SYSTEM FOR MEASURING VEHICLE GAP AND STEP AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20140359994A1
• Filed: 12/24/2013
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Park, Sangkyu
• Granted Patent: US 9,676,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/407.05
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 21/00 Machines for assembling a multiplicity of different parts to compose units, with or without preceding or subsequent working of such parts, e.g. with programme control
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 65/005 Inspection and final control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B5/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49771 Quantitative measuring or gauging
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53022 with means to test work or product

Abstract

Provided are a system and method for measuring a vehicle gap or step, where a vehicle body to which a hood, a door, and a trunk lid are assembled is seated on a carrier and moved along transfer lines. The system may be installed over the transfer lines and may include one or more door regulating units attached between the vehicle body and the door, upper rails in both sides above a workplace corresponding to the transfer lines, a moving frame movable below the upper rails, a forward/backward moving unit above the moving frame, a horizontal moving unit to move installation frames, a vertical moving unit in the installation frames to reciprocally move a sliding plate upwardly and downwardly, a measurement module movable and rotatable to measure the gap or the step, and an electronic tag on a roof of the vehicle body.

Claims

1. A system for measuring a vehicle gap or a step, wherein a vehicle body to which a hood, a door, and a trunk lid are assembled is seated on a carrier and moved along transfer lines, and the system is installed over the transfer lines to measure a gap or step between the vehicle body, the hood, the door, and/or the trunk lid, the system comprising:

one or more door regulating units configured to place the door installed in the vehicle body such that they are freely rotatable to a reference position and attached between the vehicle body and the door and/or between front and rear doors to eliminate a gap or a step with respect to a pre-set portion of the door;

upper rails installed in both sides above a workplace such that they correspond to the transfer lines;

a moving frame configured to be movable below the respective upper rails;

a forward/backward moving unit installed above the moving frame and moving the moving frame forwardly and backwardly on the upper rails;

a horizontal moving unit moving installation frames configured to be substantially perpendicular at both end portions in a length direction of the moving frame to left and right in a width direction of the vehicle body on the moving frame;

a vertical moving unit installed in the installation frames and reciprocally moving a sliding plate upwardly and downwardly in a height direction of the vehicle body;

a measurement module installed to be movable upwardly and downwardly in the height direction of the vehicle body through the sliding plate of the vertical moving unit and configured to be rotatable on the basis of a forward/backward direction, horizontal direction, and vertical direction of the vehicle body to measure the gap or the step between the vehicle body and the hood, the door, and/or the trunk lid; and

an electronic tag installed on a roof of the vehicle body.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic tag allows an operator to input or output details of work thereto or therefrom through an wireless input/output terminal in real time to check information regarding a vehicle type and work.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the wireless input/output terminal is selectively inserted into or released from a stand provided in one side of the moving frame by the operator.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the door regulating unit comprises:

a housing having sliding recesses formed at positions spaced apart at a predetermined interval therebetween, one surface thereof corresponding to the door being open;

sliders inserted into the sliding recesses and slidably installed therein;

a magnetic member installed on front ends of the sliders and generating magnetic force to allow the sliders to be maintained in a state of being attached to the vehicle body and the door;

one or more electromagnet members formed to be spaced apart from one another at substantially equal intervals in a length direction within the sliding recesses and selectively generating magnetic force to regulate positions of the sliders;

sensors installed on rear ends of the sliders positioned within the sliding recesses and outputting positions of the sliders to a controller;

elastic members interposed between the sliders and one surface of the sliding recesses within the sliding recesses and providing elastic force to the sliders; and

an operating unit installed on the other surface of the housing and supplying power to the electromagnet members according to whether an operating block is held.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the housing has a stopping protrusion integrally formed on one open surface of each sliding recess, and a stopping end is integrally formed in a rear end of the slider such that it corresponds to the stopping protrusion.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein each electromagnet member is configured such that both ends thereof have a same polarity in a length direction of the housing and a portion between the both ends has a different polarity.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the power supply unit is connected to the controller and selectively supplies power to each electromagnet member by a control signal from the controller according to whether the operating unit operates, to regulate a position of each slider.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement module comprises:

a first rotary motor installed in the sliding plate through a connection frame such that a rotational shaft thereof faces downwardly, and rotated on the basis of the vertical direction of the vehicle body;

an installation bracket installed in the rotational shaft of the first rotary motor;

a second rotary motor installed in one side of the installation bracket and having a rotational shaft passing through the installation bracket and rotated on the basis of the forward/backward direction of the vehicle body;

a third rotary motor connected to the rotational shaft of the second rotary motor within the installation bracket, and having a rotational shaft rotated on the basis of the horizontal direction corresponding to the width direction of the vehicle body; and

