Elongated work assembling method

• US 5,301,411 A
• Filed: 06/26/1992
• Issued: 04/12/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Hideki, Fujii, Kanji
• Primary Examiner(s): Eley, Timothy V.
• Application Number:
  US07/904,965
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 29/429, 29/430, 29/431, 29/432.1, 29/432.2, 29/525.1
• US Class Current: 29/430
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/04 for assembling or disassembling parts
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 2700/50 Other automobile vehicle parts, i.e. manufactured in assembly lines
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 65/16 the sub-units or components being exterior fittings, e.g. bumpers, lights, wipers , exhausts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49829 Advancing work to successive stations [i.e., assembly line]

Abstract

An elongated work assembling method and system for fastening a flexible elongated work having an integrated fixing member to a receive body includes a first placing step or apparatus for placing and fixing the elongated work on an attaching mechanism arranged at one side along a continuous convey direction of the receive body, a first fastening step or apparatus for fastening the placed elongated work to the attaching mechanism in substantially the same fastening state as a final fastening state to the receive body, a clamping step or apparatus for clamping the elongated work in the fastening state in the attaching mechanism, a fastening state releasing step or apparatus for releasing the fastening state of the elongated work to the attaching mechanism, a moving step or means for detaching from the attaching mechanism the elongated work released from the fastening state, and moving the detached elongated work to the receive body, and a second fastening step or apparatus for finally fastening the moved elongated work to the receive body from the other side along the continuous convey direction. The elongated work is fastened to the receive body through the above-mentioned assembly steps or assembly apparatus.

Claims

1. An elongated work assembling method for fastening a flexible elongated work having an integrated fixing member to a receive body, comprising:

a first placing step of placing and fixing the elongated work on an attaching mechanism arranged at one side along a continuous convey direction of said receive body;

a first fastening step of fastening the placed elongated work to said attaching mechanism in substantially the same fastening state as a final fastening state to the receive body;

a clamping step of clamping the elongated work in the fastening state to said attaching mechanism;

a fastening state releasing step of releasing the fastening state of the elongated work on said attaching mechanism;

a moving step of detaching from said attaching mechanism the elongated work released from the fastening state, and moving the detached elongated work to the receive body; and

a second fastening step of finally fastening the moved elongated work to the receive body from an opposite direction against the continuous convey direction.

2. An elongated work assembling method for fastening, a large number of types of flexible elongated works, which have different total lengths in a longitudinal direction, different cross-sectional shapes each defining a portion of an outer surface, and different attaching positions of fixing members to be fastened to a receive body, to a receive portion of each of the receive bodies which are continuously conveyed from an upstream side to a downstream side, comprising:

a first placing step of placing the elongated work on an attaching mechanism arranged at one side along a direction of a continuous convey operation using the fixing member of the elongated work;

a first fastening step of fastening the placed elongated work to said attaching mechanism in substantially the same fastening state as a final fastening state to the receive body;

a clamping state of clamping the elongated work using the cross-sectional shape of the elongated work in the fastening state to said attaching mechanism;

a fastening state releasing step of releasing the fastening state on the elongated work in said attaching mechanism;

a moving step of detaching from said attaching mechanism the elongated work released from the fastening state, and moving the detached elongated work to a position opposing the receive portion of the receive body; and

a second fastening step of finally fastening the moved elongated work to the receive body from an opposite direction against the continuous convey direction.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein

said attaching mechanism is arranged to be movable between a receive position adjacent to a stock unit of the elongated works, and a supply position adjacent to the receive body,

the first placing step and the first fastening step are executed at the receive position,

said method further comprises the attaching mechanism convey step of moving said attaching mechanism from the receive position to the supply position after the first fastening step is ended, and

the clamping step and the fastening state releasing step are executed at the supply position.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the first placing step includes the step of causing an operator to pick up the elongated work from a stock unit and to place the picked up elongated work on said attaching mechanism which is obliquely arranged, and

the clamping step and the moving step are executed by an assembling robot having an arm portion, which can escape from a path defined by the continuous convey operation and can extend to the path.

5. An elongated work assembling method for fastening a large number of types of flexible elongated works, which have different total lengths in a longitudinal direction, different cross-sectional shapes each defining a portion of an outer surface, and different attaching positions of a pair of right and left fixing members to be fastened to a receive body, to the receive bodies which are continuously conveyed in a substantially horizontal state from an upstream side to a downstream side, comprising:

a first placing step of placing the elongated work on an attaching mechanism arranged at one side along a direction of a continuous convey operation using the fixing members of the elongated work;

a first fastening step of fastening the placed elongated work to said attaching mechanism in substantially the same fastening state as a final fastening state to the receive body;

a clamping step of clamping the elongated work using the cross-section shape of the elongated work in the fastening state to said attaching mechanism;

a fastening state releasing step of releasing the fastening state of the elongated work on said attaching mechanism;

a moving step of detaching from said attaching mechanism the elongated work released from the fastening state, and moving the detached elongated work to a position opposing the receive portion of the receive body; and

a second fastening step of finally fastening the moved elongated work to the receive body from an opposite direction against the continuous convey direction.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein

the elongated works are front and rear bumpers for a vehicle, and the receive body is a vehicle which is continuously conveyed,

the vehicle has a front receive portion to which the front bumper is to be fastened, and a rear receive portion to which the rear bumper is to be fastened,

the front bumper is finally fastened to the front receive portion in a first stop station comprising the first placing step, the first fastening step, the clamping step, the fastening state releasing step, the moving step, and the second fastening step, and

the rear bumper is finally fastened to the rear receive portion in a second stop station comprising the first placing step, the first fastening step, the clamping step, the fastening state releasing step, the moving step, and the second fastening step, and said first and second stop stations are arranged along the direction of the continuous convey operation of the vehicle to finally fasten the front and rear bumpers.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein

said first stop station, an intermediate stop station at which the vehicle is temporarily stopped to be conveyed to said second stop station after the front bumper is fastened in said first stop station, and said second stop station are arranged in turn from the upstream side to the downstream side along the direction of the continuous convey operation of the vehicle, and the vehicle to which the front bumper is finally fastened in said first stop station stands by in said intermediate stop station.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein

the clamping step includes the step of selecting predetermined clamping means in the moving step to allow setting and clamping of a desired one of the large number of types of elongated works.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein

the clamping step comprises:

the selection step of bringing gripping portions matching with the predetermined elongated work to be finally fastened to predetermined gripping positions;

the positioning step of accurately positioning a relative position of gripping surfaces corresponding to the outer surface of the elongated work to be gripped; and

the chucking step of chucking the outer surface of the elongated work to bring the outer surface to be in tight contact with the corresponding gripping surfaces.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein

the selection step includes the step of rotating selection means supported to be pivotal about a longitudinal axis of the elongated work to selectively bring the desired gripping surfaces to the predetermined gripping positions.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein

the positioning step includes the step of engaging positioning hole portions arranged according to an outer surface shape corresponding to the outer surface of the elongated work with positioning pins arranged in correspondence with the gripping surfaces at positions corresponding to the positioning hole portions.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein

the positioning step includes the step of positioning the elongated work with the gripping surfaces by locking a portion of an outer surface shape corresponding to the outer surface of the elongated work.

13. The method according to claim 5, wherein

the elongated work moved in the moving step is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the receive body in a state wherein the elongated work is movable in a back-and-forth direction along the direction of the continuous convey operation, a right-and-left direction perpendicular to the direction of the continuous convey operation, and an up-and-down direction perpendicular to the direction of the continuous convey operation.