Method for painting automobiles

Abstract: In order for paints not to be adhered to the opening and closing device (10) and the door fixing unit (11) for maintaining the opening state of a door (2), etc. when painting doors, etc. of an automobile, a door, etc. is alternately held by the opening and closing device and the door fixing unit, and the portion of the door, etc. which are not held is to be painted, thereby causing any paint not to be directly sprayed to the opening and closing device and the door fixing unit with which a door, etc. is held, and a paint is not adhered to these members.

Description: The present invention relates to the method and equipment for painting automobiles by a painting robot (painting equipment) with, for instance, a door (opening and closing member) of an automobile open. Generally, as in an automobile manufacturing line an automobile placed on a carrier comes to a stop at the position of painting on a manufacturing line of automobiles, the door thereof is opened and the painting is carried out by for instance a painting robot. In this case, conventionally there were two ways for opening the door. According to the first way, the door 2 of an automobile 1 is opened by the painting robot 3 itself as shown in Fig. 3. As the door 2 is opened by the painting robot, the door 2 is fixed with a door fixing unit 4 in order to keep the door 2 on the opening state thereof. Namely, the shift-down lever 5 is shifted and driven upwards from the floor surface, and a pushing rod 6 attached to the distal end of the shift-down lever 5 is brought into contact with the inner plane of the door 2. And the door 2 is fixed at the opening state thereof by extremely pushing the door 2 in the opening direction by means of the pushing rod 6. Thereafter, the painting is carried out for the inside of an automobile and the door 2 itself by the painting robot 3. On the other hand, according to the second way, an exclusive door opening and closing device 7 for opening and closing the door 2 is used as shown in Fig. 4. Namely, the engaging claw 9 attached to the distal end of the arm 8 is engaged with the door 2, and the door 2 is opened by moving the arm 8 along with an appointed locus. And while the inside of the automobile 1 and the door 2 are being painted by the painting robot, the opening state of the door 2 can be maintained by the corresponding door opening and closing device 7. Hence, as in the painting method described in the aboves the painting work is conducted with the pushing rod 6 or the engaging claw 9 brought in contact or engaged with the door 2, the paint is adhered to the rod and the claw. And at a time of conducting the painting similar to the above in other automobiles, the paint adhered to the above components such as the rod and the claw may be adhered to other automobiles, thereby causing such a problem as a painting defect to occur. Furthermore, the paint which is ejected from the painting robot can not be sprayed to the portions with which the pushing rod 6 and the engaging claw 9 is brought in contact or engaged since these components disturb the spraying thereof, thereby causing such a problem as painting unevenness to occur. There is also known from US-A-4 498 414 (KIBA) an equipment for painting an automobile by which the painting is executed by a painting equipment with the opening and closing member of an automobile opened. It comprises means for opening and closing the opening and closing member. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and equipment for painting an automobile, by which it can be avoided for the paint to be coated to the fixtures for fixing a door at the opened position thereof with the door opened when painting the automobile and at the same time the whole door can be evenly painted. In order to achieve the object, a method for painting an automobile according to the first invention is defined in claim 1. An equipment for painting an automobile according to the second invention is defined in claim 2. In a method and equipment for painting an automobile according to the present invention, the opening and closing member such as a door which is opened by the opening and closing device thereof can be held by the door fixing unit by which a portion differing from the portion held at the opening state thereof by the opening and closing device is held. At the same time, the opening state of the opening and closing member can be maintained by alternately actuating the opening and closing device and the door fixing unit, and the painting work can be alternately executed by the painting equipment on the portions of the opening and closing member held by the door fixing unit and the opening and closing device. As a result, any paint cannot adhere to the portions of the opening and closing device and the door fixing unit, which are brought into contact or engaged with the opening and closing member. Moreover, the paint can be evenly sprayed on the whole area of the opening and closing member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a diagrammatical view showing the composition of main portions of a painting equipment for automobiles according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a flow chart showing the procedure of actions in the painting equipment of automobile, Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view for describing a conventional painting equipment, and Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view for describing a conventional painting method. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to the drawings attached hereto, a preferred embodiment in which the present invention is embodied is described for better understanding of the present invention. The ensuing preferred embodiment is one of the examples in which the present invention is embodied but it is not of such property as limiting the technical scope thereof. The painting equipment of automobile according to the preferred embodiment is so composed that, as shown in Fig. 1, it can comprise a door opening and closing unit 10 for holding, opening and closing a door 2 of an automobile 1, a door fixing unit 11 for maintaining the door 2, which is opened by the door opening and closing device 10, at the opening state thereof by holding the portion differing from the portion held by the door opening and closing device 10, and a controlling unit 19 by which the painting work can be alternately executed by for instance a painting robot on the portions of the door 2, which is held by the door fixing unit 11 and the door opening and closing device 10, with the opening state thereof maintained by alternately actuating the door opening and closing device 10 and the door fixing unit 11. The door opening and closing device 10 is furnished with an arm 13 slidable in the vertical direction to the base frame 15 and swingable in a plane parallel to the opening and closing direction of the door 2, and the distal end of the arm 13 is provided with another arm 12 swingable in the same plane as the swinging direction of the arm 13. Furthermore, an engaging claw 14 which can be inserted in and engaged with a sash portion 16 at the upper part of the door 2 is mounted at the distal end of the arm 12. The door 2 can be opened or closed by swinging the arms 12 and 13 along with an appointed locus with the engaging claw 14 engaged with the sash portion 16. The door fixing unit 11 is furnished with a shift-down lever 17 shiftable to the floor plane, and a pushing rod 18 is attached to the free end of the shift-down lever 17. And the opening state of the door 2 can be maintained by bringing the pushing rod 18 into contact with the lower portion at the rear side of the door 2 which is opened by the door opening and closing device 10. The controlling unit 10 has a memory (not illustrated) for memorizing programs for controlling the door opening and closing device 10 and the door fixing unit 11. Consecutively, the processing procedure for painting by means of the painting equipment is described with reference to Fig. 2. S1, S2, ... in the Figure show a step of each action. As an automobile 1 placed on a carrier (not illustrated) comes to a stop at an appointed position of painting work on a manufacturing line, the engaging claw 14 of the door opening and closing device 10 is inserted in and engaged with the sash portion 16 of the door 2, and the door 2 can be opened by swinging of the arms 12 and 13 along with an appointed locus (S1). Continuously, the opening state of the door 2 can be maintained by the door opening and closing device 10, and the inside of an automobile 1 and the underside of the door 2 can be painted by a painting robot (not illustrated) (S2). As the painting work for the underside of the door 2 is finished (S3), the shift-down lever 17 of the door fixing unit 11 is swung upwards to cause the pushing rod 18 to be pushed to the underside of the door 2, thereby causing the opening state of the door 2 to be maintained (S4). As the opening state of the door 2 is maintained by means of the door fixing unit 11, the door opening and closing device 10 is set back to an appointed position (S5), and the upper side of the door 2 and the sash portion 16 thereof are painted by the painting robot (S6). The painting robot is so controlled that it can be engaged in painting of other portions without making a stop while the processings in the above steps S4 and S5 are being carried out. As the painting work is finished on the upper side of the door 2 and the sash portion 16 thereof as shown in the above (S7), the engaging claw 14 of the door opening and closing unit 10 is inserted in and engaged with the sash portion of the door 2 again (S8). Thereafter, the shift-down lever 17 of the door fixing unit 11 is withdrawn to the initial position (S9). On completion of the withdrawal thereof, the door 2 is closed by the door opening and closing device 10 (S10). Thereafter, as the engaging claw 14 of the door opening and closing device 10 is withdrawn to the initial position (S11), the painting work for the automobile 1 on this stage is finished. As the painting system according to the present invention is so composed as shown in the above, the painting work can be executed with the door 2 maintained in the opening state thereof by alternately holding the portion, which is not the present painting portion, by means of the engaging claw 14 of the door opening and closing device 10 and the pushing rod 18 of the door fixing unit 11, with which the door 2 can be fixed at the opening state thereof. Therefore, any paint can not adhere to the engaging claw 14 and the pushing rod 18. As a result, in the painting work for other automobiles, which is subsequently carried out, such a defect which can cause a painting mistake by paint adhering to the other automobiles can be completely avoided. At the same time, the whole rear side of the door 2 can be evenly painted. The painting method according to the present invention is so composed as shown in the above. Therefore, it can be avoided that any paint adheres to the fixtures for fixing the opening and closing member at the opening state thereof after being opened, and at the same time the whole opening and closing member can be evenly painted.

