JP3228125B2 - Article transfer device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transport device for transporting articles such as a roof panel constituting a main body of an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in an assembly line of a main body of an automobile, in order to supply a roof panel to a temporary attaching process of the line, a roof panel is supplied above the process (the ceiling of a factory). Is installed. The roof panel transport device mainly includes a transport vehicle that moves along a predetermined transport path and a transport jig that is provided to be suspended from the transport vehicle and that holds a roof panel as a transport article. However, conventionally, the transfer jig is not provided for separation and replacement, so it is provided integrally with the transfer trolley,
For this reason, conventionally, a transport jig and a transport trolley have been prepared for each type of roof panel in order to cope with transport of a roof panel having a different shape due to a difference in vehicle type or the like.

[0003] On the other hand, a plurality of transport vehicles need to be exchanged for traveling, so that a conventional transport route L is set as shown in FIG. 27, for example. This conventional transport path L is adapted to transport two types of roof panels (A type and B type), and a part of the looped transport path L is branched into two paths L1 and L2. A supply position S1 of a type A roof panel is set on a branch path L1, a supply position S2 of a type B roof panel is set on a branch path L2, and two units each having a transfer jig dedicated to a type A or a type B. And the common route L0 and the branch route L
1 and L2, route switching devices C and C provided at a branch point.
, One of the transport vehicles travels on the common route L0, and the two types of roof panels are transported to the body assembly position W.

[0004]

As described above, since a part of the transport path L is conventionally branched to accommodate two types of roof panels, a large space is required for that purpose. Not only did the transport distance and transport distance of the transport vehicle D become longer, but it was necessary to switch the branch point, and as a result, it was difficult to carry out the transport efficiently.

In addition, since the transport carriage and the transport jig are integrated, not only a transport jig but also a transport carriage must be prepared for each type of roof panel, resulting in a problem that equipment costs rise. there were.

The present invention has been made to solve these conventional problems, and can efficiently transport different kinds of articles.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an article transport device capable of reducing equipment costs.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the above.
An article transport device having the configuration described in claim 1 is provided.

According to this article conveying apparatus, the conveying path is one
For example, since a straight transport path of a book is sufficient, a space for setting the transport path requires less space than a conventional branch path.

Further, since the transfer jig can be separated from the transfer carriage, the transfer jig can be replaced, and the transfer jig can be replaced with another one prepared separately and connected to the transfer carriage. Thereby, different kinds of articles can be conveyed by a single conveyance cart. As described above, since different kinds of articles can be conveyed by one conveyance cart, equipment costs can be reduced as compared with the case where the conveyance cart is conventionally dedicated for each type of article.

Further, according to the article conveying device of the present invention, the engaging member on the conveying jig enters from between the engaging claws on the conveying vehicle from below, and its engaging edge is formed by the two engaging claws. The transport jig is connected to the transport vehicle in a suspended state by being engaged with the transport vehicle. The engaging member is provided on the transport jig side, and the engaging claw sandwiching the engaging member is rotatable in the vertical direction. On the other hand, it acts as a force for rotating the engaging member in a direction of sandwiching it more firmly (a direction of approaching each other), that is, a direction of biting into the engaging member. And the connected state of the transport jig is firmly held.

As described above, since the transport jig is strongly connected to the transport trolley by actively utilizing the own weight of the transport jig, this transport apparatus is applied to, for example, the transport apparatus of the roof panel. In this case, the transfer jig, which is a heavy load, can be firmly connected without fear of falling, and as a result, reliable transfer can be realized.

The disconnection, that is, the separation of the transport jig is performed by the disconnection device at the jig replacement position. For example, by slightly raising the transfer jig with respect to the transfer carriage to lift the engagement edge of the engagement member from the engagement claw (release of the resting state), the two engagement claws are moved in the opposite pinching directions (to each other). (In the direction of separation), the engaging member is rotated by the disengaging means in the direction of pinching and retracted from below the engaging edge, so that the engaging member is The space can be pulled down, so that the transfer jig can be separated from the transfer carriage.

[0013] In the article conveying apparatus according to claim 1,
Thus, for example, a type A jig replacement position, a type B jig replacement position, a type A article supply position, and a type B article supply position can be set along the transport path .

According to this article conveying apparatus, the type A article and the B
The seed article can be transported by one transport trolley.
When transporting the type A articles, the transport vehicle is moved to the type A jig exchange position, and the type A transport jig is connected to the transport vehicle at this position via a coupling device. Thereafter, the transport trolley is moved to the Class A article supply position, the Class A article is gripped by the Class A transport jig, and in this state, the transport trolley is moved to transport the Class A article to the transport destination position.

When transporting a Class B article in place of a Class A article, first, the carrier is moved to a Class A jig replacement position,
At this position, the connecting device is released to separate the type A transport jig from the transport trolley. Thereafter, only the transport vehicle is moved to the type B jig replacement position, and the type B transport jig is connected to the transport vehicle via the connecting device at this position. Next, the transport cart is moved to the Class B article supply position, the Class B article is gripped by the connected Class B transport jig, and in this state, the transport cart is moved to transport the Class B article to the transport destination position. .

As described above, by making the transfer jig detachable from the transfer vehicle and making it replaceable, the transfer path is changed to a single transfer path instead of the conventional branch path, and the transfer carriage is moved along the single transfer path. The two types of articles can be transported to the transport destination position by reciprocating and appropriately changing the transport jig.

When this structure is applied to a transfer device for transferring a roof panel in a suspended manner, for example, provided in parallel with a temporary attachment device for a main body of an automobile, the transfer carriage is moved along one transfer path which does not branch. By reciprocating, two types of roof panels can be transported by a single transport vehicle according to the type of vehicle, so that the transport device can be operated in a small space and at low cost.

[0018]

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to 4 show an assembling process of the main body MB in the assembling process of the automobile, and the process is divided into a preset process, a temporary attaching process, and an additional stamping process. Each step proceeds from left to right in the figure. In the presetting process, the left and right side members are set on the left and right sides of the underbody in a standing shape. In the temporary attachment process, both set side members are positioned with respect to the underbody, and the roof panel is positioned. After that, the work of tacking by spot welding at an appropriate number of places is performed.

In the additional driving step, the number of spot welding points is increased, and the underbody, the left and right side panels, and the roof panel are completely joined. The spot welding in the tacking step and the additional punching step is performed by a conventionally known welding robot arranged at an appropriate number, respectively.
Since this point does not require any particular change, description and illustration are omitted. In addition, since the additional stamping process does not particularly need to be changed, the description and illustration thereof are omitted.

First, as shown in FIG. 7, the underbody set jig 1 includes rails 3 laid on a process platen 2.
3 is movably supported between the respective steps, and the movement is performed by a conventionally known feeding device 14. The under body UB (FIG. 5)
) Is placed in a positioning state.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a state in which the underbody setting jig 1 is in a standby state in a preset step. On the left and right (up and down in FIG. 1) of this preset process,
Side member preset devices 5, 5 for setting the side members SM, SM in a standing state on both left and right sides of the underbody UB are arranged.

The side member preset devices 5, 5
6 have the same configuration on the left and right, and details of the side member preset device 5 on the right side in the process progress direction are shown in FIG. As shown, this side member preset device 5
Is a process moving direction (a direction orthogonal to the paper plane,
A frame 5a that moves in a direction (horizontal direction in the drawing, hereinafter also referred to as a body width direction) orthogonal to a body longitudinal direction is provided, and a receiving frame 5b is supported above the frame 5a. The movement of the frame 5a is performed by the cylinder 5e. The receiving frame 5b is supported by a fulcrum 5c.
Can be rotated between a horizontal position and a vertical position around the center, and this rotation operation is performed by the cylinder 5d. In the figure, the frame 5a is moved forward (under body set jig 1).
, And the receiving frame 5b is rotated to the vertical position by a solid line.

In addition, a clamp arm 5i for supporting the lower portion of the side member SM in a receiving shape is provided below the receiving frame 5b. This clamp arm 5
The side member SM is gripped by i and other gripping tools (not shown) so as not to fall when the side member SM is positioned in a vertical posture described later.

