Prebuck unit for vehicle body assembling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10286967-B2
Application number	US-201715645249-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2017
Priority date	Dec 13, 2016
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

A prebuck unit includes side hangers mounted on a handling robot at both sides of the transport path and restricting lower parts of side assemblies. A guide post is fixedly installed in a prebuck frame at both sides of the transport path in a vehicle body height direction. The guide post is coupled with the side hanger so as to restrict the side assembly in a transverse direction and is configured to regularly position the side hanger at both sides of the floor assembly. A welding robot is installed at both sides of the transport path and is configured to weld the lower part of the side assembly and the floor assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A prebuck unit for a vehicle body assembling system having a prebuck section and a main-buck section set along a transport path of a floor assembly, the prebuck unit configured to be used in the prebuck section, the prebuck unit comprising:
side hangers mounted on a handling robot at both sides of the transport path and configured to restrict a lower part of a side assembly;
a guide post fixedly installed in a prebuck frame at both sides of the transport path in a vehicle body height direction, the guide post coupled with the side hanger so as to restrict the side assembly in a transverse direction, and being configured to regularly position the side hangers at both sides of the floor assembly; and
welding robots installed at both sides of the transport path and configured to weld the lower part of the side assembly and the floor assembly.

2. The prebuck unit of claim 1 , wherein:
a first side hanger is coupled with the guide post through the handling robot; and
a coupling direction of the side hanger and the guide post is a transverse direction as a vehicle width direction that is the same as the coupling direction of the floor assembly and the side assembly.

3. The prebuck unit of claim 2 , further comprising a robot hanger restricting the side assembly transported to the prebuck section through a transport hanger and loading the side assembly to the first side hanger.

4. The prebuck unit of claim 1 , wherein each side hanger includes:
a hanger frame mounted on a front end of an arm of the handling robot;
a reference pin installed in the hanger frame and fitted in a reference hole of the side assembly; and
a plurality of first clampers installed in the hanger frame and configured to clamp the lower of the side assembly and to restrict a vehicle body transport direction and a height direction of the side assembly.

5. The prebuck unit of claim 4 , wherein the first clampers are disposed in the hanger frame in a triangular structure.

6. The prebuck unit of claim 4 , wherein the side hanger includes rolling members rollably installed below both ends of the hanger frame, and guide pins installed on tops of the rolling members to protrude in the transverse direction at both ends of the hanger frame.

7. The prebuck unit of claim 6 , wherein each rolling member includes guide rollers rotatably installed below both ends of the hanger frame in the transverse direction.

8. The prebuck unit of claim 7 , wherein each guide roller is provided rotatably in the transverse direction while line-contacting the top of the guide post.

9. The prebuck unit of claim 7 , wherein each guide roller is provided rotatably in the transverse direction while point-contacting the top of the guide post.

10. The prebuck unit of claim 9 , wherein each guide roller has a rolling plane having a mountain shape, which point-contacts the top of the guide post.

11. The prebuck unit of claim 6 , wherein the rolling members include guide balls installed below both ends of the hanger frame to be rotatable omnidirectionally.

12. The prebuck unit of claim 6 , wherein each guide pin has a tapered plane at a protruded portion thereof.

13. The prebuck unit of claim 4 , wherein:
each side hanger includes rolling members rollably installed below both ends of the hanger frame; and
the guide post includes a pair of post frames installed on the prebuck frame to be spaced apart from each other and having guide rails guiding rolling members formed on top in the transverse direction.

14. The prebuck unit of claim 13 , wherein the side hanger includes guide pins installed on the tops of the rolling members to protrude in the transverse direction at both ends of the hanger frame, and guide grooves coupled with the guide pins are formed at the ends of the guide rails in the post frame.

15. The prebuck unit of claim 14 , wherein:
the guide pin has a tapered plane at a protruded portion thereof;
the guide rail has a rail plane inclined toward a rail bottom of the guide rail at both sides; and
the guide groove has a pin coupling plane connected with the rail plane.

16. The prebuck unit of claim 1 , wherein, in the prebuck frame, a plurality of second clampers for clamping a lowermost end of the side assembly is installed apart from the side hanger while the side hanger is coupled to the guide post.

17. A prebuck unit for a vehicle body assembling system having a prebuck section and a main-buck section set along a transport path of a floor assembly, the prebuck unit being configured in the prebuck section and comprising:
side hangers mounted on a front end of an arm of a handling robot at both sides of the transport path and restricting lower parts of side assemblies;
a floating unit installed at the front end of the arm of the handling robot and provided to move in a vehicle body transport direction and a height direction;
a guide post fixedly installed in a prebuck frame at both sides of the transport path in a vehicle body height direction, the guide post coupled with the side hanger restricting the side assembly in a transverse direction, and configured to regularly position the side hanger at both sides of the floor assembly; and
a welding robot installed at both sides of the transport path and welding the lower part of the side assembly and the floor assembly.

18. The prebuck unit of claim 17 , wherein the floating unit includes:
a first mounting plate mounted at the front end of the arm of the handling robot;
a first floating plate coupled to the first mounting plate;
a second mounting plate coupled with the side hanger;
a second floating plate coupled to the second mounting plate; and
a third floating plate disposed between the first floating plate and the second floating plate and coupled to the first and second floating plates, wherein the first and third floating plates are provided to move in the vehicle body transport direction through the second floating plate and the second and third floating plates are provided to move in the vehicle body height direction through the first floating plate.

19. The prebuck unit of claim 18 , wherein the floating unit includes:
a first stopper installed in the first and third floating plates and configured to restrict vehicle body height-direction movement ranges of the second and third floating plates; and
a second stopper installed in the second and third floating plates and configured to restrict vehicle body transport-direction movement ranges of the first and third floating plates.

20. The prebuck unit of claim 18 , wherein the floating unit includes a locking cylinder having a locking pin installed in the first floating plate to move in the transverse direction through air pressure between the first and third floating plates and selectively coupling the locking pin to a pin hole at the center of the third floating plate.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Kim Sugil
• Kang Sekyu

Classifications

• B23K37/0435

  Clamps · CPC title

• B23K2101/006

  Vehicles · CPC title

• B62D65/02 Primary

  Joining sub-units or components to, or positioning sub-units or components with respect to, body shell or other sub-units or components · CPC title

• B23K31/02

  relating to soldering or welding · CPC title

• B23K11/002

  specially adapted for particular articles or work · CPC title