Claims: A method for painting an automobile, by which the painting is executed by a painting equipment with an opening and closing member (2) of an automobile opened by an opening and closing device (10) being characterized in that a portion of the opening and closing member (2) which differs from the portion held by the opening and closing device (10) is held by a door fixing unit (11) to maintain the opening state thereof, and that the portions of the opening and closing member (2) held by the door fixing unit (11) and the opening and closing device (10) are painted alternately actuating the opening and closing device (10) and the door fixing unit (11). An equipment for painting an automobile, by which the painting is executed by a painting equipment with an opening and closing member (2) of an automobile opened, comprising an opening and closing device (10) for holding, opening and closing the opening and closing member (2), characterized by a door fixing unit (11) for maintaining the opening state of the opening and closing member (2), which is opened by the opening and closing device (10), by holding a portion thereof which differs from the portion thereof held by the opening and closing device (10), and controlling means (19) by which the painting work can be alternatively executed by the painting equipment on the portion of the opening and closing member (2) held by the door fixing unit (11) and the opening and closing device (10) with the opening state of the opening and closing member (2) maintained by alternatively actuating the opening and closing device (10) and the door fixing unit (11).

Inventors: ITOH JYUNJI, MATSUO HISASHI, ITOH, JYUNJI, MATSUO, HISASHI
Applicants: KOBE STEEL LTD, KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO ALSO KNOWN AS KOBE STEEL LTD.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B05B13
IPC codes: B05D1, B05B13