According to the both side member presetting devices 5 and 5 configured as described above, when the frame 5a is retracted and the receiving frame 5b is located at the horizontal position as shown by the two-dot chain line in the drawing, The side member SM is placed almost horizontally on the receiving frame 5b by the provided side member supply device (the position shown by (A) in the figure).
It is placed at. In the drawings, reference numerals 6 and 6 denote hangers of the side member supply device, and reference numeral 5h denotes an auxiliary support.

Thus, both side members SM, S
When M is supplied, first, the cylinder 5d protrudes and the receiving frame 5b rotates from the horizontal position to the vertical position,
Thereby, the side frame SM placed on the receiving frame 5b moves from the horizontal posture (A) to the vertical posture (B). At this time, as described above, by the clamp arm 5i and the like,
The side member SM is held in the vertical posture without falling down.

After that, the cylinder 5e protrudes to move the frame 5a forward, whereby the side member SM
Moves to the set position shown in FIG.

Thus, the left and right side members S
When the M and the SM are set in the upright position on the left and right sides of the underbody UB, the set state is held by the set position holding devices 7 and 7, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, the set position holding devices 7, 7 are provided so as to be movable between a preset process and a temporary attaching process by rails 8, 8 laid in parallel along the center of each process. . The two rails 8, 8 are fixed to the left and right sides of the process platen 2 via support columns 8a to 8a, respectively, as shown in FIGS. Since the left and right set position holding devices 7, 7 have the same configuration on the left and right, the right set position holding device 7,
Will be described. FIGS. 8 and 9 show the set position holding device 7 on the right side of the process. In FIGS. 8 and 9, the direction from right to left is opposite to that of FIGS. That is, it is the moving direction of the underbody set jig 1.

Now, the set position holding device 7 includes a rail 8
It has a long support bar 7b supported along the rail 8 via three carriages 7a to 7a movable on the upper side, and four holders 7c to 7c attached to the support bar 7b. ing. In FIG. 8, the holders 7c to 7c are omitted.

Each carriage 7a has a total of eight guide rollers 7d to 7d which sandwich the rail 8 from the left and right in pairs at four locations, and a total of four guide rollers 7d which sandwich the rail 8 from above and below at two locations before and after the moving direction. The guide rollers 7e to 7e are provided, so that the guide rollers 7e to 7e can smoothly move in the left, right, up, and down directions without play.

The support bar 7b has substantially the same length as the side member SM.

Three holders 7c to 7c are mounted on the support bar 7b on the front side in the process direction (left end in FIG. 9) and on the rear side in the process direction (right end in FIG. 9). Each holder 7c has the same configuration, and details thereof are shown in FIG.
0 is shown.

As shown in the drawing, the holding member 7c is provided with a holding block 7i so as to be movable obliquely upward by a cylinder 7g. , The side member SM is pressed against the underbody UB to maintain the set state of the side member SM.

The cylinder 7g is provided with a substantially L-shaped bracket 7
It is supported by the support bar 7b via f, and is attached obliquely upward slightly inclined toward the inside of the process (left side in the figure). A guide rod 7h is supported on the bracket 7f so as to be slidable in parallel with the stroke direction of the cylinder 7g. A plate 7j is mounted between the rod end of the cylinder 7g and the upper end of the guide rod 7h, and the holding block 7i is mounted on the upper surface of the plate 7j. The guide rod 7h has a function of preventing the rotation of the holding block 7i.

Further, since a cylinder with a brake is used for the cylinder 7g, the set side member SM is not displaced downward even if air leaks or the like.

The three holders 7c to 7c arranged on the front side (the left side in FIG. 9) in the process traveling direction are arranged at predetermined intervals in the process traveling direction, and are provided for the preset side members SM. One of the holders 7c is appropriately selected according to the length, and the other two are not used. In FIG. 9, of the three holders 7c to 7c arranged on the front side in the process traveling direction, the left holder 7c
Is set for a super long body, the center holder 7c is set for a long body, and the right holder 7c is set for a short body. However, the holder 7c on the rear side in the process traveling direction
Is used for all models. For this reason, the side body SM is held by the two front and rear holders 7c, 7c.

According to the set position holding device 7 configured as described above, the side member S is set by the preset device 5.
When M is set to the position (C) in FIG. 6, the holders 7c,
7c cylinders 7g and 7g operate in the protruding direction,
The holding blocks 7i, 7i are pressed against the lower portion of the side member SM as shown in FIG. 11, whereby the side member SM is pressed obliquely from below against the underbody UB, and thus the side member SM is pressed against the underbody UB. It is held in the vertical position set in the upright state.

Next, as the set position holding device 7 holds the side member SM at the set position, the underbody UB and the side body SM are connected. That is, as shown in FIG.
A substantially L-shaped bent edge 9 is attached in the middle of the height direction. When the side member SM is set,
The end is applied to the bent edge 9, and then the bent edge 9 is bent to sandwich the end of the side member SM, so that the UB and SM are connected to each other.

The bending of the bending edge 9 is performed by the preset device 5
Of the receiving frame 5b. As shown in FIG. 15, the bending device 10 has a bracket 10a attached to a rear end of the receiving frame 5b in the process direction, and is supported by the bracket 10a so as to be rotatable in a horizontal direction about a fulcrum 10b. Pressing arm 1
0c, the pressing arm 10c and the bracket 10a.
And a cylinder 10d interposed therebetween. The cylinder 10d is supported rotatably in the horizontal direction about a fulcrum 10e with respect to the bracket 10a.
The distal end of f is connected to the pressing arm 10c so as to be rotatable in a horizontal direction about a fulcrum 10g.

According to the folding device 10, when the receiving arm 5b of the preset device 5 grips the side member SM in the vertical posture and moves forward, the side member SM is moved forward.
Is applied to the bent edge 9. on the other hand,
At this stage, the cylinder 10d operates in the retracting direction, and the pressing arm 10c is located at a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in the figure. Thereafter, the cylinder 10d operates in the protruding direction to rotate the pressing arm 10c toward the bending edge 9, whereby the bending edge 9 is moved to the distal end 10h of the pressing arm 10c.
Accordingly, the side member SM is bent so as to sandwich the end of the side member SM. When the bending of the bent edge 9 is completed, the cylinder 10d operates in the retracting direction, and the pressing arm 10c is returned to the position shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure.

By connecting the side member SM to the underbody UB in the preset stage as described above, the set side member SM is reliably prevented from falling down, whereby the main body MB is maintained while maintaining a good set state. Can be sent to the tacking process. In this regard, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, in a case where a part of the side member SM rides from above on a part of the underbody UB, a part of the side member SM is set in the preset stage of the side member SM. By riding on the underbody UB, the side member SM is prevented from falling down.

However, depending on the type of the vehicle, there is a case where the side member SM is not provided with a portion that rides on the underbody UB. In this case, as shown in FIG. If only the lower portion is held, the side member SM may fall to the side as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure, which makes it impossible to send the next tacking step while holding the set position. The present embodiment exemplifies a preferred form in the case where the side member SM does not have the riding portion, and the side member S having such a form is exemplified.
Even in a vehicle model having an M, the bent edge 9 provided on the underbody UB side is bent at the time of presetting to sandwich the end of the side member SM, and thereby the two members are joined to ensure that the side member SM falls down. Can be prevented.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, when the object of the temporary attachment is a vehicle type in which a part of the side member SM rides from above on a part of the underbody UB, the folding is not necessarily performed. There is no need to set the bending edge 9 and therefore no need to provide a folding device 10.

Next, as described above, the side member S
When M is held in the set position by the set position holding device 7 and the folding edge 9 is bent by the bending device 10 to set the side member SM in a state of being coupled to the underbody UB, the preset device is set. After the receiving frame 5b is unclamped from the side member SM, the cylinder 5e is operated in the retracting direction and the frame 5a is retracted to reach the standby position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Operates in the retracting direction to return the receiving frame 5b to the horizontal position.

As described above, both side members S
When M and SM are preset in the underbody UB,
These are sent to the next tacking step while maintaining the set state. At this time, the underbody setting jig 1 is moved by the feeder 14 toward the tacking step, and the set position holding devices 7, 7 for holding the set state of the side members SM, SM are connected to the coupling devices 11, 11. Accordingly, the jig 1 is connected to the under body setting jig 1 and thereby integrally moves to the tacking step. Although the set position holding devices 7 and 7 have the feed device 4 for self-running, at the stage of moving from the preset process to the tacking process, in order to maintain the set state of the side members SM, SM, It does not move depending on the feed device 4. This feeder 4
Functions at the stage of returning from the tacking process to the preset process.

