JPS63247179A - Assembly device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To carry out the efficient assembly of a vehicle with a simple and low-cost structure by positioningly placing a vehicle body on a truck which travels by itself along a conveying passage, assembling various parts to said vehicle body automatically or by man power, and separating said vehicle body from said self-traveling truck and suspending said body. CONSTITUTION:A conveying passage 2 is provided from the starting point to the terminal point along an assembly line Li while also providing an automation assembly zones B, D, H, J, L and man-power assembly zones C, G, K. And, an automatic machine Ro such as a robot, etc. is provided on each of automatic assembly stations O1-O14 in the automation assembly zones. Also, self-traveling trucks Tr are provided along the conveying passage 2 while removably installing pallets for positioningly supporting vehicle bodies on their top faces. Further, a vehicle body positioning device which positioningly fixes the self-traveling track Tr together with the pallet to the automatic assembly station and an overhead conveyor 81 which separates the vehicle body from the self- traveling truck Tr to suspendingly convey it in a certain interval of the assembly line, are provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A0 Object of the Invention (1) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to a vehicle assembly device for assembling various parts onto a painted vehicle body.

(2) Conventional technology A conventional assembly line includes an automatic assembly zone using many robots, etc., and a manual assembly zone operated by humans, and various parts are automatically assembled on the vehicle body transported along the assembly line. There is a well-known assembly device in which assembly is carried out continuously or manually (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-21869).
(see publication).

(3) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the conventional assembly apparatus, the assembly line is roughly divided into three sections: a first half, a second half, and a final section, and the first half is constructed with a train-type conveyor. The automatic assembly process and the scheduled automatic assembly process are concentrated in the second half, and the second half is configured with a trolley-type or power-and-free type conveyor to concentrate the manual assembly process, and the final The assembly line consists of a tact conveyor, and the automated work process after manual assembly is arranged here. However, with such conventional assembly equipment, 3 degrees of vehicle body transfer conveyors are required, which not only increases the preparation costs but also reduces the degree of freedom when reorganizing the assembly line.

■ If a problem occurs with automatic machines such as robots in the automatic assembly zone, it cannot be resolved until the vehicle body leaves the automatic assembly zone, and a backup manual assembly zone must be set up separately.

■ When transferring a vehicle body to a different transportation means, it is easy to damage the vehicle body.

There are other problems.

The present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has a simpler overall configuration, lower equipment costs, and greater flexibility in reorganizing the assembly line than the conventional assembly equipment described above. The object of the present invention is to provide a new assembly device that causes very little damage to the vehicle body during the process.

B0 Structure of the Invention (1) Means for Solving the Problems According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, there is provided a conveyance path disposed approximately along the assembly line from its starting end to its end; an automated assembly zone and a manual assembly zone that are mixedly arranged along the conveyance path; automatic machines such as robots that are arranged so as to be able to move forward and backward at each automatic assembly station in the automated assembly zone; and a self-propelled trolley equipped with a swivel base that can rotate; a pallet that is removably connected to the swivel base and integrally positions and supports the vehicle body on the upper surface; It consists of a vehicle body positioning device that positions and fixes the vehicle body at the assembly station; and an overhead conveyor that is installed on the assembly line and lifts and transports the vehicle body together with the pallet from the self-propelled cart over a partial section in the middle of the assembly line. In the assembly device, various parts are assembled onto the body of a vehicle such as an automobile.

(2) Effect According to the above configuration, the vehicle body is positioned and placed on the self-propelled cart that moves on the conveyance path via the pallet, and in the automated assembly zone of the assembly line, the self-propelled cart is positioned and fixed together with the pallet. Various parts are automatically assembled onto the vehicle body using automatic machines such as robots that can move forward and backward along the transport path, and in the manual assembly zone of the assembly line, various parts are assembled by humans while self-propelled carts are running on their own. Further, at a certain section in the middle of the assembly line, the car body is separated from the self-propelled cart together with the pallet by an overhead conveyor and lifted up, and the lower parts are assembled on the underside of the car body automatically or manually.

(3) Examples An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the following description, "front, rear" and "left, right" refer to the direction of movement of the assembly line Li.

