Assembly support apparatus for instrument panel of vehicle

Abstract

To more accurately arrange an instrument panel in an assembling part in an additional space as small as possible, in a device 1 for carrying the instrument panel to its assembling part IRf by moving an arm-like member 10 gripping the instrument panel IP to the front of a front seat of a vehicle.SOLUTION: The device is provided with means 20-22 for detecting the position of a car body and gripping means 11a, b for gripping an instrument panel via actuators 12a, b, 14a, b, 16a, b displaceable in the width direction, the longitudinal direction and the height direction of the car body by a supporting means 2 suspended from a ceiling in an arm-like member displaceable in the width direction, the longitudinal direction and the height direction below the supporting means 2, and the actuators match the position of the instrument panel to the assembling part based on the detected position of the car body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for assisting in the assembly of an instrument panel in front of the front seats of a vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly to an apparatus for bringing an instrument panel in front of the front seats of the vehicle into which the instrument panel is to be assembled. [Background technology]

[0002] One type of device used to assist in the assembly of an instrument panel in front of the front seats of a vehicle, such as an automobile, is a device that grasps the instrument panel with a member (arm-like member) suspended from the ceiling and moves the arm-like member to the front of the vehicle's front seats to transport the instrument panel to its installation position. Patent Document 1 (Patent Document 1) proposes, as an example of such a device, providing work robots on both sides of the vehicle body into which the instrument panel is to be brought in, that operate the arm-like members to position the instrument panel in its installation position. Patent Document 2 (Patent Document 1) also proposes a configuration in which cameras are installed at the tips of the work robots on both sides of the vehicle body of Patent Document 1 to capture images of the side of the instrument panel and to position the instrument panel with higher precision by referring to the images from the cameras. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2009-190449 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2011-11691 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described configuration in which an arm-shaped member grips an instrument panel and transports it to a location in front of the front seats of a vehicle, workers generally expend considerable effort in accurately positioning the instrument panel at its desired location. In fact, in this configuration, a significant amount of time is spent adjusting the position of the arm-shaped member when it is moved to a location in front of the front seats of the vehicle before mass production of the vehicle so that the arm-shaped member gripping the instrument panel can accurately position the instrument panel at its desired location. However, the success rate of accurately positioning the instrument panel at its desired location during mass production is not very high, and workers must make adjustments each time the instrument panel is misaligned. Therefore, a configuration that increases the success rate of accurately positioning the instrument panel at its desired location during mass production would be advantageous because it would reduce the burden on workers. Furthermore, it is preferable that the additional space required for such a configuration be as small as possible.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a device configured to move an arm-like member holding an instrument panel toward the front of the front seats of a vehicle and transport the instrument panel to its installation location, and to provide a mechanism that enables the instrument panel to be more accurately positioned at its installation location using as little additional space as possible. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, the above object is achieved by providing an apparatus for assisting in transporting a vehicle instrument panel to its installation location in front of the front seats of a vehicle body, the apparatus comprising: an arm-shaped member supported below the support means suspended from the ceiling so as to be displaceable in the width direction, the front-rear direction, and the height direction of the vehicle body so as to be positioned in the vicinity of an installation location of the instrument panel in front of the front seats of the vehicle body to which the instrument panel is to be installed; a vehicle body position detection means installed on the arm-shaped member for detecting the widthwise, front-rearward, and heightwise positions of the vehicle body relative to the arm-shaped member; a gripping means attached to the arm-like member via an actuator displaceable in each of the width direction, the front-rear direction, and the height direction, and configured to grip the instrument panel with its surface on the vehicle body facing the assembly portion on the vehicle body; Including, This is achieved by a device configured such that the actuator displaces the position of the gripping means gripping the instrument panel on the arm-shaped member based on the position of the vehicle body relative to the arm-shaped member detected by the vehicle body position detection means, and aligns the position of the instrument panel gripped by the gripping means with its assembly location.

