar portion 104, the B-pillar upper portion 108, and the rocker portion 110. A cold-setting foamable two-pack polyurethane material is discharged and filled into the closed cross-sections of the left A-pillar portion 102, the B-pillar portion 104, the B-pillar upper portion 108, and the rocker portion 110 in FIG. A robot is provided on the opposite side of the robot 10 shown in FIG. If a robot as a manipulator hanging most from the ceiling is provided, the robot can be easily moved to both sides of the vehicle body, so that the filling of the foaming material can be performed by one robot.

The inner side wall 102a of the A pillar portion 102
Is formed with an injection port 102b opening toward the inside of the vehicle (see FIG. 3). Further, a partition wall 102c is attached below the inside of the A-pillar section 102, so that the inside of the A-pillar section 102 is provided with a vehicle body closed cross section 10c.
2d (in other words, the vehicle body closed space 102d) is defined. The partition wall 102c prevents the filled cold-setting foamable two-pack polyurethane material from leaking to other locations. The inlet 102b communicates with the vehicle body closed cross section 102d.

The inner side wall 104a of the B pillar 104
Is formed with an inlet 104b that opens toward the inside of the vehicle (see FIG. 4). Further, a partition wall 104c is attached below the inside of the B pillar portion 104, so that the vehicle body closed cross section 10
4d (in other words, the vehicle body closed space 104d) is defined. The inlet 102b communicates with the vehicle body closed cross section 102d.

Inner side wall 108 of B pillar upper part 108
In FIG. 5, a is formed with an inlet 108b that opens toward the inside of the vehicle (see FIG. 5). Further, partition walls 108c are attached to both sides of the inside of the B pillar upper part 108, and thereby the vehicle body closed cross section 108d (in other words, the vehicle body closed space 108
d) is defined. The injection port 108b communicates with the vehicle body closed cross section 108d.

The inner side wall 110a of the locker section 110
Is formed with an inlet 110b opening toward the inside of the vehicle (see FIG. 6). Further, a partition wall 110c is attached below the inside of the locker portion 110, so that the vehicle body closed cross section 11
0d (in other words, the vehicle body closed space 110d) is defined. The inlet 110b communicates with the vehicle body closed cross section 110d.

In this embodiment, a position where the discharge filling nozzle 52 can be fitted into each of the injection ports is selected as a position where the foamable material can be filled into the vehicle body cross-section through the injection port of the vehicle-body closed cross-section. . According to this, it is possible to completely prevent leakage of the foamable material from between the injection port and the discharge filling nozzle. However, if there is no risk of leakage of the foamable material, the discharge filling nozzle may be simply aligned with the injection port, or only the tip of the discharge filling nozzle 52 may be inserted into the injection port.

The controller 40 is connected to the storage unit 62. The storage unit 62 stores a control program for controlling the robot and, for example, the spatial coordinates of a first reference position at which the discharge filling nozzle 52 is fitted to the injection port 104b of the B pillar 104, Filling nozzle 5
2 is a spatial coordinate of a second reference position at which the inlet 108b of the B pillar upper part 108 is fitted, and a spatial coordinate of a third reference position at which the discharge filling nozzle 52 is fitted at the inlet 102b of the A pillar 102. , The discharge filling nozzle 52 is
When fitted to the 0 injection port 110b, the spatial coordinates of the fourth reference position and the like are stored.

The controller 40 first controls the storage unit 6 based on an instruction of the control program stored in the storage unit 62.
The spatial coordinates of the first reference position are read from 2 and the robot 10 is driven, so that the discharge filling nozzle 52 is moved to the first position.
Is moved to the spatial coordinates of the reference position, and the discharge filling nozzle 52 is fitted to the injection port 104b of the B pillar 104. After the positioning of the discharge filling nozzle 52 is performed in this manner, the pump 56 is driven, and the room-temperature-curing foamable two-liquid type is set in an amount set according to the volume in the closed cross-section 104 d of the B pillar 104. Fill the polyurethane material. Next, the controller 40 reads the spatial coordinates of the second reference position from the storage unit 62 and drives the robot 10 to move the discharge filling nozzle 52 to the spatial coordinates of the second reference position, thereby causing the upper portion 108 of the B pillar 108 to move. The discharge filling nozzle 52 is fitted to the injection port 108b. Next, the pump 56
Is driven to fill the room-temperature-curable foamable two-pack polyurethane material by an amount set according to the volume in the closed cross-section 108d of the B pillar upper part 108. Next, the controller 40
Reads the spatial coordinates of the third reference position from the storage unit 62, and drives the robot 10 to move the discharge filling nozzle 52 to the spatial coordinates of the third reference position, thereby causing the injection port 102b of the A pillar 102 to move. Is fitted with the discharge filling nozzle 52. Next, the pump 56 is driven to fill the room-temperature-curable foamable two-component polyurethane material in an amount set according to the volume in the closed cross-section 102d of the A pillar 102. Next, the controller 40 reads the spatial coordinates of the fourth reference position from the storage unit 62, and drives the robot 10 to move the discharge filling nozzle 52 to the spatial coordinates of the fourth reference position, thereby causing the locker unit 110 to read the spatial coordinates of the fourth reference position. Injection port 110
The discharge filling nozzle 52 is fitted to b. Next, the pump is driven to fill the room-temperature-curable foamable two-component polyurethane material in an amount set according to the volume in the closed cross-section 110d of the rocker unit 110.

