Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a magnetic roller apparatus used in automotive industry for mounting pieces (e.g. door water shields) which are mounted by applying pressure on them.

Background of the Invention

In production of motor vehicles, some parts are mounted manually. A certain force should be applied on the piece to be mounted in a part of the said mounting processes. For example the door water shields that provide sealing at the doors of the motor vehicles are mounted this way. Pressure is applied to the door water shields by plastic roller apparatuses (rolling) during mounting, so that the adhesive paste on the water shields adhere to the sheet metal on the vehicle door.

During rolling, pressure should be exerted continuously on the piece that is desired to be mounted. This causes decrease in the performance of the worker carrying out the process due to the ergonomic discomfort and tiredness experienced by him/her. This in turn causes decrease in mounting quality and leads to faults.

The International patent document WO2007082915, known in the art, discloses a technique used in mounting door bands of vehicles. In this technique, bands are mounted on the door by applying pressure on the bands by a fixed roller arm. Summary of the Invention

The objective of the present invention is to provide a roller apparatus which enables to mount (seal) the door water shields with pressure by exerting less force and in a more ergonomic manner.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a roller apparatus, which ensures that the mounting (sealing) of the door water shields is of better quality and which enables to prevent process variability.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The roller apparatus developed to fulfill the objectives of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying figures, in which,

Figure 1 is the side view of the roller apparatus.

Figure 2 is the top view of the roller apparatus.

Figure 3 is the side view of the body.

Figure 4 is the top view of the body. Figure 5 is the perspective view of an embodiment of the roller apparatus.

Figure 6 is the perspective view of another embodiment of the roller apparatus.

Figure 7 is the sectional view of the dyeing (staining) unit.

The components given in the figures are individually numbered where the numbers refer to the following:

1. Roller apparatus

2. Body

3. Handle 4. Roller

5. Dyeing unit 6. Body

7. Dye (stain)

8. Spring

The roller apparatus (1) comprises a body (2) having the parts of stem (A), shaft (B), connector (C) and stopper (D), at least one handle (3) fitted over the stem (A) part of the body (2), at least one roller (4) fitted over the shaft (B) part of the body (2) (Figure 1 , Figure 2).

The body (2) is preferably manufactured from metal. The shaft (B) is positioned such that there is an empty space between the center thereof and one end of the stem (A), and that it is perpendicular to the stem (A) part. The stem (A) and the shaft (B) are connected to each other by means of a connector (C) connecting one end of the shaft (B) with the end of the stem (A) which is closest to the said end of the shaft (B). Additionally there is provided on the shaft (B) a stopper (D) to which the roller (4) mounted thereon abuts (Figure 3, Figure 4).

The handle (3) is preferably manufactured from a plastic material. The handle (3) surrounds the stem (A) like a case forming the part from where the roller

^■ apparatus (1) will be held. The outline of the handle (3) has an ergonomic form that facilitates gripping by hand. This way, the handle (3) facilitates gripping and prevents the roller apparatus (1) from slipping away from hand.

The roller (4) is the part which contacts the piece that is desired to be mounted by means of the roller apparatus (1) and which applies pressure on the said piece. The roller (4) has a cylindrical form having an aperture in the axis between its bases through which the shaft (B) can pass. The roller (4) is mounted to the body (2) such that it will be able to rotate about the axis of the shaft (B), by having its aperture axis fitted over the shaft (B) and with a connecting member (E) attached to the end of the shaft (B) (Figure 5).

The roller (4) is comprised of a cylindrical magnet having an aperture in the center thereof forming the rotation axis and a plastic coating on the said magnet. By means of the magnetic structure of the roller (4), an attraction force is produced on the roller apparatus (1) during the mounting process by the metal parts of the vehicle being assembled. By means of this force, the force which is required to be exerted manually on the piece that is mounted decreases and the mounting process is facilitated. For example, in mounting the door water shield to the vehicle door, when the door water shield is being fastened by being pressed onto the door by the roller apparatus (1), a magnetic attraction force is produced between the inner sheet metal of the door and the roller apparatus (1).

In one embodiment of the invention, the roller apparatus (1) comprises a dyeing unit (5) which enables to leave a dye mark on the surface where the roller (4) contacts. The dyeing unit (5) comprises a prismatic or cylindrical hollow body (6), a solid dye (7) which is disposed within the body (6) and whose one end protrudes from the lower end of the body (6), and a spring (8) which enables the dye (7) to move within the body (6) in the direction of the body (6) axis in a limited distance (Figure 7). The dyeing unit (5) is connected to the body (2) from the point where the stem (A) and the connector (C) are connected. The dyeing unit (5) is an inclined structure approaching towards the roller (4) over the plane formed by the handle (A), shaft (B) and connector (C). The end of the dye (7) protrudes from the end of the dyeing unit (5) which is close to the roller and the end of the dye (7) contacts the roller (4). However the end of the dye (7) contacting the roller (4) exerts a small amount of force on the roller (4) such that it will not prevent rotation movement of the roller (4). As a result of the roller (4) surface, which is rotating during mounting, getting dyed by the dye (7), the roller (4) is ensured to leave a mark on the surface that it passes over. The dye (7) that is used is preferably pastel and can be replaced with the new ones as they are finished. When mounting with the roller apparatus (1), the roller (4) leaves the dye that it receives from the dyeing unit (5) onto the mounting piece that it passes over. Thus the areas where the roller (4) has passed over the mounted piece are dyed and thereby, the person who will perform mounting is enabled to distinguish the areas on which pressure is applied and those on which pressure is not applied (Figure 6).

The invention is not limited to the above described embodiments. The person skilled in the art can easily produce different embodiments of the invention. These should be evaluated within the scope of the protection claimed by the claims of the invention.