Welding apparatus for a motorcar body

• US 4,606,488 A
• Filed: 01/07/1983
• Issued: 08/19/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yanagisawa, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramsey, Kenneth J.
• Application Number:
  US06/456,349
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 228/4.1, 228/7, 228/45, 228/47, 219/79, 219/80, 219/125.11
• US Class Current: 228/45
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/10 Spot welding; Stitch welding
• 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 65/02 Joining sub-units or components to, or positioning sub-units or components with respect to, body shell or other sub-units or components

Abstract

Additional welding apparatus for welding the component parts of a temporarily spot-welded assembled motorcar body. The additional welding apparatus includes a first welding station and a second welding station. At the first welding station are front and rear pairs of under-portion welding robots positioned on floor surface surrounding the motorcar body, a machine frame extending laterally over the motorcar body, and opening portion welding robots suspended from the machine frame for welding the peripheral edges of opening portions in the respective component parts of the motorcar body. At the second welding station are a pair of further under portion welding robots positioned on the floor surrounding the welding station and a pair of upper portion welding robots suspended from a second machine frame extending laterally over the second welding station. Each of the opening portion welding robots has a gun-holding arm turnable about 360 degrees attached to the front end portion of a supporting arm which is moveable to advance and retreat to and from the opening portion.

Claims

1. A welding apparatus for a motorcar body comprising a first welding station having a longitudinal axis and a second welding station adjacent said first welding station along said axis;

said first welding station including;

a pair of front under portion welding robots on opposite left and right sides of said axis for welding a front portion of a joined portion of an under body member and a pair of side members of a temporarily assembled motorcar body, a pair of rear under portion welding robots on opposite left and right sides of said axis adjacent said pair of front under portion welding robots for welding a rear portion of the joined portion of the under body and the side members, both pairs of said front and rear under portion welding robots being positioned on a floor surface surrounding said first welding station, a first machine frame extending laterally of said axis over said motorcar body, a pair of first opening portion welding robots suspended from said first machine frame on opposite left and right sides of said axis for welding peripheral edges of openings in the side members, and a second opening portion welding robot for welding a peripheral edge of a front window opening portion of the motorcar body, said second opening portion welding robot being suspended from said first machine frame in front of a middle portion of a lateral dimension of the motorcar body, each of said opening portion welding robots comprising a supporting arm mounted on said first machine frame for advancing and retreating movement relative to its respective opening portion to be welded and having a front end portion extending in the direction of the opening portion, means for advancing and retreating said supporting arm, a gun-holding arm rotatably mounted on said front end portion having opposite ends, means for rotating said gun-holding arm around a complete circle in any plane perpendicular and inclined to the direction of movement of the supporting arm, and a welding gun mounted on one of said opposite ends of said gun-holding arm;

said second welding station including a pair of middle under portion welding robots on opposite left and right sides of said axis for welding a middle portion of the joined portion of the under body member and the side members between said front portion and said rear portion, said pair of middle portion welding robots being positioned on a floor surface surrounding said second welding station, a second machine frame extending laterally of said axis over said motorcar body, and a pair of upper portion welding robots suspended on opposite left and right sides of said axis from said second machine frame for welding a joined portion of a roof panel and the side members of the motorcar body.