Abstract:
A machine for automatically installing a molding strip onto the edge of a door panel. The door panel is covered with a soft, flexible material such as vinyl or cloth. The molding strip has a channel formed therein, which receives the edge of the door panel. A compression mechanism compresses the material in front of the molding strip as the molding strip is pushed by a drive mechanism onto the door panel edge the distance of the molding strip. The compression mechanism and the drive mechanism move in unison so that the compression mechanism is continuously compressing the material just in front of the molding strip as the strip is installed on the door panel edge.

Description:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to machinery used to automate the production of automobile parts and more particularly to a method and apparatus for installing moldings to automobile door panels. 
     The inside of automobile door panels are generally formed of a plastic material and covered in cloth or vinyl material. In addition various trims made of metal, plastic or wood are added. The top portion of the door panel has a large opening to accommodate the window. The top edge of the door panel usually has a molding strip placed over the top edge to keep the cloth or vinyl material in place and to provide a cushion between the window and door panel. The molding strip also aids in keeping the window in its proper place when the window moves up or down in the window tracks inside of the door panel. 
     In the past, the door panel molding was installed by hand. The molding strip was lubricated with a slippery substance, usually soap, and positioned at one edge of the door panel. The strip was spread apart so that the door panel would fit inside of a channel at one end of the molding. The opposite end of the molding was then manually hit with a mallet until the molding was slid over the entire length of the door panel. The installation process took about one minute to complete per door panel. The installer had to be careful to continually guide the molding over the cloth or vinyl material so that the door panel stayed in the channel in the molding and at the same time had to be carefull not to tear the cloth or vinyl. If the cloth or vinyl tore, the panel was ruined. 
     Applicant recognized that a need existed for an improved method and apparatus for installing moldings to door panels in the automotive industry. The previous method was labor intensive and slow. It also resulted in ruined door panels as a result of tearing the cloth or vinyl material. In the highly competitive automotive industry, a machine was needed that would install the moldings to the door panels at greater speed and at less cost. 
     Applicant&#39;s invention comprises a new and unique method and apparatus for installing molding strips to the door panels on automobiles. The machine holds the door panel in place. A molding strip is manually placed in position and the machine automatically pushes it along the door panel into the final installed position. There is a mechanism to maintain pressure along the vinyl or cloth material at the proper points to keep the vinyl or cloth from bunching up in front of the molding strip as it is slid along the door panel. This minimizes the possibility of tearing the vinyl or cloth. The machine automatically resets so that after one molding strip is installed and the door panel removed, the machine is ready to begin another cycle. The machine is simple and efficient in design, easy to operate, and easy to maintain. The machine installs a molding strip onto the door panel in about 15 seconds, which is a substantial timesaving over the prior method. 
     OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION 
     Thus it is an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for automatically installing door panel moldings to door panels. 
     It is a related object to provide an apparatus that installs door panel moldings at a greater speed than was previously possible by the manual process. 
     Another object is to provide an apparatus that automatically installs door panel moldings while minimizing the possibility of tearing the vinyl or cloth on the door panel while installing the molding. 
     Yet another object is to provide a method and apparatus to apply pressure to the proper locations on the cloth or vinyl material to automatically install door panel moldings over the door panel without catching or binding upon the cloth or vinyl. 
     These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the Description of the Drawings and Description of the Preferred Embodiment. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the molding installing machine. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the machine. 
     FIG. 3 is a right end view of the machine. 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the push block assembly. 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective of the guide block assembly with the safety shield and other portions removed, at the beginning of its forward travel. 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the guide block assembly and molding strip guide mounted on the machine frame. 
     FIG. 7 is a front top perspective view of the guide block assembly. 
     FIG. 8 is a side view of the T-shaped actuator portion of the guide block assembly. 
     FIG. 9 is an end view of the T-shaped actuator of FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 10 is a front view of the guide block cover plate. 
     FIG. 11 is a left top perspective view of the guide block assembly and T-shaped actuator mechanism partially assembled. 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the finger mechanism holding block. 
     FIG. 13 is a front view with portions removed of the finger mechanism holding block in relationship to the molding strip during installation. 
     FIG. 14 is a front elevation view of the machine with portions removed of the door panel clamped to the machine. 
     FIG. 15 is a perspective view taken along line  15 — 15  of FIG. 14 with portions removed of the molding installed on the car door panel. 
     FIG. 16 is a front elevation view with portions removed for clarity showing the molding being installed onto the edge of the door panel with the finger pushing down on the door panel just ahead of the molding strip. 
