Door installation system having synchronous movement function

During assembly of a vehicle door to a vehicle body, a door installation apparatus is mounted to a frame unit, which is movably mounted on a running rail. A synchronous drive unit, controlled by a user via a control panel, includes a drive roller mounted to the frame unit, a roller shift means that selectively contacts the drive roller to the running rail, and a roller drive unit that drives the drive roller such that the frame unit moves along the running rail at a speed equal to that of the vehicle body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is based on, and claims priority from, Korean Application Serial Number 10-2005-0093763, filed on Oct. 6, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a door installation system having synchronous movement functions and, more particularly, to a door installation system having a synchronous movement function such that the speed of a door installation apparatus holding a door is synchronized with that of a vehicle body, which is being moved by a conveyor, during a process of assembling the door with the vehicle body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Generally, in an outfitting line in which doors are assembled with vehicle bodies, the door is carried towards the vehicle body, which is being moved by a conveyor. Thereafter, the approaching door is aligned with the vehicle body. Subsequently, the door is coupled to a door hinge of the vehicle body using a bolt.

In this process, the door must be carried at a speed corresponding to the movement speed of the vehicle body, which is being moved by the conveyor. Simultaneously, the position of the door with respect to the vehicle body must be precisely set.

As such, it is not easy to assemble the door with the vehicle body. To set the precise position of the door with respect to the vehicle body and to conduct the bolt tightening process, highly skilled technique has been required.

Furthermore, because the door is too heavy for one worker to carry, a separate door installation apparatus is required. However, a conventional door installation apparatus has no function of moving at a speed corresponding to the movement speed of the vehicle body, which is being carried by the conveyor. Therefore, the worker must carry the door to the moving vehicle body using the door installation apparatus and couple the door to the vehicle body using a bolt after aligning the door with the door hinge of the vehicle body. During even this process, because the vehicle body is being continuously moved by the conveyor, there has been a problem in that the bolt coupling process is difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a door installation system having a synchronous movement function such that the speed of a door installation apparatus holding a door is synchronized with that of a vehicle body, which is being moved by a conveyor, during a process of assembling the door with the vehicle body, thus making it possible for a worker to perform the process of assembling the door with the vehicle body more conveniently.

A door installation system according to an embodiment of the present invention carries a door and assembles the door with a vehicle body, which is being moved by a conveyor provided on a support surface of a vehicle assembly line. A running rail is provided above the conveyor in the same orientation as the conveyor. A frame unit is mounted to the running rail so as to be movable along the running rail. A synchronous drive unit is installed in the frame unit so as to synchronize the speed of the frame unit, with respect to the running rail, with the speed at which the conveyor carries the vehicle body. A door installation apparatus is mounted to the frame unit to carry the door to the position at which the door is assembled with the vehicle body. A control panel is provided such that the synchronous drive unit is operated under the control of a user. The synchronous drive unit includes a drive roller which is mounted to the frame unit and is selectively brought into contact with the running rail, a roller shift unit which shifts the drive roller such that the drive roller selectively contacts the frame unit, and a roller drive unit which drives the drive roller such that the frame unit is moved along the running rail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A door installation system having a synchronous movement function according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is used in an outfitting line of a vehicle assembly process in which doors are assembled with vehicle bodies, having passed through a coating process, by a door installation apparatus.

In detail, as shown inFIGS. 1 through 5, the outfitting line includes a conveyor (not shown) which is provided on a support surface to convey vehicle bodies. A pair of running rails10, which are suspended from a ceiling (not shown), is provided above the conveyor in the same orientation as the conveyor. A frame unit14is mounted to the running rails10through a plurality of idle rollers12so as to be movable along the running rails10.

Furthermore, a synchronous drive unit is installed in the frame unit14so as to synchronize the movement speed of the frame unit14, with respect to the running rails10, with the speed at which the conveyor carries the vehicle body. A door installation apparatus, which carries a door16to a position at which the door16is mounted to the vehicle body, is provided in the frame unit14. A control panel (CP) is separately provided such that the synchronous drive unit is operated under the control of a worker.

For this, an air sac22and a cylinder24are connected to a pneumatic pressure source through pneumatic pressure pipe lines (shown by the broken lines inFIG. 1). The application or removal of pneumatic pressure through the pneumatic pressure pipe lines is controlled through the control panel. The controlling operation of the control panel is performed in response to the manipulation of a control switch by a worker.

The synchronous drive unit includes a drive roller18which is mounted to the frame unit14and is selectively brought into contact with the running rail10, and a roller shift unit which shifts the drive roller18such that the drive roller18selectively contacts the frame unit14. The synchronous drive unit further includes a roller drive unit which drives the drive roller18such that the frame unit14is moved along the running rail10, thus synchronizing the movement speed of the frame unit14with the movement speed of the conveyor.

The roller shift unit includes a support rod20which is coupled to the frame unit14by a hinge. The drive roller18is mounted to a first rotating end of the support rod20. The roller shift unit further includes the air sac22which is mounted to a second rotating end of the support rod20and is expanded and contracted by pneumatic pressure supplied from the outside.

