초록 ▼

An apparatus and process for assembling individual body components of a body-in-white vehicle with respect to one another to form a unitary vehicle body including a framing workstation for receiving and positionally locating an underbody member of the vehicle, and for receiving and positionally loca

An apparatus and process for assembling individual body components of a body-in-white vehicle with respect to one another to form a unitary vehicle body including a framing workstation for receiving and positionally locating an underbody member of the vehicle, and for receiving and positionally locating at least one upper body member of the vehicle with respect to the underbody member. The framing workstation establishing a predetermined geometry of the individual body components, while forming the unitary vehicle body. At least one self-piercing rivet tool for securing the at least one upper body member of the vehicle to the underbody member of the vehicle to form and maintain the predetermined geometry of the unitary vehicle body with self-piercing rivets.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An apparatus for assembling individual contoured body components of a body-in-white vehicle with respect to one another to form a unitary vehicle body comprising:a framing workstation for receiving and positionally locating an underbody contoured member of the vehicle, and for receiving and posit

1. An apparatus for assembling individual contoured body components of a body-in-white vehicle with respect to one another to form a unitary vehicle body comprising:a framing workstation for receiving and positionally locating an underbody contoured member of the vehicle, and for receiving and positionally locating at least one contoured upper body member of the vehicle with respect to the underbody member, the framing workstation for establishing a predetermined geometry of the individual contoured body components while forming the unitary vehicle body; and at least one self-piercing rivet tool for securing the at least one contoured upper body member of the vehicle to the underbody contoured member of the vehicle to form and maintain the predetermined geometry of the unitary vehicle body with self-piercing rivets. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one upper body member of the vehicle further comprises:a left-hand bodyside panel and a tight-hand bodyside panel of the vehicle to be received and positionally located with respect to the underbody member. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one upper body member further comprises:a header member extending between the left-hand bodyside panel and the right-hand bodyside panel of the vehicle spaced vertically from the underbody member, the header member to be received and positionally located with respect to the left-hand bodyside panel and the right-hand bodyside panel of the vehicle at the framing station, and while being connected with respect to one another with self-piercing rivets. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the underbody member further comprises a floor pan of the vehicle to be received and positionally located with respect to the upper body member of the vehicle.5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:a robot located at the framing station for receiving and positionally locating the at least one upper body member with respect to the underbody member of the vehicle. 6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising:the at least one geometry fixture defined by at least one frame transversely moveable between a part-loading position, where the at least one upper body member of the vehicle can be loaded into the geometry fixture, and a vehicle-framing position, where the at least one upper body member can be held in the predetermined geometry with respect to the underbody member to form the unitary vehicle body. 7. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising:at least one self-piercing rivet tool connected to the at least one frame for securing the at least one upper body member of the vehicle to the underbody member of the vehicle to form and maintain the predetermined geometry of the unitary vehicle body with self piercing rivets. 8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:at least one geometry fixture located at the framing station for receiving and positionally locating the at least one upper body member with respect to the underbody member of the vehicle. 9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:a robot located at the framing workstation having a self-piercing rivet tool for securing the at least one upper body member of the vehicle to the underbody member of the vehicle to form and maintain the predetermined geometry of the unitary vehicle body with self-piercing rivets. 10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:a robot located at the framing workstation having a self-piercing rivet tool for securing the at least one upper body member of the vehicle to the underbody member of the vehicle to form and maintain the predetermined geometry of the unitary vehicle body with self-piercing rivets; and at least one self-piercing rivet tool connected to at least one frame for securing the at least one upper body member of the vehicle to the underbody member of the vehicle to form and maintain the predetermined geometry of the unitary vehicle body with self-piercing rivets. 11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:the underbody member and the at least one upper body member toy tabbed together prior to entering the framing workstation. 12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:a plurality of framing workstations, each framing workstation for receiving and positionally locating the underbody member of the vehicle for a different automotive body style, and for receiving and positionally locating the at least one upper body member of the vehicle with respect to the underbody member for the different automotive body style, the framing workstation for establishing the predetermined geometry of the individual body components while forming the unitary vehicle body of the particular automotive body style to be assembled. 13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:a plurality of framing workstations, each framing workstation for sequentially receiving and positionally locating the underbody member of the vehicle, and for receiving and positionally locating at least one upper body member of the vehicle with respect to the underbody member, the framing workstation for establishing a predetermined geometry of the individual body components while sequentially performing assembling processes on the unitary vehicle body. 14. A process for assembling individual contoured body components of a body-in-white vehicle with respect to one another to form a unitary vehicle body comprising the steps of:receiving and positionally locating an underbody contoured member of the vehicle at a framing workstation; receiving and positionally locating at least one contoured upper body member of the vehicle with respect to the underbody member at the framing workstation; establishing a predetermined geometry of the individual contoured body components while forming the unitary vehicle body at the framing workstation; and securing the at least one contoured upper body member of the vehicle to the underbody contoured member of the vehicle with at least one self-piercing rivet tool to form and maintain the predetermined geometry of the unitary vehicle body with self-piercing rivets. 15. The process of claim 14, wherein the receiving and positionally locating at least one upper body member of the vehicle step further comprises the step of:receiving and positionally locating a left-hand bodyside panel and a right-hand bodyside panel of the vehicle with respect to the underbody member. 16. The process of claim 15 wherein the receiving and positionally locating at least one upper body member step further comprises the step of:receiving and positionally locating a header member extending between the left-hand bodyside panel and the right-hand bodyside panel of the vehicle, and spaced vertically from the underbody member; and connecting the header member with respect o the left-hand bodyside panel and the right-band bodyside panel with self-piercing rivets. 17. The process of claim 14, wherein the receiving and positionally locating the underbody member further comprises the step of:receiving and positionally locating a floor pan of the vehicle with respect to the upper body member of the vehicle. 18. The process of claim 14, wherein the receiving and positionally locating at least one upper body member step further comprises the step of:receiving and positionally locating the at least one upper body member with respect to the underbody member of the vehicle with a robot located at the framing station. 19. The process of claim 14, wherein the receiving and positionally locating at least one upper body member further comprises the step of:receiving and positionally locating the at least one upper body member with respect to the underbody member of the vehicle with at least one geometry fixture located at the framing station. 20. The process of claim 19 farther comprising the steps of:transversely moving the at least one geometry fixture defined by at least one frame between a part-loading position, where the at least one upper body member of the vehicle can be loaded into the geometry fixture, and a vehicle-framing position, where the at least one upper body member can be held in the predetermined geometry with respect to the underbody member to form the unitary vehicle body. 21. The process of claim 20 further comprising the steps of:connecting at least one self-piercing rivet tool to the at least one frame; and securing the at least one upper body member of the vehicle to the underbody member of the vehicle to form and maintain the predetermined geometry of the unitary vehicle body with self-piercing rivets. 22. The process of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:locating a robot at the framing workstation having a self-piercing rivet tool; and securing the at least one upper body member of the vehicle to the underbody member of the vehicle to form and maintain the predetermined geometry of the unitary vehicle body with self-piercing rivets. 23. The process of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:locating a robot as the framing workstation having a self-piercing rivet tool; connecting at least one self-piercing rivet tool to at least one reciprocal geometry fixture frame; and securing the at least one upper body member of the vehicle to the underbody member of the vehicle with the self-piercing rivet tool carried by the robot and with the at least one self-piercing rivet tool connected to the geometry fixture frame to form and maintain the predetermined geometry of the unitary vehicle body with self-piercing rivets. 24. The process of claim 14 further comprising the step of:toy tabbing the underbody member and the at least one upper body member together prior to delivery to the framing workstation. 25. The process of claim 14 further comprising the step of:processing a plurality of different automotive body styles through a plurality of framing workstations, each framing workstation for receiving and positionally locating the underbody member of the vehicle for a different automotive body style, and for receiving and positionally locating the at least one upper body member of the vehicle with respect to the underbody member for the particular corresponding different automotive body style, the framing workstation for establishing the predetermined geometry of the individual body components while forming the unitary vehicle body of the particular automotive body style to be assembled. 26. The process of claim 14 further comprising the step of:processing the at least one upper body member and underbody member through a plurality of framing workstations, each framing workstation for sequentially receiving and positionally locating the underbody member of the vehicle, and for receiving and positionally locating the at least one upper body member of the vehicle with respect to the underbody member, each framing workstation for establishing a predetermined geometry of the individual body components while sequentially performing assembling processes on the unitary vehicle body.