The right and left connecting devices 11 and 11 have the same configuration, and details of the right connecting device 11 in the process direction are shown in FIGS. The connecting device 11 includes a cylinder 11a supported by a support bar 7b of the set position holding device 7 so as to be vertically rotatable about a fulcrum 11b, and a bifurcated connection that is vertically rotated by the cylinder 11a. It is mainly composed of a plate 11c and an engagement plate 11d fixed to the upper surface of the under body set jig 1. The connection plate 11c is pin-connected to the rod end of the cylinder 11a at a fulcrum 11e, and is pin-connected to the base 11g on the support bar 7b side at a fulcrum 11f. For this reason, when the cylinder 11a is pushed out, the connecting plate 11c rotates to the horizontal position shown by the solid line in FIG. 7, and the engaging plate 11d enters between the two forks. On the other hand, the set position holding device 7 is connected. In this connection state, if the under body setting jig 1 is moved by the feed device 14, the set position holding 7, 7 is also moved integrally via the connection device 11, 11, whereby the side members SM, SM are connected. The main body MB can be sent to the temporary attaching process while maintaining the set state.

When the cylinder 11a is operated in the retracting direction after the tacking step, the connecting plate 11c is moved to the fulcrum 1 point.
The set position holding device 7 and the connecting device 11 are separated from the under body set jig 1 by being pivoted upward about 1e and disengaged from the engagement plate 11d.
Therefore, it can be moved independently. The return of the set position holding device 7 and the connecting device 11 to the preset process is performed by the feed device 4. This feeding device 4 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 9, it is constituted by a chain transmission mechanism including a drive motor 4a and a chain 4b.

The description of the preset process is completed above, and then the temporary attaching process will be described. In this tacking process,
Left and right side members S for underbody UB
After the M, SM and roof panel RP are accurately positioned, spot welding is performed by a welding robot to perform temporary attachment.

In this tacking step, the side member positioning jigs 20, 20 for accurately positioning the side members SM, SM sent from the preset step with respect to the underbody UB are symmetrical with respect to the line. And its configuration is shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, 16 and 17. Since the left and right side member positioning jigs 20 and 20 have the same configuration, the one on the right side in the process direction will be described similarly.

As shown in the figure, the side member positioning jig 20 is provided with various jigs for clamping the side members SM on a rectangular frame 20a, and is provided so as to be movable in the body width direction. ing. That is, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the side gate 22 can be moved in the body width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 17) via the linear slide mechanism 23 on the upper surface of the gantry 21 arranged on both sides of the tacking process And a side member positioning jig 20 is attached to the front surface of the side gate 22 in a standing posture.

The movement of the side gate 22 is controlled by the cylinder 25
a, a double speed mechanism 25 including a moving sprocket 25b, a chain 25c, etc.
2 moves with a stroke twice the stroke of the cylinder 25a. In addition, the side gate 22 is positioned at the closest position to the main body MB (a) by three stopper devices 26 to 28 provided on the gantry 21 (FIG. 17).
(A leftmost position in the middle), a standby position (b) away from the main body MB (an intermediate position in FIG. 17), and an exchange position (c) further away from the standby position (FIG. 17).
(The rightmost position).

The stopper device 26 is used for the positioning position (a), and the stopper device 27 is used for the standby position (b).
The stopper devices 28 are used for the replacement position (c). The stopper devices 26 and 27 are configured to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the movement path of the side gate 22 by the cylinders 26a and 27a, respectively, and the stopper device 28 is fixed to the upper surface of the side gate 22 so as to protrude. Each of the stopper devices 26 to 28 is configured to prevent the side gate 22 from retreating when the cylinder 25a is retracted.
The side gate 22 and thus the side member positioning jig 20 are positioned.

Next, the side member positioning jig 20
Can also be moved in the same direction by guide rails 22a and 22b laid along the longitudinal direction of the body above and below the side gate 22. Side member positioning jig 2
0 can be exchanged by moving in the same direction. This will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a number of guide rollers 24 to 24 are arranged at the lower portion of the front surface of the side gate 22, and the side member positioning jig 20 is mounted on the guide rollers 24 to 24. And the clamp devices 30 to 3 described below in this mounted state.
0, 35, 35 clamped by the side gate 22
Fixed to the front of the.

Here, since the core heights of the guide rollers 24 to 24 are set accurately, the position of the side member positioning jig 20 placed on the guide rollers 24 to 24 in the body height direction is accurately positioned. . As described above, since the guide rollers 24 to 24 have both the function of smoothly moving the side member positioning jig 20 and the function of positioning the height in the height direction, a separate positioning means in the height direction is used. Without this, the side member positioning jig 20 can be accurately positioned in the body height direction.

Next, the side member positioning jig 20
As shown in FIG. 16, a total of eight clamping devices 30 to 30, 35 and 35 provided on the side gate 22 clamp the side gate 22 in the body width direction and the body longitudinal direction. . The clamp devices 30 to 30 at six peripheral positions among the eight positions are used for positioning in the body width direction, and the clamp devices 3 at the central two positions are used.
Reference numerals 5 and 35 are used for positioning in the longitudinal direction of the body.

First, the clamping devices 30 at six locations around the
As shown in FIG. 18, a cylinder 31 rotatably attached to the side gate 22 via a fulcrum 31a, is rotatably connected to a rod end of the cylinder 31 via a fulcrum 32a, and via a fulcrum 32b. A first link arm 32 rotatably supported by the side gate 22, a second link arm 33 rotatably connected to the first link arm 32 via a fulcrum 33a, and a second link arm 33
Is rotatably connected to a fulcrum via a fulcrum 34a.
The structure includes a clamp arm 34 rotatably supported by the side gate 22 via the base 4b.

According to the clamp device 30, FIG.
When the cylinder 31 is retracted as shown by a solid line in FIG. 7, the first link arm 32 rotates clockwise about the fulcrum 32b, thereby causing the second link arm 33 to rotate.
Is displaced upward while rotating in the counterclockwise direction, and the clamp arm 34 rotates clockwise about the fulcrum 34b. Then, the distal end of the clamp arm 34 comes into contact with a stopper edge 20d provided on the frame 20a of the side body positioning jig 20, whereby the stopper edge 20d
Then, the side body positioning jig 20 is pressed against the guide rollers 29 to 29 attached to the side gate 22.

As shown in FIG. 16, the guide rollers 29 to 29 are arranged in a set of three at six locations corresponding to the clamp devices 30 to 30, respectively. Each guide roller 29-2
9 is supported so that it can rotate in the horizontal direction with the axis up and down, and the axes of the guide rollers 29 to 29 are mounted so as to be accurately located on the same surface, and the diameter thereof is also large. It is aligned with high precision. For this reason, the cylinders 31 to 31 of the six clamping devices 30 to 30 are simultaneously drawn in, and the six stopper edges 21 d are respectively moved by the clamp arms 34 to guide rollers 29 to 31.
When pressed against 29 and clamped, the side body positioning jig 20 is positioned with high precision in the pulling direction (body width direction) with respect to the side gate 22.

Next, the clamp devices 35 at the center of the frame 20a have the clamp devices 30 for positioning in the width direction arranged sideways, and similarly have cylinders, first and second link arms, It has a clamp arm 35a. However, both clamping devices 35, 3
Reference numeral 5 is attached in the direction opposite to the longitudinal direction of the body. In FIG. 16, the clamp device 35 on the right side is used for positioning in the process forward direction, and the clamp device 35 on the left side is used for positioning in the process backward direction.

FIG. 19 shows a clamp device 35 for positioning in the backward direction of the process. However, in the figure, the cylinder and the first and second link arms are omitted. As shown in the figure, the clamp arm 35a of the clamp device 35 is attached to the side gate 22 so as to be able to turn laterally about a fulcrum 35b.