1 to 3, a transport pit Pi is provided along an assembly line Li on a work floor FIt in a factory, and a work floor F7 is provided on the upper surface of the opening of this transport pit Pi. A floorboard 1 flush with the floor board 1 is laid.

As clearly shown in FIG. 3, a conveyance path 2 made of a rectangular tube with a rectangular cross section is installed in the middle part of the conveyance pit PiO in the width direction, and runs longitudinally within the conveyance pit Pi. A plurality of self-propelled carts Tr are installed on the transport path 2 so as to be able to travel on the transport path 2 at regular intervals. The bogie frame 4 of the self-propelled bogie Tr includes a pair of left and right side plates 5.5 arranged vertically parallel to each other, and a cross member 6.6 that integrally connects the front and rear parts of the side plates 5.5. The upper portions of the pair of side plates 5.5 protrude above the floor plate l through the slits 3.3 formed in the floor plate 1, and a substantially horizontal A lift table 8 is provided to be able to rise and fall, and a swivel table 9 is supported on the lift table 8 so as to be able to turn approximately horizontally around a vertical center axis V. The vehicle body Bo is positioned and supported.

A plurality of self-propelled carts Tr installed astride the transport path 2 so as to be self-propellable.
. . . denotes a bar-shaped front portion and a rear spacing member extending in the front-rear direction at the front and rear portions of the left side plate 5 of each self-propelled trolley Tr so as to maintain a constant spacing along the conveyance path 2. 10 and 1) are fixed to each other, and the leading self-propelled trolley Tr is fixed to the tip of the spacing member 10 and 1).
The rear spacing member 1) and the front spacing member 10 fixed to the following self-propelled trolley Tr are abutted against each other, thereby maintaining a constant spacing between the plurality of self-propelled trolleys Tr.

A large number of rolling rollers 12 are rotatably supported at the upper left and right sides of the conveyance path 2 at intervals in the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of rolling rollers 12 are rotatably supported at appropriate positions between the transfer rollers 12. V rollers 1)... are rotatably supported, and traveling rails 15, 15 provided on the left and right side plates 5, 5 of the self-propelled trolley Tr are engaged with the plurality of rolling rollers 12 so as to be freely movable. Further, traveling rails 16, 16 provided on the left and right side plates 5, 5 are engaged with the plurality of V rollers 1) so as to be freely movable (FIG. 3).

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a traveling motor 17 is supported on the left side plate 5 of the truck frame 4 of the self-propelled truck Tr, and the output end of a speed reducer 18 connected to this traveling motor 17 is A pinion 19 is fixed thereto, and this pinion 19 is meshed with a rank 20 provided on the left side of the conveyance path 2 over its entire length. Therefore, when the traveling motor 17 is driven, the pinion 19 rolls on the rack 20 and the self-propelled trolley Tr can be made to travel along the transport path 2.

The traveling motor 17, the reducer 18, and the pinion 1
9 and the rack 20 constitute a traveling device for the self-propelled trolley Tr.

In Figures 1 to 3, the upper parts of the left and right side plates 5.5 of the bogie frame 4 protrude upward through the slits 3, 3 of the floor plate 1. A lifting mechanism 7 is provided.

This elevating mechanism 7 has an intermediate portion that is rotatable with respect to a pivot shaft 22.
．． A pair of left and right cross links 21 pivoted at 22
．． 21, and the front end of the cross link 21.
Pivot supports 23, 23, 23, 23, 23, 23, 23, 23, 23, 23, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 6,
24.24 (Fig. 2), and the cross link 21
．． The rear ends of 21 are slidably engaged with elongated holes 25.25 formed on the left and right sides of the lifting table 8 and elongated holes 26, 26 formed on the rear of the left and right side plates 5.5 of the bogie frame 4 (second
figure). Cross member 6 and cross link 21 of bogie frame 4
An elevating cylinder 27 is connected between them, and by the telescopic operation of the elevating cylinder 27, the elevating table 8 can be moved up and down while maintaining the horizontal state. As clearly shown in FIG. 1.2, a fall prevention mechanism 28 for the lifting table 8 is provided between the truck frame 4 and the cross link 21. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this mechanism 28 includes a locking piece 30 provided on the truck frame 4 and having a plurality of sawtooth locking teeth 29 on the upper surface, and a locking piece 30 provided at the rear of the cross link 21. A claw piece 31 (first
) and a hydraulic cylinder 33 that swings the locking piece 30 up and down around a pivot 32 (Fig. 2), and moves the locking piece 30 to the locking position as shown in Figures 1.2. After fixing the cross link 21 to the locking teeth 29...
By selectively engaging the lifting table 8, the lifting table 8 is prevented from descending from each lift position, and when the locking piece 30 is swung downward by the operation of the hydraulic cylinder 33, the claw piece 31 is locked. The elevating table 8 can be lowered by disengaging from the teeth 29.