[0007] In the above configuration, the "arm-like member" is a member used to transport an instrument panel to an assembly location in front of the front seats of a vehicle body where the instrument panel is to be assembled during a vehicle assembly process. The arm-like member is supported below by support means suspended from the ceiling, as in conventional similar devices, and may have a shape that is cantilevered at one end and extends in the width direction of the vehicle body. The arm-like member may be movable in the width direction and the front-rear direction of the vehicle body by displacing the support means in the width direction and the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and the arm-like member may be displaceable in the height direction of the vehicle body by extending and contracting a member connecting the support means and the arm-like member.

[0008] Furthermore, in the device of the present invention, as described above, vehicle body position detection means for detecting the widthwise, front-rearward, and heightwise positions of the vehicle body relative to the arm-like member are installed on the arm-like member. Such vehicle body position detection means may be any means that can detect an appropriately set specific position of the vehicle body relative to the arm-like member in a non-contact manner using light or radio waves.

[0009] Furthermore, in the device of the present invention, as described above, a gripping means for gripping the instrument panel to hold the instrument panel on the arm-shaped member is attached to the arm-shaped member, and the instrument panel is gripped with its vehicle body side facing the installation location on the vehicle body. Typically, the gripping means may be comprised of a pair of abutment members on the arm-shaped member that displace from both ends toward the center to abut against both sides of the instrument panel, so that the instrument panel can be clamped and lifted between the pair of abutment members. In this regard, in the case of the present invention, the gripping means is particularly attached to the arm-shaped member via an actuator that can be displaced in the width, front-rear, and height directions of the vehicle body, and the actuator is configured to displace the position of the gripping means in the width, front-rear, and height directions of the vehicle body. The actuator is configured to displace the gripping means based on the position of the vehicle body relative to the arm-shaped member detected by the vehicle body position detection means so as to accurately align the position of the instrument panel gripped by the gripping means with the assembly location on the vehicle body.

[0010] In operation of the device, when a vehicle body is transported to an instrument panel assembly work site, the instrument panel, which is located separately from the vehicle body, is grasped by the grasping means on the arm-shaped member, and the arm-shaped member is advanced forward of the front seats of the vehicle body so that the surface of the instrument panel facing the assembly location on the vehicle body faces the assembly location on the vehicle body, and the instrument panel is moved so that it extends in the width direction behind or near the assembly location. The vehicle body position detecting means then detects the width, front-rear, and height positions of the vehicle body relative to the arm-shaped member, thereby identifying the exact position of the assembly location of the instrument panel relative to the arm-shaped member. Thereafter, the position of the gripping means is displaced by driving the actuator so that the instrument panel is aligned with the assembly location of the instrument panel, and once the instrument panel is aligned with the assembly location, the instrument panel is released from the gripping means and fixed to the assembly location by any method, while the arm-shaped member is moved outside the vehicle body.

[0011] According to the above-described configuration of the present invention, the position of the instrument panel transported by the arm-shaped member to the front of the front seats of the vehicle body can be adjusted by operating the actuator depending on the position of the vehicle body relative to the arm-shaped member, making it easier to align the position of the instrument panel with the assembly location on the vehicle body, simplifying the adjustment of the position of the gripping means before mass production compared to conventional methods, and is expected to reduce the frequency of the need for adjustment by workers. Furthermore, in the configuration of the present invention, since the vehicle body position detecting means that detects the position of the vehicle body and the actuator that adjusts the position of the gripping means are attached to the arm-shaped member, there is no need to install additional equipment around the vehicle body when assembling the instrument panel to the vehicle body, and the additional space required for installing a mechanism that enables the instrument panel to be transported to the assembly location with greater accuracy can be minimized, contributing to space savings.

[0012] Since a vehicle body typically has a roof, in the device of the present invention, the instrument panel is lifted by the arm-shaped member and moves into the vehicle body from the side of the vehicle body to the position in front of the front seats. In this case, the arm-shaped member may be cantilevered at one end by the support means as described above, and the other end of the arm-shaped member may be provided with an extendable member that can reach the floor. When the arm-shaped member is extended in the width direction of the vehicle body in front of the front seats, the extendable member may reach the floor. This configuration provides a more stable position for the arm-shaped member, enabling more accurate alignment of the instrument panel with its installation location. The end of the extendable member that contacts the floor may be provided with a roller or the like to allow the arm-shaped member to easily move in the width direction and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] Thus, according to the present invention, a vehicle body position detecting means and an actuator that displaces the position of the gripping means relative to the arm-like member are provided as a mechanism that enables more accurate placement of the instrument panel at its installation location, making it possible to easily align the position of the instrument panel that has been transported to the front of the front seats of the vehicle body with its installation location. In this configuration, because the vehicle body position detecting means and the actuator are installed on the arm-like member, no additional space is required around the vehicle body, thereby contributing to space savings in the vehicle assembly work area.