When the cylinder is retracted in the clamp device 35, the clamp arm 35a contacts the stopper edge 20e provided on the frame 20a of the side member positioning jig 20 from behind via the first and second link arms. Thereby, the positioning of the side member positioning jig 20 in the process retreat direction is performed. In addition, although not shown, when the cylinder is retracted in the other clamp device 35, the clamp arm 3 is pulled out.
5a is similarly abutted from the front against a stopper edge provided on the frame 20a of the side member positioning jig 20, whereby the side member positioning jig 20 is positioned in the process forward direction.

Here, in the two clamping devices 35, 35, the rotating ends of the clamping arms 35a in the clamping direction are regulated by stopper members 35c provided on the side gates 22, respectively.
5, the side member positioning device 20 is positioned with respect to the side gate 22 in the longitudinal direction of the body with high accuracy.

As described above, the six clamping devices 30
By means of the two clamp devices 35 and 35, the side member positioning jig 20 is positioned with high precision in the body width direction and the body longitudinal direction with respect to the side gate 22.

On the other hand, when the cylinder 31 of each of the clamp devices 30 to 30 is pushed out, the first link arm 32 rotates counterclockwise about the fulcrum 32b as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. As a result, the second link arm 33 is displaced downward while rotating clockwise, and the clamp arm 34 is rotated counterclockwise about the fulcrum 34b. The gate 22 is unclamped in the body width direction. Also, in the clamp devices 35, 35, when the cylinders protrude, the clamp arms 35a, 35a rotate in opposite directions, whereby the side member positioning jig 20 is unclamped with respect to the side gate 22 in the longitudinal direction of the body. Is done.

When the side member positioning jig 20 is unclamped with respect to the side gate 22 in the body width direction and the body longitudinal direction, the side member positioning jig 20 is moved in the body longitudinal direction (left and right direction in FIG. 16).
Can be moved. This side member positioning jig 2
The unclamping of 0 is performed at the time of replacement. That is, the side gate 2 is moved by the retracting operation of the cylinder 25a.
2 is most retracted, and is determined when the side member positioning jig 20 reaches the replacement position (C).

At the replacement position (c) of the side member positioning jig 20, an exchange device 40 for exchanging the side member positioning jig 20 is provided. The exchange device 40 has two types of side member positioning jigs (hereinafter referred to as A type 20A, generally arranged side by side toward the main body MB side as shown in FIG.
B) is connected to a connecting bar 41, and the connecting bar 41 is moved integrally with the side member positioning jigs 20A and 20B in the longitudinal direction of the body by a rack and pinion mechanism using a motor 42 as a driving source. By doing so, the type A or type B side member positioning jig 20A (20B) can be selected and moved to the front of the side gate 22 according to, for example, the type of vehicle.

First, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, storage shelves 35A and 35B of the side member positioning jig 20 are located at the replacement position (c) of the side member positioning jig 20 in the longitudinal direction of the body. It is arranged on each side. Since the storage shelves 35A and 35B and the exchange device 40 have the same configuration on the left and right sides of the process, only the right side (lower side in FIG. 3) with respect to the process progress direction will be described.

The storage shelves 35A and 35B are frame-formed so that the side member positioning jig 20 can be held in an upright posture.
Guide rails are similarly laid along the longitudinal direction of the body on the upper portions of 5A and 35B, corresponding to the guide rails 22a laid on the upper front surface of the side gate 22. When the side gate 22 reaches the replacement position (C), the guide rail 22a and the two guide rails on the storage shelves 35A and 35B are connected in a straight line, whereby the side member positioning jig 20 is moved along the body longitudinal direction. It can be moved.

In this movement process, the side member positioning jig 20 moves between the guide rail 22a on the side gate 22 side and the guide rail on both storage shelves 35A, 35B, and thereby the front side of the side gate 22 is stored. It can move between the shelves 35A and 35B. Therefore, the side member positioning jig 20 is stored in the storage shelves 35A and 35B in a state of being hung on the guide rail.

Further, a number of guide rollers 36 to 36 are arranged below the storage shelves 35A and 35B along the same direction. By moving between the guide rollers 24 to 24 provided on the side gate 22 and the guide rollers 36 to 36, the side member positioning jig 20 is smoothly removed from the storage shelves 35A and 35B and stored.

Next, as described above, the exchange device 40
Type or B type side member positioning jigs 20A, 2
OB is replaced to be located at the front of the side gate 22, the details of which are shown in FIG.

As shown in the figure, a motor 42 is provided on the upper surface of a support 43 provided separately, and a pinion gear 45 is attached to an output device of the motor 42 via a speed reducer 44. On the other hand, the guide rail 46
Are laid along the longitudinal direction of the body, and two movable carts 47, 47 are provided on this guide rail 46, respectively.
It is movably supported via individual wheels 47a to 47a. One of the movable carts 47 is for the type A side member positioning jig 20A, and the other movable cart 47 is
It is for the kind of side member positioning jig 20B.

The two carriages 47, 47 are connected to the connecting bar 4
It is fixed at a fixed interval to 1, and the interval is
As shown in FIG. 20, type A and type B side member positioning jigs 20 arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the body.
A, engagement blocks 20A respectively provided on the upper surfaces of 20B
The interval is set between A and 20BB.

A rack 48 is attached to the connecting bar 41 over the entire length thereof, and the pinion gear 45 meshes with the rack 48. On the other hand, the two movable carts 47, 47 are each provided with a bifurcated connecting block 49.
Is mounted so as to be rotatable up and down at a fulcrum 49a. The turning operation of both connecting blocks 49, 49 is performed by the operation of the cylinder 49b. Cylinder 49
The operations of b and 49b are performed independently on the type A side and the type B side.

According to the replacement device 40 configured as described above, when the cylinders 49b, 49b operate in the protruding directions, the connecting blocks 49, 49 rotate downward, and the upper side of the side member positioning jigs 20A, 20B. The engaging blocks 20AA, 20BB enter between the forked portions of the connecting blocks 49, 49 by this extending operation, whereby the both side member positioning jigs 20A, 20B are integrally connected via the connecting bar 41. .

When the motor 42 is started in this connected state,
After the meshing displacement of the pinion gear 44 and the rack 48, the connecting bar 41 moves in the longitudinal direction of the body, whereby the side member positioning jigs 20A and 20B move integrally in the same direction. The motor 42 is rotatable forward and backward, and can move the side member positioning jigs 20A and 20B arbitrarily in both longitudinal directions of the body.

Although not shown, the movable carriage 47 is moved by a predetermined distance, and one of the side member positioning jigs 20A (20B) is stored in the storage shelf 35A (35B), and therefore the other side member positioning jig is positioned. Jig 20
When B (20A) reaches the front of the side gate 22, this is detected by the sensor and the motor 42 is stopped.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 20 show the B-type side member positioning jig 20B taken out to the front of the side gate 22, and the A-type side member positioning jig 20A.
Is stored in the storage shelf 35A. The case where the B-type side member positioning jig 20B is used for the process operation as shown in the drawing will be described. When the B-type side member positioning jig 20B reaches the front surface of the side gate 22 and the motor 42 is stopped, B
The cylinder 49b is pulled in only on the type side, and the connecting block 49 is rotated upward, whereby the type B side member positioning jig 20B is separated from the movable carriage 47.

At this stage, since the type B side member positioning jig 20B rides on the guide rollers 24 to 24, it is accurately positioned with respect to the side gate 22 in the body height direction.

When the type B side member positioning jig 20B is separated from the movable carriage 47, the clamp devices 30 to 30, 35, and 35 described above are operated.
The side member positioning jig 20B is accurately positioned with respect to the side gate 22 also in the body width direction and the body longitudinal direction.

In this way, when the type B side member positioning jig 20B is clamped on the front surface of the side gate 22 at the replacement position (c), the cylinder 25 then protrudes to move the side gate 22 forward. Thereby, the type B side member positioning jig 20B reaches the standby position (b). When the main body MB is carried into the tacking process, the cylinder 25 is further pushed out to move the side member positioning jig 20B to the positioning position (a).
And then the side member positioning jig 2
0B, the side member SM of the main body MB is clamped by various jigs, and the side member SM is accurately positioned with respect to the underbody UB.