In FIGS. 1 to 5, the vehicle body Bo
A ball bearing 3 is installed so that the swivel base 9 for supporting and rotating the swivel can freely swivel around the vertical center axis 7.
4 (FIG. 2), and for driving the swivel base 9 to rotate, the drive unit 35 is supported by the left side plate 5 of the bogie frame 4 of the self-propelled bogie Tr. and the swivel base 9 are interlocked by a conventionally known interlocking mechanism. As clearly shown in FIG. 1, two diametrically extending vehicle body front support arms 36 and a vehicle body rear support arm 37 are provided on the swivel base 9, extending substantially horizontally, and these support arms 3G. .

On both sides of 37, there are pairs of lefts.

Right pallet support arms 38.38 and 39.39 project approximately horizontally in the radial direction. Seats 40.41 for receiving the bottom surface of the vehicle body Bo are provided at the tips of the front and rear support arms 36.37, respectively, and the left and right pallet support arms 38.38 and 39.39
A reference pin 42 . . . is provided at the tip thereof to protrude upward.

and said pallet support arms 38.38 and 39.
A vehicle body positioning barrette Pa, which will be described later, is removably supported at 39.

A brake 44 for stopping rotation of the swivel base 9 is provided on the outer periphery of the swivel base 9. This brake 44 consists of a brake piece 45 that is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the swivel base 9, and a brake arm 46 that operates this brake piece 45.

The vehicle body positioning spring) Pa is a pair of pallet halves 4
7. ．． Consisting of 47□, one half of the pallet 47.
is supported on said pallet support arm 38.38, and the other pallet half 472 is supported on said pallet support arm 39.39.

A pair of pallet halves 47. ．． 4.7□ have the same structure, so the structure of one pallet half 471 will be explained below mainly with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9.
7. is formed into an elongated rectangular shape, and has reference pin holes 48.48 at both ends into which the reference pins 42.42 are inserted.
are drilled, and near the reference bin holes 48, 48 are bored holes 4,9,49 for positioning the pallet Pa to each assembly station. In addition, pallet half 47,
A bent extension part 50 is integrally extended at one end (left end in Fig. 6.7), and three vehicle body positioning pin holes 51 are bored in this bent extension part 50. A vehicle body positioning pin 52 is fitted and fixed upward into one of them, and this pin 52 is inserted into a bottle hole drilled in the bottom surface of the vehicle body BO when the vehicle body BO is positioned and fixed on the bar (Pa). It is designed to be inserted into the Also half a pallet 47
1 (the right end in FIG. 6.7) is provided with a vehicle body alignment mechanism Aj. This vehicle body alignment mechanism Aj has the eighth and ninth
The details are shown in the figure, and the bullet half 47. A long hole 54 is bored at the rear end perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rear end, and a screw rod 55 is rotatably passed through the long hole 54, and both ends of the screw rod 55 are connected to the pallet half 47. The bearing is prevented from moving in the axial direction by bearing members 56, 57 fixed to both sides of the bearing. The screw rod 55 has a long hole 5.
A slider 58 that is slidably fitted into the pallet half body 47 . It is designed to be able to slide forward and backward on a vehicle body support 60 fixed on the end of the vehicle. As shown by the chain line in FIG. 2.3, when the vehicle body Bo is placed on the pallet Pa consisting of a pair of pallet halves 471 and 472, the pallet halves 47. ．． One end of 47□ (
the vehicle body alignment mechanism Aj provided at the right end in FIG. 2.3;
When the threaded rods 55 and 55 of Aj are rotated and adjusted in the direction of the arrow a in FIG. The vertical central axis C1 of the vehicle body BO is pressed and held in cooperation with the vehicle body positioning pins 52 and 52.
The vehicle body BO can be firmly positioned and fixed on the valet Pa so that the axis C2 coincides with the longitudinal central axis C2 of the self-propelled trolley Tr.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, at each automatic assembly station on the assembly line Li, the transport pit P
i has a wide width, and there are left and right vehicle body positioning devices Lp, t, p on both left and right sides of the conveyance path 2.
is installed.