[0014] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] Fig. 1(A) is a schematic overall front view of the vehicle instrument panel assembly support device according to this embodiment, and Fig. 1(B) is a schematic top view of an arm-shaped member of the vehicle instrument panel assembly support device according to this embodiment (f is the forward direction, the same applies below). [Figure 2] 2(A) to 2(G) are diagrams showing a process of transporting an instrument panel to an installation location in a vehicle body using the vehicle instrument panel installation support device according to this embodiment. (A) shows the state in which an arm-shaped member gripping the instrument panel is about to enter the vehicle body, and (B) shows the state in which the arm-shaped member gripping the instrument panel has been positioned inside the vehicle body. (C) and (D) show the state in which the position of the vehicle body relative to the arm-shaped member is being detected. (E) shows the state in which the position of the instrument panel on the arm-shaped member is being adjusted based on the results of the vehicle body position detection. (F) shows the state in which the arm-shaped member has been advanced and the instrument panel has come into contact with the installation location, and (G) shows the state in which the instrument panel has been released from the arm-shaped member and the arm-shaped member has been moved outside the vehicle body. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic overall front view of the assembly support device for a vehicle instrument panel according to this embodiment, showing an example in which a floor contact surface member that reaches the floor surface is attached to the tip of an arm-shaped member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0016] 1...instrument panel assembly support device, 2...support device, 3...gripping device, 4...support base, 5...ceiling rail, 5a...width direction roller, 6...movable stand, 6a...front-rear direction roller, 7...connecting member, 7a...height direction telescopic cylinder, 10...arm-shaped member, 11a, b...clamp member, 12a, b...width direction actuator, 13a, b...width direction movable block, 14a, b...height direction actuator, 15a, b...height direction movable block, 16a, b...front-rear direction actuator, 20...width direction vehicle body position detection sensor, 21...height direction vehicle body position detection sensor, 22...front-rear direction vehicle body position detection sensor, 30...floor contact member, 30a...telescopic cylinder, 30b...roller, 50...actuator control device, VB...vehicle body, IP...instrument panel, IRf...assembly part (instrument panel reinforcement) BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0017] Device configuration 1(A) and 1(B), a vehicle instrument panel assembly support device 1 according to this embodiment is comprised of a support device 2 suspended from the ceiling Ce and a gripping device 3 cantilevered by the support device 2. In the support device 2, a support base 4 is moved in the width direction w1 of the vehicle body VB by the rotation of width-direction rollers 5a on rails 5 laid in the width direction of the vehicle body VB that has been carried to the assembly work area for the instrument panel IP on the ceiling Ce, and is moved in the fore-and-aft direction L1 of the vehicle body VB by the rotation of fore-and-aft direction rollers 6a on a movable base 6 that also extends in the fore-and-aft direction L1 of the vehicle body VB (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface) below the rollers 5a. In addition, a connecting member 7 having a height-direction telescopic cylinder 7a is attached below the support base 4, and this connecting member 7 is connected to one end of an arm-shaped member 10 extending in the width direction of the vehicle body VB in the gripping device 3, so that the height-direction telescopic cylinder 7a extends and contracts in the height direction H1, thereby moving the entire gripping device 3 in the height direction H1 of the vehicle body VB.

[0018] In the gripping device 3, an instrument panel IP is gripped by a pair of clamp members 11a, b that clamp it from both sides. The clamp members 11a, b are attached to the arm-shaped member 10 via width-direction movable blocks 13a, b that can be displaced in the width direction w2 of the vehicle body VB by width-direction actuators 12a, b, height-direction movable blocks 15a, b that can be displaced in the height direction H2 of the vehicle body VB by height-direction actuators 14a, b, and front-rear direction actuators 16a, b that can be displaced in the front-rear direction L2 of the vehicle body VB. As a result, the position of the instrument panel IP gripped by the clamp members 11a, b can be adjusted in the width direction w2, height direction H2, and front-rear direction L2 of the vehicle body VB relative to the arm-shaped member 10 by driving the width-direction actuators 12a, b, height-direction actuators 14a, b, and front-rear direction actuators 16a, b, respectively.

