EP0062413A2 - Appareil et méthode pour la production de faisceaux de câblage - Google Patents

Appareil et méthode pour la production de faisceaux de câblage Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0062413A2
EP0062413A2 EP82301173A EP82301173A EP0062413A2 EP 0062413 A2 EP0062413 A2 EP 0062413A2 EP 82301173 A EP82301173 A EP 82301173A EP 82301173 A EP82301173 A EP 82301173A EP 0062413 A2 EP0062413 A2 EP 0062413A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
pins
wire
layer
harness
layers
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP82301173A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0062413A3 (en
EP0062413B1 (fr
Inventor
Ralph David Gibbons
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
BAE Systems PLC
Original Assignee
British Aerospace PLC
Lansing Bagnall Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by British Aerospace PLC, Lansing Bagnall Ltd filed Critical British Aerospace PLC
Publication of EP0062413A2 publication Critical patent/EP0062413A2/fr
Publication of EP0062413A3 publication Critical patent/EP0062413A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0062413B1 publication Critical patent/EP0062413B1/fr
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01B—CABLES; CONDUCTORS; INSULATORS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR CONDUCTIVE, INSULATING OR DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES
    • H01B13/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing conductors or cables
    • H01B13/012—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing conductors or cables for manufacturing wire harnesses
    • H01B13/01236—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing conductors or cables for manufacturing wire harnesses the wires being disposed by machine
    • H01B13/01245—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing conductors or cables for manufacturing wire harnesses the wires being disposed by machine using a layout board

Definitions

  • This invention relates to the production of wiring harnesses or cable forms and in particular to the production of a multiplicity of similar wiring harnesses in a production run comprising a multiplicity of cycles in each of which a wiring harness is produced.
  • the production of a wiring harness requires the provision of a wiring table which can hold i a multiplicity of terminal pins or devices adapted to hold the ends of the plurality of wires that make up each harness. It has been proposed to employ an automatic manipulator or robot for the laying of wires.
  • the wires in each harness start and terminate at different positions on the wiring table but are laid along paths which for part of their length are adjacent each other. This technique enables the wires to be bundled or taped together in the regions where the paths of the wires are parallel and facilitates the maintenance of the respective ends of the various wires separate.
  • United States Patent No. 3842496 discloses an arrangement in which a machine applies identifying indicia to several portions of a continuous wire and marks the termination of each of the wire portions in a predetermined sequence along the continuous wire. After the wire is respooled it is placed in a numerically controlled laying machine which lays down the individual wires in a predetermined sequence along a predetermined path on the loom board. The machine severs the continuous wire to produce individual wires as they are laid on the wiring loom.
  • the loom includes means defining gripping apertures for holding the ends of wires; these means are provided by elastomeric slitted sheets which are screwed to the form board.
  • the form boards are not readily changeable and it is necessary, particularly for larger harnesses, to prepare different form boards for each harness assembly.
  • United States Patent No. 3346020 discloses an arrangement in which pins are screwed to a base board in positions defining the paths of the wires constituting each harness, the pins extending upwardly through two perforated plates. Special devices are provided for holding the ends of the wires; these devices consist of helical springs between the convolutions of which the end of a wire may be inserted. The two plates are moved as one unit upwards relative to the base board to free the harness partly from the pins and thereby to enable the bundling of the wires. Thus the arrangement is effectively a two-layer table.
  • the loom table described in that specification comprises two superposed layers of which the upper consists of a mesh which permits the partial insertion of shouldered pins.
  • the lower layer includes a mesh and a resilient sheet which can releasably hold and laterally restrain the ends of pins which are pushed partly through the aforementioned mesh.
  • Such a table is more versatile than earlierproposals because with the aid of an automatic manipulator or robot the pins may be laid out in any desired predetermined pattern, to define the paths along which the wires in a harness are to be laid and, at the end of a sequence of production of harnesses, the two layers can be relatively separated so as to release the pins from the table, the relative separation of the layers being preferably accompanied by an inversion of the table so that the pins fall from the table onto a conveyor whence they may be collected and fed back to a delivery point at which they can be picked up by the automatic manipulator when it is desired to set out a new array of pins.
  • the present invention concerns a loom table which is an improvement over the loom table described in our British Specification No.2052272.
