Provided an automatic feeding device for automotive wheel hub, comprising a separable material rack having material rack units capable of being stacked in turn, a first roller table for conveying the separable material rack containing the wheel hub to a second roller table, and a material rack separating device having a support frame and material rack inserting and taking devices; the second roller table, under which a lifting platform is mounted, is located at a first end of lower part of the material rack inserting and taking device; the material rack inserting and taking device splitting the separable material rack into units, and placing to a third roller table being arranged at a second end of the lower part thereof; a manipulator, for grasping and placing the wheel hub from the material rack unit to a fourth roller table being on a second side thereof.

An assembly station for interconnecting a chassis and a body of a vehicle comprises a first carrier to support the chassis. A second carrier is suspended in a positive z-direction with respect to the first carrier and includes a plurality of spaced apart rests adapted to support the body prior to interconnecting the chassis and the body. A plurality of supports are coupled to the second carrier and spaced apart from the body when the body is supported on the rests. A portion of each of the supports is pivotable from a first position in a path of travel of the chassis to a second position outside of the path of travel of the chassis. The first carrier is moveable relative to the second carrier. The supports are adapted to engage the chassis and simultaneously support both the chassis and the body when the supports are in the first position.

In an aspect, there is provided a correlator for guiding a vehicle onto a vehicle conveyor. The correlator includes a wheel support surface defining a receiving end of the correlator and a conveyor-interfacing end of the correlator. The wheel support surface is positioned to support a wheel of the vehicle as the wheel rolls thereon. The correlator further includes at least one guide structure positioned to guide a wheel of the vehicle laterally during travel of the wheel on the wheel support surface from the receiving end towards the conveyor-interfacing end. The wheel support surface has a surface region having surface properties selected such that a coefficient of friction between the surface region and tire rubber is sufficiently low to prevent the wheel from having sufficient traction on the surface region to enable climbing of the wheel onto the at least one guide structure.

An apparatus (1) for the surface treatment of the structure of a vehicle (V) by complete immersion in treatment baths contained in treatment tanks (2) comprises a plurality of trolleys (3) moved in a treatment path (P) by means of driver chain means (4), these trolleys can be selectively hooked in engagement with said chain drive means (4), are supported by opposite support and sliding guides (9) extended along said path (P) and have a portion (12) engaged with cam-slider-coupling with cam elements (11) arranged along said path (P) to determine a complete rotation of said trolleys around an axis of transverse rotation at said treatment tanks (2).

A conveyor system has an endless belt with an upper transport portion sized to support a wheeled structure, and a lower return portion. A support deck is positioned to support the upper transport portion of the endless belt, the support deck includes a lower support deck structure, and wear plates that are supported on the lower support deck structure. The support deck includes alignment aperture pairs. Each alignment aperture pair includes a first alignment aperture through the lower support deck structure, and a second alignment aperture through one of the plurality of wear plates. A belt-rinsing system is provided and includes a plurality of rinsing system outlet bodies, wherein each of the plurality of rinsing system outlet bodies extends into one of the first alignment apertures of the lower support deck structure and into one of the second alignment apertures of one of the plurality of wear plates.

A system for removing, storing and precisely re-installing removable automobile doors. This system includes a mobile base for positioning near the vehicle and moving stored doors to their storage location. The base of this system provides mounting positions for 2 or more lifting/storing/re-installation devices, accommodating full service (removal, storage and re-installation) of up to 4 doors at once. The lifting/storage/re-installation devices contain full 3 axis precise adjustment and rigid coupling to each of the vehicle's doors. Without this precision, the weight and non-balance of removing/re-installing the doors can cause the door to tilt into or away from the vehicle, possibly crushing a human body part (finger, hand) and/or damaging the vehicle or door. By rigidly coupling the door to the precisely adjusted device, precise vertical lifting and lowering may be used to remove and re-install the doors, including accommodating surface variations encountered from removal to re-installation time.

A plant for immersion treatment of vehicle bodies may include at least one skid configured to support a body; at least one process liquid tank; a line configured to convey the at least one skid above the at least one tank; and/or a device configured to overturn and immerse, inside the at least one tank, the body on the at least one skid positioned over the at least one tank using the conveyor line. The at least one skid may include a base part and a support part. The support part may be supported rotatably on the base part using a rotatable shaft with axis arranged transverse to a direction of movement of the at least one skid on the conveyor line, so that the support part is rotatable between a first upper position and a second position for immersing the body in the at least one tank.

In an aspect, a conveyor system for moving a wheeled structure through a service line is provided. The conveyor system comprises at least one endless belt mounted longitudinally through the service line. The belt has an upper transport portion for moving the vehicle through the service line, and a lower return portion with a support deck below the upper transport portion to support the belt. A debris deflector is mounted between the upper transport portion and the lower return portion to protect the lower return portion from debris falling through the support deck.

An object of the present invention is to suppress rise in running resistance with increases in weight of a transport vehicle group, and prevent higher energy consumption and manufacturing cost. A transport device transports a transport vehicle (1) carrying an article (E) along a transport path including a curved path and forms a continuous floor (B) on the transport vehicle (1) in the entire or partial transport path. The transport device includes: running rails (R) that are laid along the transport path to support running wheels (4, 5, and 6) of the transport vehicle (1); guide rails that guide the transport vehicle (1) along the transport path; a drive unit that drives the transport vehicle (1); and a water way (WW) that is formed along the transport path to reserve water (W).

A method for producing vehicles, in which vehicle bodies are conveyed through multiple treatment devices in order to carry out multiple work steps. In two successive work steps, work processes of different types are carried out on the vehicle bodies. The vehicle bodies are conveyed at least from a corrosion protection treatment process to a final assembly process in a surface treatment system for treating the surface of the vehicle bodies at least along some regions by a driverless transport system that has a plurality of floor-bound transport carriages which travel on a travel floor and each of which carries a dedicated drive system and is driven and moved independently of one another. Furthermore, a surface treatment system is provided for treating the surface of vehicle bodies using multiple treatment devices, wherein a driverless transport system is provided that includes a plurality of floor-bound transport carriages, on each of which a respective vehicle body is secured and which travel on a travel floor, and each transport carriage carries a dedicated drive system and can be driven and moved independently of one another.