When the filling of one body 100 with the cold-setting foamable two-pack polyurethane material is completed in this way, the controller 40 causes the hand unit 38 and the like to operate the body 10.
The robot 10 is returned to the home position so as not to hinder the movement of 0, and waits until the next vehicle body comes.

Next, an outline of the overall operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, it is determined whether the detection device 16 has detected that the vehicle body 100 has entered the work position 14 (step 200). If the vehicle body 100 has not entered the work position 14, the process waits until the vehicle body 100 is detected. Body 10
When the detection device 16 detects that the “0” has entered the work position 14, the robot 10 is driven to move the discharge filling nozzle 52 to the spatial coordinates of the first reference position, and
2 is fitted into the injection port 104b of the B pillar 104 (step 202). Thereafter, the pair of pumps 56 of the main agent and the curing agent is driven so that the room-temperature-curable foamable two-pack polyurethane material is filled by an amount set in accordance with the volume in the closed cross-section portion 104d of the B pillar portion 104 (step). 2
04). Next, the robot 10 is driven to move the discharge filling nozzle 52 to the spatial coordinates of the second reference position, and the discharge filling nozzle 52 is fitted to the injection port 108b of the upper B pillar 108 (step 206). The pair of pumps 56 is driven so that the room-temperature-curable foamable two-pack polyurethane material is filled by an amount set in accordance with the volume in the closed cross-section 108d of step 108 (step 208). Next, the robot 10 is driven to move the discharge-filling nozzle 52 to the spatial coordinates of the third reference position, and the discharge-filling nozzle 52 is fitted to the injection port 102b of the A pillar 102 (step 210). The pair of pumps 56 is driven so that the room-temperature-curable foamable two-pack polyurethane material is filled by an amount set in accordance with the volume in the closed cross-section 102d of 102 (step 212). Next, the robot 10 is driven to move the discharge filling nozzle 52 to the spatial coordinates of the fourth reference position, and the discharge filling nozzle 52 is fitted to the inlet 110b of the locker unit 110 (step 214). The pair of pumps 56 are driven so that the cold-setting foamable two-pack polyurethane material is supplied in an amount set according to the volume in the closed cross section 110d (step 216).

Thereafter, the robot 10 is returned to the home position (step 218), and waits until the next vehicle body comes.

In the above embodiment, the B pillar 104, the upper B pillar 108, the A pillar 102 and the rocker 11
Although the foamable material is filled in the order of 0, the present invention is not limited to this, and the foamable material may be filled in any order. However, when the foamable material is filled in the order of the B-pillar portion, the upper portion of the B-pillar, the A-pillar portion, and the rocker portion as in the present embodiment, the movement of the hand portion 38 of the robot 10 and the like is performed. The range is reduced, and the filling operation can be performed quickly.