If the type of vehicle to be carried into the temporary attachment process has been changed from the B type to the A type, and the side member positioning jig 20 needs to be replaced from the B type to the A type, the cylinder 25 To retract the side gate 22 to the replacement position. At this position, the B-type side cylinder 49b is pushed out to operate to connect the connecting block 49.
Is rotated downward, whereby the B-type side member positioning jig 20B is connected to the movable carriage 47. After that, the motor 42 is started to move the connecting bar 41 to the position shown in FIGS.
20 is moved to the right in FIG. 20, whereby the type A side member positioning jig 20A is
2, and the type B side member positioning jig 20B is stored in the storage shelf 35B.

Next, the class A side cylinder 49b is pulled in to rotate the connecting block 49 upward, thereby separating the type A side member positioning jig 20A from the movable carriage 47. Thereafter, when the cylinder 25 is pushed out to advance the side gate 22 to the standby position (b), the type A side member positioning jig 2
The side member SM can be positioned with respect to the main body MB of the A type using 0A.

When the side member positioning jig 20 is replaced, the cylinder 49b is retracted and the connecting block 49 is moved to the engagement block 20A as illustrated.
A, the procedure of removing from A and 20BB may be omitted. Even in this case, since the connecting block 49 is formed in a forked shape, the side member positioning jig 20 can move forward without any trouble. However, when the side member positioning jig 20 is detached from the storage shelves 35A, 35B for maintenance or the like separately from the replacement, the connecting block 49 is rotated upward to move the movable carriage 4
It is convenient that the side member 20 can be detached from the connector 7.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the side member positioning jig 20 positions the side member SM only in the temporary attaching process, and does not move to the preset process as in the related art. Conventionally, a side member positioning jig moves between a presetting step and a tacking step, accurately positions the side member SM on the underbody UB at the time of presetting, and moves to a tacking step together with the main body MB in this positioning state. Had a configuration. For this reason, the side member positioning jig needs to be accurately positioned at a predetermined position not only in the tacking step but also in the presetting step. As a result, not only is the configuration of the apparatus complicated, but also the accumulated error of the positioning is reduced. As a result, high-precision tacking of the side members was difficult.

In this regard, according to the present embodiment, if the side member positioning jig 20 is not replaced,
Since it is kept fixed to the side gate 22, it is not necessary to perform positioning for each work tact as in the prior art, so that the device configuration is simplified and the conventional accumulated error is eliminated to increase the height of the side member SM. Accurate tacking can be realized.

In the case of the present embodiment, the positioning of the side members SM, SM with respect to the underbody UB in the presetting process and the positioning during the transportation up to the tacking process are performed by the side member presetting devices 5 and 5 and the set position holding device 7. 7, the positioning is performed with high accuracy by the side member positioning jigs 20, 20 immediately before the temporary attachment. As described above, since the positioning is performed with high accuracy only at the necessary stage, there is no need to use unnecessary cost for the equipment, and in this regard, the equipment cost can be reduced.

Further, in the preset stage, the bending edge 9 provided on the underbody UB side is bent by the bending device 10 to sandwich the end of the side member SM, and is shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Such a fall of the side member SM is prevented, and the preset state can be reliably maintained. Thus, according to the present embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG.
In addition, even in a vehicle type in which a portion that is to be mounted on the underbody UB from above is not set, the side member SM is prevented from falling down and the set state is securely maintained even in the temporary attaching process. As a result, the versatility of the assembling apparatus according to the present embodiment is enhanced in this respect.

Further, as illustrated, the type A and type B side member positioning jigs 20A and 20B can be exchanged and used in accordance with the type of vehicle, and this also improves the versatility of the assembling apparatus. I have. Since the replacement of the side member positioning jig 20 is performed by moving the side gate 22 to the replacement position and using the separately provided replacement device 40, the replacement work can be easily performed.

In the illustrated embodiment, two types of A or B are used.
Types or more side member positioning jigs 20A, 20
B, 20C... Are arranged side by side, and the same configuration as that of the moving trolley 47 and the connecting block 49 and the like is set for each of them. It can be selected and mounted, and thus can be developed into a configuration that can be applied to various types of vehicles.

Further, according to the present embodiment, when the side member 20 is replaced, the guide rollers 24 to 2 are provided on the side gate 22 in order to smoothly transport the side member positioning jig 20 to the front surface of the side gate 22.
4, 29 to 29 are provided, and the diameters of the guide rollers 24 to 24, 29 to 29 are precisely aligned, and the core height thereof is also accurately set.

Therefore, the side member positioning jig 2
0 is mounted on the guide rollers 24 to 24 in a state of being attached to the side gate 22, whereby the positioning in the body height direction is performed with high precision and speed, and the guide rollers 29 are fixed by the clamp devices 30 to 30. ~
By abutting on 29, its positioning in the body width direction is also performed quickly and with high precision. As described above, the configuration in which the guide rollers 24 to 24 and 29 to 29 for smoothly moving the side member positioning jig 20 additionally have a function as a reference level for positioning the side member positioning jig 20. Therefore, in this respect, the configuration of the assembling apparatus can be simplified, and the equipment cost can be reduced.

In this respect, conventionally, the guide rollers provided on the side gates are arranged with a rough accuracy, and have only a function of simply moving the side member positioning jig smoothly. For this reason, the positioning of the side member positioning jig with respect to the side gate is performed by setting a positioning hole in the side member positioning jig and clamping a positioning pin set on the side gate side into the positioning hole. Was. As described above, conventionally, the guide function and the positioning function of the side member positioning jig are separately set, and the setting function is set in both the temporary attaching step and the preset step, and therefore, compared to the assembling apparatus according to the present embodiment. As a result, there is a problem that the configuration becomes complicated and the equipment cost increases.

Next, the transfer device 50 for transferring the roof panel RP to the temporary attachment step will be described. In the tacking step, the left and right side members SB, SB are positioned with respect to the underbody UB and the tacking is performed, and the roof panel RP is positioned with respect to both side members SB, SB, as described above. The work for temporary attachment is performed. The temporary attachment of the roof panel RP is also performed by a welding robot arranged at a predetermined position. However, since this does not require any particular change, the description and illustration thereof are omitted.

Details of the roof panel transfer device (hereinafter, simply referred to as a transfer device) 50 of the present embodiment are shown in FIGS. 5 and 21 to 25. Transport device 5 of the present embodiment
0 indicates that the roof transport jig 51 for positioning and holding the roof panel RP is separable from the transport trolley 52.
When transporting P, it is sufficient to replace only the roof transport jig 51 with another one, and it is characterized in that the transport vehicle can be shared by all vehicle types.

Now, as shown in FIG.
Along the direction perpendicular to the assembling process, two transport rails 53 are provided above the assembling process in parallel with each other and suspended from the ceiling. The transporting end portions (right end portions in the figure) of the transport rails 53, 53 reach the upper part of the tacking step, and the elevating rails 55, 55 of an elevating device (not shown) are connected to the tip thereof. The lift rails 55 are, as shown in FIG.
To the position where the roof panel RP can be placed between the two side members SM. The elevating device does not need to be changed in particular, and its description is omitted.

Only one self-propelled carrier 52 is mounted on the carrier rails 53, 53, and one roof carrier jig 51 is connected to the carrier 52 via four coupling devices 60 to 60. Are detachably connected in a hanging manner. The two transport rails 53 have a linear shape without a curved portion. Therefore, the transport route of the transport vehicle 52 is not a shape obtained by branching a conventional loop route, but a single linear route.

First, the details of the transport carriage 52 are shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. The transport vehicle 52 has a frame 52a framed in a substantially rectangular shape.
One wheel 52b and eight guide rollers 52c to 52c are respectively attached to substantially the four corners of a.
The wheels 52b to 52b roll on the upper surface of the transport rail 53. The two wheels 52b, 52b on one side in the moving direction of the four wheels 52b to 52b are each positively rotated by a drive motor 52d, and serve as drive wheels. The remaining two wheels 52b, 52b do not have a drive source and are driven wheels.

Each of the eight guide rollers 52c to 52c mounted on each corner of the frame 52a rolls on the side surface of the transport rail 53, and sandwiches the transport rail 53 from the left and right in the moving direction as shown in the drawing. In addition, they are arranged in two rows in the movement direction and two rows in the upper and lower sides, respectively. By each of the guide rollers 52c to 52c arranged as described above,
The transport vehicle 52 can move smoothly without dropping off from the transport rail 53, and the horizontal or vertical vibration at the time of starting / stopping is suppressed.