Since the left and right vehicle body positioning devices t, p, and Lp all have the same structure, one of them will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. Two pairs of An advancing/retracting mechanism 65 having hydraulic cylinders 62, 62, 63, 63 is disposed via a base plate 66, and movable parts of the hydraulic cylinders 62, 62, 63, 63 of the advancing/retracting mechanism 65 are provided with movable platforms 67, 67, respectively. is provided. A gate-shaped support frame 68 is installed between the moving tables 67.67, and lifting cylinders 69.69 are erected on each moving table 67.67.
．． A columnar elevating member 70.7 is installed at the upper end of the piston rod 69.
0 is connected. On one side of the lifting member 70.70,
Movable guide blocks 71 . 71 are respectively fixed, these blocks 71 .
Vertical guide rails 72 provided on the front and rear inner surfaces of the
72 so as to be slidable up and down. Locate pins 73, 73 are provided upwardly protruding from the upper ends of the elevating members 70, 70, respectively.
．． T3 indicates that the pallet half body 47. when the lifting cylinder 69.69 is extended. (47□) Pallet positioning pin holes 49, 49 (Fig. 6.7) can be inserted and removed freely to fix the pallet Pa to each automatic assembly station. As shown in FIG. 5, the support frame 68 is provided with adjustable stops 74.74, while the elevating member 70.70 has abutment pieces 75.75 that can abut against the stoppers 74.74. These locating pins 73, 73 are provided to restrict the upward position of the locating pins 73, 73.

Left and right vehicle body positioning devices Lp configured as described above;
Lp is configured to be able to move forward and backward in the direction of arrow d in Fig. 4-5 with respect to the self-propelled trolley Tr on the conveyance path 2 by the operation of the advance/retreat mechanism 65.65.
When it is not necessary to position and fix it at each automatic assembly station, it is moved back to the retracted position.

FIG. 10 shows an assembly line Li for assembling parts to the body of a vehicle using the above-described vehicle assembly apparatus of the present invention.

Thereafter, the vehicle body B is moved along this assembly line Li.

The process of assembling each part will be explained below. In FIG. 10, objects on the floorboard 1 are shown in solid lines, and objects in the transport focus Pi, that is, underground, are shown in dotted lines. Further, the automated assembly zone is shown surrounded by a two-dot chain line.

■ The traveling trolley Tr traveling along the conveyance path 2 is placed on a lifting platform 104 (described below) located underground and reaches the starting position ifA.
Stop and wait there. At this starting position A, a pair of pallet halves 47. ．． 47. The palette Pa consists of
The reference pins 42 and the reference pin holes 48 are fitted into each other to be positioned and held. Meanwhile, vehicle body B has been painted in the painting area.

is conveyed by an overhead conveyor, lowered onto a pallet Pa by a hoist attached thereto, and placed there. When this car body is placed, first the car body positioning pins 52 and 52 provided at the front part of the pallet Pa are inserted into the pin holes (h) drilled in the bottom plate of the car body BO, and then the pair of car body positions provided at the rear part of the pallet Pa are inserted. alignment mechanism Aj,
The threaded rods 55.55 of Aj (Fig. 8.9) are rotated and their sliders 58.58 are moved forward in synchronism, and both sides of the lower side sills of the car body BO are pressed and held by the car body pressing members 59.59 (No. 8). figure). As a result, the vehicle body BO has its longitudinal center line C1 aligned with the longitudinal center line C2 of the self-propelled trolley Tr, that is, is aligned (Fig. 3), and the pallet P
It is firmly fixed on a.