In the above embodiment, the B pillar 1
04, the B-pillar upper part 108, the A-pillar part 102, and the rocker part 110 are each filled with a foamable material in the closed cross section. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the C-pillar part, the pillar part, Filled with foaming material by forming a closed cross-section in other parts such as the joint with the roof, the side sill, the chassis under the body, the front side member, the side impact bar, the cross member, the rear side member, the bumper reinforcement, etc. You can also. FIG. 8 shows an A-pillar section 118 as an example of the coupling section.
And a connection portion between the front roof rail portion 120 and the front side roof rail portion 122. The A-pillar section 102, the front roof rail section 120, and the front side roof rail section 122 are provided with partition walls 118c, 120c, and 122c, respectively, thereby defining a closed section. Inlet 1
Reference numeral 22a is formed in the front side roof rail section 122, and the closed section is filled with a foamable material through the inlet 122a. In the case of this example, the inlet is formed in the front side roof rail portion 122, but the inlet may be formed in the A pillar portion 118 or the front roof rail portion 120.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

In the above-described embodiment, as described above, when fitting into the inlet of the B pillar, the inlet of the upper part of the B pillar, the inlet of the A pillar, and the inlet of the rocker part, 4
The discharge filling nozzle 52 is moved to two reference positions. That is, the ten arms of the robot are uniformly moved based on the position of the vehicle body flowing on the production line relative to the robot with respect to 100.

However, when the position of the robot 10 is uniformly controlled as in the above-described embodiment, when there is a position shift due to a distortion or the like in each of the vehicle bodies, or when a position shift error occurs on the production line, the injection filling is performed. There is a possibility that the nozzle 52 does not fit. In order to avoid such inconvenience, the second embodiment of the present invention further includes a position detection sensor for detecting a shift amount between the discharge filling nozzle 52 and the injection port in the closed cross section of the vehicle body. The position detection sensor outputs the shift amount to the controller 40, and the controller 40 adjusts the positions of the hand unit and the arm unit so that the shift amount becomes zero.

The position detection sensor includes a CCD camera 70 attached to the hand unit 38 as an image pickup tube for picking up an image of the injection port in the closed cross section of the vehicle body, a storage unit 62 for storing a reference image of the injection port, and a CCD. A controller 40 is provided as a detection unit that compares an image of the injection port output from the camera 70 with the reference image stored in the storage unit 62 and detects a shift amount between the images.

When there is no displacement of the vehicle body 100, the storage unit 62 stores (1) the injection port 104b of the B pillar unit 104 projected by the CCD camera 70 when the discharge filling nozzle 52 moves to the first reference position. And (2) a second reference image of the injection port 108b of the upper B pillar 108 projected by the CCD camera 70 when the discharge filling nozzle 52 moves to the second reference position,
(3) a third reference image of the injection port 102b of the A-pillar portion 102 projected by the CCD camera 70 when the discharge filling nozzle 52 moves to the third reference position; When it moves to the reference position
A fourth reference image of the injection port 110b of the locker unit 110 projected by the CD camera 70 is stored.

The case where the discharge filling nozzle 52 is fitted into the injection port 104b of the B pillar portion 104 will be described as an example. As shown in FIG.
The discharge filling nozzle 52 is moved to a first reference position where it can be fitted into the injection port 104b of the B pillar 104 (step 300). At this time, the controller 40 captures the image data of the injection port 104b of the B pillar from the CCD camera 70 (step 302), and reads out the first reference image data of the injection port of the B pillar from the storage unit 62 (step 304). ), The first reference image data and the CCD camera 7
It is compared with the image obtained from 0 and it is checked whether or not there is a deviation between the injection ports (step 306). If there is a shift, the hand unit 38 or the like of the robot 10 is moved in a direction in which the shift amount decreases (step 308), and after confirming that the shift amount has disappeared (step 310),
The discharge filling nozzle 52 is fitted into the inlet 104b (step 311), and the pump 56 is driven to start filling the foamable material (step 312). On the other hand, step 306
Then, the first reference image data of the injection port of the B pillar portion and C
If there is no deviation from the image obtained from the CD camera,
After fitting the discharge filling nozzle 52 to the inlet 104b,
The pump 56 is driven to start filling the foamable material. As for the other injection ports, the displacement amount is made equal to zero as compared with the reference image as in the case described above, and then the discharge filling nozzle 52 is fitted to the injection port 104b. Fill. Note that the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 is preferably incorporated as a subroutine of the main flowchart shown in FIG.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, even when the vehicle body or the like is misaligned, the discharge filling nozzle can be accurately fitted to the injection port in the closed cross section of the vehicle body.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the same components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

In the third embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 11, a monitor device for monitoring a cured foaming state or a cured filling state of a room temperature curable foamable two-component polyurethane material in a closed cross section of a vehicle body is further provided. Have. The cold-setting foamable two-pack polyurethane material undergoes a hard exothermic reaction and hardens and foams from the time when the main agent and the hardener are mixed. The monitor device monitors the temperature of the closed cross section of the vehicle body filled with the material, and monitors the cured foaming state of the room temperature curable foamable two-pack polyurethane material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body. And a thermal imaging device that converts a temperature signal from the infrared camera 80 into thermal image data and displays the thermal image data. The thermal imaging device includes a controller 40 that converts a temperature signal from the infrared camera 80 into thermal image data, and a display device 82 that displays thermal image data from the controller 40. The infrared camera 80 shown in FIG. 11 is fixed at an arbitrary position where the right B-pillar portion in FIG. 11 can be monitored.
Other infrared cameras for monitoring the closed cross section of the vehicle body are omitted.

