System for welding motor-vehicle bodies

• US 20050269382A1
• Filed: 11/24/2004
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coamua S.p.A., Comau SPA (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Comau SPA (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Caputo, Salvatore, Goffi, Flavio
• Granted Patent: US 7,296,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 228/43
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/047 moving work to adjust its position between soldering, welding or cutting steps B23K37/053 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 2700/50 Other automobile vehicle parts, i.e. manufactured in assembly lines
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 65/18 Transportation, conveyor or haulage systems specially adapted for motor vehicle or trailer assembly lines conveyors and haulage in general B65G

Abstract

A system for the welding of motor-vehicle bodies comprises a conveying line, for carrying the motor-vehicle bodies to be welded through a welding station, and a plurality of pairs of side gates mobile on guide means, the gates of each pair being adapted to the configuration of a corresponding type of body to be welded. According to the invention there is provided a plurality of tractors, which are independent with respect to said side gates, each tractor being selectively coupleable in an automatic way to side gates of different pairs, for the purposes of displacement of the latter between an active position, close to the welding station, and at least one parking position, remote from the welding station.

Claims

1. A system for welding structures consisting of elements of pressed sheet metal, such as motor-vehicle bodies or their subassemblies, designed to operate in an automatic way on a plurality of different types of structure to be welded, of the type comprising:

a welding station;

a conveying line, for carrying the structures to be welded through the welding station, or at least part thereof;

a plurality of pairs of side gates provided with means for clamping the structures to be welded and capable of being guided along the conveying line, the clamping means provided on the side gates of each pair being adapted to the configuration of a corresponding type of structure to be welded,

where the side gates are mobile on guide means provided at the side of the conveying line, to enable replacement, according to the type of structure to be welded, of the pair of side gates that is located in the vicinity of the welding station, each side gate being displaceable between a first position, close to the welding station, and at least one second position, remote from the welding station,

and where each pair of side gates, when located in said first position close to the welding station, is moreover displaceable between an open condition and a closed condition, in which the respective side gates are operative for clamping parts of the structure to be welded in a configuration of welding on the welding station, the system moreover comprising means for moving the side gates, for their displacement between the respective first and second positions, said system being wherein said means for moving comprise a plurality of tractors, independent with respect to said side gates, each tractor being selectively coupleable in an automatic way to side gates of different pairs, for the purposes of displacement of the latter between the respective first and second positions.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of tractors comprises two pairs of said tractors.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein there are provided one or more stores of gates, each comprising one or more parking stations on the two sides of the conveying line, each parking station comprising a guide section, designed to support in a slidable way a side gate in its second position.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said guide means comprise fixed guiding sections and first mobile guiding sections, each first mobile guiding section being in a position that is remote from the welding station and capable of being translated in an automatic way between a respective first position and one or more second positions, in its first position the first mobile guiding section being longitudinally aligned to a respective fixed guiding section, and in its second position, or in each second position, the first mobile guiding section being longitudinally aligned to a respective guide section of a parking station, particularly in a position parallel to a respective fixed guiding section.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein associated to the first mobile guiding sections are respective motor means and drive means, for the purposes of their translation according to a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the conveying line.

6. The system, according to claim 1, wherein there are provided means of selective coupling between a tractor and a side gate, comprising a first part carried by the tractor and a second part carried by the gate, the first and the second parts being such that they can assume a condition of mutual engagement and a condition of release, the switching between the condition of engagement and that of release being determined by a linear translation of one between said tractor and gate with respect to the other between said tractor and gate.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein at least one between said first and second parts comprises a seat longitudinally extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the tractor on said guide means and in that the other between said first and second parts comprises a member that can engage in a slidable way in said seat.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein each tractor comprises a carriage bearing means for slidable coupling to said guide means and a motor assembly, the latter having in particular an actuation shaft bearing a pinion meshing on a rack fixed along at least part of said guide means.

9. The system according to claim 4, wherein said guide means comprise second mobile guiding sections arranged in a position corresponding to the welding station, the second mobile guiding sections being capable to be translated in an automatic way according to a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the conveying line, for the purpose of displacing the side gates of one pair between the respective open and closed conditions.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the second mobile guiding sections are carried by respective slides, which can slide in a direction perpendicular to the conveying line, the sliding of each slide being determined by a connecting rod-crank system actuated by actuator means in a fixed position, with a rotation of said connecting rod-crank system substantially equal to 180°

, which occurs on a vertical plane parallel to the direction of displacement of the slide.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said actuator means comprise an actuation shaft, to which there is fixedly coupled at least one lever, the end of the lever opposite to that of fixing to the shaft bearing a sliding member inserted in a slidable way in a respective guide, which extends longitudinally in a vertical direction and is rendered fixed to said slide.