The plurality of vehicle body positioning pin holes 51... (FIG. 6) provided in the pallet halves 47+, 47z are for accommodating a plurality of types of vehicle bodies Bo having different sizes.

■Pallet of the self-propelled trolley Tr at the starting position A of ■)
When the vehicle body BO is aligned and placed on Pa, the traveling motor 1
7, the self-propelled trolley Tr is transferred to the conveyance path 2, and the self-propelled trolley Tr is driven to enter the first automated assembly zone B. In the first automated assembly zone B, there are a plurality of automated assembly stations O1 to O0, which perform door removal, sunroof installation, roof lining installation, etc. are arranged along the conveyance direction. By the way, at each automated assembly station 0°, 0□, and O8, vehicle body positioning devices Lp, Lp are provided on both sides of the conveyance path 2, as described above.

The lowering operation of the lifting mechanism 7 due to the contraction operation of the hydraulic cylinder 27 causes the lifting table 8 to be lowered together with the swivel base 9. As a result, the positioning pin hole 49 of the pallet Pa...
The locate pins 73 of the vehicle body positioning devices t, p, Lp, which are in the raised position, are respectively inserted into the vehicle body Bo to position and fix it to the self-propelled trolley Tr via the pallet Pa (fifth
figure). And each automated assembly station 01+0!
To move the vehicle body BO between and o, the elevating member 70... is lowered, and the locate pin 73 of the vehicle body positioning device t, p, Lp is moved from the positioning pin hole 49... of the pallet Pa to the positioning pin hole 49... of the pallet Pa.
Do this by removing...

The self-propelled trolley Tr, which has positioned and supported the vehicle body BO as described above, moves to each automated assembly station O, , O□ and 0. Once positioned, a plurality of conventionally known robots Ro placed on the sides remove the door from the vehicle body BO, attach the sunroof,
Various tasks such as roof lining installation are performed automatically. The automated assembly station o! installs the sunroof and roof lining. At +03, the drive unit 35 is operated to rotate the swivel base 9 by about 90 degrees to make the vehicle body BO substantially perpendicular to the transport direction. In this case as well, the locating pins of the vehicle body positioning device having the same structure as the vehicle body positioning devices t, p, and Lp are inserted into the positioning pin holes 49 of the pallet Pa, and the vehicle body BO is palletized.
It is positioned and fixed on the swivel base 9 via Pa.

■ In the first automated assembly zone B, the self-propelled trolley Tr that has completed the automatic assembly work such as door removal, sunroof installation, roof lining installation, etc. advances to the first manual assembly zone C, where the self-propelled trolley Tr The system continues to run on its own while manually assembling body parts that are difficult to automate. In this case, the elevating table 8 is controlled to rise and fall by the elevating mechanism 7 to facilitate manual assembly work.

■ After the manual assembly in the first manual assembly zone C is completed, the vehicle body Bo is advanced to the second automated assembly zone D by the running of the self-propelled trolley Tr, and each automated assembly station 04 to 0. Then, as in the first automated assembly zone B, the vehicle body positioning devices IJ, t, p move the vehicle body Bo to each automated assembly station 04 to 0. Position and fix the radiator, pedal bracket, heater blower 1 front, rear bumper, tail light, instrument panel,
Vehicle body parts such as a body primer, inner fender, mud guide, front and rear windows are automatically attached by a plurality of robots (Figure 10 omitted).

(2) The vehicle body Bo to which the vehicle body parts have been attached in the second automated assembly zone D is transported to the vehicle body separation lift position E by the self-propelled trolley Tr. At this position E, the lifting table 8 is raised by the lifting mechanism 7. Then, in order to attach lower parts in a subsequent process, the vehicle body Bo is lifted by a drop lifter 80 and separated from the self-propelled trolley Tr.