As the two drive motors 52d, 52d rotate forward and backward, the transport carriage 52 moves forward and upward with respect to the tacking process. In addition, by stopping the drive motors 52d, 52d during the movement, the transport carriage 52 can be arbitrarily stopped at a predetermined position.

In FIG. 22, reference numeral 53a denotes a beam on the ceiling of a factory building, and the support rails 53b to 53b attached to the beams 53a, 53a at appropriate intervals.
53 is attached in a suspended manner along the beams 53a, 53a.

Next, connecting devices 60 for connecting the transfer jigs 51 in a suspended manner are arranged at the four corners of the frame 52a. The connecting device 60 is
The parts have the same configuration, and the detailed configuration is shown in FIG.

At the four corners of the frame 52a, a bifurcated support block 61 is attached so as to open downward. Between the forked portions of the support block 61, engaging claws 62, 63 each having a front end formed at a substantially right angle are attached rotatably around fulcrums 62a, 63a, respectively, facing left and right in the transport direction. ing. One end of a connecting arm 64 is rotatably connected to a fulcrum 64a on the right engaging claw 62 in the drawing, and the other end of the connecting arm 64 is connected to a fulcrum 64b on the left engaging claw 63 in the drawing. And are rotatably connected. In this manner, the two engagement claws 62, 63
Are connected via the connecting arm 64, the engagement pawls 62 and 63 are allowed to rotate only in opposite directions, so that the engagement pawls 62 and 63 move in the direction to close the gap therebetween. (Clamp direction) and are linked to rotate in the opening direction (unclamping direction).

A release lever 65 is provided on the engagement claw 63 on the left side of the drawing.
Are formed integrally, and the rotation center of the release lever 65 coincides with the fulcrum 63a. Since a tension spring 66 is interposed between the release lever 65 and the support block 61, the release lever 65 is biased in a direction to rotate upward (clockwise direction in the drawing, clamp direction). Since the release lever 65 is urged in the clamp direction, the engagement claw 63 on the left side in the figure is also urged clockwise, and accordingly, the engagement claw 62 on the right side in the figure is urged counterclockwise. . In addition, at the tip of the release lever 65,
A roller 65a is mounted to realize a smooth release operation by a release block 72 described later.

As described above, since the release lever 65 is rotated in the clamp direction by the tension spring 66 in the free state, the engagement claw 62 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction (clamp direction).
The engagement claw 63 rotates clockwise (clamp direction),
As a result, the space between the engagement claws 62 and 63 is closed.
Accordingly, when the release lever 65 rotates counterclockwise against the tension spring 66 as shown in FIG. 25, the space between the engagement claws 62 and 63 is increased.

Next, on the upper surface of the transfer jig 51, four connecting pins 67 to 67 as engaging members that make a pair with each of the connecting devices 60 to 60 of the transfer carriage 52 are mounted so as to protrude upward. ing. An engagement edge 67 is provided on the head of each connection pin 67.
a, 67a are formed in a projecting shape to the left and right in the transport direction. Although not shown, the transport jig 51 is provided with various gripping devices for gripping the roof panel RP on the lower surface side, but these will not be described in detail because they do not require any particular change.

The transport jig 51 approaches the transport carriage 52 from below, and the connecting pins 67 to 67 are connected to the connecting device 60.
Between the two engaging claws 62, 63 while pushing and expanding the two engaging claws 62, 63 against the tension spring 66, and their engaging edges 67a, 67a After passing through the portion, the two engaging claws 62 and 63 are closed by the tension spring 66 and pinch the body of the connecting pin 67. This sandwiched state is shown in FIG.

At this stage, when the transportation jig 51 is stopped from lifting and the transportation jig 51 is suspended, the engaging edges 67a of the connecting pins 67 to 67 are respectively engaged with the engaging claws 62, 67. Since it will be in a state of riding on the upper surface of the tip of 63,
The own weight of the transport jig 51 is added to the two engaging claws 62 and 63 via the engaging pins 67, and this own weight is applied to the two engaging claws 62 and 63.
, That is, in the direction in which the tips of the engaging claws 62 and 63 bite into the lower surfaces of the engaging edges 67 a of the engaging pin 67.

From this, the connecting device 60 of the present embodiment is described.
According to this, both engaging claws 62 and 63 are more firmly engaged with the engaging pin 67 by the weight of the transport jig 51,
The heavy-weight transport jig 51 can be firmly connected, and even in a suspended state, reliable transport can be performed without fear of dropping. The connection state of the transfer jig 51
Since the larger the weight of the first member becomes, the stronger it becomes, it is suitable not only for the illustrated conveying jig 51 but also for conveying other heavy objects in a suspended state.

Further, the connecting device 60 according to this embodiment
According to this configuration, since there is no need for an actuator such as a cylinder at all, there is no need to provide air piping or electric wiring to the transport carriage 52. From this, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the transport vehicle 52 that reciprocates a predetermined distance, and at the same time, trouble such as pipe twisting or disconnection when air piping or the like is not a problem at all, and can reduce equipment cost or Good maintainability can be secured.

Next, a description will be given of a connection release device 70 for releasing the connection device 60 when the transfer jig 51 is separated from the transfer carriage 52. The connection releasing device 70 is used to replace the type A and type B transfer jigs (d) (or (e)) set in the middle of the transfer path (this will be described later).
, A set is attached to each of the four support columns 53b to 53b corresponding to the coupling devices 60 to 60 at a total of eight locations. The connection release devices 70 to 70 are mounted at positions that do not hinder the movement of the transport vehicle 52, that is, outside the moving area of the transport vehicle 52.

Each of the connection release devices 70 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 4, a cylinder 71 attached downward to the support column 53b and a release block 72 attached to the tip of the rod are mainly constituted. In the cylinder 71,
A type in which a rod is prevented from rotating is used. The release block 72 has a substantially U-shape having an upper edge 72a and a lower edge 72b, and is mounted with its open side facing the carrier 52 as shown in FIG. This direction is held because the rod of the cylinder 71 does not rotate,
In this way, the release block 72 does not interfere with the release lever 65 of the connecting device 60 when the transport carriage 52 moves.

At the stage when the transport carriage 52 moves, the cylinder 71 is held on the retracted side, and
Does not work. When the transport vehicle 52 stops at the transport jig exchange position (d), the tip of the release lever 65 of the coupling device 60, specifically, the roller 6 attached to the distal end thereof
5a is located between the upper edge 72a and the lower edge 72b of the release block 72.

Therefore, at this transfer jig replacement position (d), the transfer jig 51 is slightly lifted by the jig lift 80 so that the two engaging edges 67a, 67a of the engaging pin 67 are moved to the two engaging claws 62, 63. In a state of floating from the tip of

In this state, when the cylinder 71 is pushed out, the release block 72 moves downward, so that the roller 65a of the release lever 65 is pushed by the upper edge 72a of the release block 72, and the release lever 65 is pulled by the tension spring. 66
Counterclockwise, that is, in the unclamping direction, whereby both the engagement claws 62 and 63 rotate in the opening direction (unclamping direction).

When the engaging claws 62, 63 are opened in the unclamping direction in this manner, the engaging edges 67a, 67a of the engaging pin 67 do not interfere with the engaging claws 62, 63. It can be evacuated downward. This state is shown in FIG.

Then, when the jig lift 80 is lowered to move the transport jig 51 downward, the engaging pin 67 is pulled out from between the two engaging claws 62 and 63, whereby the transport jig 5 is moved.
1 is separated from the carriage 52.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, two transport jig exchange positions (d) and (e) and two transport article supply positions (f) and (g) are shown below the transport path. It is set along the transport path sequentially from the right side. At the transfer jig exchange position (d) on the right side of the figure, a class A transfer jig 51A is prepared.
A transfer jig for type B 51B is prepared at the transfer jig replacement position (e) on the left side. Further, at the transported article supply position (f) on the right side of the figure, a type A roof panel RPA as the transported article is supplied, and the transported article supply position (g) adjacent to the left side thereof.
Supplies a type B roof panel RPB as a conveyed article. Hereinafter, the type A jig exchange position (d), the type B jig exchange position (e), the type A article supply position (f), and the type B article supply position (g) are referred to in this order.

