JPH0370589B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a jig changing device in an automatic welding device used, for example, in assembling an automobile body. The present invention relates to a device in which a welding jig of an automatic welding device installed on the side of a welding station midway through a workpiece conveyance path for welding the workpiece to another workpiece, such as a side panel, is replaceable.

(Prior Art) As a conventional device of this type, according to Japanese Patent Publication No. 12114/1983 filed by the applicant, a welding jig was installed on a switching rail connected to a transport rail on a workpiece transport path via a switch. A plurality of removable exchange carts are arranged, and the empty exchange carts are first transported from the shunting rail to the welding station via the transport rail, and the welding jig attached to the automatic welding equipment is removed. The welding jig is transferred to the exchange cart, and then the exchange cart holding the welding jig to be used next is transferred to the transport rail and transported to the welding station, and the welding jig is transferred to the automatic welding device to replace the jig. Those who choose to do will be known.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the above-mentioned method, it takes a long time to replace the jig due to the replacement of the replacement cart to the transport rail, etc., and a large space is required for laying the replacement rail, which takes up a lot of floor space in the factory. This poses an obstacle to the effective use of resources.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve this problem, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device that utilizes the space above the workpiece conveyance path as a stock space for jigs to efficiently perform replacement work. .

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a welding jig of an automatic welding device installed on the side of a welding station in the middle of a workpiece conveyance path, which is replaceable. A stock frame on which a plurality of frames for removably holding welding jigs are placed is provided in the space above the conveyance path, and a lift opening for the frames is formed in a portion of the stock frame facing the welding station. The present invention is characterized in that an arbitrary frame on the stock frame can be raised and lowered between the welding station and the welding station through the lift opening by means of a transfer crane provided above the stock frame.

(Example) The present invention will be explained with reference to the illustrated example in which the present invention is applied to jig replacement of an automatic welding device for assembling automobile bodies.

In the drawing, reference numeral 1 indicates a workpiece transport path, and a welding station A is provided in the middle of the transport path 1, and automatic welding devices 2, 2 are arranged on both sides of the welding station A, and the welding station B is provided, and both stations A are provided. ,B
A lower floor setting jig 3 and an upper roof setting jig 4 are provided between them so as to be reciprocally movable, and both the jigs 3,
4, the floor W ₁ and the roof W ₂ of the automobile body are transported from the set station B to the welding station A, and the side panels W ₃ and W ₃ on both sides of the automobile body are transferred to the welding station A and the automatic welding devices 2 and 2 are transferred to the welding station A. The parts were welded together using

As shown in FIG. 3, the automatic welding device 2 has a jig base 7 placed inside and outside between a pair of front and rear columns 6, 6 on a slide table 5 that is provided on the side of a welding station A and is movable laterally. A welding jig 8 is removably attached to the front surface of the jig base 7 using leg pieces 8a on the back side thereof and a lock cylinder 7a on the jig base 7. With the welding jig 8 inverted to the outward position, the side panel W ₃ is set on the welding jig 8 via the preset jig 10 provided in the preset device 9 on the outside thereof, and then The floor W ₁ and the roof W ₂ are assembled by reversing to the inward facing position, and these are welded together using a welding gun 8b provided in the welding jig 8.

The preset jig 10 can be attached to and detached from the preset device 9, and the jig can be replaced while docked to the welding jig 8 via the docking member 8c. is not particularly different from that described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-215264 filed by the present applicant.

The floor setting jig 3 is composed of a cart mounted on a conveyor rail 11 laid between the setting station B and the welding station A,
A floor W1 is set on the jig 3 via a floor loading device 12 consisting of a lifting rail 12a provided on the workpiece conveying path 1 behind the setting station B and a conveying bar 12b supported by the lifting rail _12a , and then After the jig 3 was moved to the welding station A, it was positioned and raised by a lifter 13 provided at the station A, and in this state the side panel _W3 was assembled to the floor _W1 .

Further, the roof setting jig 4 has two front and rear parts that grip the front and rear edges of the roof _W2 , as shown in FIG.
A jig base 17 is mounted on the lower surface of a roof conveyance platform 15 mounted on a rail 14 extending over both stations A and B above the workpiece conveyance path 1 via an elevating mechanism 16. The jig 4 is suspended and removably attached to the lower surface of the jig base 17 using a lock pin (not shown) on the upper surface and a lock cylinder 17a on the jig base 17,
The roof W ₂ is set on the jig 4 at the setting station B via a roof loading device (not shown), and then the conveyor table 15 is moved to the welding station A and the jig 4 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 16. The roof W ₂ is assembled from above onto the side panels W ₃ and W ₃ on both sides, which are held in a predetermined assembled state with respect to the floor W ₁ by respective welding jigs 8.

