JPS6347673B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automobile assembly method and an automobile assembly apparatus, and in particular to an automobile assembly line in which a door is removed from a vehicle body, outfitted and assembled separately from the vehicle body, and then reassembled to the vehicle body. Regarding improvements.

Traditionally, as a method of assembling this type of automobile,
For example, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 53-8884, right and left doors are removed from the car body at the beginning of the automobile assembly line, and the fittings are assembled separately from the car body, and then the fittings are assembled after the middle of the automobile assembly line. A method is known in which the rear door is returned to the automobile assembly line and assembled onto the vehicle body.

By the way, in such an assembly method, the left and right doors are removed from the car body at the same time at the door removal station on the car assembly line, and after the left and right doors are outfitted and assembled, they are removed at the same time at the door installation station on the car assembly line. Must be assembled to the vehicle body.

Therefore, in the conventional system described above, the two conveyors that transport the left and right doors, which have been removed from the vehicle body separately, and are assembled to the vehicle body after being outfitted, are synchronized along the vehicle assembly line. It was arranged so that it could be moved. Therefore,
Space is required to install two conveyors, which limits the space within the assembly factory and increases costs.

Therefore, in order to deal with the above problem, a single power-and-free type conveyor is installed along both sides of the automobile assembly line and in a U-turn across the line at the door removal station. At the station, it is conceivable to unify the conveyor by branching the line to the left and right, running along the left and right sides of the line, and then converging. However, in this case, in order to enable simultaneous installation of the left and right doors at the door installation station, it is necessary to fast-forward the U-turn section of the conveyor at the door removal station and convey the left and right doors to the branch section of the conveyor almost simultaneously. However, it requires a control mechanism to variably control the conveyance speed of the conveyor, has an extremely complicated structure, and requires the use of a power-and-free type conveyor, which has the drawback of high cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and the left and right doors are synchronously transferred to one conveyor one after another at a predetermined interval in a door removal station of an automobile assembly line, and the doors are removed in this order. After outfitting is assembled, left and right doors are supplied to the door installation station of an automobile assembly line by a single conveyor in synchronization with the left and right sides of the line, thereby eliminating the need for a complicated control mechanism and reducing assembly efficiency. The purpose of the present invention is to make it possible to effectively utilize the installation space, simplify the structure, and reduce costs by using only one conveyor.

In order to achieve this object, the structure of the method of the present invention is such that the left and right doors are removed at the beginning of the automobile assembly line, and the left and right doors are outfitted separately from the vehicle body, and then the doors after the outfitting and assembling are assembled into the automobile after the middle of the automobile assembly line. A method of assembling automobiles by returning them to the line and assembling them into the vehicle body, which comprises a series of transfer conveyors arranged along both sides of the line and making a U-turn across the line at the door removal station of the automobile assembly line. Move in synchronization with the line,
At the U-turn section of the transfer conveyor, the left and right doors are simultaneously removed from the vehicle body and transferred to the door placement sections of the transfer conveyor located on the left and right sides of the vehicle assembly line. A series of assembly conveyors arranged along both sides of the line and in a U-turn across the line are moved in synchronization with the line at the door installation station, and the vehicle assembly is carried out at the U-turn section of the assembly conveyor. By removing the left and right doors from the door placement parts of the assembly conveyors located on the left and right sides of the line at the same time and assembling them to the vehicle body, the left and right doors can be efficiently removed from the vehicle body by one conveyor. , the rigging was assembled, and then reassembled to the vehicle body.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an automobile assembly apparatus that can be used directly to carry out the above-described assembly method of the present invention.

That is, the assembly apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus used in the above-mentioned method of assembling a car, and includes a door removal station for initially removing the left and right doors from the car body, and a door for assembling the left and right doors to the car body after an intermediate stage. An automobile assembly line having a mounting station and a door removal station of the automobile assembly line are arranged in a series along both sides of the line and in a U-turn astride the line, and move in synchronization with the line. At the U-turn section, the left and right doors removed from the car body of the automobile assembly line are equipped with a transfer conveyor having door placement sections at predetermined spacing positions that can simultaneously transfer the left and right doors removed from the vehicle body of the automobile assembly line. The door fitting assembly line for assembling and the door installation station of the automobile assembly line are arranged in a series along both sides of the line and in a U-turn astride the line, and move in synchronization with the line.
and an assembly conveyor having door mounting portions at predetermined spacing positions so that the left and right doors outfitted and assembled on the door outfitting assembly line can be assembled to the car body on the automobile assembly line at the same time in the turn section. It is characterized by: Here, the transfer conveyor and the assembly conveyor may be a continuous conveyor or may be separate conveyors.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

