Abstract:
In a transport system for flow line production, especially in the car manufacturing industry, workpieces are movable along at least two first guides between working stations in transportation direction. At least one working station is configured as a screwing and/or assembling means which particularly comprises a plurality of working tools. To improve such a transport system in a way that with little constructional efforts and at reduced costs the assignment of working station and workpiece to be worked thereby is simplified and made possible in an accurate and reproducible manner, the screwing and/or assembling means is integrated into the transport system and is movable at least over a working path in parallel with the first guides in the transport system.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   The present invention relates to a transport system for flow line production, especially in the car manufacturing industry, comprising workpieces which are movable along at least two first guides between working stations in transportation direction, at least one working station being configured as a screwing and/or assembling means which particularly comprises a plurality of working tools. 
   Examples of such workpieces are vehicle components such as engine block, transmission or other vehicle parts that must be worked on before actual installation into the vehicle. Said workpieces are moved along at least two first guides of the transport system between associated working stations. The two first guides can be arranged both horizontally side by side and vertically one below the other. The working stations are separately arranged next to the transport system. Corresponding supply means, separate transportation systems, corresponding installations in the building, or the like are needed for the working stations. 
   Due to the separate arrangement and configuration of the working stations and the transport systems for the workpieces, the constructional efforts are relatively great on the one hand, which leads to an increased demand for space and also to increased costs. On the other hand, the assignment of working stations and workpiece is made difficult by the separated configuration of working stations and transport system because the transport system for the workpiece and the working stations must be aligned exactly relative to one another to assign working station and workpiece to be worked in a reproducible way relative to one another. This very alignment leads to increased installation efforts, which is also accompanied by additional costs. 
   It is therefore the object of the present invention to improve a transport system of the above-mentioned type such that with little constructional efforts and at reduced costs the assignment of working station and workpiece to be worked thereby is simplified and made possible in an exact and reproducible manner. 
   This object is achieved in a transport system where the screwing and/or assembling means is integrated into the transport system and is movable at least over a working path in parallel with the first guides in the transport system. 
   Thanks to the integration of the working station in the transport system, here above all screwing and/or assembling means, additional and separate guides that are separated from the transport system are not needed. Additional installations, for instance for the supply of power to the working station, are also not needed because the supplies inherent to the transport system can be resorted to in a corresponding way. No longer needed is also a corresponding difficult alignment of the working station relative to the transport system and thus to the workpiece because an alignment is directly carried out on the transport system and not by separate guides, or the like, owing to the integration of the working station in the transport system. The working station is thus movable in a much simplified way with a permanently correct alignment relative to the workpiece. 
   To prevent a situation where the working station represents a load on the two first guides for the workpiece, the screwing and/or assembling means can be moved along second guides in parallel to the first guides. It is here self-evident that the second guides are integrated into the transport system and are not arranged to be separated therefrom. 
   The assignment of the first and second guides can be simplified and improved in that the first and second guides are arranged on the same guide stands of the transport system. Depending on the arrangement of the first guides (horizontal, vertical), the second guides are arranged accordingly. When the same guide stands are used, this results, in addition, in a normally reduced number of guide stands because guide stands are not arranged separately for first and second guides in the transport system. 
   A simple arrangement of the guides with simultaneously simplified orientation of the guides relative to one another can be seen in that the first and second guides are arranged in pairs at opposite sides of the guide stands. The arrangement can be configured again accordingly vertically or horizontally for respectively first and second guides. 
   To move the working station along the transport system and especially independently of the workpiece in a simple way, first and second guides may each have assigned thereto a drive means for workpiece and screwing and/or assembling means, respectively. The drive means for the screwing and/or assembling means is especially used when after the treatment of the workpiece the working station is returned into its initial position. It is also possible that working station and workpiece are also moved during treatment of the workpiece through a corresponding synchronization of the two drive means. 
