WO2019077209A1

WO2019077209A1 - Jig with robotic arm for motor vehicle wings

Info

Publication number: WO2019077209A1
Application number: PCT/FR2017/052848
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cedric GRANDJEAN
Original assignee: Psa Automobiles Sa
Priority date: 2017-10-17
Filing date: 2017-10-17
Publication date: 2019-04-25

Abstract

The invention relates to a jig (6) for positioning wings (12) on a vehicle body (2) for the purpose of attaching the wings, the jig (6) comprising a central frame (8) configured to be arranged generally horizontally above the engine compartment; means for positioning the central frame relative to the vehicle; means for positioning (8) the wings (12) on the central frame (8); and a robotic arm (14) configured to insert screws for attaching a lower portion of the wing. The invention also relates to a method for mounting wings (12) using said jig (6).

Description

JIG WITH ROBOTIC ARM FOR WINGS OF MOTOR VEHICLE

The invention relates to the field of motor vehicles, more particularly to the assembly of motor vehicles. More particularly, the invention relates to the attachment of the front fenders on a motor vehicle body. The published patent documents FR 2 786 152 A1 and FR 2 786 154 A1 disclose a template for mounting front fenders on a vehicle body. This template comprises a central frame intended to be arranged substantially horizontally above the engine compartment of the vehicle, and vertical frames arranged on each side of the body. The racks each include a reference pawn with a hole made on the vehicle body side. The central frame is supported by the frames. These ensure the positioning of the lower and rear portions of the wings while the frame ensures the positioning of the upper edges of said wings. The template of this teaching is particularly suitable for the positioning of wings made of plastic and having a lower rigidity than the sheet metal wings. This template has the advantage of allowing a precise position including the rear edge of the wings, which is generally vertical. The latter is then level with the directly adjacent front doors. The use of this template however requires particular care, especially when positioning vertical frames. This care preferably requires the presence of four operators, namely two operators on each side of the vehicle body. At each side of the body, a first operator manipulates the corresponding lower frame and sets up the lower fixing screws of the corresponding wing. A second operator positions and fixes the upper edge of the wing in question. The invention aims to overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the state of the art mentioned above. More particularly, the invention aims to position and fix the wings on a vehicle body, and this performance.

The invention relates to a wing positioning template on a vehicle body for the attachment of said wings, the template comprising: a central frame configured to be disposed generally horizontally at the front of the body; means for positioning the central frame relative to the vehicle; means for positioning the wings relative to the central frame; remarkable in that further comprises a robotic arm configured to provide screws for securing a lower portion of the wing.

The front of the body is advantageously a motor compartment of the vehicle.

The positioning means of the wings relative to the central frame advantageously comprise, laterally on each side of the central card, a profile intended to extend substantially longitudinally and to form a bearing surface of an upper edge of the corresponding wing.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the robotic arm is attached to a central portion, in a transverse direction, and lower of the central frame. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the robotic arm comprises a rotating base fixed to the central frame and at least two joints.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the template comprises two lateral frames on either side, transversely, of the central frame, said lateral frames being configured to extend generally vertically and comprising means for positioning the wings.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the two lateral frames are configured to extend in front of the outer faces of the wings, respectively.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, each of the two lateral frames comprises a rear portion extending lower than a front portion, said rear portions being intended to position the lower and rear ends of the wings, respectively.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the means for positioning the wings relative to the lateral frames comprise suction cups.

The invention also relates to a method of mounting wings on a motor vehicle body, comprising the following steps: installation of a template on the body at the front of the vehicle, between the location of the wings; positioning the wings relative to the template; fastening the wings to the body; remarkable in that the template is in accordance with the invention, the fixing step comprising the establishment of fixing screws on a lower portion of the wings by means of the robotic arm. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the fixing step also comprises the establishment of fixing screws on an upper portion of the wings by one or more operators.

The wings are advantageously arranged on the body before the step of setting up the template.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the upper portion of the wings comprises an upper edge in contact with an inner cheek and the lower portion of said wings comprises a lower edge forming a wheel arch.

The measures of the invention are interesting in that they make it possible to ensure the positioning and fixing of the wings more easily and with fewer operators. In addition, the establishment of fixing screws, in particular those along the lower edge forming the wheel well, is facilitated. Indeed, the presence of the robotic arm whose reference position is fixed relative to the central frame of the template, allows to achieve precisely the attachment areas of the wings. More particularly, the robotic arm can evolve in the front compartment of the vehicle which, at the assembly stage of the body, is generally empty. He can then ensure the establishment of fixing screws located essentially in the wheel well and which access for an operator is not easy. Also, the use of the side frames rigidly connected or fixed to the central frame also facilitates the positioning of the wings, particularly with regard to the transverse positioning of their outer surface to their alignment with the other components of the vehicle, such as doors front and bumper.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood with the aid of the description and the drawings among which: FIG. 1 is a representation of the front part of a vehicle body on which a conforming template is arranged to the invention;

- Figure 2 is a detail view of Figure 1, however, the robotic arm is busy setting up a fixing screw of the left wing.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a vehicle body when positioning and fixing the front wings, by means of a template according to the invention. The vehicle body 2 is disposed on a carriage 4 for movement along an assembly line. A template 6 is disposed on the body 2, above the engine compartment at the front of the vehicle. The jig 6 comprises a central frame 8 configured to be arranged substantially horizontally above the engine compartment. For this purpose, it may include fastening means and / or positioning on the body, these means being able to cooperate with reference surfaces on the body. This aspect is in itself well known to those skilled in the art and will not be detailed further.