Furthermore, the roller drive unit includes the cylinder24which is mounted to the frame unit14and has a piston rod26that is linearly advanced and retracted along the running rail10by pneumatic pressure supplied from the outside. The roller drive unit further includes a rack gear26awhich is coupled to the piston rod26, and a pinion28which has the same axis as the driver roller18and rotates while engaging with the rack gear26a.

Meanwhile, the door installation apparatus includes a lift cylinder30which is provided under the frame unit14to control the upward and downward movement of the door16, a rotating shaft32which is provided so as to be rotatable downwards with respect to the lift cylinder30, and an upper clamp unit34which is mounted to the rotating shaft32and supports an upper portion of the door16. The door installation apparatus further includes a lower attaching unit36which is mounted to the rotating shaft32and supports a lower portion of the door16, and a synchronous arm38which is mounted to the lower attaching unit36and is brought into surface contact with a lower hinge (LH) of the vehicle body.

Furthermore, a plurality of cylinders (C) is provided in the door installation apparatus so as to operate the upper clamp unit34, the lower attaching unit36and the synchronous arm38.

In this embodiment, during a process of assembling the door16to the vehicle body in the outfitting line, when the movement speed of the frame unit14, which moves along the running rails10, is synchronized with the conveying speed of the vehicle body, which is being moved by the conveyor, by the operation of the synchronous drive unit, the synchronous arm38is brought into surface contact with the lower hinge (LH) of the vehicle body, such that bolt coupling positions of the door16are precisely aligned with bolt coupling positions of both an upper hinge (UH) and the lower hinge (LH) of the vehicle body, thus making it possible for the worker to perform a bolt coupling process more easily.

That is, to assemble the door16to the vehicle body, which is being moved by the conveyor, in the outfitting line, the door16is securely supported by the upper clamp unit34and the lower attaching unit36of the door installation apparatus and, thereafter, the synchronous arm38is brought into surface contact with the lower hinge (LH) of the vehicle body by rotating the door16using the rotating shaft32. Then, the bolt coupling positions of the door16are aligned with the upper hinge (UH) and the lower hinge (LH) of the vehicle body.

Thereafter, when the worker manipulates the control switch, the control panel applies pneumatic pressure from the pneumatic pressure source to the air sac22and the cylinder24. First, when pneumatic pressure is applied to the air sac22, as shown inFIGS. 6 and 7, an end of the support rod20is rotated upwards so that the drive roller18is brought into contact with a lower surface of the running rail10.

Furthermore, when pneumatic pressure is applied to the cylinder24, as shown inFIG. 8, the piston rod26is advanced so that the rack gear26acoupled to the piston rod26rotates the pinion28. Then, the drive roller18, which has the same axis as the pinion28, is rotated by the rotation of the pinion28while in close contact with the running rail10. Thus, the frame unit14is moved along the running rails10.

As a result, the door installation apparatus provided under the frame unit14is moved at the same speed as the vehicle body which is being moved by the conveyor.

At this time, the worker couples the door16to one of the upper hinge (UH) or the lower hinge (LH) of the vehicle body using a bolt, thus preliminarily coupling the door16to the vehicle body. Thereafter, the upper clamp unit34and the lower attaching unit36are removed from the door16, so that the door16is separated from the door installation apparatus.

Subsequently, when the worker manipulates the control switch to remove the pneumatic pressure, the pneumatic pressure, which has been applied to the air sac22, is removed from the air sac22. Then, the drive roller18descends due to its weight and is thus moved away from the running rail10. Furthermore, the cylinder24is returned to its original state. Thus, the position of the frame unit14with respect to the running rail10is returned to the initial state thereof, such that the door installation apparatus prepares for the installation of another door16on a subsequent vehicle body.

Thereafter, the worker completes the bolt coupling process of the upper hinge (UH) and the lower hinge (LH), thus completely assembling the door16, which has been preliminarily coupled to the vehicle body, with the vehicle body.

In this case, of course the speed of the piston rod26, which is linearly advanced from the cylinder24by the pneumatic pressure supplied to the cylinder24, should be set such that the movement speed of the frame unit14is the same as the conveying speed of the conveyor that moves the vehicle body.

As well, in the above-mentioned door installation process, when the door installation apparatus moves at the same speed as that of the vehicle body which is being moved by the conveyor, the synchronous arm38of the door installation apparatus is in the state of pressing the lower hinge (LH). Thereby, in the outfitting line, in which the door16is assembled with the vehicle body, the synchronous arm38synchronizes the movement speed of the door installation apparatus, which moves along the running rails10, with the movement speed of the vehicle which is being moved by the conveyor, thus making it possible for the worker to easily perform the process of tightening the bolt into the upper hinge (UH) or the lower hinge (LH) of the vehicle body to preliminarily assemble the door16to the vehicle body.

As is apparent from the foregoing, a door installation system of the present invention is able to synchronize movement speed of a door installation apparatus, holding a door, with movement speed of a vehicle body during a process of carrying and assembling the door to the vehicle body, which is being moved by a conveyor, in an outfitting line, thus making it possible for a worker to assemble the door with the vehicle body more conveniently.