JPH0152234B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates to a side member positioning device in a vehicle body assembly process, etc., and in particular to a positioning device that allows the side member to be conveyed and positioned with the side member maintained in the mounting position on the vehicle from beginning to end. Regarding equipment.

Prior Art Conventionally, in the process of assembling a vehicle body, a device for automatically positioning a side member on an underbody, which is an example of a central member, was developed, for example, by
As in the invention described in Publication No. 49194, the side member must be set at least once in a different attitude from the one in which it is attached to the vehicle, and then rotated, and only through this rotation can the side member be placed in the attitude in which it is attached to the underbody, that is, in the vertical position. It was starting to be set. Therefore, in the device disclosed in Figure 1 of the above publication,
It had the following shortcomings:

(1) Since the frame including the side member receiving piece rotates without moving in the horizontal direction, the side member is likely to be incorrectly positioned with respect to the underbody.

(2) Since the positioning of the side members and the underbody in the vehicle vertical direction and the vehicle width direction is simultaneously performed by rotating the frame, it is not possible to independently adjust the assembly in the vehicle vertical direction or width direction, making adjustment very difficult.

(3) If accuracy defects occur in the frame's spindle, it is difficult to guarantee accuracy.

(4) Since the side members and underbody are aligned by circular motion around the support shaft, the vehicle body structure is restricted.

(5) A large amount of power is required to vertically rotate the weight of the side members, receiving piece, frame, spot welding gun, wiring, piping, etc.

(6) Since the support shaft is located below the side member and underbody, maintainability is poor in the event of a failure of the support shaft.

Furthermore, in the device disclosed in FIGS. 2 to 5 of the above-mentioned publication, the side member is received horizontally, and the side member is rotated 90 degrees by a vertical rotation mechanism attached to the frame and then moved horizontally. Since the positioning is done on the underbody, problems (1), (2), (3), (4) and (6) above are solved, but problem (5), namely rotation of the side member, is solved. The problem of requiring a large amount of power remained, and the following drawbacks also occurred.

(7) Since the vertical rotation mechanism is built into the horizontal slide mechanism, the structure is complicated and maintainability is poor.

Purpose The present invention has been made to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and its purpose is to grip and transport a pair of side members in a vertical position, that is, in a position where they are attached to a vehicle. By providing a conveying mechanism for delivering and receiving the side members, the side members can be positioned on the central member only by vertical and horizontal movement without rotating them even once. This prevents positioning errors, makes it possible to independently adjust the position of the side members in the vertical and width directions of the vehicle, facilitates assembly adjustment, and improves the accuracy of assembly of the side members to the center member. Along with improving
The goal is to eliminate constraints on vehicle body structures.
Another purpose is to significantly reduce driving force and energy efficiency by eliminating the need for vertical rotation of the side members, as well as to simplify the structure and improve maintainability. .

Summary In short, the present invention provides an automatic machine that automatically positions a pair of side members on both sides of a central member and welds the side members to the central member, and in which the pair of side members are attached to the central member. a transport mechanism that transports and delivers the side members while gripping them in the same vertical position; a support mechanism that guides and supports the lower end of the side member transported by the transport mechanism to a vertical position; The present invention is characterized by comprising a positioning mechanism that receives a side member, moves it in a horizontal direction, and positions the side member at a mounting position with respect to the central member by horizontal movement.

Configuration The present invention will be described below based on embodiments shown in the drawings. Side member positioning device 1 according to the present invention
is an automatic machine that automatically positions a pair of side members 33L, 3R on both sides of an underbody 2, which is an example of a central member, and welds (spot welds) the side members to the underbody, and includes a transport mechanism 4,
It includes a support mechanism 5 and a positioning mechanism 6.

One transport mechanism 4 is provided, which is configured to grip the pair of side members 3L and 3R completed in other processes in the same vertical posture as the state in which they are attached to the underbody 2, and transport and deliver them from above. . On the other hand, the support mechanism 5 and the positioning mechanism 6 are provided in one set on the left and right sides, so only the left side will be explained, and for the right side, the same parts will be shown in the drawings. Reference numerals are given and explanations are omitted.