The display device 82 displays the filled portion and the unfilled portion of the room-temperature-curable foamable two-pack type polyurethane material by the temperature difference. Therefore,
When the operator looks at the display device 82,
When an unfilled portion not filled with the cold-setting foamable two-pack polyurethane material is found in the closed cross section of the vehicle body, the vehicle body having the unfilled portion can be handled as a defective product.

When monitoring the cured filling state, which is the case of a cold cured foaming state, a tapping type non-destructive inspection device can be used. The tapping type non-destructive inspection device automates the tapping operation and distinguishes between tone and sensibility with a force sensor and CP built into the hammer.
This is a device that performs digital processing instead of U and quantifies discrimination. The monitoring device of the present invention includes the tapping type non-destructive inspection device that monitors a cured filling state in a vehicle body closed cross section, and a device that converts and displays a tapping waveform from the tapping type non-destructive inspection device. It can also be configured.

When the monitoring device monitors an unfilled portion not filled with the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body, the reference image of the injection port can be corrected according to the position of the unfilled portion. More specifically, the discharge filling nozzle 52 is, for example, the injection port 110 of the rocker unit 110.
Even if the fitting is performed in a state of being aligned with the center point A of b, the unfilled portion 90 may be formed near the partition wall 110c at the upper right of the figure as shown in FIG. This is considered to be due to variations in the quality of the vehicle body. In this case, as long as the discharge-filling nozzle 52 can be inserted into the injection port 110b, the discharge-filling nozzle 52 is inserted at a displacement point B slightly shifted from the center point A of the injection port toward the unfilled portion side. The generation of the site 90 can be prevented. Inlet 110
In order to insert the discharge filling nozzle at the displacement point B slightly shifted from the center point A of b to the unfilled portion side, in the present embodiment, the reference image of the rocker portion 110b including the injection port is set to AB as indicated by a dashed line. The reference image data stored in the storage unit 62 is corrected so that the reference image data is shifted to the right by the distance therebetween. As a result, the discharge filling nozzle 52 is inserted at the center point B on the reference image, that is, at a point slightly shifted to the right from the center point A of the actual product. In this manner, since the correction is performed so that the reference image of the injection port is shifted, it is not necessary to change the control flowchart itself, and the cost can be reduced. In the present embodiment, the injection port is formed to be slightly wider, and a rubber sealing material having a cut portion for nozzle insertion is attached to the wide injection port, so that the discharge filling nozzle is positioned at the center of the injection port. , The leakage of the foamable material can be prevented even if it slightly shifts in any direction.

As described above, by shifting the reference image of the injection port of the locker portion, the occurrence of the unfilled portion can be reduced.

Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

[0048]

As described above, according to the present invention, a manipulator that can be moved to a desired position, an ejection device attached to the manipulator, and a supply unit that supplies a foamable material to the ejection device Controlling the position of the manipulator so that the injection device is positioned at a position where the foamable material can be supplied to the vehicle body cross-section through the injection port of the vehicle body closed cross-section, and adjusts the volume in the vehicle body closed cross-section. And a controller that controls the supply means so as to fill the foamable material by an amount set in the above manner, so that a large amount of vehicle body sequentially flows on a line,
The foamable material can be filled in the closed cross section of the vehicle body in accordance with the flow of the line.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a position detecting sensor provided in the manipulator for detecting a shift amount between the injection device and the injection port in the closed cross section of the vehicle body, and the controller detects the shift amount from the position detecting sensor. And the controller adjusts the position of the manipulator so that the displacement amount becomes zero, so that even when the vehicle body is misaligned, the injection device can be accurately inserted into the injection port of the closed cross section of the vehicle body. Can be matched.

Further, according to the present invention, a monitor for monitoring the hardened and foamed state of the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body is provided. When an unfilled portion that is not filled is monitored, the vehicle body having the unfilled portion can be handled as a defective product.