The drawings show an example in which the present invention is applied to a four-door type automobile. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an automobile assembly line, and the automobile assembly line 1 consists of a car body trim line 1a, a car body assembly line 1b, and a final line 1c, which are successively installed in the initial stage of the automobile assembly line 1. At the starting end of the vehicle body trim line 1a), each front and rear door LF on the left and right from the vehicle body S,
A door removal station 2 is provided for removing LR, RF, and RR, and after the middle of the automobile assembly line 1 (midway of the final line 1c), the left and right doors are removed from the vehicle body S and after the outfitting assembly described below. A door mounting station 3 is provided for reassembling the doors LF, LR, RF, and RR to the vehicle body S. Therefore, at the beginning of the automobile assembly line 1, the left and right doors LF, LR, RF, and RR are removed from the vehicle body S, and the vehicle body S is outfitted and assembled. The left and right doors LF, LR, RF, and RR are assembled.

On the other hand, reference numeral 4 denotes a large number of door mounting parts A 1 , A ₂ consisting of bangers for transferring the left and right doors LF, LR, RF, and RR removed from the vehicle body S at the door removal station ₂ of the automobile assembly line 1. ，…A _o ，…
A series of transfer conveyors consisting of trolley conveyors that move in synchronization with the line 1 (vehicle body trim line 1a), the transfer conveyor 4
As shown in detail in FIG. 2, the line 1 (vehicle body trim line 1a) is disposed at the door removal station 2 along both sides of the line 1 (vehicle body trim line 1a) and in a U-turn across the line 1 (vehicle body trim line 1a). The left and right doors LF, LR, RF, and RR removed at the door removal station 2 are transported to a transfer station 5 where they are transferred to an assembly conveyor 7, which will be described later. In addition, each door placement portion A ₁ , A ₂ , ... A _o , ... of the transfer conveyor 4
are in pairs as shown in Figure 4, for example, the left and right front doors are placed on the door rests A _o and A _o+1.
RF and LF are transferred to the door placement parts A _o+2 and A _o+3 respectively, and the left and right rear doors RR and LR are transferred in order to the door placement parts A o+2 and A o+3, respectively, and each pair of door placement parts A _o and A _o+1 The doors are hung with their backs facing each other, and there is a cushioning material 6 between them to prevent collisions between the two.
is installed vertically.

Each of the door placement parts A ₁ , A ₂ , A _o , . . . is provided in pairs at equal intervals, and is located on the left and right sides of the trim line 1a in the U-turn part 4a of the transfer conveyor 4. There are left and right doors on the door loading sections A ₁ , A ₂ , ... A _o , ... of the transfer conveyor 4, respectively.
The LF, LR, RF, and RR are placed at predetermined intervals so that they can be removed and transferred from the vehicle body S at the same time.

Further, 7 denotes left and right doors LF, LR,
The RF and RR are transferred at the transfer station 5 and transferred to the above automobile assembly line 1 (final line 1c).
It has a large number of door placement parts B ₁ , B ₂ , ...B _o , ... consisting of hangers to be conveyed to the door installation station 3 of A series of assembly conveyors, the assembly conveyor 7
is the transfer station 5 of the transfer conveyor 4.
A door outfitting assembly line 8 is constructed in which the left and right doors LF, LR, RF, and RR, which have been transferred in the above order, are transported in a U-turn with the door inner panels facing inside, and the outfitting is assembled during that time. At the same time, as shown in detail in FIG. 3, they are arranged along both sides of the final line 1c at the door mounting station 3, and in a U-turn astride the line 1c. Further, each door mounting portion B ₁ , B ₂ , ...B _o , ... of the assembly conveyor 7 is connected to the final line 1 at the U-turn portion 7a of the assembly conveyor 7.
left and right doors from the door placement parts B ₁ , B ₂ , ...B _o , ... of the assembly conveyor 7 located on the left and right of c
The LF, LR, RF, and RR are arranged at predetermined intervals so that they can be removed and assembled to the vehicle body S at the same time.

Next, to explain the assembly method, for example, the left and right doors LF _o , which are white bodies, are transported to the automobile assembly line 1 at the nth time.
The car body S _o with LR _o , RF _o , and RR _o assembled is removed from the car body S _o by the left and right doors LF _o , LR _o ,
RF _o and RR _o are removed at the same time.

The car body S _o from which the left and right doors LF _o , LR _o , RF _o , and RR _o have been removed is then moved to the car body trim line 1 a of the automobile assembly line 1 and the car body assembly line 1
After the equipment is assembled via step b, it reaches the door mounting station 3 on the final line 1c.

Meanwhile, the removed left and right doors LF _o , LR _o , RF _o ,
RR _o each at the same time, above trim line 1a
The items are transferred to predetermined door placement parts A ₁ , A ₂ , . . . A _o , . Now, to specifically explain with reference to FIG. 2, a-b of the U-turn portion 4a of the transfer conveyor 4
There are 16 door rests A _o to A _o+15 between them, and door rest A _o+1 located on the left side of line 1a has the left door LF _o , and A _o+3 has the left door LR _o. However, the door mounting area A _o+12 located on the right side of line 1a also has the right door.
RF _o is placed on A _o+14 , and RR _o is placed on A o+14. In addition, the door of the (n-3)th vehicle body S _o-3 is placed in the door placement part A _o .
RF _o-3 , A _o+2 has RR _o-3 , and A _o+4 has (n
−2) The door RF _o-2 of the vehicle body S _o-2 is on A _o+6.
RR _o-2 is placed on each. Moreover, the doors LF o+1 and LR _{o+ 1 of the next (n+1)th vehicle body S o+ 1} are placed on A _o+5 and A _o+7 later. moreover
A _o+8 and A _o+10 are (n-1)th car body S _o-1
Doors RF _o-1 and RR _o-1 are installed,
A _o+9 and A _o+11 have the (n+2)th car body S _o+2
doors LFn+2 and LR _o+2 , and doors of the (n+3)th vehicle body S _o+3 on A _o+13 and A _o+15.
LF _o+3 and LR _o+3 are placed after each.

Each door transferred in this way LF _o , LR _o , RF _o ,
RR _o is the above predetermined interval order (LF _o on A _o+1 , LF o on A _o+3)
LR _o , RF _o on A _o+12 , and RR _o on A _o+14 ) are transported to the transfer station 5 by the transfer conveyor 4. Thereafter, they are transferred to the assembly conveyor 7 in the above-mentioned order at the transfer station 5, and while being conveyed by the assembly conveyor 7, they are each outfitted and assembled on the door outfitting assembly line 8.
It is transported to the door mounting station 3 on the final line 1c.

At this door mounting station 3, the line 1c at the U-turn portion 7a of the assembly conveyor 7, which moves in synchronization with the final line 1c, is attached to the vehicle body S _o after outfitting assembly on the final line 1c.
Predetermined door placement parts B ₁ , B ₂ ,... located on the left and right sides of
B _o ,... are each door LF _o , LR _o , after outfitting assembly.
RF _o and RR _o are placed correspondingly. As a result, the predetermined door placement portions B ₁ , B ₂ ,...B _o ,
…from the left and right doors LF _o , LR _o , RF _o ,
RR _o was removed at the same time and assembled to the vehicle body S _o . Now, to specifically explain with reference to FIG. 3, since the items are transferred to the assembly conveyor 7 in the above order, the U-turn section 7a of the assembly conveyor 7 is
Between a' and b', there are the same number of door loading sections (16) as between a and b of the U-turn section 4a of the transfer conveyor 4.
There are B _o to _{B o+15} , and the left door LF _o is on the door mounting part B _o+1 located on the left side of line 1c, the LR _o is on B _o+3 , and the left side door is on the right side of line 1c. The right door RF _o is located on the door rest B _o+12 , and the RR _o is on B _o+14.
is placed. In addition, in this case as well, the door placement part
In B _o , the door RF _o-3 of the (n-3)th car body S _o is
RR _o-3 is on B _o+2 , door RF _o-2 of the (n-2)th car body S _o-2 is on B _o+4 , and RR o _-2 is on B _o+6. ,
Furthermore, in B _o+8 , the door of the (n-1)th vehicle body S _o-1
RF _o-1 was installed on B o+10, and RR _o-1 was installed on B _o+10 , but they have already been assembled to the corresponding car bodies S _o-3 , S _o-2 , and S _o-1 . . In addition, doors LF _o+ 1 and _{LR o+1} of the next (n+1)th vehicle body S o+1 are placed on B o ₊₅ and B _o+ 7, and doors LF o+1 and LR _{o+1 of the next (n+1)th car body S o+1} are placed on B _o+9 and B _o+11. (n+2)
The doors LF _o+2 and LR _o+2 of the th car body S _o+2 , and the doors LF o+2 and LR _{o+2 of} the th car body S o+2, and the doors of the (n+3)th car body
Doors LF _{o+ 3} and LR _{o+3 of S o+3} are placed respectively, and later the corresponding car bodies S _o+1 , S _o+2 , S _o+3
is assembled.

In addition, the U-turn portion 7 of the assembly conveyor 7
Line length between a′ and b′ of a and U of transfer conveyor 4
The line lengths between a and b of the turn section 4a do not need to be equal, and it is sufficient that the number of door placement sections therebetween is equal, and the transfer conveyor 4 is connected to the trim line 1a and the assembly conveyor 7. may be moved in synchronization with the final line 1c.

Therefore, in this way, the left and right doors LF, LR, RF, and RR are removed from the car body S at the same time at the door removal station 2 at the beginning of the automobile assembly line 1.
Transfer to the book conveyor (transfer conveyor 4),
After each outfit is assembled, it can be supplied to the door installation station 3 midway through the automobile assembly line 1 using one conveyor (assembly conveyor 7) and reassembled to the vehicle body S at the same time. It requires less installation space, and space within the assembly factory can be used effectively.

Further, it is only necessary to move the transfer conveyor 4 to the vehicle body trim line 1a and the assembly conveyor 7 to the final line 1c in synchronization with each other, and a complicated control mechanism such as a variable conveyance speed control mechanism is not required. In addition, since it is possible to use a simple and inexpensive trolley conveyor, the structure is simple and it can be implemented at low cost.

Furthermore, it is only necessary to transfer the left and right doors LF, LR, RF, and RR to the transfer conveyor 4 in a predetermined interval order, and then supply them in that order to the door installation station 3 on the assembly conveyor 7. The line length at the U-turn section 4a of the conveyor 4 is
Since they can be effectively used as A ₁ , A _{2 ,} .

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but also includes various other modifications. For example, in the above embodiment, the door outfitting assembly line 8 is provided on the assembly conveyor 7 side, but it is of course possible to provide it on the transfer conveyor 4 side.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the automobile assembly line 1
It consists of three lines: a car body trim line 1a, a car body assembly line 1b, and a final line 1c, and includes a transfer conveyor 4 and an assembly conveyor 7.
Although these are configured as separate conveyors, the automobile assembly line 1 may be configured as a series of lines, and the transfer conveyor 4 and the assembly conveyor 7 may be configured as continuous conveyors. In this case, the left and right doors LF, LR, RF, and RR are directly conveyed from the door removal station 2 to the door installation station 3 by the conveyor in a predetermined interval order. The line length and the number of door mounts must be set equal to the line length of the U-turn section and the number of door mounts at the door mounting station 3, respectively.

As explained above, according to the method for assembling a car of the present invention, by using a single conveyor, it is possible to assemble a car efficiently while simplifying the structure, reducing costs, and making effective use of space. It is something.

Further, the automobile assembly apparatus of the present invention makes it possible to realize the above-mentioned efficient automobile assembly.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an overall schematic plan view of an automobile assembly line, FIGS. 2 and 3 are partial detailed views of a door removal station and a door installation station of the automobile assembly line, FIG. 4 is a side view showing the structure of the door placement part of the transfer conveyor. 1...Automobile assembly line, 1a...Vehicle body trim line, 1b...Vehicle assembly line, 1c...Final line, 2...Door removal station, 3...Door installation station, 4...Transfer conveyor, 4
a...U-turn part, 7...assembly conveyor, 7a...
U-turn section, 8...Door fitting assembly line, A ₁ , A ₂ ,
...A _o ...Door placement part, B ₁ , B ₂ , ...B _o ...Door placement part, S...Vehicle body, LF...Left front door, LR...Left rear door, RF...Right front door, RR...Right rear door.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. At the beginning of the automobile assembly line, left and right doors are removed and outfitted and assembled separately from the vehicle body, and then, at some point in the automobile assembly line, the doors after outfitting and assembly are returned to the automobile assembly line and assembled on the vehicle body. A method for assembling automobiles, which involves moving a series of transfer conveyors arranged along both sides of the line and in a U-turn across the line at the door removal station of the automobile assembly line in synchronization with the line. let me,
At the U-turn section of the transfer conveyor, the left and right doors are simultaneously removed from the vehicle body and transferred to the door placement sections of the transfer conveyor located on the left and right sides of the vehicle assembly line. A series of assembly conveyors arranged in a U-turn along both sides of the line and across the line at the door installation station of the vehicle are moved in synchronization with the line, and at the U-turn section of the assembly conveyor, the vehicle A method for assembling an automobile, characterized in that the left and right doors are simultaneously removed from the door placement portions of assembly conveyors located on the left and right sides of an assembly line, and then assembled to the vehicle body. 2. An automobile assembly line that has a door removal station that initially removes the left and right doors from the car body, and a door installation station that assembles the left and right doors to the car body afterward, and a door removal station on both sides of the line that The U-turn is arranged in a series along the line and straddles the line, and moves in synchronization with the line.
At the turn section, a transfer conveyor having door placement sections at predetermined spacing positions that can simultaneously transfer the left and right doors removed from the vehicle body of the automobile assembly line, and the removed left and right doors are assembled together. The door fitting assembly line is arranged in a series with U-turns along both sides of the line and straddles the line at the door installation station of the above-mentioned automobile assembly line, and moves in synchronization with the line, and makes a U-turn. and an assembly conveyor having door mounting portions at predetermined spacing positions so that the left and right doors outfitted on the door outfitting assembly line can be assembled to the vehicle body on the automobile assembly line at the same time. An automobile assembly device characterized by: 3. The automobile assembly apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transfer conveyor and the assembly conveyor are continuous. 4. The automobile assembly apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transfer conveyor and the assembly conveyor are separate conveyors.