[0019] Furthermore, the arm-like member 10 of the gripping device 3 is provided with a width direction vehicle body position detection sensor 20, a height direction vehicle body position detection sensor 21, and a front-rear direction vehicle body position detection sensor 22, which detect the width direction, height direction, and front-rear direction position of the vehicle body VB relative to the arm-like member 10. As will be described later, when the vehicle body VB is transported to an assembly workshop for the instrument panel IP, and the arm-like member 10, while gripping the instrument panel IP, enters the vehicle body VB and is positioned near the assembly position IRf of the instrument panel IP, these sensors detect the position of the vehicle body VB (at an appropriately set position) in each direction, and the detection result m is transmitted to the actuator control device 50. Note that the position detection may be performed by any non-contact method using light or radio waves.

[0020] The actuator control device 50 may be a computer device that operates according to a program, and is configured to send control commands c to the actuators 12a, b, 14a, b, 16a, b to drive them so that the instrument panel IP is more accurately aligned with the assembly site IRf, based on the detection values ​​from the sensors 20, 21, and 22. The transmission and reception of the detection results m and the control commands c can be achieved by any wired or wireless communication means.

[0021] Operation of the device In the operation of this embodiment, generally speaking, the gripping device 3 is held by the instrument panel IP, and the support device 2 is moved in the fore-and-aft and width directions of the vehicle body VB that has been transported to the assembly workshop, and the height of the gripping device 3 from the support device 2 is changed so that it is positioned in front of the front seats of the vehicle body VB, thereby transporting the instrument panel IP to the assembly location IRf in front of the front seats. In previous similar devices, the movement position of the support device 2 and the height of the gripping device 3 were adjusted before the assembly work so that the instrument panel IP would be aligned with the assembly location when the gripping device 3 was advanced to the front of the front seats of the vehicle body. However, because the dimensions of the support device 2 and the gripping device 3 were somewhat larger than the positioning accuracy required when assembling the instrument panel IP and there was variation in the position of the vehicle body VB being transported to the workshop, adjusting the position of the gripping device 3 required a great deal of effort, and the success rate of positioning the instrument panel IP in the assembly location IRf as intended was not very high, so the worker often had to make adjustments.

[0022] Therefore, in the device of this embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, clamp members 11a, b that directly grip the instrument panel IP are attached to the arm-shaped member 10 via actuators 12a, b, 14a, b, 16a, b that can be displaced in the width direction, height direction, and front-rear direction of the vehicle body, respectively, and sensors 20-22 that detect the position of the vehicle body VB are provided on the arm-shaped member 10, and when the instrument panel IP is brought in front of the front seats of the vehicle body by the gripping device 3, the position of the instrument panel IP on the arm-shaped member 10 is adjusted based on the detected position of the vehicle body VB at that time so that the instrument panel IP is aligned with its assembly location. According to this configuration, once the instrument panel IP has been transported to the vicinity of its installation location, the position of the instrument panel IP is adjusted so that it is accurately aligned with the installation location IRf on the vehicle body VB. This eliminates the need to precisely adjust the entry position of the arm-shaped member 10, reduces the labor required for this position adjustment, and more reliably aligns the instrument panel IP accurately with its installation location.