  • This improvement consists of providing, instead of a two layer table, a three layer table which is intended for use with shouldered pins and of which the upper layer is adapted for the easy passage of the pins, the intermediate layer is adapted to allow the partial passage of pins but to prevent, by cooperation with the shoulders of the pins, the complete passage of the pins through this layer, and of which the lower layer is a resilient layer for releasably holding the lower extremities of the pins.
  • the top layer may be raised relative to the intermediate layer to lift the completed harness away from the table ,at the completion of the laying of a harness.
  • Another aspect of the invention concerns an improved method of producing wiring harnesses including the use of a three layer system as already briefly described and including, for each wire that is to be laid, the steps of injecting the leading end of the wire into the layers, looping the wire around a start pin, laying the wire along a predetermined path defined by other pins and finally looping the wire around a final pin so that both ends of the wire are temporarily secured until the upper mesh layer is raised to release the wire from the pins.
  • This method of temporarily securing the wire to the pin is very convenient and requires no special clips or attachments to the table such as are characteristic of the current state of the art.
  • a preferred form of the method includes the use of collars which are supported by the pins and provide spaced platforms for supporting the wire of the harness clear of the upper mesh.
  • Figure 1 illustrates schematically in side elevation a loom table and the disposition of pins in the table
  • Figure 2 is a plan view on the line 2-2 in Figure 1.
  • Figure 1 illustrates a worktable 1 in simplified form. In practice the table may be a metre wide and two metres long. Figure 1 is intended to illustrate in greatly simplified form a completed laying operation for one wire.
  • the table 1 comprises a rigid base board 2 which is carried in a frame 3 provided with clamps 4 for holding the base board 2 within the frame.
  • the board 2 is overlain by a sheet 5 of readily penetrable material such as a dense natural or synthetic foam, for example polystyrene.
  • a sheet 6 which is intended to be penetrable by the pins hereinafter described but is capable of restraining lateral and upward movement of the pins.
  • a suitable material for the sheet6 is a silicone rubber.
  • Above the sheet 6 is a steel wire mesh 7 which is carried by a frame disposed around and slightly above the frame.3.
  • a second steel wire mesh 9 which is supported by a frame 10 extending around and disposed somewhat above the frame 8.
  • a light mesh of a resilient polymeric material such as "nylon” (Registered Trade Mark).
  • This mesh is supported by a frame 12 which extends around and is disposed slightly above the frame 10.
  • the table 1 is intended for use in conjunction with locating pins such as the pins 13.
  • These pins in the preferred form shown in the drawings, each comprise a central part 14 of slightly greater diameter than two shanks 15 extending one from each end of the central part 14.
  • the step between each shank 15 and the central part 14 constitutes a shoulder of which the purpose will be described later.
  • the pin terminates in a respective head 16 separated from the shank 15 by a short narrow neck 17.
  • the pins 13 are double ended in order that an automatic manipulator which picks them up from a loading station such as a chute fed by a bowl feeder need not distinguish one end of the pin from the other. In other circumstances, a single ended pin could be used. Nevertheless the pins 13 in the form shown in the drawings have the advantage that they can receive a collar 18 which can. be pushed over the upper head and shoulder of a pin. Such a collar is useful for pins which are to support a multiplicity of wires extending along the same general path.
  • an automatic manipulator will insert pins 13 in the table in a predetermined array. Normally, for each wire in the array there will be a respective start pin (13a) and a respective final pin (13d) and intermediate pins (13b and 13c) of which there may be as many as suitable for the particular length of the wire. Since the wires will over part of their length share a common path, although over short lengths the wires can be supported by the upper shoulders of the pins, it is preferable to dispose collars over intermediate pins. Preferably, along the path of a wire,pins are inserted in the table in pairs, side-by-side, the path of the wire extending between the pins of each pair.
  • the automatic manipulator may use a head which is in the form of a tube of annular cross-section, this tube being coupled when in place on the manipulator to a source of vacuum suction so that it can pickup a collar and deposit it over the head of a pin, the head of the pin being received within the recess within the annulus.
  • the manipulator would change its head for a suitable wire laying tool, such as preferably that described in our British Patent Application No. 810942 7 of even date herewith, entitled "Wire-laying Tool".
  • the wire mesh 9 in this embodiment of the invention serves to limit the entry of the pins into the worktable and to facilitate their insertion to a constant depth.