Figure 1) shows the vehicle body separation lift position WE in Figure 1θ.
A perspective view is shown, and the operation at the position E will be described below mainly with reference to FIG. 1). At the car body separation lift position E, the conveyor rail 8 of the overhead conveyor 81
A drop lifter 80 is provided across the two. This drop lifter 80 has a lift plate 84 installed between two columns 83, 83, and a bridge rail 82. is suspended. This bridging rail 821 is a self-propelled trolley 86 equipped with a motor 85 that runs continuously on the transport rail 82.
can be delivered. The trolley 86 has a pair of opening/closing frames 87, . 87. A hanger 87 having a hanger 87 is hung so as to be openable and closable. Therefore, along the conveyor rail 82 of the overhead conveyor 81, the first)
The lift plate 84 lifts the trolley 86 that has moved in the direction
Lower bridging rail 82. At this point, the lift plate 84 is stopped by operating the drop lifter 80 to lower the lift plate 84. Opening/closing frame 87 of the hanger 87. ．． 8
7. Positioning pin holes 49 for the pallet Pa are provided at the bottom of the pallet Pa.
. . . are provided with pins 88, 88, . The drop lifter 80 is lowered and the opening/closing frames 87+, 87+ of the hanger 87 are opened and closed to hold the vehicle body Bo, and the bins 88, 88, etc. at the lower end are lifted onto the pallet Pa.
Insert the pin into the empty positioning pin hole 49 from below. As a result, the vehicle body BO is lifted up by the drop lifter 80 together with the barrette Pa, and separated from the self-propelled trolley Tr as shown in FIG. 1). Thereafter, as the drop lifter 80 rises, the bridging rail 82. is the transport rail 8
2, the vehicle body B0 moves away from the drop lifter 80 due to the running of the trolley 86 with the motor 85 and moves to the transport rail 8.
2 along the 1st) arrow e direction in the figure, and then transferred to the next process trolley conveyor's uneven transport rail delivery position F (12th
(Figure). On the other hand, as shown in Figure 1), the vehicle body Bo
The self-propelled trolley Tr, which has been separated and becomes empty, is placed on a vertically movable conveyance path 2. which forms a part of the conveyance path 2 on the lifting platform 89, which is installed underground. It descends with the By lowering the lifting platform 89,
A turntable 9 installed underground with a vertical movement conveyance path 21
The self-propelled trolley Tr is aligned with the rotary conveyance path 2t on the vertical conveyance path 2t. from there to the rotary conveyance path 22. Then, the empty self-propelled trolley Tr is transferred from the rotary conveyance path 2□ to the underground conveyance path 23 by aligning it with the underground conveyance path 2 where the turntable 90 is turned about 90''. 10th
As shown by the dotted line in the figure, the underground conveyance path 23 is laid underground in the form of a crank, and a turntable having the same structure as the turntable 90 (FIG. 1) is provided at each corner and at the output end of the underground conveyance path 23. 91, 92 and 93 are provided. Therefore, the empty self-propelled trolley Tr that is self-propelled along the underground conveyance path 23 is turned about 90'' three times by the turntables 91, 92 and 93, runs in the underground conveyance path 23 in a crank shape, and From 93, the vehicle body, which will be described later, is transferred to the transport path 2 again at the self-propelled trolley connection position I.

(2) The car body BO separated from the self-propelled trolley Tr in the previous process reaches the uneven conveyance rail delivery position F while being suspended from the trolley 86 of the overhead conveyor 81. 12th
The figure shows a perspective view of the uneven conveyance rail delivery position F in FIG. 10.

The effect of the position F will be explained with reference to FIG. 12 below. A drop lifter 95 is provided at a different level of the transport rail 82, and the delivery transport rail 8 provided on the lifter 95
2 transfers the trolley 86 holding the vehicle body Bo from the upper transport rail 82u to the lower transport rail 82d. The trolley 86 then travels along the lower transport rail 82d in the direction of the arrow f and is sent to the second manual assembly zone G for parts attachment.

- In the second manual assembly zone G, lower parts are manually installed while the trolley 86 continues to move the vehicle body Bo.

■ The vehicle body Bo that has been suspended from the second manual assembly zone G along with the pallet Pa on the trolley 86 and has come to the third automated assembly zone H is attached to each automated assembly station 'll+0.
9, and the locating pin (not shown) of a positioning device having the same structure as the left and right vehicle body positioning devices Lp, t, p provided at each station o8+09 or other known positioning device is raised to locate the pallet Pa. are inserted into the vacant reference pin holes 48, 48, etc. to position the vehicle body Bo suspended from the trolley 86 together with the pallet Pa, and then lower the lower parts, namely the front and rear suspension assemblies, fuel tank, silencer, exhaust pipe. etc. are installed according to prescribed procedures.