a sensor connected to the rotational shaft of the third rotary motor and measuring the gap or the step between the vehicle body and the hood, the door, and/or the trunk lid.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sensor includes a vision sensor, and outputs a sensed measurement value to a controller.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first, second, and third rotary motors are electrically connected to the controller, and include servo motors whose RPMs and rotational directions are regulated.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the forward/backward moving unit comprises:

a connection plate installed above the moving frame corresponding to the upper rails;

one or more rollers installed on one surface of the connection plate such that they are rollingly in contact with inner upper and lower surfaces of the upper rails; and

a first driving motor installed on the other surface of the connection plate in a state in which a rotational shaft thereof is connected to a roller in contact with the inner upper surface of each upper rail, among the respective rollers, and transferring driving force to the roller.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the horizontal moving unit comprises:

a connection housing connected to an upper end of each installation frame, and installed on upper portions of both ends of the moving frames;

rack gears installed on both upper portions of the moving frames in a length direction;

pinion gears enmeshed with the respective rack gears within the connection housing;

a rotational shaft connected to a rotational center of each pinion gear; and

.

a second driving motor having a rotational shaft connected to the rotational shaft and installed in the connection housing to transfer rotary power to the rotational shaft.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the vertical moving unit comprises:

a rail housing installed in the installation frame in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and a sliding plate is slidably coupled to one surface thereof facing a front side of the vehicle body;

a third driving motor installed within the rail housing and having a rotational shaft connected to a ball screw;

a guide rail mounted on a plate within the rail housing; and

a rail block inserted into the ball screw and installed to be reciprocally movable along the guide rail on the ball screw according to an operation of the third driving motor, and connected to the sliding plate.

14. A method for controlling a system for measuring a vehicle gap or a step, wherein a vehicle body to which a hood, a door, and a trunk lid are assembled is seated on a carrier and moved along transfer lines, and the system is installed over the transfer lines to measure a gap or step between the vehicle body, the hood, the door, and/or the trunk lid, the method comprising:

(a) when the vehicle body enters along the transfer lines, recognizing a vehicle type of the vehicle body based on information transmitted to a controller and information transmitted from an electronic tag to an wireless input/output terminal and eliminating a gap or step with respect to a pre-set portion of the door through a door regulating unit;

(b) determining whether a measurement position of the gap or step between the vehicle body and the hood, the door, and/or the trunk lid has been checked while a forward/backward moving unit, a horizontal moving unit, a vertical moving unit, and a measurement module are on standby;

(c) arranging for operations of the respective moving units and the measurement module according to the checked state of the gap or step measurement position of the vehicle body, measuring the gap or the step between the vehicle body and the hood, the door, and/or the trunk lid, and determining whether the measurement value is substantially identical to a pre-set value inputted to the controller; and

(d) inputting, by an operator, the gap or step measurement value of the vehicle body to an electronic tag attached to the vehicle body through the wireless input/output terminal, selectively transferring the vehicle body according to the measurement value, and terminating the control.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the operation (a) comprises:

allowing the vehicle body seated on the carrier to enter along the transfer lines;

recognizing the vehicle type of the vehicle body through information received by the controller; and

placing the door having the door regulating unit attached thereto and installed to be freely rotatable in the vehicle body in a reference position as a home position, and eliminating the gap or step with respect to a pre-set portion of the door.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the operation (b) comprises:

setting the respective moving units and the measurement module on standby;

determining by the controller whether the gap or step measurement position between the vehicle body and the hood, the door, and/or the trunk lid has been checked; and

when the gap or step measurement position of the vehicle body has not been checked, returning to the setting of the respective moving units and the measurement module on standby.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the operation (c) comprises:

when the checking of the gap or step measurement position of the vehicle body is completed, arranging for operations of the respective moving units and the measurement module;

moving the respective moving units along the vehicle body according to the gap or step measurement position of the vehicle body to move the measurement module, and measuring the gap or step of the vehicle body through operations of respective rotary motors and a sensor; and

comparing the gap or step measurement value between the vehicle body and the hood, the door, and/or the trunk lid measured by the measurement module with the pre-set value inputted to the controller to determine whether it is normal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the sensor includes a vision sensor and outputs the sensed measurement value to the controller.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the operation (d) comprises:

when the gap or step measurement value between the vehicle body and the hood, the door, and/or the trunk lid measured through the measurement module is not substantially identical to the pre-set value, determining that the vehicle body is defective, inputting, by the operator, the measurement value to the electronic tag through the wireless input/output terminal, transferring the vehicle body as rejected goods, and terminating the control; and

when the gap or step measurement value between the vehicle body and the hood, the door, and/or the trunk lid measured through the measurement module is substantially identical to the pre-set value, determining that the vehicle body is qualified, inputting, by the operator, the measurement value to the electronic tag through the wireless input/output terminal, transferring the vehicle body as passed goods, and terminating the control.