Device for assembling motor-vehicle bodies by spot-welding

• US 6,138,889 A
• Filed: 02/01/1999
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Comau SPA (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Comau SPA (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Konigsbrugge, Bernd, Campani, Giancarlo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryan, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pittman, Zidia T.
• Application Number:
  US09/240,600
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 228/4.1, 228/180.1, 228/180.21, 228/177, 228/178, 228/6.1
• 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: B62D 65/00 Designing, manufacturing, e.g. assembling, facilitating disassembly, or structurally modifying motor vehicles or trailers, not otherwise provided for

Abstract

There is described a device for welding motor-vehicle bodies, comprising a welding station provided with welding programmable robots, to which the floor panels of the bodies to be welded are fed along a vertical direction by a lifting device. The component elements of the sides of the body to be welded are brought to the assembling position by means of two locating gates, provided with self-propelled lower carriages, which are movable on rails between a working position, at the two sides of the floor panel of the body to be welded, and a waiting position, in which they may receive the component elements of the body sides. The elements of the rear part of the body are carried by a third locating frame arranged transversally between the two guiding rails of the side locating gates.

Claims

1. Device for assembling motor-vehicle bodies by spot welding, comprising:

a welding station, provided with programmable robots having spot welding heads,

means for feeding floor panels of motor-vehicle bodies in sequence to the welding station,

a pair of locating gates on two opposite sides of the welding station, provided with devices for receiving and supporting component elements of two motor-vehicle body sides which are to be assembled with a respective floor panel,

wherein said locating gates are provided with self-propelled lower carriages guided on two parallel rails provided on the floor of the welding station, at the two sides thereof,

wherein said locating gates are movable on said rails, between a working position, adjacent to the two sides of the floor panel which is at the welding station, and a waiting position, spaced longitudinally from the work position,

wherein when said locating gates are in their waiting position, they are able to receive and support the component elements of the sides of a body to be assembled,

wherein when said locating gates are in their working position, they are able to move transversally with respect to the longitudinal direction of said rails, coming closer to each other until they reach an operative position immediately adjacent to the floor panel which is at the welding station,

wherein said locating gates are provided with locating and locking means adapted to enter into operation when said gates are in said operative position for causing engagement of the component elements of the body sides carried by said gates and the floor panel which is at the welding station with each other, in order to keep them in a position proper for assembling the body, while said robots carry out a series of welding spots, and

means for feeding the assembled body out of the welding station, and further wherein;

said means for feeding the floor panels to the welding station and the means for feeding the assembled bodies out of the welding station are constituted by an overhead conveyor line, located at an elevated position relative to the welding station, and comprising a line portion upstream of the welding station, for conveying the floor panels to be assembled, and a line portion downstream of the welding station for conveying the assembled bodies, as well as by a lifting device provided with vertically movable supporting means, for picking up a floor panel from the overhead conveyor line and lowering it down to the welding station, where it is taken from said receiving and supporting means provided at the welding station, and then for lifting the assembled body from the welding station up to the overhead conveyor line,

said programmable robots are able to carry out a number of welding spots for framing the body firstly, while the latter is being locked by the locating gates, and later on a number of a welding spots for completing welding, while the locating gates have already been disengaged from the body and have been returned to their waiting position, at which they are able to receive the component elements of the sides of a new body, simultaneously with the execution of said welding spots for completing welding of the body which is at the welding station, and

wherein the assembly device is inserted in a line for production of motor-vehicle bodies of one version arranged in parallel with a main production line for production of bodies of other versions of the same model of motor-vehicle.

2. Assembling device according to claim 1, wherein at the welding station, transversally to said guiding rails, there is provided a third locating frame for receiving and locking component elements of the rear part of the body to be assembled, said locating frame being pivotally mounted around an axis transverse relative to said guiding rails, between a raised operative position, in which the elements carried by said frame engage the floor panel and the sides of the body to be assembled, and a lowered inoperative position, in which said frame may be loaded with the component elements of a new body to be welded.

3. Assembling device according to claim 1, wherein at least some of said programmable robots are provided with means for automatically replacing the respective welding head with a tool able to grip auxiliary component elements of the body to be welded as well as to position these elements in the assembling condition, for welding thereof.

4. Assembling device according to claim 1, wherein at least part of said auxiliary components are carried by one or both of said locating gates.

5. Assembling device according to claim 1, wherein there are provided screen means movable between an operative position and an inoperative position, which in their operative position are able to separate the area of the welding station from the area corresponding to the waiting position of said locating gates.