Further, according to the present invention, when the monitoring device monitors an unfilled portion not filled with the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body, the monitoring device may determine the position of the unfilled portion according to the position of the unfilled portion. Since the reference image of the injection port is corrected, occurrence of an unfilled portion can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device for filling a closed cross section of a vehicle body according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a vehicle body.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an A-pillar portion.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a B pillar portion.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of an upper portion of a B pillar.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a locker unit.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for controlling the filling device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a coupling portion between an A pillar, a front roof rail, and a front side roof rail.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a filling device for a vehicle body closed cross section according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for controlling a filling device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an apparatus for filling a closed cross section of a vehicle body according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of correcting a reference image of an injection port.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Robot 12 Automobile production line 14 Working position 16 Detector 18 Floor of factory 20 Base part 22 Vertical axis 24 Body part 26 Horizontal axis 28 First arm part 30 Horizontal axis 32 Second arm part 34 Horizontal axis 38 Hand part 40 Controller 42 Input / output (I
/ O) Device 50 Injection device 52 Discharge filling nozzle 54 Conduit 56 Pump 58 Tank 60 Tank 62 Storage unit 70 CCD camera 80 Infrared camera 82 Display device 90 Unfilled part 100 Body 102 A pillar part 102a Inner side wall 102b Inlet 102c Partition wall 102d Closed section of vehicle body (closed space) 104 B pillar 104a Inner side wall 104b Inlet 104c Partition wall 104d Closed section of vehicle body (closed space) 106 Roof 108 Upper part of B pillar 108a Side wall 108b of inner side of car Inlet 108c Partition wall 108d Vehicle closed section (closed space) 110 Locker section 110a Inner side wall 110b Inlet 110c Partition wall 110d Vehicle closed section (closed space) 120 Front roof rail section 122 Front side roof rail Le part

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masahito Mori 7-1 Akita-cho, Takatsuki-shi, Osaka Sunstar Giken Co., Ltd.

Claims (56)

