Mazda Motor Corporation

Toyo Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Sunji Sakamoto

Hiroshi Fujii

Toshinobu Taketani

Ken Kuramori

A vehicle assembly line has a main line comprising an automated assembly line portion disposed in an upstream portion thereof, a manual assembly line portion disposed in a downstream portion thereof and an automated work line portion disposed in the terminal portion thereof. The automated assembly line portion is formed of train type conveyors which can feed a vehicle body or a work selectively in continuous feed fashion or indexing feed fashion. The manual assembly line portion is formed of trolley type or power-and-free type conveyors which feed the vehicle body continuously. The automated work line portion is formed of train type conveyors which feed the vehicle body in indexing feed fashion. In the automated assembly line portion are included the assembly steps which have already been automated and those which are scheduled to be automated but are to be manually performed for the time being. At the stations for the automated steps, the train type conveyors are controlled to feed the vehicle body in indexing feed fashion while at the stations for the scheduled-to-be-automated steps, the conveyors are controlled to feed the vehicle body in continuous feed fashion. In the manual assembly line portion are disposed the assembly steps which are considered to have to depend on human labor even in future. In the automated work line portion are accomplished assembly steps which must be done after the manual assembly steps due to limitations on the assembling order.

Vehicle assembly line

An apparatus for applying adhesive to automobile windshield glass panels which includes a turn table assembly for supporting a glass panel and moving it so that the peripheral portion of the glass panel is continuously exposed to an adhesive applying nozzle which is supported by an industrial robot. A control circuit such as a microprocessor is provided and has a first memory of the order in which different types of glass panels are supplied and a second memory including informations as to the controls of the turn table and the nozzle for applying adhesive to respective ones of the glass panel. The control circuit determines the type of the glass panel which is mounted on the turn table in accordance with the first memory and address to the second memory so as to control the movement of the turn table and the nozzle.

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Hiroshima, Japan

Sunji Sakamoto