     FIG. 17 is an enlarged end view with portions removed for clarity showing the Tshaped actuator and finger pushing on the door panel. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Turning first to FIG. 1 there is illustrated a door panel molding installation machine  8  of the present invention. The machine  8  has a tubular steel frame  10 , which forms the structural support for the entire machine. There is a pair of forklift tubes  12  by which the machine  8  can be lifted and moved. However once the machine is properly located, it is intended to remain stationary. 
     The machine is designed to receive a car door inner panel  9 , which is securely held in place by several panel supports  16  and clamps  18 . The operator of the machine  8  positions the door panel  9  on the supports  16  and locks the panel to the frame  10  at the beginning of the installation cycle and unlocks the panel upon completion of the cycle. 
     On the top of the frame  10  is mounted a reversible electric motor  20 . An electric control panel  21  provides the controls and power to the motor  20  to operate it at the proper times and in the correct direction. The output shaft of the motor is connected to a coupling  22 , which in turn is connected to a shaft, which passes through a bearing  24 . This in turn is connected to a screw drive  26  which has its end supported in an end bearing  28 . The screw drive is a one inch diameter ball bearing screw shaft. 
     There is a push block  30  mounted at the motor end of the screw drive  26 . The push block  30  has a threaded passageway that receives the screw drive  26 . The screw drive rotates four turns to move the push block  30  one inch. A guide block  32  is mounted on the top of the frame  10  near the end bearing  28 , which is also located above where the door panel is mounted. Spacer tubes or pipes  34  connect the guide block  32  and push block  30  to each other. The spacing between the push block  30  and guide block  32  can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the spacer tubes. Thus as the push block  30  is driven by the screw drive  26 , the guide block  32  is simultaneously driven a like distance. The push block  30  and guide block  32  rest on a block rail  36 , which is mounted to the top of frame  10 . The block rail  36  can be of many designs but it is important that it maintains the push block  30  and guide block  32  in a straight line while allowing the blocks to move freely along their travel in either direction. In the preferred embodiment the block rail  36  has a pair of ball bearing block assemblies mounted on it. The push block  30  and guide block  32  are mounted on the ball bearing block assemblies so that they can move freely. 
     As seen in FIG. 2, a pair of limit switches  38  and  40  control the length of travel of the push block  30  by sending signals to the control panel  21  when tripped by the movement of the push block  30  and guide block  32 . The exact length of travel, location of stopping and reversing of the push block  30  and guide block  32  can be adjusted by adjusting the point where the limit switches are activated. 
     Turning to FIG. 3, which is and end view of the machine  8 , one can see the narrow profile of the entire machine. The machine  8  does not take up a great deal of manufacturing space in an assembly plant. There is also illustrated a parts tray  42  mounted above the frame  10  on which the operator can place molding strips or other parts as necessary. There is also shown a safety shield  44  that covers the area where the moldings are actually installed. This is to keep the operator&#39;s hands out of the area where the moldings are slid onto the door panels and to keep the operator&#39;s hands away from the screw drive. There are electrical interlocks connected to the safety shield that disconnect the drive and render it inoperative when the safety shield is opened during the installation process or not closed at the beginning of the cycle. 
     There is a molding strip rail  46  also mounted to the top of the frame  10 . The strip rail  46  extends substantially the entire distance from the push block  30  to the guide block  32 . It is designed to receive a molding strip  48  that is to be installed onto the door panel. As seen in FIG. 4, which is an enlarged view of the push block  30 , the strip rail  46  has an upstanding tongue  50  that positions and supports the molding strip  48  in the proper orientation for installation. 
     The push block  30  also has a groove or channel  52  cut in its underside along its entire length. The groove  52  is dimensioned to receive the tongue  50  as the push block  30  moves along the block rail  36 . The push block  30  engages the molding strip  48  and pushes it along the strip rail  46  and onto the door panel. 
     As seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the guide block  32  is located just behind the molding strip rail  46 . A cam follower  51  (FIG. 6) is located at the front and bottom of the guide block  32 . There is a track  53  on the top of the frame  10  that extends from the point of beginning to the end of the guide block&#39;s  32  travel. The cam follower  51  follows the track  53 , which will be more fully described later. There is a guide post  54  mounted to the frame  10  in front of the molding strip rail  46 . The molding strip  48  is received between the guide post  54  and the strip rail  46  with a top edge of the molding folded over the upstanding tongue  50 . The folded top edge of the molding strip  48  extends over the tongue  50 . This is the portion of the molding that is wrapped around the door panel with the vinyl or cloth material firmly captured between the folded top edge of the molding and the door panel. The folded top edge of the molding strip  48  catches on a lip on the door panel to lock the molding strip  48  to the door panel. 
