System for assembling bottom parts for vehicles

• US 4,893,402 A
• Filed: 08/09/1988
• Issued: 01/16/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hirasaka, Mitsuaki, Murata, Nagatoshi, Nokajima, Kunio
• Primary Examiner(s): Eley, Timothy V.
• Application Number:
  US07/230,082
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 29/430, 29/431, 29/771, 29/784, 29/822-824
• US Class Current: 29/771
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53313 Means to interrelatedly feed plural work parts from plural sources without manual intervention
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5337 including assembly pallet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53539 including work conveyor

Abstract

A system for assembling bottom parts for vehicles, in which the bottom parts are transported to a position below a vehicle body positioned and fixed and are assembled to the vehicle body. The system includes a transporter for circulating a pallet member holding thereon bottom parts and a plurality of threaded parts for fastening the bottom parts to the vehicle body, so that the pallet member is stopped below the vehicle body. A first feeder is disposed in the vicinity of the transporter to feed the threaded parts to the pallet member. A second feeder is also disposed in the vicinity of the transporter to feed the bottom parts to the pallet member. A lifter is disposed below the vehicle body to raise the lower the pallet member relative to the vehicle body. A turning machine is also disposed below the vehicle body for turning the threaded part to fasten the bottom part to the vehicle body when the pallet member is in its raised position.

Claims

1. A system for assembling bottom parts for vehicles, in which the bottom parts are transported to a position below a vehicle body positioned and fixed and are assembled to said vehicle body, said system comprising:

a pallet member for holding thereon bottom parts and a plurality of threaded parts for fastening said bottom parts to said vehicle body;

a transporter for circulating said pallet member so that said pallet member is stopped below said vehicle body;

a first feeder disposed in a vicinity of said transporter to feed said threaded parts to said pallet member;

a second feeder also disposed in a vicinity of said transporter to feed said bottom parts to said pallet member;

a lifter disposed below said vehicle body to raise and lower said pallet member relative to said vehicle body; and

a turning machine also disposed below said vehicle body for turning said threaded part to fasten said bottom part to said vehicle body when said pallet member is in a raised position.

2. A system for assembling bottom parts for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said lifter includes a base, a lift table disposed above said base, and a lifting mechanism having an X-type link interposed between said base and said lift table, said X-type link located on said base being provided at a pivoting point with a detecting mechanism to convert a pivoting angle of the pivoting point into an indication of the height of said lift table.

3. A system for assembling bottom parts for vehicles according to claim 2, wherein said pallet member includes a plurality of locating pins which are to be fitted into a plurality of locating holes in said vehicle body, and mating threaded parts for said threaded parts are held on said vehicle body for movement in a horizontal plane.

4. A system for assembling bottom parts for vehicles, according to claim 3, wherein said lifting mechanism is capable of raising and lowering said lift table relative to said vehicle body;

and said system further includes a movable placing rest which is located below said vehicle body and onto which the pallet member is placed, a placing rest-displacing mechanism connected to the placing rest so that the placing rest has a predetermined amount of float, said placing rest and the displacing mechanism being disposed on said lift table, and a correcting mechanism to detect a misregister of said vehicle body to operate said displacing mechanism, when an amount of misregister exceeds said predetermined amount of floating.

5. A system for assembling bottom parts for vehicle, according to claim 4, wherein said threaded part is a bolt, and said pallet member includes a plurality of bolt-tightening sockets opened upward so that said bolt with a head top face down may be fed thereinto, and wherein said first feeder comprises a transfer mechanism for transferring said bolts one by one with head top faces up, a delivery mechanism movable between a holding position to hold a plurality of the bolts transferred by said transfer mechanism by grasping the bolts one by one and a delivery position to release all the bolts at the same time, and a dispensing mechanism movable between a receiving position to receive said bolts at the delivery position and a feeding or dispensing position to dispense said bolts to said sockets, said dispensing mechanism including a receiving portion to receive said bolts with head top faces up at the receiving position and then to rotate through 180°

to turn said head top faces down.

6. A system for assembling bottom parts for vehicles, comprising:

a pallet member spaced apart at different distances from fastening portions of the vehicle body, said pallet member holding thereon bottom parts and a plurality of threaded parts for fastening said bottom parts to said vehicle body, said pallet member being provided to transport said bottom parts to below said vehicle body to superpose a plurality of fastening portions of said bottom parts onto the to-be-fastened portions of said vehicle body for assembling;

a transporter for circulating said pallet member, so that the pallet member is stopped below said vehicle body;

a first feeder disposed in a vicinity of said transporter for feeding said threaded parts to said pallet member;

a second feeder disposed in a vicinity of said transporter for feeding said bottom parts to said pallet member;

a lifter disposed below said vehicle body for raising and lowering said pallet member relative to said vehicle body; and

a plurality of turning machines also disposed below said vehicle body for turning said threaded parts to fasten said bottom parts to said vehicle body, when said pallet member is in a raised position;

said pallet member including a plurality of sockets movable toward and away from and turnable relative to said to-be-fastened portions of said vehicle body respectively for holding said threaded parts, each of said turning machines being disposed in a separated relation to said pallet member in association to a corresponding one of said sockets and including a turning shaft for moving each of said sockets toward corresponding one of said to-be-fastened portions while turning, with operational strokes of said individual turning shafts being set uniformly by varying the lengths of the individual sockets.