[Claims] 1. A manipulator movable to a desired position, an injection device attached to the manipulator, supply means for supplying a foamable material to the injection device, and the vehicle body through an injection port in a vehicle body closed cross section. The position of the manipulator is controlled so that the injection device is positioned at a position where the foaming material can be supplied to the cross section, and the foaming material is filled by an amount set according to the volume in the vehicle body closed cross section. And a controller for controlling the supply means so as to perform the filling. 2. The filling device according to claim 1, further comprising a position detection sensor for detecting a shift amount between the injection device and an injection port in the closed cross section of the vehicle body. apparatus. 3. The filling device according to claim 2, wherein the position detection sensor outputs the shift amount to the controller, and the controller adjusts the position of the manipulator so that the shift amount becomes zero. A filling device, characterized in that: 4. The filling device according to claim 3, wherein the position detection sensor is provided with an imaging tube attached to the manipulator and configured to image an injection port in the closed cross section of the vehicle body, and a reference image of the injection port. A storage unit for storing, and a detection unit for comparing the image of the injection port output from the imaging tube with the reference image stored in the storage unit and detecting a shift amount therebetween. A filling device. 5. The filling device according to claim 4, wherein the controller constitutes the detection unit. 6. The filling device according to claim 4, wherein the imaging tube is a CCD camera. 7. The filling device according to claim 1, further comprising a monitor device for monitoring a cured foaming state or a cured filling state of the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body. Filling equipment. 8. The filling apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a monitor for monitoring a cured foaming state or a cured filling state of the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body. apparatus. 9. The filling device according to claim 8, wherein when the monitor device monitors an unfilled portion of the vehicle body closed cross section that is not filled with the foamable material, the position of the unfilled portion is monitored. A filling device for correcting a reference image of the injection port according to the following. 10. The filling device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the monitor device monitors an inflation state of the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body, and an infrared camera.
A thermal imaging device for converting a temperature signal from the infrared camera into thermal image data and displaying the thermal image data. 11. The filling device according to claim 7, wherein the monitoring device includes a tapping type non-destructive inspection device that monitors a cured filling state in the closed cross section of the vehicle body; A device for converting and displaying a tapping waveform. 12. The filling device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle body closed cross section is a pillar portion of the vehicle body. 13. The filling device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle body closed cross section is a rocker portion of the vehicle body. 14. A vehicle filling apparatus for sequentially reinforcing each closed cross section of a plurality of vehicle bodies flowing on an automobile manufacturing line, wherein the apparatus is provided at a predetermined working position on the automobile manufacturing line and is movable to a desired position. A manipulator, an injection device attached to the manipulator, a supply unit for supplying the foamable material to the injection device, and provided near the manipulator to detect that the vehicle body has entered the predetermined work position. Based on a signal from the detection device, based on a signal from the detection device, the position of the manipulator such that the injection device is positioned at a position where the foamable material can be filled in the vehicle body cross-section through an injection port of the vehicle body closed cross-section. Control and the supply so as to fill the foamable material by an amount set in accordance with the volume in the closed cross section of the vehicle body. Body filling device characterized by comprising a controller for controlling the stage. 15. The vehicle body filling device according to claim 14, further comprising a position detection sensor provided on the manipulator, the sensor detecting a displacement amount between the injection device and an injection port of the vehicle body closed cross section. A vehicle filling device characterized in that: 16. The vehicle body filling device according to claim 15, wherein the position detection sensor outputs the displacement to the controller, and the controller adjusts the position of the manipulator so that the displacement is zero. A vehicle filling device characterized by: 17. The vehicle body filling device according to claim 16, wherein the position detection sensor captures an image of an injection port in the vehicle body closed cross section, and a storage unit that stores a reference image of the injection port. A vehicle body filling device comprising: a detection unit that compares an image of the injection port output from the imaging tube with the reference image stored in the storage unit and detects a shift amount therebetween. apparatus. 18. The vehicle body filling device according to claim 17, wherein the controller constitutes the detection unit. 19. The vehicle body filling device according to claim 14, further comprising a monitor device for monitoring a cured foaming state or a cured filling state of the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body. Vehicle filling device. 20. The vehicle body filling device according to claim 17, further comprising a monitor device for monitoring a cured foaming state or a cured filling state of the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body. Body filling equipment. 21. The vehicle body filling device according to claim 20, wherein the position of the unfilled portion is determined when the monitor device monitors an unfilled portion not filled with the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body. A vehicle filling device characterized in that a reference image of the inlet is corrected according to the following. 22. The vehicle body filling device according to claim 19, wherein the monitor device monitors an in-hardened foaming state of the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body, and an infrared camera.