   Electric motors are for instance possible as drive means, the electric motors moving working station and workpiece, respectively, along the corresponding guides by means of corresponding gears, or the like. Such an electric motor may be assigned to each working station and each workpiece, respectively. However, to move a multitude of workpieces by a drive means and also a multitude of working stations by only one drive means, the corresponding drive means may be designed as a rotatable shaft which is acted upon by at least one friction wheel having an adjustable angle of inclination. A friction drive is thereby formed which upon contact of friction wheel and shaft moves workpieces and working stations, respectively, in transportation direction. The speed in the transportation direction can here be varied by changing the angle of inclination of the friction wheel. When such friction wheels are used, it is also possible in a simple way to interrupt the kinetic connection to the drive means by removing the friction wheels from the shaft. 
   To hold a corresponding workpiece in a simple way and to move it independently of the form and configuration thereof along the transport system, the workpiece may be detachably secured to a workpiece carrier, the friction wheels being arranged on the workpiece carrier. It is also possible to transport different workpieces with the same workpiece carrier. 
   To standardize, by analogy, the working station with respect to its support on the guides, the screwing and/or assembling means as the working station may comprise a working tool carrier which is movably supported on the second guides and on which the working tools are displaceably supported towards the workpiece. This creates, inter alia, the possibility that with an otherwise identical working tool carrier different working tools are used, depending on the respective requirements, and are moved with the working tool carrier along the second guides. 
   For reasons of space the working tool carrier and/or workpiece carrier may be substantially plate-shaped and comprise slide rails which project in the direction of the first guides and second guides, respectively, and are displaceable along said guides. For instance, if the first and second guides are each arranged vertically one above the other, a slide rail of each guide moves along an upper side of the lower guide and a further slide rail along an upper side of the upper guide. 
   To reduce friction between guide and slide rails to a substantial degree, guide rolls may be rotatably supported on the slide rails. 
   To be able to move all working tools, if possible, in synchronism and with a permanent alignment relative to one another, the working tool carrier may be provided especially at one end with a displacement means for displacing the working tools between ready position and work position. In the work position the working tools are aligned relative to the workpiece such that the latter can be worked. In the ready position the working tools can be displaced to such a degree that they present, for instance, no obstacle for the workpieces to be worked, for workers carrying out other operations, or the like. 
   It is also possible that the working tools are in principle arranged fixedly in their work position, a corresponding displaceable support by displacement means, or the like, being here omitted. 
   To obtain a simple displacement means, said means may comprise at least two transverse carriers extending above the first and second guides, along which the working tools are displaceable in a direction transverse to the transportation direction. The working tools can thereby be assigned substantially from above to the workpiece and finally moved to the workpiece for treatment. 
   The working tools as such can be configured in very different ways, depending on the kind of treatment for the workpiece. Examples of such working tools are drills, thread cutters, polishing means, screwdrivers, assembling devices, or the like. To be able to carry out many screwing or drilling operations in a simple way, the working tools are designed as screwdrivers with telescopically displaceable wrench heads that are displaceably supported between retracted position and operative position, as are e.g. described in DE 201 14 662.2 of the same applicant. 
   It should here be noted that the working tools are initially arranged in their retracted position e.g. during displacement of the working tools into the operative position and that they are only displaced by corresponding operation of the working tools into their operative position. 
   The displacement between retracted position and operative position can take place automatically, and after a correct assignment with respect to the workpiece the displacement into the operative position, for instance, and the subsequent treatment of the workpiece take place. The return movement into the retracted position can also take place automatically in a corresponding way after the working of the workpiece has been completed. 
   In a simple embodiment the working tools can be displaced manually between retracted position and operative position. 
   It has already been pointed out that the first and second guides may each be arranged horizontally or vertically. With a vertical arrangement, the demand for space is normally reduced. 
   To move the working tools in a simple way back into the retracted position after a manual displacement of the working tools into the operative position, the working tools may be acted upon by a force towards the retracted position. Actuation by a force may e.g. be carried out by a corresponding spring means or the like. 
   Especially with a manual assignment of the working tools relative to the workpiece in order to permit an exact alignment between the two, the working tools in their operative position may be aligned relative to the workpiece and optionally detachably fixed in said aligned position. The alignment can take place via a corresponding indexing means, and with an arrangement of the working tools in this correctly aligned position, a fixation by locking or the like can advantageously be carried out between working tools and workpiece or between working tools and workpiece carrier. 
