Assembly plant for assembling industrial products

• US 7,306,088 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2004
• Issued: 12/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Schlage, Gerd, Fenzl, Werner, Knau, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bidwell; James R.
• Application Number:
  US10/929,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20050087426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 198/347.1, 198/358, 198/349, 198/349.6, 198/370.01, 198/346.1, 198/346.2, 198/465.2, 198/580, 29/33.P
• US Class Current: 198/465.2
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 21/004 the units passing two or more work-stations whilst being composed
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 65/18 Transportation, conveyor or haulage systems specially adapted for motor vehicle or trailer assembly lines conveyors and haulage in general B65G

Abstract

An assembly plant, in particular for assembling motor vehicles, which permits design of final assembly of motor vehicles so that it is as flexible as possible in terms of space. A central elongated assembly hall is provided in which essentially automated assembly regions are provided and finger-like partial regions having essentially manual workplaces are provided projecting at a right angle from the longitudinal side. A change in the sequence in the manual regions can be accomplished easily by an extension of the finger-like partial regions at the head end.

Claims

1. Assembly plant for assembling vehicles, having a central assembly hall, having at least one conveyor system for transporting the products to be assembled from one assembly site to another, whereby at least one partial segment of the conveyor system is arranged in a U shape, wherein the central assembly hall is constructed primarily as an elongated building and on at least one of its longitudinal sides, multiple finger-like hall partial regions projecting away from the central assembly hall are provided, the conveyor system being arranged in each of the finger-like hall partial regions, wherein only essentially automated assembly sites are provided in the central assembly hall along a longitudinal partial segment of the conveyer system that runs between the finger-like partial regions, and wherein manual assembly sites are provided in the finger-like partial regions.

2. Assembly plant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the multiple finger-like hall partial regions are arranged parallel to one another.

3. Assembly plant as claimed in claim 1, wherein social rooms and/or work rooms are provided between legs of U-shaped conveyor devices.

4. Assembly plant as claimed in claim 1, wherein supply lines for nearby assembly areas are arranged above social rooms and/or work rooms.

5. Assembly plant as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one additional level having conveyor installations is provided above at least one of the at least one conveyor system.

6. Assembly plant as claimed in claim 1, wherein each product is connected by conveyor components to one of a plurality of conveyor devices, and the conveyor devices with the products to be monitored are provided in a first level and the conveyor devices for return conveyance of the conveyor components is provided in a second level above the first level.

7. Assembly plant as claimed in claim 5, wherein another conveyor device for supplying the components or component groups that are to be assembled is provided in a third level which is above the second level.