■ After completing the installation of the lower parts to the car body Bo,
After the right positioning device is lowered to remove the locate pin from the reference pin hole 48, 48 of the pallet Pa, the trolley 86 moves by itself to the vehicle body B.

Valen) Pa together with the car body and self-propelled trolley connection position! At the position I, the vehicle body Bo is lowered by the drop lifter 96 onto the swivel platform 9 of the self-propelled trolley Tr that is waiting through the underground as described above, and is moved to the vacant reference pin of the pallet Pa. Connect the hole 48.48 again to the reference pin 4 on the swivel base 9.
2.42, and further the vehicle body alignment mechanism Aj, Aj
align and clamp the car body B0 and place the car body BO on the pallet P.
It is aligned and positioned and fixed on the swivel base 9 together with a. Then, the self-propelled trolley Tr that positions and supports the vehicle body BO via the pallet Pa travels on the conveyance path 2 and advances to the fourth automated assembly zone J.

[Phase] At station 01° of the fourth automated assembly zone J, the pallet Pa on which the vehicle body Bo has been positioned is positioned by the left and right vehicle body positioning devices Lp, Lm), and operations such as steering column installation and brake fluid injection are carried out. This is automatically performed by a robot (not shown) or the like. After the work is completed, the barren 1-Pa is separated from the left and right vehicle body positioning devices t, p, and Lp, and then the self-propelled trolley T
r proceeds to the third manual assembly zone.

■ In the third manual assembly zone, parts that cannot be automated are installed while the self-propelled trolley Tr continues to travel.

The vehicle body BO then proceeds to the fifth automated assembly zone L.

■ In the fifth automated assembly zone L, each automated assembly station 01)""014 is operated by the vehicle body positioning devices Lp, L.
m), the vehicle body Bo is positioned via the pallet Pa, and the robot Ro, etc., attaches the tires, inserts the spare tire, attaches the front and rear seats, attaches the doors, etc., and injects gasoline into the gas tank at the front and rear. conduct.

1) Figure 1 shows the robot Ro used in the assembly device of the present invention.
1-Ro shows how the rear seat 97 is assembled into the vehicle body Bo, and the robot 1-Ro is assembled into the vehicle body Bo.
The arm 10 of the robot Ro is installed so that it can move back and forth between the working position and the retreat position along a guide 98 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the robot Ro.
The rear seat 97 gripped by the robot robot 0 is automatically incorporated into the vehicle body Bo by the forward movement of the robot robot Ro and the operation of the arm 100.

If some kind of failure occurs in the robot RO, the robot RO is retreated to the retreat position and can be manually attached to the rear seat 97 to the vehicle body BO. This allows the assembly line Li to continue operating even if the robot RO breaks down, and also facilitates maintenance of the robot RO itself.

With the above steps, the entire assembly process is completed, and the completed vehicle on the barrette (Pa) advances to the separation position M on the conveyance path 2.

■ At the separation position M, the completed vehicle is separated from the barrezo (Pa) and transported to the inspection site, while the self-propelled trolley Tr is installed underground with the barrette (barrezo) Pa on it.The lifting platform 101 (first)
(same as the elevator platform 89 in the figure). Then, it is lowered together with the vertical movement conveyance path 2I and placed on a turntable 102 (same as the turntable 90 in Figure 1), and is self-propelled by turning the turntable 102 about 90 degrees (the 10th turn to the right). The trolley Tr is moved from above the rotary conveyance path 2□ to the underground conveyance path 2□. Run on top of the turntable 103 (
The lifting platform 104 (same as the turntable 9o in Figure 1) and further turned by approximately 90 degrees (No. 10 turning to the right) is located at the aforementioned starting position A (the lifting platform 8 in Figure 1).
(same as 9) is transferred to the top and waits. Then, the painted vehicle body Bo is placed on the waiting self-propelled trolley Tr again and runs on the conveyance path 2 to the assembly line, and the above-mentioned assembly process is repeated.

