A lifting device for a motor vehicle subassembly has a load-bearing unit with at least one support arm that can be pivoted around a longitudinal axis of the load-bearing unit and a coupling unit that is arranged on the support arm for releasably connecting the support arm to the motor vehicle subassembly. The coupling unit is mounted on the support arm such that it is longitudinally displaceable, and the load-bearing unit is configured to connect with a crane unit, such as a crane hook adapter. The lifting device is especially compact in construction in that it offers the possibility of being combined with lifting units for the disassembly of motor vehicle subassemblies from the ground. The load-bearing unit is releasably connected with a connecting body of a support unit. The connecting body is tiltable on the support unit.

A lifting device is provided for an assembly of a motor vehicle that can be adapted to lift various assemblies. The lifting device includes a load carrying unit having at least one support arm, and a coupling unit arranged on the support arm for releasably connecting the support arm to the assembly of a motor vehicle. The lifting device can be used as an engine hoist and/or a transmission hoist for removing and installing engines and/or transmissions and can be used to remove a wide range of assemblies, at least different engines and/or transmissions of different types of vehicles. The coupling unit is mounted on the support arm in a longitudinally movable manner. The load carrying unit is designed to be connected to a crane unit, and in particular has a crane hook holder, and/or is adjustably connected to a support unit arrangeable on a hoist unit.

A partially assembled vehicle that autonomously completes its own assembly, including a chassis, wheels that are rotationally coupled to the chassis, a drive system mounted on the chassis and in operational communication with the wheels, a navigation system, a central platform controller, and a position determining system. Added thereto is a safety sensor guidance system and a controller circuit programmed to begin a temporary takeover of the central platform controller, responsive to an external fleet control. The temporary takeover including the steps of identifying a plurality of assembly stations that the partially assembled vehicle must visit to complete its own assembly; constructing a sequence in which to visit each of the plurality of assembly stations; and commanding the drive system to propel and steer the partially assembled vehicle through the sequence of the plurality of assembly stations, responsive to sensor input from the safety sensor guidance system.

A vehicle assembly facility and system that includes a conveyor track having a three-dimensional helical configured to transport components of a vehicle for complete assembly of a vehicle.

A prebuck unit includes side hangers mounted on a handling robot at both sides of the transport path and restricting lower parts of side assemblies. A guide post is fixedly installed in a prebuck frame at both sides of the transport path in a vehicle body height direction. The guide post is coupled with the side hanger so as to restrict the side assembly in a transverse direction and is configured to regularly position the side hanger at both sides of the floor assembly. A welding robot is installed at both sides of the transport path and is configured to weld the lower part of the side assembly and the floor assembly.

An attachment apparatus for a vehicle body includes: a first roller rotatably disposed at a first hinge at one side of upper portion of a moving body and moving up and down with respect to a first fixing body; a link rotatably disposed with reference to the first hinge and extending to both directions; a second roller rotatably disposed at a second hinge at one end portion of the link and disposed at one side of the first roller; and a first elastic member disposed to elastically pull or push another end portion of the link so that the second hinge rotates with reference to the first hinge, wherein the first and second rollers respectively contact with a surface of the vehicle body.

A flexible assembly line includes a common welding station having a first set of tooling adapted to engage and support a first type of vehicle frame and a second set of tooling adapted to engage and support a second type of vehicle frame. The first set of tooling is provided on a first side of a rotatable unit and the second set of tooling is provided on a second side of the rotatable unit such that the rotatable unit is rotatable to present either the first set of tooling or the second set of tooling for a welding operation. The flexible assembly includes a first dedicated welding station having dedicated tooling particularly adapted to engage and support only the first type of vehicle frame. The flexible assembly includes a second dedicated welding station having dedicated tooling particularly adapted to engage and support only the second type of vehicle frame.

A vehicle body assembly system each forming a pre-buck section and a main-buck section set along a transport path of the floor assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a pre-buck unit configured in the pre-buck section to regulate the seal side and the front and rear sides of side assemblies that are different for each vehicle type, and to assemble the side assembly and the floor assembly, and a main-buck unit configured in the main-buck section to regulates the roof portion and the quarter portion of the side assembly assembled to the floor assembly in the pre-buck section, assemble the roof portion, cowl, roof rail and package tray and assemble the quarter portion and the floor assembly.

A method produces shells for a motor vehicle, in which, in each case, at least one shell part of the shell is arranged on a driverless transport vehicle and is conveyed through a production plant by way of the driverless transport vehicle. A workstation of the production plant has at least two working regions which can be driven through parallel to one another by the driverless transport vehicles and in which, during a work process, manual work is carried out on one of the shell parts introduced into the working region by way of the driverless transport vehicle and, during a changing process, one of the shell parts arranged on the driverless transport vehicle is introduced into the working region or removed from same by way of the driverless transport vehicle.

A vehicle body assembling apparatus includes a lower jig, an upper jig movable by an arm of a robot, and a joining device. The joining device performs joining operations for lower component parts (e.g., a temporary assembly of a rear floor frame) transported by the upper jig and positioned by the lower jig, upper component parts (e.g., a temporary assembly of a rear floor panel) held by the upper jig, and a temporary assembly of a vertical assembly (e.g., rear floor component) formed by overlapping the upper assembly with the lower assembly, above the lower jig at different timings.