     The details of the guide block  32  are more clearly illustrated in FIGS. 7 through 13. The guide block  32  is made from a main block  56  that has a square channel  58  cut perpendicularly from one side to the other. There is a pair of arms  60  extending forward from and on either side of the main block  56 . A back or end plate  61  is affixed to the rear of the block  56 . FIG. 8 illustrates a T-shaped actuator  62  which is assembled from a square shaft  64  affixed to a moveable plate  66 . The shaft  64  has a central circular passageway  68  as seen in FIG. 9. A spring (not illustrated) is positioned within the central passageway  68 . A cover plate  70  (FIG. 10) is adapted to be mounted to the top of the main block  56 . FIG. 11 illustrates how the T-shaped actuator  62  is received within the main block  56 . The square shaft  64  is slidably received within the square channel  58 . The shaft  64  can be lubricated to allow it to slide more easily. A square shaft is used to restrain any circular movement of the shaft  64  thus allowing the moveable plate  66  to move in only one axis. The spring in the passageway  68  pushes against the back plate  61  which forces the moveable plate  66  forward away from the main block  56 . 
     The moveable plate  66  has a recess  72 . A finger holder  74  is securely mounted in the recess  72 . As seen in FIG. 12, the finger holder is made up of two components, a top block  76  and a bottom block  78 . As seen in FIG. 13, there are two mounting screws  80 , that pass through holes  99  in the blocks  76  and  78  to fasten the finger holder  74  to the recess  72  in the moveable plate  66 . It can also be seen in FIG. 13 that the top block  76  is mounted to the bottom block  78  by means of a long screw  82  that passes through the top block  76  and is received in a threaded passageway in the bottom block  78 . Sandwiched between the top and bottom blocks  76  and  78  is a finger  84 . The finger  84  is semi-rigid but will allow some flexing at its tip  86  when a downward pressure is exerted. The amount of pressure exerted by the finger  84  onto a door panel molding can be adjusted by tightening or loosening the long screw  82 . The tip  86  is bent slightly upward to allow the molding strip  48  to be slid under the tip  86  for installation to the door panel. 
     The machine  8  is easy to operate. The operator first takes a door panel, locates it on the supports  16 , and secures it to the frame by means of the clamps  18  as seen in FIG.  14 . The molding strip  48  is placed on the molding strip rail  46  with the leading edge of the strip  48  slid under the tip  86  of the finger  84 . The screw drive is started and the push block  30  begins pushing the molding strip  48  to the left (as seen in FIG.  1 ). At the same time the guide block  32  begins moving to the left along the top of the door panel. The moveable plate  66  is forced away from the main block  56  due to the T-shaped actuator being forced out as a result of the spring pushing against the back plate  61 . The moveable plate  66  is guided away from the main block  56  by the cam follower  51  following the track  53  which is configured to move the plate  66  approximately ½ inch forward and away from the main block  56  during the first few inches of travel of the guide block  32 . 
     The movement of the moveable plate  66  toward the front of the machine  8  causes the plate  66  to apply a horizontal pressure against the vinyl or cloth material on the door panel. At the same time, the finger  84  applies a vertical force or pressure to the vinyl or cloth. The pressures are applied to the material at a point just in front of the leading edge of the molding strip  48 . The combination of forces and the location where they are applied is critical to the success of the process. If the forces are applied too far forward of the leading edge of the molding strip, the material will ball or bunch up in front of the leading edge. This keeps the leading edge of the molding strip from sliding over the material and instead the molding strip will tear the material. Thus the material must be compressed in front of the leading edge as the strip is forced over the door panel. When the guide block  32  reaches the end of its travel, the molding strip  48  will have been installed along the entire length of the door panel. The clamps  18  are released and the door panel is removed. The push and guide blocks return to their original position and the cycle is repeated. 
     The machine  8  illustrated in FIG. 1 is designed for applying a molding strip on one of the inside door panels. A mirror image machine is needed to install the molding strip to the opposite door panel. In this manner the molding strips are always installed along the door panel in the same relative direction and in the same manner. 
     Thus there has been provided a method and apparatus for installing a molding strip to a door panel that fully satisfies the objects and advantages as set forth above. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiment disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible to those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. All such modifications and variations are within the broad scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims.