Mazda Motor Corporation

Masamiti Kogai

Masahiro Osumi

Masakatsu Ohsugi

Nobuo Kihara

Hisaaki Katsuki

Naoyuki Ikemizu

Yoshikazu Fujioka

Hiroaki Inoue

Hiroshi Hayakawa

Tetsuya Murakami

Seikichi Yamamoto

Hiroyasu Nagaoka

Masafumi Kobayashi

Syuji Nishimoto

A vehicle assembly line has a first line for a first mobile conveyor and a second line for a second mobile conveyor and the first line is connected to the second line with two hanger conveyor lines. Two working robots are disposed to the first mobile conveyor, one being positioned within a cabin of an upper body section and the other being positioned in front of the upper body section. The second mobile conveyor has a mechanism for altering a posture of the upper body section and a height position thereof. To the upper body section are mounted various small parts such as grommets with the first working robot during the course of running the first mobile conveyor in the first line. The second line has plural stations for mounting larger parts such as bumpers to the upper body section which is loaded on the second mobile conveyor and whose posture and position are aligned with the working robots disposed in the plural stations before entering the stations. The upper body section is conveyed again to the first line in which the upper vehicle body section is mounted with various parts and the various parts are fastened with bolts tightly, followed by mounting seats, etc. Then, lower parts such as an engine and suspension are mounted to the assembled vehicle body section.

Method and system for the assembly of works and method for the assembly

A vehicle assembling method includes the steps of assembling a lower body shell a including underbody portion having a front floor and front body portion, assembling an upper body shell, including a roof member and right and left body side panels, and assembling the upper body shell and the lower body shell, moving rearward the lower body shell relative to the upper body shell, and engaging transverse opposite side ends of the lower body shell with lower end portions of the upper body shell to join the lower body shell with the upper body shell. The under body portion can be readily joined with the upper body shell, improving the workability of the joining operation. The structure of joint portion thereof can be simplified with a desirable sealing.

Vehicle assembling method

A vehicle transfer system for use in a vehicle assembly line comprises a first conveyor which transfers a vehicle while supporting the vehicle on its chassis with the tires being floated, and a second conveyor which transfers the vehicle body while supporting the vehicle on its tires. A ride-over table is disposed between the first and second conveyors so that the tires of the vehicle are caused to ride over the ride-over table and the chassis is lifted away from the vehicle supporting table of the first conveyor. A movable receiving table is disposed on the receiving side of the second conveyor to be movable back and forth in parallel to the second conveyor and is moved forward in synchronization with the first conveyor. The movable receiving table is further movable between a raised position in which it lifts the vehicle riding over the ride-over table before the vehicle reaches the delivery side end of the ride-over table and a lowered position in which it lowers the vehicle passing over the ride-over table onto the second conveyor.

Vehicle transfer system

Growing community of inventors

Hiroshima-ken, Japan

Masamiti Kogai