Headliner assembly method and apparatus

An apparatus for assembling vehicle headliner/overhead systems comprising:

• a loading station having a load support configured to receive and hold a preformed three dimensionally configured headliner/overhead system core;
• at least one assembly station;
• at least one assembly station including a core support configured to receive and hold said preformed headliner/overhead system core, and each of said core supports including one or more parts nests configured to hold and position an overhead system component adjacent said preformed headliner/overhead system core;
• at least some of said parts nests including associated applicators to facilitate adherence of an overhead system component to said preformed headliner/overhead system core;
• at least one of said assembly stations including a press, each press configured to hold said headliner/overhead system core in position on said core support and to press said headliner/overhead system against any component located in any of said component parts nests;
• one of said press and said support being reciprocally moveable with respect to the other, whereby said press comes into and out of engagement with said preformed headliner/overhead system core;
• said at least one assembly station including a conveyor for conveying said headliner/overhead system core into and out of said station;
• one of said conveyor and said headliner/overhead system support being moveable up and down relative to the other, whereby the conveyor can be located above the level of said support or located below the level of said support;
• said conveyor being operable, when it is in position above the level of said support, to convey a headliner/overhead system core into position above said support;
• the moveable one of said conveyor and said support being operable to position said conveyor below the level of said support and thereby place said headliner/overhead system core onto said support;
• and
• said moveable member then being operable to position said conveyor above the level of said support to thereby lift said headliner/overhead system off of said support after assembly operations at said assembly station have been completed, and then being operable to convey said headliner/overhead system core and assembled overhead system components to the succeeding assembly station, if there is one.

An apparatus for assembling vehicle headliner/overhead systems comprising:

• at least one assembly station;
• said assembly station including a core support configured to receive and hold a preformed headliner/overhead system core;
• each of said assembly stations including a press, each said press configured to hold said headliner/overhead system core in position on said core support;
• a controller for controlling said apparatus;
• a parts nest for receiving a lamp retainer having a tab receiver, said lamp receiving parts nest being positioned on at least one of said core supports;
• an applicator mounted adjacent said parts nest for securing said lamp retainer to said core;
• a dome/map lamp receiving parts nest being moveably mounted on at least one said press, and being moveable between a position above a headliner/overhead system core located on said support, and an assembly position which places a lamp located in said holder immediately adjacent said core;
• said lamp holder being pivotal between its final position when it is assembled to a lamp retainer secured to said headliner/overhead system core, and a tab inserting position in which a light to be mounted on the headliner/overhead system core is oriented at an angle to said final position;
• said controller acting to move said lamp holder into its assembly position, such that a tab on said lamp is moved into engagement with a tab receiver in said lamp retainer on said headliner/overhead system core;
• and
• said controller then pivoting said light holder into said final position for final assembly to said headliner/overhead system core.

An apparatus for assembling vehicle headliner/overhead systems comprising:

• at least one assembly station;
• each assembly station including a core support configured to receive and hold said preformed headliner/overhead system core, and each of said core supports including one or more parts nests configured to hold and position an overhead system component adjacent said preformed headliner/overhead system core;
• said assembly stations including a press, each said press configured to hold said headliner/overhead system core in position on said core support and to press said headliner/overhead system against any component located in any of said component parts nests;
• one of said press and said support being reciprocally moveable with respect to the other, whereby said press comes into and out of engagement with said preformed headliner/overhead system core;
• and
• a controller for controlling said apparatus.

An apparatus for assembling vehicle headliner/overhead systems comprising:

• at least one assembly station;
• each assembly station including a core support configured to receive and hold said preformed headliner/overhead system core, and each of said core supports including one or more parts nests configured to hold and position an overhead system component adjacent said preformed headliner/overhead system core;
• each of said assembly stations including a press, each said press configured to hold said headliner/overhead system core in position on said core support and to press said headliner/overhead system against any component located in any of said component parts nests;
• and
• one of said press and said support being reciprocally moveable with respect to the other, whereby said press comes into and out of engagement with said preformed headliner/overhead system core.

A method for assembling vehicle headliner/overhead systems comprising:

• providing a loading station having a load support configured to receive and hold a preformed three dimensionally configured headliner/overhead system core;
• providing at least one assembly station;
• providing each assembly station with a core support configured to receive and hold said preformed headliner/overhead system core, and providing each of said core supports with one or more parts nests configured to hold and position an overhead system component adjacent said preformed headliner/overhead system core;
• providing at least one of said parts nests with at least one associated applicator to facilitate assembly of an overhead system component to said preformed headliner/overhead system core;
• providing each of said assembly stations with a press, each said press configured to hold said headliner/overhead system core in position on said core support and to press said headliner/overhead system against any component located in any of said component parts nests;
• making one of said press and said support reciprocally moveable with respect to the other, whereby said press comes into and out of engagement with said preformed headliner/overhead system core;
• providing each of said core supports with at least one core sensor associated therewith to sense whether or not a headliner/overhead system core is properly positioned on said core support;
• providing each of said parts nests with at least one parts sensor associated therewith to sense whether or not an overhead system component is properly positioned in said parts nest;
• providing a controller for controlling said press and the applicator;
• locating a reader at one of said loading station or the first of said at least one assembly station for reading indicia on said headliner/overhead system core which indicate what overhead system components need to be assembled to said headliner/overhead system core, operatively connecting said reader to said controller, such that the information read is communicated to said controller;
• operatively connecting said core sensors associated with said core supports and said parts sensors associated with said parts nests to said controller for communicating to said controller whether said headliner/overhead system core is properly positioned on said core support and appropriate ones of said components are properly positioned in appropriate parts nests;
• operatively connecting said controller to said applicators and to said moveable one of said core support and said press at each said assembly station, said controller activating said moveable member and any applicator which is to be activated, as indicated by the information read into said controller by said reader;
• and
• programming said controller to not activate said moveable member or said applicator if any of said headliner/overhead system core and said overhead system components are not in place and properly positioned, or if an overhead system component is positioned in a parts nest when it is not supposed to be there.