MAIN BUCK UNIT FOR VEHICLE BODY ASSEMBLING SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD OF THE SAME

• US 20200130760A1
• Filed: 12/27/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Lee, Junkyoung, Kweon, Seon Woo, Kim, Sangcho
• Granted Patent: US 11,203,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/006 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/0443 Jigs
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 21/004 the units passing two or more work-stations whilst being composed
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 2700/50 Other automobile vehicle parts, i.e. manufactured in assembly lines
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 65/022 Transferring or handling sub-units or components, e.g. in work stations or between workstations and transportation systems
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 65/026 by using a jig or the like; Positioning of the jig
• 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 vehicle body assembling system forms a pre-buck section and a main buck section set along a transfer path of a floor assembly. A main buck unit is set at opposite sides of the transfer path in the main buck section, controls an upper portion of a side assembly in a state that a lower portion of each side assembly is pre-assembled to the floor assembly the pre-buck section, and assembles the upper portion of the side assembly and vehicle body parts using a second welding robot.

Claims

1. A vehicle body assembling system, comprising:

a pre-buck unit including a pre-buck section and a main buck unit including a main buck section that are set along a transfer path of a floor assembly,

wherein the main buck unit is formed in the main buck section, and while a side assembly is provided in each of opposite sides of a transfer path in the main buck section and a lower portion of each side assembly is pre-assembled to the floor assembly by the pre-buck unit, the vehicle body assembling system controls an upper portion of each side assembly and assembles the upper portion of each side assembly and vehicle body parts using a second welding robot.

2. The vehicle body assembling system of claim 1, wherein, while the lower portion of each side assembly is welded to the floor assembly by the pre-buck unit, the main buck unit controls a width direction of the side assembly and welds the upper portion of the side assembly and the vehicle body parts using the second welding robot.

3. The vehicle body assembling system of claim 1, wherein the main buck unit comprises a loading portion that controls the vehicle body parts that include a cowl, a roof rail, and a package tray and placing of the vehicle body parts in a regular position in the upper portion of the side assembly.

4. The vehicle body assembling system of claim 1, wherein the main buck unit comprises a plurality of side jigs that control the upper portion of the side assembly that is different depending on a type of a vehicle, and a 4-sided rotation index that fixes the side jig.

5. The vehicle body assembling system of claim 4, wherein the main buck unit detachably couples the side jig with respect to the rotation index by using a handling robot.

6-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A method for controlling a main buck unit in a vehicle body assembling system, comprising:

receiving, by a tag reader, vehicle type information of side jigs coupled to four sides of a rotation index;

determining, by a controller, whether a side jig that corresponds to a type of a next vehicle to be produced in addition to the side jig of the type of a vehicle that is currently produced is coupled to the rotation index;

when it is determined that a side jig of a type of the next vehicle to be produced is not coupled to the rotation index, separating the side jig mounted to an upper side of the rotation index and unloading the separated side jig in a storage portion in assembling of a side assembly of the type of the vehicle that is currently produced; and

selecting, by the controller, a side jig of a type of the next vehicle to be produced from the storage portion, and coupling the selected side jig to the upper side of the rotation index when the rotation index is moved backward after finishing assembly of the side jig of the type of the vehicle that is currently produced.

21. The method for controlling the main buck unit of claim 20, wherein, when it is determined that the side jig of the type of the next vehicle to be produced is coupled to the rotation index, the side assembly of the type of the vehicle that is currently produced and a side assembly of the type of the next to be produced vehicle are assembled by rotating the rotation index and moving the rotation index back and forth.

22. The method for controlling the main buck unit of claim 20, wherein the tag reader provided in each side of the rotation index receives vehicle type information stored in a vehicle type tag provided in the side jig.