C0 Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, the vehicle body is conveyed along a conveyance path provided from the start end to the end end approximately along the assembly line, and parts other than the lower parts of the vehicle body are assembled. In addition, since the vehicle body is suspended and transported only when the undercarriage is assembled by relying on an overhead conveyor installed in a section of the assembly line, the means for transporting the vehicle body on the assembly line is significantly reduced. It is simplified and equipment costs can be significantly reduced.

In addition, automated assembly zones and manual assembly zones can be freely laid out along the assembly line, greatly improving overall assembly work efficiency and increasing the degree of freedom in organizing the assembly line process. .

In addition, when a trouble occurs with an automatic machine such as a robot, it can be immediately replaced by manual labor, which does not affect the assembly work and also facilitates the maintenance of the automatic machine.

Furthermore, since the car body is positioned on a self-propelled cart or on a hanger on an overhead conveyor via a pallet, the car body is not damaged during positioning and transportation, and the positioning of the car body is accurate when assembling parts. This makes it possible to assemble parts with higher precision.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a self-propelled cart and a pallet that are directly used in the assembly method of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pallet on the self-propelled cart. 3 is a rear view of the self-propelled cart and pallet taken along line m-m in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a plan view of the pallet, self-propelled cart, and vehicle body positioning device; The figures are a rear view of the pallet, self-propelled cart, and vehicle body positioning device taken along line V-V in Figure 4, Figure 6 is a plan view of half the pallet, and Figure 7 is taken along line ■-■ in Figure 6. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the pallet half taken along the line ■-■ in FIG. 6, and FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle body alignment mechanism seen from the arrow in FIG. 6. , Fig. 10 is an overall schematic plan view of the parts assembly line for the car body, Fig. 1) is a perspective view of the car body lift position along the XI arrow in Fig. 10, and Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the car body lift position along the xn arrow in Fig. 1O. A perspective view of the delivery position of the uneven conveyance rail of the car body along,
Figure 1) is a perspective view of the rear seat assembly section taken along the arrow XI in Figure 10. B, D, H, J, L... 1st to 5th automated assembly zones as automated assembly zones, C, G, K... 1st to 3rd manual assembly zones as manual assembly zones, OI - 0,
4...Automated assembly station, h...pin hole, A
j...Vehicle body alignment mechanism, Li...Assembly line, Lp...
...Vehicle positioning device, Pa...Pallet, RO...
・Robot, Tr...Self-propelled trolley

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A conveyance path arranged from the start end to the end almost along the assembly line; An automated assembly zone and a manual assembly zone that are mixedly arranged along the assembly line; Each automatic assembly in the automated assembly zone an automatic machine such as a robot that is arranged to be able to advance and retreat from the station; a self-propelled cart that is self-propelled along the conveyance path and is equipped with a swivel base that can be raised and lowered and rotated; , a pallet for integrally positioning and supporting the vehicle body on its upper surface; a vehicle body positioning device for positioning and fixing the self-propelled cart together with the pallet at each automatic assembly station in the automated assembly zone; 1. A vehicle assembly device comprising an overhead conveyor for lifting and transporting a vehicle body together with a pallet from a self-propelled trolley over a partial section of the vehicle. (2) In the vehicle assembly apparatus according to claim (1), the self-propelled truck includes a truck frame that is movably mounted on the conveyance path; It consists of an elevating table that is supported so as to be movable up and down, and a swivel table that is supported on the elevating table so that it can rotate around a vertical axis, and on the swivel table, a pallet for positioning and supporting the vehicle body is removably positioned. A vehicle assembly device characterized by having a plurality of protruding reference pins for fixing. (3) In the vehicle assembly apparatus according to claim (1), the pallet is a pair of pallets that are removably positioned and fixed to a swivel platform on a self-propelled truck that travels along the conveyance path. Each of these pallet halves has a car body positioning pin protruding from one end thereof, which can be removably inserted into a pin hole drilled in the bottom of the car body, and the other end of each of these pallet halves has is provided with a vehicle body alignment mechanism for pressing and clamping both sides of the bottom of the vehicle body on the swivel platform and cooperating with the vehicle body positioning pin to align and adjust the vertical center line of the self-propelled truck and the vertical center line of the vehicle body. A vehicle assembly device characterized in that: