Work garment structure for a vehicle production line

Abstract

To provide a working clothes structure for a vehicle manufacturing line capable of properly preventing the occurrence of unreasonable deformation in a specific member by strongly hitting the knee of a worker to the specific member such as a locker in the vehicle manufacturing line.SOLUTION: A work clothing structure A for a vehicle production line includes work clothing B to be worn by a worker 1 on the vehicle production line L, and a shock-absorbing pad 2 set on a knee part 50 of the work clothing B. The work clothing structure A includes, with respect to a specific member 30 located in a protruding direction of a knee 10 of a work target vehicle 3, It is assumed in advance which part of the knee part 50 of the work clothing B comes into contact with the buffer pad 2, and the buffer pad 2 is set at the assumed part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work garment structure for use on a vehicle manufacturing line, such as an automobile. [Background technology]

[0002] A specific example of work clothes worn on a production line is described in Patent Document 1. The work clothes described in the document have pockets in the knee areas of the work clothes that can accommodate shock-absorbing pads to protect the knees of the wearer. Hook-and-loop fasteners are provided on the inside of the pockets and on the outer surface of the shock-absorbing pads, allowing the attachment position of the shock-absorbing pads within the pockets to be adjusted as needed. This configuration is convenient because it allows the position of the buffer pad to be adjusted.

[0003] However, the prior art (Patent Document 1) still has room for improvement, as will be described below.

[0004] First, in automobile and other vehicle production lines, when a worker stands beside a vehicle on the production line and bends his or her knees to move closer to the vehicle, the worker's knees may come into strong contact with, for example, a rocker (a component at the lower edge of the door opening) of the vehicle. This can cause an undesirable deformation, such as a dent, in the rocker. To prevent this, it is desirable to design the work clothing so that shock-absorbing pads attached to the work clothing come into contact with the rocker of the vehicle. However, Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration the aforementioned working conditions on a vehicle production line, i.e., situations in which a worker's knees may bend and protrude and hit the lockers of the vehicle being worked on. Furthermore, while the work clothing in Patent Document 1 allows for adjustment of the position of the shock-absorbing pad, the range of adjustment is limited to the size of the pocket and the range within which the hook-and-loop fasteners on the shock-absorbing pad and pocket can adhere to each other. Furthermore, attachment using hook-and-loop fasteners may result in the shock-absorbing pad becoming misaligned when the knees are bent and straightened. Therefore, the shock-absorbing pad cannot always be set in an optimal position, and there is a risk that the knees of the work clothing where the shock-absorbing pad is not attached may hit the lockers of the vehicle being worked on, causing a depression in the lockers. To prevent this, the size of the cushioning pads could be made as large as possible, but this would make it difficult for the worker to bend their knees, and would make the work clothes less comfortable to wear and use.

[0005] Second, the work clothes of Patent Document 1 have pocket openings (openings for inserting and removing shock-absorbing pads) located on the front side of the knees. Therefore, when a worker bends their knees and pushes them out toward the vehicle being worked on, there is a risk that the pocket openings will come into contact with the lockers of the vehicle being worked on. The pocket openings are often treated to prevent fraying and are made much harder than other parts of the work clothes. Therefore, there is a risk that the lockers will be damaged if the pocket openings come into strong contact with them. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-68562 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention has been devised under the circumstances described above, and is intended to be used in a vehicle production line. The objective of the present invention is to provide a work clothing structure for vehicle production lines that can appropriately prevent a worker's knees from hitting specific components such as rockers hard, causing undue deformation of the specific components. Another object of the present invention is to provide a work clothing structure for vehicle production lines that can appropriately prevent the risk of damage to specific components of the vehicle being worked on due to the opening of the pocket for accommodating cushioning pads provided in the work clothing coming into contact with the specific components. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions.

[0009] The work clothing structure for vehicle production lines provided by the present invention comprises work clothing worn by workers on the vehicle production line and cushioning pads set in the knee areas of the work clothing, and is characterized in that when the worker is standing to the side of a vehicle to be worked on on the vehicle production line and bends and thrusts his knees toward the vehicle to be worked on in order to get closer to the vehicle, it is pre-determined which part of the knee of the work clothing will come into contact with a specific component of the vehicle to be worked on that is located in the direction in which the knee is thrust, and the cushioning pad is set in this pre-determined location.

[0010] This configuration provides the following effects. That is, when a worker standing to the side of a vehicle being worked on in a vehicle production line bends his knees and thrusts forward, it is estimated in advance which part of the knees of the work clothing worn by the worker will come into contact with a specific component of the vehicle being worked on, and the cushioning pad is set at this estimated location. Therefore, the cushioning pad can be made to accurately come into contact with the specific component of the vehicle being worked on when the worker bends his knees and thrusts forward, without making the cushioning pad excessively large. This appropriately prevents or suppresses deformation such as dents caused by parts of the work clothing not provided with a cushioning pad coming into contact with the specific component of the vehicle being worked on when the worker bends his knees and thrusts forward. Meanwhile, the cushioning pad can be made smaller, so that it does not get in the way when the worker bends his knees, improving the comfort and ease of use of the work clothing.

[0011] In the present invention, preferably, the work garment further includes a pocket portion for storing the cushioning pad therein and placing it on the knee portion of the work garment, the pocket portion being formed across from the back of the knee or the back of the thigh of the work garment to the knee portion, and the opening for inserting and removing the cushioning pad is located on the outer surface of the work garment, on the back of the knee or the back of the thigh.

[0012] This configuration provides the following effects. That is, the opening of the pocket is located behind the knee or the back of the thigh of the work clothes, but not at the knee of the work clothes. Therefore, even if the knee of the work clothes hits a specific component of the work vehicle when the worker bends his knee and pushes it toward the work vehicle, the opening of the pocket will not hit the specific component. Therefore, the risk of the specific component being damaged by the opening of the pocket hitting the specific component is appropriately eliminated. Furthermore, according to the above-mentioned configuration, the opening of the pocket is located on the outer surface side of the work clothes, so that it is easy and convenient to insert and remove the buffer pad into and from this opening.

[0013] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a vehicle production line to which the work clothing structure of the present invention is applied; [Figure 2] 1. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a main part showing an example of a state in which the worker in FIG. 1 bends his knees and thrusts them out toward the vehicle to be worked on. [Figure 3] 1. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a main part showing another example of the state in which the worker in FIG. 1 bends his knees and thrusts them toward the vehicle to be worked on. [Figure 4] FIG. 4(a) is a front view of the workwear shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, (b) is a back view thereof, and (c) is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of (a). [Figure 5] 5(a) is a front view of the workwear shown in FIG. 4 in an inside-out state, and FIG. 5(b) is a front view of the workwear in a state where the buffer pad has been removed from the state shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 5(b) is a perspective view of the main part of FIG. 5(b), showing an example in which the opening of the pocket is widened and a buffer pad is inserted inside it. [Figure 7] FIG. 10(a) is a front view showing another example of work clothes, and FIG. 10(b) is a rear view of FIG. [Figure 8] 8(a) is a front view showing another example of work clothes, (b) is a back view of (a), and (c) is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of (a). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0016] The work clothing structure A for a vehicle production line shown in FIG. 1 includes work clothing B worn by a worker 1 on a vehicle production line L, and a shock-absorbing pad 2 attached to the work clothing B. In this embodiment, the work clothes B are work trousers. The work jacket 90 shown in Fig. 1 is not covered by the present invention.

[0017] The vehicle production line L is a site where a vehicle 3 to be worked on, such as an automobile, is transported along a fixed route by a conveyor 80 and undergoes assembly and inspection processes in sequence. As shown in Figure 2, when worker 1 is standing to the side of the work target vehicle 3 facing it, if worker 1 bends and thrusts his knees 10 toward the work target vehicle 3 to get closer to the work target vehicle 3, there is a risk that knees 10 will hit rocker 30 of the work target vehicle 3.