7. A system for assembling front and rear bottom parts for vehicles, in which the front and rear bottom parts are transported to a position below a vehicle body positioned and fixed and are assembled to the vehicle body, said system comprising:

a front pallet member for holding said front bottom parts and a plurality of threaded parts for fastening said bottom parts to said vehicle body;

a front transporter for circulating said front pallet so that said front pallet member is stopped below a front portion of said vehicle body;

a rear pallet member for holding rear bottom parts and a plurality of threaded parts for fastening said rear bottom parts to said vehicle body;

a rear transporter for circulating said rear pallet so that said rear pallet member is stopped below a rear portion of said vehicle body;

a first front feeder disposed in a vicinity of said front transporter to feed said threaded parts to said front pallet member;

a first rear feeder disposed in a vicinity of said rear transport to feed said threaded parts to said rear pallet member;

a second front feeder disposed in a vicinity of said front transporter to feed said front bottom parts to said front pallet member;

a second rear feeder disposed in a vicinity of said rear transporter to feed said rear bottom parts to said rear pallet member;

a lifter disposed below said vehicle body to raise and lower said front and rear pallet members relative to said vehicle body;

a front turning machine disposed below said vehicle body for turning said threaded part to fasten said front bottom part to said vehicle body when said front pallet member is in a raised position; and

a rear turning machine disposed below said vehicle body for turning said threaded part to fasten said rear bottom part to said vehicle body when said rear pallet member is in a raised position.

8. A system for assembling front and rear bottom parts for vehicle according to claim 7, wherein said lifter includes a lift table and a lifting mechanism for lifting said lift table relative to said vehicle body, said lift table including a placing rest disposed thereon, said placing rest including a first placing portion which is located below a front portion of said vehicle body and on which said front pallet member is placed, and a second placing portion which is located below a rear portion of said body and onto which said rear pallet member is placed.

9. A system for assembling bottom parts for vehicles according to claim 8, wherein said placing rest is disposed in a floating state on said lift table, and one of said front and rear pallet members is provided with a plurality of locating pins which are to be fitted into a plurality of locating holes in said vehicle body, respectively, when such pallet member is in the raised position.

10. A system for assembling front and rear bottom parts for vehicles according to claim 8, wherein said lifter further includes a base, said lift table being disposed above said base, and said lifting mechanism having an X-type link interposed between said base and said lift table, said X-type link located on said base being provided at a pivoting point with a detecting mechanism to convert a pivoting angle of the pivoting point into an indication of the height of said lift table.

11. A system for assembling front and rear bottom parts for vehicles according to claim 10, wherein each said pallet member includes a plurality of locating pins which are to be fitted into a plurality of locating holes in said vehicle body, and mating threaded parts for said threaded parts are held on said vehicle body for movement in a horizontal plane.

12. A system for assembling front and rear bottom parts for vehicles according to claim 11, wherein a front placing rest-displacing mechanism is connected to said first placing portion so that the placing rest has a predetermined amount of float and a rear placing rest-displacing mechanism is connected to said second placing portion so that the placing rest has a predetermined amount of float, and wherein said system includes a correcting mechanism to detect a misalignment or misregister of said vehicle body and to operate said front and rear displacing mechanisms when an amount of misalignment exceeds respective predetermined amounts of float.

13. A system for assembling bottom parts for vehicles, according to claim 13, wherein said threaded part is a bolt, and each of said front and rear pallet members includes a plurality of bolt-tightening sockets opened upward so that said bolt with a head top face down may be fed thereinto, wherein each of said first front and rear feeders comprises a transfer mechanism for transferring said bolts one by one with head top faces up, a delivery mechanism movable between a holding position to hold a plurality of the bolts transferred by said transfer mechanism by grasping the bolts one by one and a delivery position to release all the bolts at the same time, and a dispensing mechanism between a receiving position to receive said bolts at the delivery position and a feeding or dispensing position to dispense said bolts to said sockets, said dispensing mechanism including a receiving portion to receive said bolts with head top faces up at the receiving position and then to rotate through 180°

to turn said head top faces down.

14. A system for assembling bottom parts for vehicles, comprising:

front and rear pallet members spaced apart at different distances from portions to be fastened for the vehicle body, said front and rear pallet members for holding thereon front and rear bottom parts and a plurality of threaded parts for fastening said bottom parts to said vehicle body in order to transport said front and rear bottom parts to a position below said vehicle body to superpose a plurality of fastening portions of said bottom parts onto the to-be-fastened portions of said vehicle body for assembling;

front and rear transporters for circulating said pallet members, so that the pallet members are stopped below said vehicle body;

first front and rear feeders disposed in a vicinity of said transporters for feeding said threaded parts to said front and rear pallet members;

second front and rear feeders also disposed in a vicinity of said front and rear transporters for feeding said front and rear bottom parts to said front and rear pallet members;

lifters disposed below said vehicle body for raising and lowering said front and rear pallet members relative to said vehicle body; and

a plurality of front and rear turning machines disposed below said vehicle body for turning said threaded parts to fasten said front and rear bottom parts to said vehicle body, when said front and rear pallet members are in a raised position;

each of said front and rear pallet members including a plurality of sockets movable toward and away from and turnable relative to said to-be-fastened portions of said vehicle body respectively for holding said threaded parts;

each of said turning machines being disposed in a separated relation to said front and rear pallet members in association to a corresponding one of said sockets and including a turning shaft for moving each of said sockets toward corresponding one of said to-be-fastened portions while turning, with operational strokes of said individual turning shafts being set uniformly by varying the lengths of the individual sockets.