   Since the assignment of working tools and workpiece takes place in flow line production, it is self-evident that the corresponding assignment and alignment of working tool and workpiece is also maintained during movement in transportation direction. This is simply carried out in that the movements of screwing and/or assembling means are synchronized. The term “synchronization” must here be interpreted such that very different types of kinetic coupling between working station and workpiece are comprised. One type of synchronization can e.g. be performed by a detachable fixation in the aligned position; see the above observations. It is also possible that working tool carrier and workpiece carrier are detachably coupled with one another as long as there is no working of the workpiece. This means, for instance, that the workpiece carrier or the working tool carrier drag along the respectively other member. Another possibility of synchronization is an electrical/electronic synchronization which is e.g. performed via the drive means, a master-slave relationship possibly existing between workpiece carrier and working station. Of course, a corresponding synchronization can also be performed mechanically in that e.g. a kinetic connection is established between screwing and/or assembling means and workpiece or workpiece carrier, respectively. 
   In flow line production the workpiece moves from one working station to the other one whereas the working stations are only assigned to a specific working area. To be able to work different workpieces one after the other in this area, it must be regarded as an advantage when the screwing and/or assembling means can be returned in a direction opposite to the transportation direction up to and into their initial position automatically after decoupling of workpiece and/or workpiece carrier. In this initial position a new workpiece is then supplied and worked. It is self-evident that a return movement into the initial position can also be carried out manually. 
   To use working stations, for instance, not only for the return movement into the initial position in the case of a drive means for essentially all working stations, screwing and/or assembling means and drive means assigned thereto may be drivingly connected especially during the return movement. During movement together with the workpiece for the treatment thereof, a corresponding decoupling from the drive means takes place and e.g. a corresponding kinetic connection is established with respect to the workpiece and workpiece carrier, respectively, or optionally also with respect to the drive means of workpiece/workpiece carrier. The kinetic connection can of course also be realized during movement in transportation direction. 
   To be able to operate all working tools in synchronism and manually, all working tools can be displaced at the same time and especially manually by means of a guide plate into the operative position. 
   To ensure the supply of the working station during its movement along the working area of the workpiece in a simple way, the screwing and/or assembling means may have assigned thereto a cable towing means. 
   It is self-evident that the corresponding working tools can be fed to the workpiece in different ways. One feeding possibility is in vertical direction from the top to the bottom. The working tools are arranged accordingly above or below the workpiece in their retracted position and operative position. 
   However, it is also possible that the working tools are supplied in horizontal direction to the workpiece. In this instance the working tools project substantially vertically from the working tool carrier and pass at least between and through the first guides. This is applicable in case of a vertical arrangement of the guides. With a horizontal arrangement of the guides a horizontal supply of the working tools can of course take place without any projection through the first guides. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Advantageous embodiments of the invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the figures which are attached to the drawing, and of which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective front view of a first embodiment of the transport system according to the invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a partly cut side view of the transport system according to  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a front view of the transport system according to  FIG. 1 ; and 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective front view according to  FIG. 1  of a second embodiment of the transport system of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1  is a perspective front view of a first embodiment of the transport system  1  according to the invention. The transport system  1  comprises two pairs of guides  3 ,  4 ,  10 ,  11 . The pair of first guides  3 ,  4  serves to guide a substantially plate-shaped workpiece carrier  20  which has a workpiece  2  detachably secured thereto. The workpiece carrier  20  comprises two slide rails  22 ,  23  at its back side facing away from the workpiece  2 . The slide rail  22  is movable along an upper side of the lower first guide  4 , the slide rail  23  being movable along a bottom side of the upper first guide  3 . 
   The workpiece carrier  20  is kinetically connected to a drive means  15 , which is designed as a shaft  17 . The shaft  17  rotates substantially continuously in one direction, the kinetic connection between workpiece carrier  20  and shaft  17  being established via a number of friction wheels  19 , see  FIG. 2 . The wheels are supported on the workpiece carrier  20  to be rotatable and adjustable in their angle of inclination relative to the transportation direction  6  and the longitudinal direction of the shaft  17 , respectively. 
