Method of manufacturing a vehicle body and a vehicle body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9776286-B2
Application number	US-201414329040-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2014
Priority date	Jul 30, 2013
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

In a method of manufacturing a vehicle body a side structure and a center structure are positioned in place using a fixture or the like, and fixed by welding with maintained accuracy of mounting positions; annular parts along the width of the cabin of the vehicle and other parts are temporarily mounted to be retained without being welded; additional welding is performed on the center structure and the side structure, and the annular parts along the width of the cabin of the vehicle and other parts are positioned in place using a fixture or the like, and are fixed by welding with maintained accuracy of mounting positions; additional welding is performed on the parts; and a roof complex is mounted and fixed by welding with maintained accuracy of mounting positions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a vehicle body of a vehicle, the method comprising:
a feeding process to supply necessary parts for assembly of the vehicle body to an assembly line comprising a first stage, a second stage to which the vehicle body assembled at the first stage is transported from the first stage, and a carry-out stage from which the vehicle body assembled through foregoing stages including the first stage and second stage is carried out, the second stage being provided nearer to the carry-out stage than the first stage in a transporting direction of the vehicle body;
a first assembly process, at the first stage, to fix by welding right and left side structural parts to a lower central structural part of the vehicle body with maintained accuracy of mounting positions, the right side structural part including a right front pillar, the left side structural part including a left front pillar;
a second assembly process, at the first stage, to temporarily mount by retaining but not welding to the vehicle body which has been assembled in the first assembly process at least a part extending along a width of a cabin of the vehicle body, the part extending along a width of a cabin of the vehicle body including a front rail connecting the right front pillar and the left front pillar;
a third assembly process, at the second stage, to perform additional welding on the lower central structural part and the right and left side structural parts of the vehicle body which has been assembled in the second assembly process, and to weld the part extending along the width of the cabin of the vehicle body to the vehicle body which has been assembled in the second assembly process, with maintained accuracy of mounting positions;
a fourth assembly process to perform additional welding on one or more parts;
a fifth assembly process to fix by welding at least a roof structural part with maintained accuracy of mounting positions after either one of the third assembly process and the fourth assembly process; and
a carrying out process, at the carry-out stage, to carry out the vehicle body which has been assembled in the foregoing assembly processes,
wherein, while the part extending along the width of the cabin of the vehicle body is retained by the temporary mounting without a welding, the vehicle body assembled in the second assembly process is transported from the first stage the second stage.

2. The method of manufacturing of a vehicle body according to claim 1 ,
wherein the part extending along the width of the cabin of the vehicle body further includes a duct complex, a brace center that connects upper ends of right and left center pillars, and a rear rail that connects upper ends of right and left rear quarters.

3. A vehicle body manufactured in accord with the method of claim 1 .

4. A vehicle body manufactured in accord with the method of claim 2 .

5. A method of manufacturing a vehicle body, comprising:
at a first stage of an assembly line, forming a vehicle body assembly by welding right and left side structural parts to a lower central structural part to join the right and left side structural parts to the lower central structural part in fixed positions, the assembly line comprising the first stage, a second stage to which the vehicle body assembly assembled at the first stage is transported from the first stage, and a carry-out stage from which the vehicle body assembly assembled in foregoing stages including the first stage and second stage is carried out, the second stage being provided nearer to the carry-out stage than the first stage in a transporting direction of the vehicle body assembly, the right side structural part including a right front pillar and the left side structural part including a left front pillar;
also at the first stage, mounting, without welding, at least a front rail connecting the right front pillar and the left front pillar to the vehicle body assembly to temporarily retain the front rail at a mounting position on the vehicle body assembly;
at the second stage, further welding the right and left side structural parts to the lower central structural part to reinforce the joining of the right and left side structural parts to the lower central structural part in the fixed positions, and performing a first welding of the front rail to the vehicle body assembly to join the front rail to the vehicle body assembly in fixed position; and
welding a roof structural part to the vehicle body assembly to join the roof structural part to the vehicle body assembly in fixed position,
wherein, while the front rail is temporarily retained without a welding, the vehicle body assembly assembled at the first stage is transported from the first stage to the second stage.

6. The method of manufacturing a vehicle body according to claim 5 , wherein
at the first stage, in addition to the front rail, there is also mounted, without any welding, to temporarily retain, a duct complex, a brace center that connects upper ends of right and left center pillars, and a rear rail that connects upper ends of right and left rear quarters.

7. A vehicle body manufactured in accord with the method of claim 5 .

8. A vehicle body manufactured in accord with the method of claim 6 .

9. The method of manufacturing a vehicle body according to claim 6 , wherein
while each of the front rail, the duct complex, the brace center, and the rear rail are temporarily retained without any welding, the vehicle body assembly assembled at the first stage is transported from the first stage to the second stage; and
at the second stage, in addition to the front rail, a first welding is made to each of the duct complex, the brace center, and the rear rail to join each to the vehicle body assembly in fixed positions.

Assignees

• Fuji Heavy Ind Ltd
• Subaru Corp

Inventors

• Tanaka Kiichiro
• Watanabe Ikuo
• Yajima Teruhiko

Classifications

• B23K31/02

  relating to soldering or welding · CPC title

• B62D65/026 Primary

  by using a jig or the like; Positioning of the jig · CPC title

• B23K2201/006

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B23K37/04 Primary

  for holding or positioning work · 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