The jig comprises means for positioning the wings relative to the central frame. These means may comprise a profile 8 ¹ disposed laterally on each side of the central frame 6 and formed to have a bearing surface of an upper edge of one of the wings 12.

The jig 6 comprises two lateral frames 10 arranged on either side, laterally, of the central frame 8. The lateral frames 10 extend substantially vertically when the central frame 8 is in position on the body 2. Each of the side frames s extends in front of the outer face of one of the front wings 12. They comprise means for positioning said wings 12, these means cooperating with said outer face of said wings. These means may in particular include suction cups 10 ¹ . The side frames 10 are preferably rigidly fixed to the central frame 8 so as to ensure exact positioning of the wings, in particular lower rear portions of said wings. For this purpose, the side frames 10 can be attached to the central frame 8.

The jig 6 also comprises a robotic arm 14. The latter 14 is fixed to the central frame 8, on a lower face and laterally substantially central said frame. The robotic arm 14 is configured to occupy the space of the engine compartment and access the wings 12, particularly the lower portions of the wings 12, for their attachment. The robotic arm 14 may comprise a rotating base 14 ¹ fixed to the central frame 8. It may also comprise several joints 14 ² connected to arm segments 14 ³ . The robotic arm 14 comprises, at its distal end of the base 14 ¹ , a screwing head 14 ⁴ configured to set up and tighten screws for fixing the wings 12. Such a head is in itself well known to the man of job. The jig 6 may be configured to be suspended via one or more cables to a handling system, such as a traveling crane or a suspension rail.

During assembly of the vehicle body, the template 6, including in particular the central frame 8, the side frames 10 and the robotic arm 14, is placed on said body 2, more precisely on the front part of said body 2. The wings are advantageously previously set up temporarily. The positioning means of the central frame 8 cooperate with the body to ensure the positioning of the template 6. The positioning means of the wings present on the side frames 10 ensure positioning of the outer face of the wings 12, in particular in alignment with the external faces of the adjacent doors and the bumper, these elements being mounted on the body later in the process of assembly of the vehicle. The central frame 8 comprises positioning surfaces of the upper edge of the wings 12.

The operators 16 can thus ensure the positioning of the template 6 on the body 2 of the vehicle and also ensure the positioning of the wings 12 relative to said template 6 and, therefore, with respect to the body 2. Once the wings 12 in position, they can be fixed by the action of the operators 16 on an upper portion and the robotic arm 14 on a lower portion of said wings. The attachment of the wings is effected essentially by the establishment of screws along the upper edge and along the edge forming the wheel well. The screws along the upper edge are essentially oriented in directions with vertical principal components. Their heads are also directed upwards. They can thus be easily set up by the operators 16, that is to say in good working conditions. The screws fixing the edge forming the wheel well are located lower and have their heads directed downwards for the front part of the wing or forwards for the rear part. These screws are advantageously put in place by the robotic arm 12. This situation is illustrated in FIG. 2, where the robotic arm 14 can be observed, putting in place a fixing screw on the edge forming the wheel well of the left wing. more particularly on a rear portion of said edge. It can be observed that access to these screws is much more limited for operators 16. It is thus particularly advantageous to ensure the establishment of these screws by the robotic arm. The latter is indeed particularly well positioned in the center of the engine compartment to access the locations of these screws. The template of the invention thus enables the positioning of the wings by means of a reduced number of operators. In this case, two operators 16 may suffice.

Claims

claims

1. Wing positioning template (6) (12) on a vehicle body (2) for attaching said wings, the jig (6) comprising:

- A central frame (8) configured to be disposed generally horizontally at the front of the body (2);

means for positioning the central frame relative to the vehicle;

- Positioning means (8 ¹ ) of the wings (12) on the central frame (8); characterized in that it further comprises:

- A robotic arm (14) configured to set screws for fixing a lower portion of the wing.

2. Template (6) according to claim 1, characterized in that the robotic arm (14) is fixed to a central portion, in a transverse direction, and lower of the central frame (8).

3. Template (6) according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the robotic arm (14) comprises a rotating base (14 ¹ ) fixed to the central frame (8) and at least two joints (14 ² ). .

4. Template (6) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises two lateral frames (10) on either side, transversely, of the central frame (8), said lateral frames (10). ) being configured to extend generally vertically and comprising positioning means (10 ¹ ) of the wings (12).

5. Template (6) according to claim 4, characterized in that the two lateral frames (10) are configured to extend in front of the outer faces of the wings (12), respectively.

6. Template (6) according to one of claims 4 and 5, characterized in that each of the two lateral frames (10) comprises a front portion and a rear portion, said rear portion extending lower than said front portion, said rear portions being adapted to position the lower and rear ends of the wings (12), respectively.

7. Template (6) according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the positioning means on the side frames comprise suction cups (10 ¹ ).

8. A method of mounting wings (12) on a body (2) of a motor vehicle, comprising the following steps:

- Establishment of a template (6) on the body (2) at the front of the vehicle, between the location of the wings (12);

positioning the wings (12) relative to the jig (6);

- attaching the wings (12) to the body (2);

characterized in that

the jig (6) is according to one of claims 1 to 7, the fixing step comprising the establishment of fixing screws on a lower portion of the wings by means of the robotic arm (14).

9. The method of claim 8, characterized in that the fixing step also comprises the establishment of fixing screws on an upper portion of the wings (12) by one or more operators (16).

10. The method of claim 9, characterized in that the upper portion of the wings (12) comprises an upper edge in contact with an inner cheek and the lower portion of said wings (12) comprises a lower edge forming a wheel well.