The transport mechanism 4 includes a transport platform 8, a suspension pantograph mechanism 9, a pair of air cylinders 10, and a pair of hooks 11.
is connected to the conveyor table 8 by a pin 12, and its upper part is connected to a hoist for ceiling travel (not shown), which moves from the left side in FIG. 1 and moves the conveyor table 8 up and down at the position shown. It is configured to be expandable and retractable so that it can be moved. The air cylinders 10 are fixed to the conveyor table 8, and the piston rods 13 are configured to be slidable left and right from each air cylinder 10.
A hook 11 for gripping the upper end 3a of the side member 3 is fixed to the tip of the piston rod 13. In the illustrated embodiment, the hook 11 has a U-shaped groove 11a that is open at the top, but it can also be structured to completely grip and fix the upper end 3a of the side member 3. In the illustrated embodiment, a support arm (not shown) to prevent the side member 3 from swinging from side to side during transportation is attached so as to be freely retractable in the lateral direction. It is also possible to support the slightly upper part from the inside by suction or electromagnetic force.

The support mechanism 5 is configured to guide and support the lower end 3b of the side member 3 transported by the transport mechanism 4 to a predetermined position, and includes an air cylinder 15 fixed to the base 14 and a piston rod of the air cylinder. The guide 18 includes a cam surface 18a that the lower end 3b of the side member 3 contacts and slides under its own weight to guide the side member 3 to a predetermined position in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Horizontal surface 18b on which the lower end 3b of 3 is placed.
It is equipped with

The positioning mechanism 6 includes the transport mechanism 4 and the support mechanism 5.
The side member 3 is received from the side member 3 and moved horizontally to position the side member 3 at a mounting position relative to the underbody 2 by horizontal movement, and is slidable on a guide rail 19 fixed to the base 14. Fitted upright frame 20
is fixed to the guide rail 19, and its maximum stroke moves the frame 20 to the first horizontal position P ₁
The first air cylinder 21 for moving up to
and the piston rod 23 of the first air cylinder.
One end 24a of the piston rod 24 is attached to one end 23a.
A second air cylinder 22 is connected to and fixed to the lower end 20a of the frame 20 to move the frame 20 to the second horizontal position _P2 by its maximum stroke, and an upper end 20b of the frame 20.
A pin 6 is attached to a receiving piece 25 that protrudes from the
An air cylinder 29 is attached to one end 28a.
The clamp member 28 is connected to one end 30a of the piston rod 30 by a pin 31 and is configured to clamp the upper end 3a of the side member 3.
A clamp member 32 similar to the clamp member 28 for supporting the intermediate portion 3c of the side member 3 is provided at an intermediate position of the frame 20 so as to be able to swing freely in the horizontal direction, and near the lower end is a clamp member 32 that supports the intermediate portion 3c of the side member 3. A support member 33 is attached to support the vicinity. Further, the base 14 is provided with a pair of positioning members 34 having pins 34a for positioning the underbody 2.

Effects The present invention is configured as described above, and its effects will be explained below. When the underbody 2 is sent from the front side in the drawing and is positioned by the positioning pin 34a of the positioning member 34 and stopped, the air cylinder 15 of the support mechanism 5 is activated, the piston rod 16 is raised to the maximum stroke, and the guide 18 has risen to the position shown by the solid line and stopped, and the positioning mechanism 6 causes the frame 20 to wait at the start position P ₀ without operating the first and second air cylinders 21 and 22 at all, and moves the air cylinder 29 to the position indicated by the solid line. The piston rod 3 also does not work.
0 has been retracted, and the clamp member 28 is stopped at a position rotated clockwise in the figure, as shown by the solid line.

In the conveyance mechanism 4, an air cylinder 10 is actuated to grip a pair of side members 3L and 3R in the vehicle posture with a hook 11, convey them upward, and place them in the center of the underbody 2. When the pantograph mechanism 9 reaches the position shown by the solid line, it stops, and the pantograph mechanism 9 extends and the conveyance platform 8 descends until it reaches the position shown by the solid line and stops. , and then slides down on the cam surface 18a to reach the horizontal surface 18b.
The vertical position and horizontal position of the side member 3 with respect to the vehicle are determined.