In the illustrated example, setting jigs 18 and 19 for the dart upper and rear tray are provided at the front and rear of the conveyance table 15, respectively, so that they can be raised and lowered, and the roof W ₂ is assembled simultaneously with the dart upper W ₄ and the rear tray.
W ₅ is assembled at a predetermined position between side panels W ₃ and W ₃ .

In the drawing, reference numeral 20 denotes a payout device consisting of a lifting rail 20a provided on the workpiece transfer path 1 in front of the welding station A and a transfer bar 20b supported by the lift rail 20a. 20 to the additional batting line.

The overall configuration of the automobile body assembly apparatus has been described above. According to the present invention, a stock frame is provided in which a plurality of frames 21 for removably holding welding jigs 8 are placed in the space above the workpiece conveyance path 1. 22 is provided, and an elevator opening 23 for the frame 21 is formed in the part of the stock frame 22 facing the welding station A, and any frame 21 on the stock frame 22 is moved by a transfer crane 24 provided above the stock frame 22. can be freely raised and lowered between the welding station A and the welding station A through the elevator opening 23.
In the illustrated example, a workpiece conveyance path 1 is surrounded by a welding station 2 extending from a welding station A to a setting station B.
An enclosing frame 25 with a story structure is provided, and the floor area of the second floor is set to a size that allows the mounting frames 21 to be placed in three horizontal rows of two in the front and back, as shown in FIG. The four legs 21a at the lower part of the pedestal 21 are arranged in a frame 22, and each of them receives the four lower legs 21a of the frame 21 at a total of five storage locations: on both sides of the rear half and the center, and on both sides of the front half in the transverse direction. The receiving seat 22a of the stock frame 22 is disposed, and the elevator opening 23 is formed in a portion directly above the welding station A at the lateral center of the front half. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a shutter 28 is provided which is moved back and forth by a motor 26 via a chain 27, and the elevator opening 23 can be opened and closed by the shutter 28.
8 are four seats 2 that receive the legs 21a of the frame 21.
8a, so that the pedestal 21 can be freely placed on the shutter 28 when the elevator opening 23 is closed.

The transport crane 24 includes a hoisting motor 29 and a magnetic brake 3 as shown in FIG.
A crane main body 33 equipped with a pair of left and right hoisting drums 32, 32 connected through a speed reducer 31 is provided on the ceiling of the second floor portion of the enclosure 25 so as to be movable back and forth and left and right. To explain this in more detail, there are rails 3 installed horizontally at the front and rear of the ceiling.
The crane main body 33 is mounted on longitudinally longitudinal rails 36, 36 on a trolley 35 mounted on cranes 4, 34, and the crane main body 33 is moved laterally by the drive motor 35a of the trolley 35. The crane body 33 is provided with a pair of left and right hook pieces 37a, 37a, which can be freely swung by each cylinder 37b, at the bottom of the crane main body 33. The members 37 are arranged in a pair of front and rear, and each hook member 37 is
Each wire 38 led out from each of the hoisting drums 32 is wound around a pair of left and right pulleys 37c, 37c on the upper part of the frame 21, and locking frames 21b, 21b are fixed in a U-shape before and after the upper end of the pedestal 21. and each locking frame 2
1b, both hook pieces 37 of each hook member 37
a, 37a can be freely engaged and detached, and thus the stock frame 2
The pedestal 21 on 2 is suspended by the transport crane 24 and transported onto the entrance 23.
As shown in FIG. 5, the frame 21 can be moved up and down between the welding station A and the welding station A. 39 in drawings
is the leg part 2 of the pedestal 21 installed in the welding station A.
A seat with a damper 39a for receiving 1a is shown.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the frame 21 has three first clamps on both sides that detachably hold the welding jigs 8 at two locations on the top and one location on the bottom. It is equipped with a member 40 ₁ ,
As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the clamp member ₄₀₁ is connected to a clamp bar 40b having an oblong enlarged head 40a at its tip, and a link 40c to the tail end of the bar 40b. The bar 40b
A cylinder 40d that is rotated by 90 degrees is provided, and a recessed hole 8d is formed at each of the locations of the welding jig 8, and an oblong through hole 8e corresponding to the enlarged head 40a is provided in the recessed hole 8d. If the locking plate portion 8f is formed and the slide table 5 of the automatic welding device 2 is advanced inward with the frame 21 placed on the welding station A as shown in FIG. The enlarged head 40a is inserted into the hole 8e, and then the bar 40b is inserted.
When rotated by 90°, the head 40a engages with the locking plate portion 8f, and the welding jig 8 locks these first clamp members 40.
₁ to the frame 21, and in this state, the back leg piece 8a of the welding jig 8 is released from the lock cylinder 7a on the jig base 7, and the slide base 5 is moved outward. Retract and remove the welding jig 8.
was moved to the pedestal 8. 40e in the drawing
40f indicates a locking pin that prevents the clamp bar 40b from rotating, and 40f indicates a lock release cylinder for the pin 40e.