   The first guides  3 ,  4  are mounted on a plurality of spaced-apart guide stands  12 , of which only one is shown in  FIG. 1 . The first guides  3 ,  4  are here mounted at a side  14  of the guide stand  12 . A further pair of second guides  10 ,  11  is mounted at the opposite side  13 . Each of the second guides  10 ,  11  is arranged in parallel with the first guides  3 ,  4 . The second guides  10 ,  11  serve to guide and move a working station  5 . In the illustrated embodiment, said station is designed as a screwing and/or assembling means  7 . The working station  5  comprises a substantially plate-shaped working tool carrier  21  whose inner side facing the workpiece carrier  20  has arranged thereon two slide rails  24 ,  25 . By analogy with slide rails  22 ,  23 , these are in contact with the second guides  10 ,  11 ; see also  FIG. 2 . 
   The lower slide rail  23  comprises corresponding friction wheels  19  which are supported thereon to be rotatable and adjustable in their angle of inclination. The friction wheels  19  can be brought into contact with a further shaft  18  as drive means  16  for the working station  5 . The shaft  18  extends in a corresponding manner in parallel with shaft  17 , its direction of rotation, however, being inverse to the direction of rotation of shaft  17  in the illustrated embodiment; see the following description. 
   At its upper end  26  the working tool carrier  21  comprises two transverse carriers  30 ,  31  that are arranged to be perpendicular to said carrier  21 . Said transverse carriers form part of a displacement means  27 . On their insides oriented to each other, the transverse carriers  30 ,  31  comprise guide surfaces for a substantially U-shaped bracket  41 . Said bracket is displaceable by means of guide rolls  43  (see also  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) along the transverse carriers  30 ,  31 . 
     FIG. 1  shows a ready position  28  in broken line and a work position  29  of the displacement means  27  in unbroken line. At their front ends, the U-legs of the U-bracket  41  have arranged thereon a support plate  42 . Said plate serves to hold a plurality of working tools  8  with corresponding drive means for said working tools. The working tools  8  are here designed as screwdrivers  34  with wrench heads  35 . In  FIG. 1 , the screwdrivers  34  and wrench heads  35 , respectively, are arranged in an operative position  33  in which the workpiece  2  is subjected to a corresponding treatment. 
   All of the screwdrivers  34  and wrench heads  35 , respectively, are jointly displaceable in vertical direction by means of a manually operable guide plate  36  between their operative position  33  and their retracted position  32 ; see also  FIG. 2 . On the guide plate  36 , grips  40  are arranged at both ends towards transportation direction  6  so as to be gripped by a worker. The working tools  8  are displaced in vertical direction  47 . The support plate  42  is displaced in horizontal direction  48  perpendicular to transportation direction  6 . The working station  5  is displaced in horizontal direction  46  in parallel with transportation direction  6 , the working station being movable in the area of a working path  9 . 
   It should here be noted that the configuration of the working station  5  as a screwing and/or assembling means  7  according to  FIG. 1  is only by way of example and that other working tools  8  are also possible for the working station  5 . 
   For the supply of the working station, cable towing means  37 ,  38  are arranged that are configured like a chain and allow for adequate clearance with respect to the two horizontal movements  46  and  48  of the working station. 
     FIG. 2  is a partly cut side view of the transport system  1  according to  FIG. 1 . Like reference numerals mark like parts in this figure just as in the remaining figures and are only mentioned in part in connection with a figure. 
     FIG. 2  shows, in particular, how workpiece carrier  20  and working tool carrier  21  are displaceable by means of their slide rails  22 ,  23  and  24 ,  25  along the first guides  3 ,  4  and the second guides  10 ,  11 . The guides  3 ,  4  and  10 ,  11  are made from one section and guide rolls  39  which are rotatably arranged on the slide rails  22 ,  23  and  24 ,  25  roll on the outsides thereof. The guide rolls are each arranged in pairs and are inclined relative to one another at an angle of about 90°. Consequently, they roll on guide surfaces of the corresponding guides that are also inclined relative to one another at an angle of 90°. 