[0018] Here, the rocker 30 corresponds to a specific example of the "specific member" of the present invention, and is a member that constitutes the lower edge of the door opening 39 on the side of the target vehicle 3. The rocker 30 has a closed cross-sectional structure in which, for example, an outer rocker 31, an inner rocker 32, and a reinforcing member 33 are combined and welded together, and is joined to the outer end of the floor panel 34 of the target vehicle 3 in the vehicle width direction, and extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0019] When worker 1 stands on the work floor beside vehicle 3, rocker 30 is located at a height slightly higher than knee 10 of worker 1. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2 , when knee 10 is bent and thrust upward, knee 10 may hit bottom surface 30a of rocker 30 near the outside. Bottom surface 30a near the outside of rocker 30 has a lower strength than top surface 30b. This is because top surface 30b faces the door when the door of the completed vehicle is closed and is stepped on when a user gets in or out of the completed vehicle, so its strength must be relatively high. However, bottom surface 30a, unlike top surface 30b, is exposed to the outside even when the door is closed, and has a more rounded shape than top surface 30b in order to improve the design of the completed vehicle. In this embodiment, the arrangement and size of the buffer pad 2 are determined as described below, assuming that the knee 10 hits the lower surface 30a of the rocker 30 on the outer side in the state shown in FIG.

[0020] 2, Fig. 3 shows a state in which, when the worker 1 bends his knees 10 and thrusts them downward, his knees 10 come into contact with the outer upper surface portion 30b of the rocker 30. In the present invention, instead of or in addition to the state shown in Fig. 2, a configuration can be used in which the arrangement and size of the buffer pad 2 are determined assuming the state shown in Fig. 3.

[0021] 4 and 5, work clothes B are work trousers as described above, and have a crotch portion 4 and a pair of crotch portions 5 connected to the crotch portion 4 and into which the worker 1 puts both legs. Each crotch portion 5 has a loop shape with a front portion 5a (front body portion) and a back portion 5b (back body portion) connected together. In the figures, reference numerals 40 to 42 indicate side pockets, a back pocket, and a belt portion, which are omitted in FIG. 1. Reference numeral 44 indicates a sewing thread.

[0022] The work clothes B have shock-absorbing pads 2 at the knees 50 thereof. Here, the knee portion 50 of the work clothes B is the portion of the front portion 5a of each crotch portion 5 of the work clothes B that corresponds to the knee 10 of the worker 1, more specifically, the portion that comes into face-to-face contact with the front of the knee 10 and its surrounding area. The buffer pad 2 is made of a material with cushioning properties, such as foamed resin or rubber, and is, for example, generally rectangular in front view. Preferably, the buffer pad 2 has a plurality of grooves 25 extending in the left-right direction formed on its surface to improve its foldability.

[0023] As a means for setting the buffer pad 2 in the knee part 50 of the work clothes B, a pocket part 51 is provided in the knee part 50. Note that this pocket part 51 does not correspond to the pocket part recited in claim 2 of the present application, but corresponds to pocket parts 51A and 51B described later. The pocket 51 is configured by attaching a flat bag-shaped member 51a (pocket body) made of, for example, cloth or a flexible sheet other than cloth to the back side of the knee part 50 by means of sewing or other means. An opening 52 for inserting and removing the buffer pad 2 is provided on one side of the pocket 51. The width Sa of the opening 52 is smaller than the width Sb of the buffer pad 2. To store the buffer pad 2 in the pocket 51, with the work clothes B turned inside out, first, as shown in FIG. 6, the periphery of the opening 52 of the pocket 51 is pulled in the directions of arrows Na and Nb to widen the opening 52. Next, the buffer pad 2 is folded in half to reduce its overall width, and then inserted into the opening 52. After the buffer pad 2 has passed through the opening 52, it is returned to its original shape and size. The pocket 51 is configured so that, once the buffer pad 2 is stored inside, there is little play in the up, down, left, and right directions of the buffer pad 2, allowing the buffer pad 2 to be properly positioned.

[0024] The buffer pad 2 is positioned by being housed in the pocket 51. This positioning is performed as follows. Specifically, when the worker 1 bends his knees 10 and thrusts them upward as shown in FIG. 2 , it is assumed that the knees 10 will strike the outer underside 30a of the rocker 30. The location of the knees 50 of the work clothes B that will strike the underside 30a is assumed in advance, and the buffer pad 2 is positioned at this assumed location, and its size is also determined. This assumption takes into account the situation when the worker 1 actually performs a given task on the vehicle production line L. Of course, the worker 1 in this assumption does not have to be the actual worker wearing the work clothes B, but may be a substitute worker with a similar build. Furthermore, since there are multiple workers 1 on the vehicle production line L, and each of these workers 1 has a different build, the buffer pad 2 is positioned and its size determined based on the assumed conditions for each build.

[0025] According to the above-described work clothing structure A for use in a vehicle production line, the following effects can be obtained.

[0026] That is, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a vehicle 3 on a vehicle production line L is approached. Therefore, when the worker 1 standing to the side bends his knees 10 and thrusts them upward, the buffer pad 2 precisely contacts the lower surface 30a of the rocker 30 near the outside. This prevents deformation, such as a depression, from occurring on the lower surface 30a of the rocker 30. The buffer pad 2 is positioned at a position where it is expected that the buffer pad 2 will contact the lower surface 30a of the rocker 30 when the worker 1 actually bends his knees 10 and thrusts them toward the rocker 30. This makes it possible to appropriately protect the rocker 30 using the buffer pad 2 without making the buffer pad 2 unnecessarily large. If the buffer pad 2 were unnecessarily large, it would be difficult for the worker 1 to bend his knees 10, resulting in poor workability. Furthermore, the buffer pad 2 would be expensive, but this embodiment can eliminate such a disadvantage.

[0027] The opening 52 of the pocket 51 is located on the back side of the front portion 5a of the work clothes B, not on the front side of the front portion 5a of the work clothes B. The opening 52 is also located next to the buffer pad 2. Therefore, even if the opening 52 is formed as a relatively hard portion, the opening 52 is prevented from hitting the locker 30 or other parts of the work target vehicle 3 hard, and these parts will not be damaged.

[0028] 7 and 8 show another embodiment of the present invention. In these figures, elements that are the same as or similar to those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals as in the above embodiment, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0029] 7, the work suit Ba has a pocket 51A for storing a buffer pad 2, which is formed across from the thigh back side 55, which is part of the back side 5b of the work suit Ba, to the knee part 50 of the front side 5a. An opening 52a for inserting and removing the buffer pad 2 is provided so as to open on the outer surface side of the thigh back side 55. The buffer pad 2 is inserted into the pocket 51A through the opening 52a located in the thigh back side 55, and then slid down to the knee part 50.

[0030] 8, a pocket 51B for storing a buffer pad 2 is formed across from the back-of-the-knee portion 56, which is part of the back portion 5b of the work garment Bb, to the knee portion 50 of the front portion 5a. An opening 52b for inserting and removing the buffer pad 2 is provided so as to open on the outer surface side of the back-of-the-knee portion 56. The buffer pad 2 is inserted into the pocket 51B through the opening 52b located in the back-of-the-knee portion 56 and then slid down to the knee portion 50.