Next, the first air cylinder 2 of the positioning mechanism 6
1 is actuated and its piston rod 23 is extended to its maximum stroke, which causes the frame 20 to move with the second air cylinder 22 to the first horizontal position.
It moves to _P1 and stops, and at this position _P1 , the air cylinder 29 is actuated, the piston rod 30 protrudes, and the clamp member 28 rotates counterclockwise to clamp the upper end 3a of the side member 3.
At this time, since the side member 3 is still backed up by the hook 11 and the guide 18, the side member is completely clamped by the clamp member 28. The side member 3 is then ready to be transferred from the transport mechanism 4 and the support mechanism 5 to the positioning mechanism 6.

Therefore, the transport mechanism 4 generally lowers the transport platform 8 to the position shown by the imaginary line, removes the hook 11 from the upper end 3a of the side member 3, operates the air cylinder 10 to retract the hook 11, and then raises it.
It heads to another process for transporting the next side member 3.

On the other hand, the support mechanism 5 also operates the air cylinder 15 to lower the guide 18 to the position shown by the imaginary line. This completes the delivery of the side member 3 to the positioning mechanism 6. In this case, the side member 3 is supported near the intermediate portion 3c and lower end 3b by support members 32 and 33, respectively.

Therefore, the second air cylinder 2 of the positioning mechanism 6
2 is activated and its piston rod 24 protrudes to its maximum stroke, the second air cylinder itself moves horizontally together with the frame 20, and the second air cylinder itself moves horizontally together with the frame 20.
0 to the second horizontal position _P2 and stop.
At this position P ₂ , the side members 3L and 3R are in close contact with both sides of the underbody 2 and are placed in the correct mounting position in the vertical and horizontal directions of the vehicle, and their lower ends 3b and the like are spot welded to the underbody 2.

When the spot welding is completed, the air cylinder 29 is activated and the clamp member 28 is attached to the upper end 3 of the side member 3.
Similarly, the clamp member 32 is removed from the intermediate portion 3.
deviate from c. Then, the second air cylinder 22 is actuated to return the frame 20 to the first horizontal position _P1 , and the first air cylinder 21 is further actuated to return the frame to the starting position _P0 .

The underbody 2 with the side members 3 assembled thereon is sent to the next process on the opposite side of the paper, and the same operation is repeated thereafter.

As described above, according to the present invention, the side member 3
Since the vehicle is transported, handed over, and positioned from the beginning in the same vehicle position, there is no need to rotate it at all during the process.

Effects Since the present invention is configured and operates as described above, the pair of side members can be placed in a vertical position.
In other words, since a conveyance mechanism is provided that conveys and delivers the side members by gripping them while the side members are attached to the vehicle, the side members can be positioned on the central member only by vertical and horizontal movement, without rotating the side members even once. Inadequate positioning can be prevented, and the position of the side member in the vehicle vertical direction and width direction can be adjusted independently, which has the effect of facilitating assembly adjustment. Further, as described above, the accuracy of assembling the side members to the central member is improved, and furthermore, it is possible to obtain the effect of eliminating restrictions on the vehicle body structure. Further, since vertical rotation of the side members is no longer necessary, driving force can be significantly reduced, and the structure can be simplified and maintainability can be improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a side member positioning device according to the present invention. 1 is a side member positioning device, 2 is an underbody which is an example of a central member, 3, 3L, 3R are side members, 4 is a transport mechanism, 5 is a support mechanism, and 6 is a positioning mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an automatic machine that automatically positions a pair of side members on both sides of a central member and welds the side members to the central member, the pair of side members are gripped in the same vertical posture as the state in which they are attached to the central member. a transport mechanism that transports and delivers the side member, a support mechanism that guides and supports the lower end of the side member transported by the transport mechanism to a predetermined position, and a support mechanism that receives the side member from the transport mechanism and the support mechanism in a horizontal direction. and a positioning mechanism for horizontally moving the side member to a mounting position relative to the central member.