The welding jig 8 is transferred to the pedestal 8 with the preset jig 10 docked thereon as described above.

Furthermore, in the illustrated example, a second clamp member ₄ having the same structure as the first clamp member 401 that removably holds the floor setting jig 3 is provided at the lower part of the pedestal 8.
0 ₂ and a third clamp member 40 ₃ for detachably holding the roof setting jig 4 on the top thereof,
The floor setting jig 3 is transported to the welding station A prior to the lowering of the pedestal 21, and the pedestal 21
After placing the jig 3 on the station A, the jig 3 is raised by the lifter 13 and fixed to the pedestal 21 by the second clamp member 40 ₂ , and the roof setting jig 4 is connected to the roof conveyance table 15 and the lifting mechanism. 16, the third clamp member 4 is placed on the pedestal 8.
₀₃ , and the jig 4 is unlocked by the lock cylinder 17a on the jig base 17 and transferred to the pedestal 8.

(Function) The function of the present invention will be explained based on the above embodiment. During operation of the assembly device, the position of the pedestal 21 on the stock frame 22 is changed by the transport crane 24, and the position of the pedestal 21 on the stock frame 22 is changed by the transport crane 24, An empty pedestal 21 is placed either on either side of the front half or in the center of the rear half of the 22, and a pedestal 21 loaded with a jig to be used next is placed on one of the remaining stock locations. In this case, if the elevator opening 23 is closed by the shutter 28 and the pedestal 21 can be placed on top of it as in the embodiment, the opening 23 can be replaced with the cradle 21. It can be used as a temporary storage place for the pedestal 21 during replacement, and it becomes possible to store one extra pedestal 21 on the stock frame 22. That is, without the shutter 28, even if the stock frame 22 has five stock locations, only four frames 21 can be stocked in order to secure the free space necessary for replacement. to increase the stock number to 5
This makes it possible to use it as a stand.

When exchanging the jig, first suspend the empty pedestal 21 by the transfer crane 24, open the elevator door 23, lower the pedestal 21 to the welding station A, leave the pedestal 21 in the station A, and move the pedestal 21 to the crane 24. Once the hook member 37 is pulled up, in this state, the welding jig 8, floor setting jig 3, and roof setting jig 4 are transferred to the pedestal 21 as described above, and then the hook member 37 is reengaged with the pedestal 21. Then, the crane 24 pulls up the pedestal 21 through the elevator opening 23 and returns it to its original stock location, and then the pedestal 21 is loaded with the jig to be used next.
1 is lowered to the station A by the crane 24 through the elevator opening 23 in the same manner as above, and the frame 2 is lowered.
Transfer the welding jig 8 on 1 to the jig base 7 of the automatic welding device 2, the floor setting jig 3 to the jig base 11, and the roof setting jig 4 to the jig base 17 of the roof conveyance platform 15, and empty them. The worn-out pedestal 21 is pulled up by the crane 24 through the elevator opening 23 and returned to its original location, completing the jig replacement work.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of frames for removably holding welding jigs are placed on the stock frame provided in the space above the workpiece transport path, and the stock frame is mounted by a transport crane. The upper frame can be moved up and down between the welding station and the jigs exchanged.Jigs can be stored on this using the space above the workpiece conveyance path, allowing efficient use of factory floor space. In addition, it is possible to change the position of the frame on the stock frame during welding work in preparation for jig replacement, which has the effect of efficiently performing the replacement work.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a cutaway side view of an automobile body assembly device equipped with the device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view, Fig. 3 is a cutaway sectional view taken along the - line of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a - of Fig. 3 -. 5 is a front view of the frame with it lowered to the welding station, FIG. 6 is a side view of the frame, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the - line of FIG. 6, and FIG. The left side view in Figure 7, and the - in Figure 7 in Figure 9.
FIG. 1... Workpiece conveyance path, A... Welding station, 2... Automatic welding device, 22... Stock frame,
23...Elevation entrance, 24...Transportation crane, 28...
...Shattuta.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A welding jig of an automatic welding device installed on the side of a welding station in the middle of a workpiece conveyance path is replaceable, in which the welding jig is removably attached to a space above the conveyance path. A stock frame is provided on which a plurality of frames to be held are placed, and an elevator opening for the frames is formed in a portion of the stock frame facing the welding station,
A jig exchange device for an automatic welding apparatus, characterized in that an arbitrary pedestal on the stock frame can be raised and lowered between the welding station and the welding station through the lift opening by means of a transfer crane provided above the stock frame. 2. A jig exchange device for an automatic welding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stock frame is provided with a shutter for opening and closing the elevator door, and the pedestal can be freely placed on the shutter. .