   Corresponding friction wheels  19  (see also  FIG. 3 ) can be made out on the insides of workpiece carrier  20  and working tool carrier  21 , respectively, which are oriented towards the shafts  17 ,  18 . These wheels are supported on the carriers  20 ,  21  to be rotatable and adjustable around their axis of rotation with respect to the adjustment angle. Depending on the inclination of the friction wheels  19  relative to the shaft  17  and  18 , respectively, the speed of workpiece carrier  20  and thus of working tool carrier  21  is variable. 
   As can particularly be seen in  FIG. 2  in addition, the workpiece carrier  20  has assigned thereto a monitoring/controlling means  44  by which the position of the workpiece carrier along the transport system  1  can be detected and optionally corrected. 
   In  FIG. 2 , the working station  5  is shown in its work position  29  with guide plate  36  in the operative position  33 . In these positions the workpiece  2  is worked by the corresponding working tools  8  of the working station  5 . The ready position  28  with respect to support plate  42  and the retracted position  32  with respect to guide plate  36  are also hinted at in  FIG. 2 . In the ready position  28 , the working station  5  is displaced in the displacement means  27  to such a degree to the left side in  FIG. 2  that the corresponding working tools  8  are essentially arranged above the first and second guides  3 ,  4  and  10 ,  11 . At the same time, the working tools are displaced by a corresponding vertical displacement of the guide plate  36  into the retracted position  32 , so that ends of the working tools  8  that are assigned to the workpiece  2  are positioned above the guides. 
     FIG. 3  is a front view of the transport system  1  according to  FIG. 1 . The friction wheels  19  which are arranged along shaft  17 , see  FIG. 1 , can particularly be seen on the workpiece carrier  20 . The working tools  8  of the working station  5 , which is designed as a screwing and/or assembling means  7 , are arranged in their operative position  33  due to manual operation performed by a worker  45 . The working station  5  is movable by the worker  45  along the working path  9 , see  FIG. 1 , in transportation direction  6 , a detachable fixation being normally established between working station  5  and workpiece  2  and workpiece carrier  20 , respectively. In this connection it is also possible to move working station  5  and workpiece  2  automatically and in synchronism with one another in transportation direction  6 . Said synchronous movement can e.g. be performed by electronic synchronization of the drive means or a master-slave relation of the drive means. 
   As can further be seen in  FIG. 3 , the U-webs of the displacement means  7  and  20 , see  FIG. 1 , are displaceably supported along guide rolls  43  on transverse carriers  30 ,  31 . 
     FIG. 4  is a perspective front view according to  FIG. 1  on a second embodiment of the transport system  1  according to the invention. 
   This embodiment specifically differs from the first embodiment of  FIG. 1  in that the working station  5  is designed without a displacement means  27 , so that the working tools  8  are permanently arranged in the work position  29 . The support plate  42  is fixed relative to the transverse carriers  30 ,  31  in a corresponding way. Consequently, since the working station  8  is not movable in horizontal direction perpendicular to the transportation direction  6 , a cable tow member  38 , see  FIG. 1 , of the cable towing means can here be omitted. 
   The other details are identical with those of the embodiment according to the preceding figures. 
   Operation and function of the transport system according to the invention shall now be explained in a few words with reference to the figures. 
   According to  FIG. 3  a worker first moves the working tools  8  by means of the guide plate  36  in horizontal direction perpendicular to the transportation direction  6 , the drive means  16  being separated from the working station  5 . In this process the working station  5  is entrained by the workpiece carrier  20  in transportation direction  6 . The worker moves the individual working tools  8  by means of the guide plate  36  into the operative position  33 , and the workpiece  2  is subsequently worked. During treatment the working tools are fixed with respect to the workpiece in that they are for instance locked in their operative position  33 . After the workpiece  2  has been worked, the worker returns the working tools into the retracted position  32  and then the displacement means into the ready position  28 ; see embodiment according to  FIGS. 1 to 3 . The drive means is then again coupled with the working station, and a return movement is carried out in a direction opposite to the transportation direction into an initial position at an end of the working path  9  at which the treatment of a further workpiece will then start.