The jig lifts 80A and 80B are arranged at the type A and type B jig replacement positions (d) and (e).
The supply lift 81 is located at the type B article supply position (f) (g).
A, 81B are arranged. These four lifts 80
A, 80B, 81A, 81B are connected to tables 80a, 80b, 81a, 8 via a pantograph type elevating mechanism.
Parallel lifts that can move up and down 1b in parallel are used, and are respectively installed on the upper surface of the gantry 83.

According to the transport apparatus 50 of the present embodiment configured as described above, two types of roof panels RPA and RPB of the type A or the type B can be appropriately transferred by the transport jig 5 through the shortest transport path.
1A and 51B can be exchanged and transported to the temporary attachment process.

That is, as shown in FIG. 26, one transport carriage 52 reciprocates along a linear transport path formed by two transport rails 53. The type A transport jig 51A or the type B transport jig 51B can be connected to the transport carriage 52 in a suspended manner via connecting devices 60 to 60. First, when transporting the type A roof panel RPA, the type A transport jig 51A is connected to the transport trolley 52. Therefore, the transporting cart 52 is stopped at the type A jig exchange position (d), and then the type A jig lift 80A at this position (d) is moved upward to move the type A jig placed on the table 80a. The seed transfer jig 51A is made to approach the transfer cart 52 from below.

When the transport jig 51A is raised, the engaging pins 67 to 67 provided on the upper surface of the transport jig 51A push the engaging claws 62 and 63 of the coupling devices 60 to 60 provided on the transport carriage 52 against the tension spring 66, respectively. The engaging claws 62, 63
Enter between. As the transport jig 51A is raised, the engagement pins 67 to 67 further enter, and the respective engagement edges 67
When the a and 67a pass through the distal ends of the engaging claws 62 and 63, the engaging claws 62 and 63 are returned to the closing direction by the tension spring 66, whereby the engaging pins 67 to 67 respectively move the engaging claws 62 to 63. , 63.

After the four engaging pins 67 to 67 are thus clamped by the engaging claws 62 and 63, the type A jig lift 80A is turned to the lowering operation, and the table 80a is lowered. Then, since the engagement claws 62 and 73 are inserted into the lower surfaces of the engagement edges 67a and 67a of the engagement pin 67, the transport jig 51A slightly descends and then rises from the table 80a. The engaging edges 67a, 67a of the engaging pins 67 to 67 are in a state of riding on the tips of the engaging claws 62, 63. The table 80a is lowered to the lowering position.

As described above, when the respective engaging edges 67a, 67a of the engaging pins 67 to 67 are on the leading ends of the engaging claws 62, 63, the class A conveying jig 51A is conveyed. It is connected to the carriage 52 in a suspended manner. Therefore, in each coupling device 60, the own weight of the transport jig 51 </ b> A is added to both the engagement claws 62 and 63 via the engagement pins 67. The own weight of the transport jig 51A acts in a direction (clamp direction) for closing the engaging claws 62, 63.
Is brought into a state of firmly biting into the engagement pin 67 by the weight of the transfer jig 51A, whereby the transfer jig 51A is more firmly connected.

In this way, after the connection of the Class A transport jig 51A is completed, the transport cart 52 is retracted and stopped at the Class A article supply position (f). Thereafter, the class A article supply lift 81A at the same position (f) is moved up to move the table 81a on which the class A roof panel RPA is mounted to approach the transport jig 51A from below.

When the type A roof panel RPA rises to a predetermined height, the lift 81A is stopped, and the transport jig 51 is stopped.
A type roof panel R
Hold PA. Thereafter, the lift 81A is moved down to return the table 81a to the lowered position.

After the transport jig 51A holds the type A roof panel RPA in this way, the transport carriage 52 is advanced. At this time, the lifting rails 55 of the lifting device are connected to the ends of the transport rails 53, 53, and the transport carriage 52 is
It moves forward from the transport rails 53, 53 until it moves onto the lift rails 55, 55.

After the transport vehicle 52 moves on to the lifting device side, the lifting device operates to lower the lifting rails 55, 55, whereby the transport vehicle 52, the type A transport jig 51A,
The A-type roof panel RPA is supplied to the tacking step by integrally lowering the A-type roof panel RPA. When the roof panel RPA is lowered to the temporary attachment position, the roof panel RPA is positioned with respect to the main body MB and is delivered to the temporary attachment process side.

After the supply of the type A roof panel RPA is completed, the lifting / lowering device operates to move the lifting rails 55, 55.
Rises to the height of the transport rails 53, 53, and therefore the transport carriage 52 and the A-class transport jig 51A integrally rise to the transport level. After that, the transporting trolley 52 moves backward to move to the type A article supply position (f) in order to transport the next type A roof panel RPA. Wait until the next conveyance at the position.

Next, in order to transport the roof panel RPB of the type B instead of the type A, the transport jig 51 is changed from the type A to the type B. Therefore, the transport carriage 52 is first moved to the type A jig exchange position (d), and the type A transport jig 51A is returned to the same position (d).

When the transport vehicle 52 reaches the type A jig replacement position (d), the four sets of disconnection devices 7 arranged at the same position (d) are set.
Upper and lower edges 72a, 72b of each of the release blocks 72 of 0 to 70
Meanwhile, the roller 65a of the release lever 65 of the connecting device 60
Respectively enter the state. In this state, the A-class jig lift 80A is raised to slightly lift the A-class transport jig 51A. Then, the engaging edges 67a, 67a of the respective engaging pins 67 float up from the engaging claws 62, 63, whereby the engaging claws 62, 63 are allowed to rotate in the opening direction.

Then, in the connection releasing device 70, when the cylinder 71 is pushed out to lower the release block 72 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.
5 is pushed downward by the upper edge 72a, so that the release lever 65 rotates in the unclamping direction against the tension spring 66, whereby the engaging claws 62, 63
Rotates in the opening direction, and the engaging pins 67 to 67 are unclamped.

Next, when the type A jig lift 80A is lowered, the type A transport jig 51A is placed on the table 80a and lowered, whereby the type A transport jig 51A is moved from the transport cart 52. Be separated. After disconnection is completed, cylinder 7
1 is retracted and the release block 72 is
To a position where it will not interfere with the movement of On the other hand, the jig lift 80A stops at the lowered position, and the type A transport jig 51A
Is stored as is until the next use.

Next, the transport trolley 52 from which the type A transport jig 51A has been separated is retracted to the type B jig replacement position (e), and then the jig lift 80B at this position (e) is moved. The transport jig 51B placed on the table 80b is moved upward to approach the transport trolley 52 from below. Hereinafter, as in the case of the type A, the type B transport jig 51B is connected to the transport trolley 52 in a suspended state. With this, the transfer jig 5
The exchange work from Type A to Type B is completed.

Next, the transporting trolley 52 to which the Class B transport jig 51B is connected moves to the Class B article supply position (g), and then raises the Class B article supply lift 81B as in the case of the Class A article.
B-type roof panel R supplied on the table 81b
The PB is gripped by the class B transport jig 51B. After that,
The transport carriage 52 is moved forward, and thereafter the type B roof panel RPB is transported to the temporary attaching process in the same manner as in the case of type A. After the transfer is completed, the transfer carriage 52 is moved to the B-type transfer jig 51.
Stand by with B connected.

The type B transport jig 51B is replaced with the type A transport jig 5
In order to change to 1A, the carriage 52 is moved to the type B jig replacement position (e), and four sets of disconnection devices 70 to 70 provided at the same position (e) are used in the same manner as in the case of type A. The connection of the connecting portions 60 to 60 is released, whereby the type B transport jig 51B is separated and returned to the table 80b of the type B jig lift 80B. Thereafter, the transporting trolley 52 moves to the type A jig exchange position (d) and connects the type A transporting jig 51A to the transporting trolley in the same procedure as described above.

As described above, according to the transfer apparatus 50 of the present embodiment, the transfer jig 51 can be separated from the transfer carriage 52, so that the transfer carriage 52 reciprocates along the straight transfer path. The two types of roof panels R
P can be transported, and as a result, the transport path can be set in a smaller space as compared with the conventional branched transport path.

The transfer jig 51 is exchanged for the transfer carriage 5.
2 can be shared with one another even when different types of roof panels RP are transported, thereby simplifying the configuration of the apparatus and reducing the equipment cost as compared with the related art. Can be.

In this regard, conventionally, for example, a transport path L as shown in FIG. 27 has been set, and a plurality of transport vehicles D to D provided for each type of roof panel RP have been selectively used. This conventional transport path L is adapted to transport two types of roof panels RPA and RPB (type A or type B), and a part of the looped transport path L is converted into two paths L1 and L2. Branching, setting the supply position S1 for the type A on the branch path L1, setting the supply position S2 for the type B on the branch path L2, and setting the transport jig dedicated to the type A or the type B on each of the paths L1, L2. The two transfer vehicles D1 and D2 provided are arranged and the common route L0
By switching the path switching devices C, C provided at the branch points between the first and second branch paths L1, L2, either one of the transport vehicles D1, D2 travels to transport two types of roof panels RPA, RPB. Had been configured.

As described above, conventionally, it is necessary to make the transport path L loop and to transport the two transport vehicles by switching, so that a portion of the transport route is branched, so that a large space is required for that. As a result, the transport distance and the transport distance of the transport trolley D became long, and it was difficult to transport efficiently.

Further, since the transfer jig is provided integrally with the transfer trolley D, not only the transfer jig but also the transfer trolley D must be prepared for each type of the roof panel RP. There was a problem of soaring.

Next, according to the illustrated transfer device 50, the engaging pins 67 to 67 provided on the transfer jig 51 are
2 from below to engage between the engaging claws 62 and 63 of the coupling devices 60 to 60 provided on the second engaging claws 62 and 63 and engage the engaging claws 62 and 63 on the two engaging claws 62 and 63, respectively.
The transport jig 51 is connected to the transport trolley 52 in a suspended state. The engaging pins 67 to 67 are provided on the conveying jig 51 and the engaging claws 62 and 63 for clamping the engaging pins 67 can be rotated up and down. The engaging pin 67 acts on the engaging claws 62 and 63 via the engaging pin 67 so as to rotate the engaging pin 67 more firmly in the direction of pinching, ie, the biting direction. The engagement state of 67 and, consequently, the connection state of the transfer jig 51 are firmly held.

As described above, since the transport jig 51 is firmly connected to the transport trolley 52 by positively utilizing the own weight of the transport jig 51, the transport jig 5 which is a heavy load is used.
1 can be firmly connected without the risk of falling, and in this regard, the transfer device 50 is connected to the roof panel R as illustrated.
Particularly suitable for transporting P.

However, the illustrated transfer device 50, particularly the connecting device 60, is not limited to the transfer of the illustrated roof panel RP, and can be applied to the case of transferring other conveyed articles, especially heavy objects in a suspended manner. Needless to say.

In the illustrated embodiment, the type A or the type B
Although the description has been made in the case of transporting two types of articles, the present invention can be applied to the case of transporting more types of articles, and a transport jig is prepared according to the type of the article and exchanged. The same operation and effect can be obtained by setting the position to be supplied and the position to supply the articles along the transport path.

Further, the transport path is not always required to be a straight line, but may be formed into a curved shape in consideration of the installation space or the like, or may be formed as a simple annular path having no conventional branch path. It is.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a preset step according to an embodiment of the present invention. Both side members show the state of the side posture.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of a preset step, showing a state in which a side member is in a vertical posture.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a tacking step.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the tacking step, and is a view as viewed from an arrow IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a transfer device and a tacking step. On the right side of the transport path, the tacking step is shown as viewed from the direction of arrow V in FIG.

6 is a side view of the preset device on the right side in the process progress direction, as viewed from the direction of arrow VI in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the coupling device on the right side in the process progress direction, similarly viewed from the direction of arrow VI in FIG. 2;

8 is a plan view of the set position holding device and the coupling device on the right side in the process progress direction, as viewed from the direction of arrow VIII in FIG.

9 is a side view of the set position holding device and the connecting device on the right side in the process progress direction, and is a view as viewed from the direction of the arrow IX in FIG.

10 is a side view of a holder of the set position holding device, and is a view as viewed in the direction of arrow X in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the lower part of the side member is pressed against the underbody by the holding block.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a portion where the bent edge is attached to the main body, and shows a bent state of the bent edge (1);
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2)-(12).

FIG. 13 is a side view of a main body in which a part of a side member covers a part of an underbody from above, and sectional views (13)-(13) of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a side member in a side-down state, and is a sectional view taken along lines (14)-(14) of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of the bending device.

16 is a rear view of the side member positioning jig and the side gate, and is an enlarged view of a central portion of FIG. 4;

17 is a side view of the side member positioning jig and the side gate, as viewed from the direction of arrow (17) in FIG.

18 is a side view of the clamp device for positioning in the body width direction, as viewed from the direction of arrow (18) in FIG.

19 is a plan view of a clamp device for positioning the body in the longitudinal direction, as viewed from the direction of arrow (19) in FIG.

FIG. 20 is a schematic view of the replacement device for the side member positioning jig as viewed from the back.

FIG. 21 is a side view of the transfer device for the roof panel as viewed from the side in the transfer direction.

FIG. 22 is a side view of the transfer device for the roof panel as viewed in the transfer direction.

FIG. 23 is a side view of the disconnection device 70 as viewed from the side in the transport direction.

FIG. 24 is a side view of the connecting device 60 as viewed in the transport direction.

FIG. 25 is a side view showing a released state of the coupling device 60.

FIG. 26 is a plan view of a transport path according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a plan view of a conventional transport path.

[Explanation of symbols]

MB ... Main body UB ... Under body SM ... Side member 1 ... Under body setting jig 5 ... Side member presetting device 7 ... Set position holding device 10 ... Bending device 11 ... Connecting device 20 ... Side member positioning jig 20A ... A Seed, 20B ... B kind 22 ... Side gate 29 ... Guide roller (for positioning in the body width direction) 35 ... Clamping device (for body longitudinal direction positioning) 35A ... A kind storage shelf, 35B ... B kind storage shelf 40 ... Exchange device 50 ... Roof panel transfer device 51 ... Transfer jig 51A ... Type A transfer jig, 51B ... Type B transfer jig 52 ... Transport trolley 53 ... Transport rail 60 ... Coupling device 65 ... Release lever 70 ... Connection release device 72 ... Release block 80 ... Jig lift 80A ... Type A jig lift, 80B ... Type B jig lift, 81A ... A Seed goods lift, 81B ... Battery lift for B class RP ... Roof panel RPA ... Roof panel for A class (A class product) RPB ... Roof panel for B class (B class product) (A) ... Positioning position (B) ... Standby Position (c) ... Replacement position (d) ... Class A jig replacement position (e) ... Class B jig replacement position (f) ... Class A article supply position (g) ... Class B article supply position

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Satoishi Riki 100 Kanayama, Ichiriyama-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi Prefecture Inside of Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-5-193498 (JP, A) JP-A Heisei 6-16230 (JP, A) JP-A 2-107431 (JP, U) JP-A 1-152988 (JP, U) JP-A 4-88480 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B62D 65/18 B23P 21/00 303 B62D 65/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A transporting jig provided with a gripper for gripping an article, which is detachably connected to a transporting carriage moving along one transporting path via a connecting device.
And a plurality of arrangements corresponding to the jig replacement positions on the transport path.
Jig lift that can support and lift each transport jig
With the door, an article transporting apparatus with replaceable constituting the conveying jig in the jig exchange position, the coupling device includes an engaging member provided on the upper surface of the conveying jig,
Opposed to the lower surface of the carrier, it rotates in the opposite direction by the connecting arm and closes by the tension spring.
A pair of engaging claws which are biased in a direction is Flip, the transport via
It provided the jig exchange position of the road, outside the movement region of the transporting carriage
Jig for the transport path , comprising a disconnection device located on the side
A transfer jig supported by the jig lift at an exchange position
Is lifted by the jig lift, the engaging member is inserted from below into the space between the pair of engaging claws, and an engaging edge formed by projecting the engaging member is put on the two engaging claws. while connected to the suspended state the conveying jig to said transport carriage, said at jig exchange position of the transport path
The transfer jig connected to the transfer cart is moved by the jig lift
After lifting, by operating the connection release device to release the engagement of the engagement claw with the engagement member ,
An article conveying device, wherein the conveying jig is configured to be separable from the conveying cart.