Assembly line construction and method for assembling automotive vehicle bodies

• US 5,184,766 A
• Filed: 03/29/1991
• Issued: 02/09/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Takahashi, Yuji, Takahashi, Sakae, Maezima, Mamoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Rowan, Kurt C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Knapp, Jeffrey T.
• Application Number:
  US07/677,563
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 228/175, 228/136, 228/47 A, 228/4.1, 29/430
• US Class Current: 228/4.1
• 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: Y10T 29/49829 Advancing work to successive stations [i.e., assembly line]

Abstract

An assembly line for assembling an automotive vehicle body contains a welding station disposed in the assembly line for welding a first member and a second member, each being an element for structuring the automotive vehicle body; and a temporarily assembling station for temporarily assembling the first member with the second member and forming a temporarily assembled body so disposed on the immediate upstream side of the welding station after alignment of the first member with the second member.

Claims

1. An assembly line for assembling an automotive vehicle body, comprising:

a welding station disposed in a vehicle body assembly line for welding a first member and a second member, each being a structural element of the automotive vehicle body; and

an assembling station disposed in the vehicle body assembly line immediately upstream from the welding station for aligning the first member with the second member and for temporarily assembling the first member with the second member to form a temporarily assembled body;

wherein the assembling station has a presetting unit for aligning the first member with the second member and an assembling unit for temporarily assembling the first member with the second member;

wherein at least one of the first member and the second member is provided with plural paw sections; and

wherein the assembling unit assembles the first member temporarily with the second member by folding the plural paw section provided on at least one of the first member and the second member.

2. An assembly line as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assembling unit includes a working robot.

3. An assembly line as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the first member is an under-body section of the automotive vehicle body; and

the second member is a side section of the automotive vehicle body.

4. An assembly line as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

first conveyor means, disposed on a floor of the vehicle body assembly line, for conveying the under-body section to the assembling station; and

second conveyor means for conveying the side section to the assembling station.

5. An assembly line as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second conveyor means includes a hanger conveyor system for conveying the side section in a suspended state.

6. An assembly line as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a transferring unit for transferring the side section from the second conveyor means to the presetting unit.

7. An assembly line as claimed in claim 6, wherein:

the second conveyor means conveys the side section to the assembling station in a state in which the side section is set to a jig; and

the transferring unit transfers the side section with the jig set thereto from the second conveyor means to the presetting unit.

8. An assembly line as claimed in claim 7, where the presetting unit is on each of right and left sides of the first conveyor means and is driven operatively so as to move close to or apart from the first conveyor means along a guide rail.

9. An assembly line as claimed in claim 7, wherein the assembling unit and the transferring unit are composed of a common robot.

10. An assembly line as claimed in claim 9, wherein the common robot and the presetting unit are both on each of right and left sides of the first conveyor means.

17. An assembly line as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assembling unit is a working robot, and wherein the working robot operatively assembles a third member with the temporarily assembled body.

18. An assembly line as claimed in claim 17, wherein:

the first member is an under-body section of the automotive vehicle body; and

the second member is a side section of the automotive vehicle body.

19. An assembly line as claimed in claim 18, wherein the third member is a cowl dash panel.

20. An assembly line as claimed in claim 18, wherein the third member is a package tray.

21. An assembly line as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

first conveyor means disposed in a floor of the vehicle body assembly line for conveying the under-body section to the assembly station; and

second conveyor means for conveying the side section to the assembly station;

wherein the assembling station has a presetting unit and a working robot on each of right and left sides of the first conveyor means; and

wherein the working robot transfers the side section from the second conveyor means to the assembling station to the presetting unit.

22. An assembly line as claimed in claim 21, further comprising a third conveyor means for conveying the third member to the assembling station.

23. An assembly line as claimed in claim 22, wherein:

the third member is composed of a cowl dash panel and a package tray;

the working robot disposed on one side of the first conveyor means assembles the cowl dash panel the temporarily assembled body; and

the working robot disposed on the other side of the first conveyor means assembles the package tray to the temporarily assembled body.

11. An assembly line for assembling an automotive vehicle body, comprising:

a welding station disposed in a vehicle body assembly line for welding a first member and a second member, each being a structural element of the automotive vehicle body; and

an assembling station disposed in the vehicle body assembly line immediately upstream from the welding station for aligning the first member with the second member and for temporarily assembling the first member with the second member to form a temporarily assembled body;

wherein the welding station has an aligning unit for aligning the temporarily assembled body conveyed into the welding station and a welding robot for welding the first member to the second member;

wherein the aligning unit is movable so as to assume a plurality of positions in accordance with different types of temporarily assembled bodies; and

wherein the welding robot is disposed so as to be movable integrally with the aligning unit.

12. An assembly line as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

the first member is an under-body section of the automotive vehicle body; and

the second member is a side section of the automotive vehicle body.

13. An assembly line as claimed in claim 12, wherein:

the temporarily assembly body is further temporarily assembled with a cowl dash panel in the assembling station; and

the cowl dash panel is welded to the temporarily assembled body by the welding robot in the welding station.

14. An assembly line as claimed in claim 12, wherein:

the temporarily assembled body is further temporarily assembled with a package tray in the assembling station; and

the package tray is welded to the temporarily assembled body by the welding robot in the welding station.

15. An assembly line as claimed in claim 12, wherein:

the temporarily assembly body is further temporarily assembled with a cowl dash panel and a package tray in the assembling station; and

the cowl dash panel and the package tray are then welded to the side section by the welding robot in the welding station.

16. An assembly line as claimed in claim 15, wherein a roof section conveyed into the welding station is welded to the side section by the welding robot.

24. An assembly line as claimed in claim 11, wherein the assembling station has a presetting unit for aligning the first member with the second member and a working robot for temporarily assembling the first member with the second member, and wherein the working robot operatively assembles a third member with the temporarily assembled body.

25. An assembly line as claimed in claim 24, wherein

the first member is an under-body section of the automotive vehicle body;

and

the second member is a side section of the automotive vehicle body.

26. An assembly line as claimed in claim 25, wherein the third member is a cowl dash panel.

27. An assembly line as claimed in claim 25, wherein the third member is a package tray.

28. An assembly line as claimed in claim 25, further comprising:

first conveyor means disposed on a floor of the vehicle body assembly line for conveying the under-body section to the assembly station; and

second conveyor means for conveying the side section to the assembling station;

wherein the assembling station has a presetting unit and a working robot on each of right and left sides of the first conveyor means; and

wherein the working robot transfers the side section from the second conveyor means to the assembling station to the presetting unit.

29. An assembly line as claimed in claim 28, further comprising a third conveyor means for conveying the third member to the assembling station.

30. An assembly line as claimed in claim 29, wherein:

the third member is composed of a cowl dash panel and a package tray;

the working robot disposed on one side of the first conveyor means assembles to cowl dash panel to the temporarily assembled body; and

the working robot disposed on the other side of the first conveyor means assembles the package tray to the temporarily assembled body.