[0031] 7 and 8, the openings 52a, 52b of the pockets 51A, 51B are located on the backs 55 of the thighs or the backs 56 of the knees of the work clothes Ba, Bb, and are not located on the knees 50. Therefore, even if the worker 1 bends his knees 10 and pushes them out toward the work target vehicle 3, the openings 52a, 52b of the pockets 51A, 51B will not come into contact with the rocker 30. Therefore, even if the openings 52a, 52b are formed as hard parts, there is no risk of the openings 52a, 52b coming into contact with the rocker 30 and damaging the rocker 30. The buffer pad 2 is positioned in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, and the buffer pad 2 can be accurately placed in contact with the rocker 30. Furthermore, according to the configurations shown in Figures 7 and 8, the openings 52a and 52b of the pocket portions 51A and 51B can be opened on the outer surface side of the work clothes B, making it easy and convenient to insert and remove the buffer pad 2 into and from the pocket portions 51A and 51B through these openings 52a and 52b. Furthermore, the configuration of FIG. 8 also has the effect of improving the breathability of the back of the knee 56.

[0032] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the specific configuration of each part of the work clothing structure for a vehicle production line according to the present invention can be freely modified in various ways within the intended scope of the present invention.

[0033] In the above-described embodiment, the buffer pad 2 is set assuming the state shown in Fig. 2 in which the buffer pad 2 comes into contact with the outer lower surface 30a of the rocker 30 when the worker 1 bends and thrusts his knee 10 upward, but the present invention is not limited to this. As already mentioned, instead of or in addition to the state shown in Fig. 2, the buffer pad 2 may be set assuming the state shown in Fig. 3. The "specific member" of the present invention is not limited to the rocker 30, but can be other members such as a door panel. When the worker 1 bends and extends his knees 10, any member of the work target vehicle 3 that is located in the direction of the extension of the knees 10 can be considered a specific member in the present invention. There are no specific restrictions on the shape, size, or material of the buffer pad 2. The buffer pad 2 may be thicker at the portion that contacts the rocker 30 (specific member) while providing a thinner area around it, thereby further minimizing damage to the area that the buffer pad 2 contacts. In the present invention, "bending the knees and protruding them toward the vehicle to be worked on" is a concept that also includes the case where the worker moves the entire body toward the vehicle to be worked on while keeping the knees bent. In claim 1 of the present invention, it is not necessary to use a pocket as a means for attaching the buffer pad. The buffer pad can be attached to the knee part of the work clothes by, for example, sewing with thread, bonding with adhesive, or heat welding. The work clothes referred to in this invention are not limited to work trousers, but also include a "jumpsuit" type in which the work trousers and jacket are connected together, or an "overall" type in which the bib portion is connected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] A Work clothing structure for vehicle production lines B, Ba, Bb work clothes L Vehicle production line 1. Worker 10 Knees (of the worker) 2 shock-absorbing pads 3 Vehicle to be worked on 30 Rocker (specific parts) 50 Knees (of work clothes) 51A, 51B pocket section 52A, 52B Opening (pocket) 55 Back of thigh (work clothes) 56 Back of the knee (of work clothes)

Claims

1. Work clothes worn by workers on a vehicle production line; A shock-absorbing pad set in the knee part of this workwear; A work clothing structure for a vehicle production line, comprising: A work clothing structure for vehicle production lines, characterized in that when the worker is standing to the side of a vehicle to be worked on on the vehicle production line and bends his knees toward the vehicle to be worked on in order to get closer to the vehicle, it is pre-determined which part of the knee of the work clothing will come into contact with a specific part of the vehicle to be worked on that is located in the direction in which the knees are protruding, and the cushioning pad is set at this pre-determined location.

2. 2. The work clothing structure for a vehicle production line according to claim 1, The workwear further includes a pocket portion for receiving the cushioning pad therein and placing it in the knee portion of the workwear, This work clothing structure for vehicle production lines has a pocket portion formed spanning from the back of the knee or the back of the thigh of the work clothing to the knee portion, and the opening for inserting and removing the cushioning pad is located on the outer side of the work clothing, at the back of the knee or the back of the thigh.

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