Side panel assembly line

• US 20030115746A1
• Filed: 01/06/2003
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hirata, Yuichi, Mori, Yuki, Ikeda, Shinji, Saito, Hideo, Uchiyama, Kazunao, Matsuo, Satoru, Murai, Hidetaka, Fukumori, Masayuki, Yaguchi, Yukihiro, Urano, Makoto, Kato, Chitoshi, Endo, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,948,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/783
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 65/02 Joining sub-units or components to, or positioning sub-units or components with respect to, body shell or other sub-units or components
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53313 Means to interrelatedly feed plural work parts from plural sources without manual intervention
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53365 Multiple station assembly apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53383 and means to fasten work parts together
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53417 Means to fasten work parts together
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53539 including work conveyor

Abstract

A car side panel assembly line capable of increasing a productivity by shortening an operation time and having a set station ST2, a welding station ST3, and a next operation station ST4 disposed in series in this order, comprising a set carriage 9₁ having, thereon, a set jig 91 capable of holding the side panel W in upright attitude from the side and installed reciprocatingly between the set station ST2 and the welding station ST3 and a frame carriage 8₁ having a lower frame 80 and an upper frame 81, capable of holding, between both frames 80, 81, the side panel W in upright attitude through clamp members (82₁, 82₂, 82₃, 83₁, 83₂, 83₃) mounted on the frames 80, 81, installed reciprocatingly between the welding station ST3 and the next operation station ST4, and allowing to exchange the side panel W with the set carriage 9₁.

Claims

1. A side panel assembly line having a setting station, a welding station, and a next working station which are successively arranged in a series in the order named, characterized by comprising:

a setting carriage supporting a setting jig for laterally holding a side panel in an erected attitude, said setting carriage being reciprocally movable between the setting station and the welding station; and

a frame carriage having a lower frame and an upper frame for holding therebetween a side panel in an erected attitude with clamp members mounted thereon, said frame carriage being reciprocally movable between the welding station and the next working station for transferring a side panel to and from said setting frame.

2. A side panel assembly line according to claim 1, characterized in that said welding station has a welding robot disposed at least on one side of the side panel assembly line in the direction of the flow thereon, said setting carriage being positioned on a side of said welding robot opposite to said frame carriage and supporting said setting jig for movement in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the flow on said assembly line between a transfer position for transferring said side panel to and from said frame carriage and a withdrawn position for holding the side panel.

3. A side panel assembly line according to claim 1 or 2, including a pair of left and right symmetrical assembly lines for assembling left and right side panels.

4. A side panel assembly line according to claim 3, characterized in that said frame carriage has a lower frame and an upper frame which are separate from each other, said lower frame and said upper frame being movable synchronously under synchronous control of respective drive sources independent of each other.

5. A side panel assembly line according to claim 4, characterized by a first endless movable member disposed along the path of movement of one of said frames for movement in unison with said one of the frames, a second endless movable member disposed along the path of movement of the other of said frames for movement in unison with said other of the frames, and belt-and-pulley transmitting means for connecting the endless movable members for synchronous movement thereof.

6. A side panel assembly line according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said frame carriage comprises left and right lower frames, a portal-shaped frame disposed astride the lower frames, and an upper frame coupled to said portal-shaped frame, said setting carriage being disposed for being introduced between the lower frames of said frame carriage in the direction of the flow on said assembly line.

7. A side panel assembly line according to any one of claims 1 through 6, characterized in that in said welding station, the side panel is temporarily welded by the welding robot before the side panel is transferred from said setting carriage to said frame carriage, and the side panel additionally welded after the side panel is transferred from said setting carriage to said frame carriage.