Apparatus for feeding and installing hinge pins for motor vehicles doors

• US 5,123,148 A
• Filed: 09/19/1990
• Issued: 06/23/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1989
• 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: Moriya, Hiroshi, Hayashi, Shoichi, Kobayashi, Shunji, Takahashi, Mitsugu, Watanabe, Shinpei, Yaguchi, Yukihiro, Kaibuki, Shigeo, Ikeda, Yuzi
• Primary Examiner(s): Echols, P. W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUGHES, SAMUEL T
• Application Number:
  US07/585,011
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 29/11, 29/791, 29/793, 29/799, 29/281.1, 29/429, 29/430, 29/469, 29/783, 29/784, 269/8, 227/113
• US Class Current: 29/11
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/02 for connecting objects by press fit or for detaching same B23P19/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 65/06 the sub-units or components being doors, windows, openable roofs, lids, bonnets, or weather strips or seals therefor assembling sealing arrangements with vehicle parts, e.g. doors, windows B60J10/45
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 5/127 by forcing the pin into the socket E05D5/125 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/24 Hinge making or assembling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49829 Advancing work to successive stations [i.e., assembly line]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5337 including assembly pallet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53409 including converging conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53435 including assembly pallet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53961 with work-holder for assembly

Abstract

A hinge pin couples a first hinge receiver mounted on a vehicle body and a second hinge receiver mounted on a door to be installed on the vehicle body. The hinge pin is removed from the vehicle body and the door to separate the vehicle body and the door from each other after the vehicle body and the door have been coated, and the removed pin engages in a hinge pin engaging member. The hinge pin is fed to a position where the vehicle body and the door are to be assembled together, and the hinge pin is removed from the hinge pin engaging member. Then, the removed hinge pin is pressed into the first and second hinge receivers which are aligned with each other, thereby coupling the vehicle body and the door to each other.

Claims

1. An apparatus for feeding a hinge pin which has been temporarily removed from a vehicle body and for reinstalling said hinge pin for coupling a first hinge member mounted on the vehicle body and a second hinge member mounted on a door to be installed on the vehicle body, said apparatus comprising:

a vehicle body conveying line for conveying a vehicle body, said vehicle body conveying line including a vehicle body conveying means comprising a pallet for placing the vehicle body thereupon and a carriage for support said pallet;

a door conveying means for conveying a door;

a door installing mechanism for installing the door on the vehicle body;

hinge pin feeding means for feeding a hinge pin which has been temporarily removed from said vehicle body, said hinge pin feeding means comprising a hinge pin engaging member mounted on said vehicle body conveying means for engaging said hinge pin, said hinge pin engaging member having a first opening which opens outwardly for receiving a shank of the hinge pin, and a second opening held in communication with the said first opening for receiving a head of the hinge pin, said hinge pin engaging member being displaceable in unison with the vehicle body conveyed by said vehicle body conveying line;

hinge pin reinstalling means for reinstalling said hinge pin on the vehicle body and the door, said hinge pin reinstalling means comprising a hinge pin pressing mechanism for pressing said hinge pin into the first and second hinge members, said hinge pin pressing mechanism including a load bearing arm for engaging the first hinge member, a hinge pin pressing arm movable through the second hinge member toward the first hinge member, and an actuator for moving said hinge pin pressing arm, said hinge pin pressing arm having a permanent magnet for holding the hinge pin; and

hinge pin setting means disposed along side of said vehicle body conveying line and movable between said vehicle body conveying means and said door installing mechanism, said hinge pin setting means comprising a vertically movable support plate, a rotary actuator unit disposed on said vertically movable support plate, a bracket rotatable by said rotary actuator unit, at least one clamp displaceable along a rail on said bracket, and an actuator for opening and closing said clamp to release and grip the hinge pin.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said hinge pin engaging member includes a permanent magnet facing into said opening and a magnetic shield sleeve by which said permanent magnet is partly magnetically shielded.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said hinge pin engaging member is constructed to hold two hinge pins at a time.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said load bearing arm has a curved or tapered distal end.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rotary actuator unit comprises first and second rotary actuators, said first rotary actuator having a first rotatable shaft, said bracket being fixed to said first rotatable shaft, said second rotary actuator having a second rotatable shaft having another bracket fixed thereto, said first rotary actuator being mounted on the other bracket, wherein said first and second rotary shafts are disposed perpendicularly to each other.