[0023] More specifically, in operation, as shown in FIG. 2(A), with the clamp members 11a and 11b of the gripping device 3 clamping the instrument panel IP, the support device 2 is moved so as to transport the gripping device 3 from the side of the vehicle body VB (f indicates the front of the vehicle body) that has been transported to the assembly workshop toward the front of the front seats (in the direction of arrow M) (FIG. 2(B)). Here, the movement of the support device 2 and the height adjustment of the gripping device 3 may be performed automatically by the operation of rollers or cylinders driven by a motor (not shown). The instrument panel IP is gripped by the gripping device 3 with its vehicle body side (front side) facing the assembly region IRf. 2(C) and 2(D), the sensors 20-22 on the arm-shaped member 10 of the gripping device 3 detect the widthwise distance Δw, the front-rear distance ΔL, and the heightwise distance ΔH of an arbitrarily set portion on the vehicle body VB relative to the arm-shaped member 10, thereby specifying the position of the installation portion IRf of the instrument panel IP as seen from the arm-shaped member 10 (see FIG. 1(B)). Then, the actuator control device 50 drives the actuators 12a, b, 14a, b, 16a, b, respectively, based on the detection results of the sensors 20-22, and accurately aligns the instrument panel IP on the arm-shaped member 10 with the installation portion IRf (FIG. 2(E)). Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2(F), the gripping device 3 is advanced, and the instrument panel IP abuts against the assembly location IRf, where it is assembled (assembly of the instrument panel IP may be performed by a machine or a worker), and the clamping member is released and released from the gripping device 3, which is then moved outside the vehicle body VB as shown in FIG. 2(G).

[0024] Although not shown, the height direction sensor 21 and the front-rear direction sensor 22 are provided one on each side, and the height direction actuators 14a, 14b and the front-rear direction actuators 16a, 16b may be driven independently to have different displacement amounts. By differentiating the displacement amounts of the height direction actuators 14a, 14b, it is possible to adjust the rotational position of the instrument panel IP in the roll direction, and by differentiating the displacement amounts of the front-rear direction actuators 16a, 16b, it is possible to adjust the rotational position of the instrument panel IP in the yaw direction.

[0025] Installation of floor contact members In the device 1 of the present embodiment described above, a floor-contacting contact member 30 that can be extended or retracted in the height direction by a telescopic cylinder 30a may be provided at the end of the arm-shaped member 10 that is not supported by the support device 2, as shown in FIG. 3 . The floor-contacting contact member 30 is kept in a shortened state until the gripping device 3 enters the vehicle body VB. After the gripping device 3 enters the vehicle body VB, it is extended just before the position of the vehicle body VB is detected by the sensors 20-22, so that the tip of the floor-contacting contact member 30 abuts the floor surface G, as shown in the figure. A roller 30b may be provided at the tip of the floor-contacting contact member 30 to enable smooth movement on the floor surface G. A configuration in which such a floor-contacting contact member 30 is provided stabilizes the position of the arm-shaped member 10, allowing for more stable and accurate adjustment of the position of the instrument panel IP.

[0026] Thus, in the device of this embodiment, the arm-shaped member of the gripping device is newly provided with means for detecting the position of the vehicle body relative to the arm-shaped member and means for adjusting the position of the instrument panel relative to the arm-shaped member based on the detection results, which makes it easy to align the instrument panel with the assembly position on the vehicle body. Because these newly provided means are provided on the arm-shaped member, no separate equipment is required outside the vehicle body in the assembly workplace, which also contributes to space savings in the vehicle assembly workplace.

[0027] The above description has been made in relation to the embodiments of the present invention, but it will be apparent that many modifications and changes will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the present invention is not limited to the above-exemplified embodiments, but can be applied to various devices without departing from the concept of the present invention.

Claims

[Claim 1] 1. A device for assisting in transporting a vehicle instrument panel to its assembly location in front of a front seat of a vehicle body, comprising: an arm-shaped member supported below the support means suspended from the ceiling so as to be displaceable in the width direction, the front-rear direction, and the height direction of the vehicle body so as to be positioned in the vicinity of an installation location of the instrument panel in front of the front seats of the vehicle body to which the instrument panel is to be installed; a vehicle body position detection means installed on the arm-shaped member for detecting the widthwise, front-rearward, and heightwise positions of the vehicle body relative to the arm-shaped member; a gripping means attached to the arm-like member via an actuator displaceable in each of the width direction, the front-rear direction, and the height direction, and configured to grip the instrument panel with its surface on the vehicle body facing the assembly portion on the vehicle body; Including, The actuator displaces the position of the gripping means that grips the instrument panel on the arm-shaped member based on the position of the vehicle body relative to the arm-shaped member detected by the vehicle body position detection means, and aligns the position of the instrument panel gripped by the gripping means with its assembly location.

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