A thermal imaging device for converting a temperature signal from the infrared camera into thermal image data. 23. The vehicle body filling device according to claim 19, wherein the monitor device comprises a tapping type non-destructive inspection device that monitors a cured filling state in the vehicle body closed cross section and the tapping type non-destructive inspection device. And a device for converting and displaying the tapping waveform of the vehicle body. 24. The vehicle body filling device according to claim 14, wherein the vehicle body closed cross section is a pillar portion of the vehicle body. 25. The vehicle body filling device according to claim 14, wherein the vehicle body closed cross section is a rocker portion of the vehicle body. 26. A step of providing a manipulator which can be moved to a desired position, wherein the injection device attached to the manipulator can supply a foamable material to the vehicle body cross section through an injection port of the vehicle body closed cross section. Controlling the position of the manipulator so as to be positioned; and filling the foamable material into the vehicle body closed cross section by an amount set according to the volume in the vehicle body closed cross section through the injector. And b. Curing and foaming the foamable material in the closed body cross section. 27. The filling method according to claim 26, further comprising a step of detecting a shift amount between the injection device and an injection port of the vehicle body closed cross section. 28. The filling method according to claim 27, further comprising a step of adjusting a position of the manipulator so that the displacement amount becomes zero. 29. The filling method according to claim 27, wherein the step of sensing the amount of displacement includes a step of storing a reference image of the injection port, and a step of imaging the injection port of the closed cross section of the vehicle body. And a step of comparing the image of the injection port obtained by the imaging with the stored reference image to detect the shift amount. 30. The filling method according to claim 29, wherein the imaging is performed by a CCD camera. 31. The filling method according to claim 26, further comprising a step of monitoring a cured foaming state or a cured filling state of the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body. Filling method. 32. The filling method according to claim 29, further comprising a step of monitoring a cured foaming state or a cured filling state of the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body. . 33. The filling method according to claim 32, wherein when an unfilled portion that is not filled with the foamable material is monitored in the closed cross section of the vehicle body, the position of the unfilled portion is determined according to a position of the unfilled portion. A filling method comprising a step of correcting a reference image of an inlet. 34. The filling method according to any one of claims 31 to 33, wherein the step of monitoring includes a step of detecting, by an infrared camera, a cured foaming state of the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body. And a step of converting a temperature signal from the infrared camera into thermal image data. 35. The filling method according to claim 31, wherein the monitoring step includes a step of monitoring a cured filling state in the closed cross section of the vehicle body by a tapping type non-destructive inspection device, and the tapping type non-destructive inspection device. And converting and displaying the tapping waveform from the data. 36. The filling method according to claim 26, wherein the vehicle body closed cross section is a pillar portion of the vehicle body. 37. The filling method according to claim 26, wherein the vehicle body closed cross section is a rocker part of the vehicle body. 38. A vehicle filling method for sequentially reinforcing a closed cross section of each of a plurality of vehicle bodies flowing on an automobile manufacturing line, wherein a manipulator movable to a desired position is moved to a predetermined working position on the automobile manufacturing line. Providing, a step of detecting that the vehicle body has entered the predetermined work position, and controlling a position of the manipulator based on the detection of the vehicle body in the detection step, and an injection mounted on the manipulator. Aligning the device with the injection port of the vehicle body closed cross section, and filling the filling nozzle with a foamable material by an amount set according to the volume in the vehicle body closed cross section. Car body filling method. 39. The vehicle body filling method according to claim 38, further comprising a step of sensing a deviation amount between the injection device and the injection port of the vehicle body closed cross section. . 40. The vehicle body filling method according to claim 39, further comprising a step of adjusting a position of the manipulator so that the displacement amount becomes zero. 41. The vehicle body filling method according to claim 39, wherein the step of sensing the amount of displacement includes a step of storing a reference image of the inlet, and an image of the inlet of the closed cross section of the vehicle body. And a step of comparing the captured image of the injection port with the stored reference image to detect the shift amount. 42. The vehicle body filling method according to claim 38, further comprising a step of monitoring a cured foaming state or a cured filling state of the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body. Car body filling method. 43. The vehicle body filling method according to claim 41, further comprising a step of monitoring a cured foaming state or a cured filling state of the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body. Filling method. 44. The vehicle body filling method according to claim 43, wherein when an unfilled portion that is not filled with the foamable material is monitored in the closed body portion of the vehicle body, according to a position of the unfilled portion, Correcting a reference image of the injection port. 45. The vehicle body filling method according to claim 42, wherein the monitoring step includes a step of monitoring a hardened filling state in the vehicle body closed cross section by a tapping type non-destructive inspection device, and the tapping type non-destructive inspection. Converting and displaying a tapping waveform from the device. 46. The method of filling a vehicle body according to claim 42, wherein the monitoring step detects a cured foaming state of the foamable material in the closed cross section of the vehicle body by an infrared camera. And a step of converting a temperature signal from the infrared camera into thermal image data. 47. The vehicle body filling method according to claim 38, wherein the vehicle body closed cross section is a pillar portion of the vehicle body. 48. The vehicle body filling method according to claim 38, wherein the vehicle body closed cross section is a rocker portion of the vehicle body. 49. The filling device according to claim 1, wherein a cold-setting foamable two-pack polyurethane material is used as the foamable material. 50. The vehicle body filling apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 25, wherein a cold-setting foamable two-pack polyurethane material is used as the foamable material. 51. The filling method according to claim 26, wherein a cold-setting foamable two-pack polyurethane material is used as the foamable material. 52. The method for filling a vehicle body according to any one of claims 38 to 48, wherein a room temperature curing two-component foamable polyurethane material is used as the foamable material. 53. The filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the injection device includes a discharge filling nozzle, and when the injection device is aligned with an injection port in a closed cross section of the vehicle body, The filling device, wherein the discharge filling nozzle can be fitted to the inlet. 54. The vehicle body filling device according to claim 14, wherein the injection device has a discharge filling nozzle, and the injection device is aligned with an injection port in a closed cross section of the vehicle body. And a discharge filling nozzle capable of being fitted to the injection port. 55. The filling method according to any one of claims 26 to 37, wherein the injection device includes a discharge charging nozzle, and when the injection device is aligned with an injection port in a closed cross section of the vehicle body, The filling method, wherein the discharge filling nozzle can be fitted to the inlet. 56. The vehicle body filling method according to claim 38, wherein the injection device includes a discharge filling nozzle, and the injection device is aligned with an injection port in a closed cross section of the vehicle body. And the discharge filling nozzle can be fitted to the inlet.