PRODUCTION LINE FOR VEHICLES OF DIFFERENT MODELS

• US 20080223692A1
• Filed: 03/13/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Tanahashi, Hideyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,424,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 198/618
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 31/003 compact cars, e.g. city cars
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 17/32 Individual load-carriers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/0294 Vehicle bodies
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49622 Vehicular structural member making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49828 Progressively advancing of work assembly station or assembled portion of work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49829 Advancing work to successive stations [i.e., assembly line]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53539 including work conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53543 including transporting track
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53548 and work carrying vehicle

Abstract

A production line for vehicles of different models is disclosed, wherein vehicle bodies for ordinary automobiles and vehicle bodies for compact automobiles are incorporated on the same production line, and multiple components are installed. Two compact vehicle bodies are carried on a conveyance device which is designed for carrying a single ordinary vehicle body. The number of components of a compact automobile is approximately half the number of components of an ordinary automobile, and therefore compact automobiles can be produced efficiently without any downtime.

Claims

1. A production line for vehicles of different models, including a plurality of conveying mechanisms for conveying along a conveying line respective conveyance devices with vehicle bodies carried thereon in such a manner as to allow components to be installed on the vehicle bodies,

wherein each of the conveying devices is adapted to carry two of the vehicle bodies.

2. The production line of claim 1, wherein a total length of the two vehicle bodies to be carried on one of the conveying devices is equal to a maximum total length of an ordinary one of the vehicle bodies to be conveyed along the conveying line.

3. The production line of claim 1, wherein a total length of the two vehicle bodies to be carried on one of the conveying devices is less than a maximum total length of an ordinary one of the vehicle bodies to be conveyed along the conveying line.

4. The production line of claim 1, wherein the two vehicle bodies to be carried on one of the conveying devices have an occupant capacity of two people.

5. The production line of claim 1, wherein when the two vehicle bodies are to be carried on one of the conveying devices, the two vehicle bodies are placed such that rear parts thereof face each other.

6. A production line for vehicles of different models, comprising:

a conveying line; and

a plurality of conveyance devices adapted to be conveyed along the conveying line and designed to carry a single first vehicle body,

wherein one of the conveyance devices is configured to carry two second vehicle bodies of a different model than the first vehicle body.

7. The production line of claim 6, wherein a total length of the two second vehicle bodies carried on the one conveyance device is equal to a maximum total length of the first vehicle body.

8. The production line of claim 6, wherein a total length of the two second vehicle bodies carried on the one conveyance device is shorter than a maximum total length of the first vehicle body.

9. The production line of claim 6, wherein the two second vehicle bodies are carried on the conveyance device such that rear parts thereof face each other.

10. The production line of claim 6, wherein the conveyance device has a plurality of brackets for supporting the first vehicle body or the two second vehicle bodies in an anteroposterior direction of the vehicles carried thereon.

11. A method for producing vehicles of different models, comprising the steps of:

conveying multiple conveyance devices, each of which is used for mounting a single first vehicle body, along a conveying line; and

mounting two second vehicle bodies on each of the conveyance devices when the second vehicle bodies of a different model than the first vehicle body are incorporated into the conveying line.

12. A production line for vehicles of different models, comprising:

a conveying line;

a plurality of first conveyance devices conveyed along the conveying line and used for mounting a first vehicle body; and

a sub-line whereby a plurality of second conveyance devices that are the same as the first conveyance devices and that carry second vehicle bodies are supplied to the conveying line with short intervals when the second vehicle bodies of a different model than the first vehicle body are incorporated and assembled in an array of the first vehicle bodies.