  • the lower layer serves to restrain the pins against lateral movement.
  • Each wire-laying operation preferably proceeds as follows.
  • a wire-laying tool to which a metered length of wire 20 has been fed and which is prefererably capable of advancing the length of the wire for a short distance from the lower tip of a probe extending forwardly of the tool, is brought adjacent and parallel to the start pin 13a.
  • the tip of the probe of the tool is passed through the upper mesh 11 and into contact with the mesh 9; the wire in the tool is advanced. This action drives the wire through the meshes 11, 9 and 7 so that the wire, is temporarily trapped. This trapping of the leading part of the wire affords it a temporary anchorage.
  • the tool is then rotated about the start pin 13a so as to produce a turn 21 of wire about the start pin 13a. This turn or loop provides a more secure anchorage for the wire 20.
  • the tool of which the probe is normally raised at some suitable time from the position close to the mesh 11 to a somewhat higher position, preferably to a height just above the top shoulders of the pins 13, is then maintained upright but traversed so as to lay the wire between the pairs of intermediate pins and over the collars 18 thereon in the predetermined path according to the programme which controls the automatic manipulator.
  • the end of the wire 20 is, by means of a movement similar to that required for producing the loop 21, traversed quickly around one of the final pair of pins 13d and 13.e ( Figure 2), so as to produce a final loop 22 of the wire 20 around the pin 13d, and is then passed between these pins, the final part of the wire thereby extending between these pins. This action prevents the unwinding of the final loop and would usually be necessary if the wire is springy.
  • the wire-laying operation is repeated for each of the multiplicity of wires in the particular wiring harness.
  • the manipulator preferably changes its wire-laying tool for a tool which is preferably as described in our British Patent Application No. 8014054 or other tool which can apply securing tape at appropriate locations of the harness so as to bundle together those wires which share a common path.
  • the bundling of the wires could be performed by hand but the use of a pneumatic tape-applying tool is preferred.
  • the manipulator is . returned to a position in which it can change its tape applying tool for the collar-placing tool which which replaces the collars on the pins ready for the next harness.
  • actuators diagrammatically shown as a jack 23 are operated to cause mutual separation of the frames 10 and 12. This separation causes the mesh 11 to be raised relative to the mesh 9, by an amount sufficient to release the ends of the wires 20 from the meshes 11, 9 and 7 but less than the height of the collars 18 above the mesh 11 so that the mesh 11 does not foul the collars 18. Subsequently or simultaneously the table is inverted so that the harness can fall on to a conveyor . Reinversion of the table and the resetting of the jacks so as to restore the original.relative positions of the meshes 11 and 9 renders the table ready for the production of the next harness in the batch.
  • the wiring of all the harnesses in the batch proceeds by repetition of the wire-laying process which has been described.
  • actuators such as jacks 24 (of which only one is shown) are operated to cause operation of the frames 8 and 10 and thereby separation of the meshes 9 and 11 with respect to the lower layer constituted by the sheet 6 and.the sheets associated therewith. Because the lower shoulders of the pins cannot pass through the mesh 9, the force of separation is sufficient to withdraw the lower heads of the pins from the sheet 6 and the mesh 7.
  • the separation of the intermediate and lower layers in this manner releases the pins from the table.
  • the table is inverted before the intermediate and lower sheets are relatively separated, in order that the pins, when-they are released, can fall onto the aforementioned conveyor.
  • the collars 18 may be removed from the pins 13 after each wire-laying operation by the raising of the mesh 11 relative to the mesh 9 a sufficient amount to free the collars from the pins. If this expedient is adopted, the collars must be collected and fed back to a loading point so that they can by means of the appropriate tool be reinserted on the selected pins before each respective wire-laying operation. Alternatively, the collars may be removed at the end of the last wire-laying operation by a preliminary movement of the mesh 11 relative to the mesh 9.
  • Various modifications may, of course, be made to the worktable and it may be used in a manner other than that particularly described above.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Wire Processing (AREA)
  • Supply And Installment Of Electrical Components (AREA)
  • Looms (AREA)
EP19820301173 1981-03-25 1982-03-08 Appareil et méthode pour la production de faisceaux de câblage Expired EP0062413B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8109431 1981-03-25
GB8109431A GB2095135B (en) 1981-03-25 1981-03-25 Production of wiring harnesses

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0062413A2 true EP0062413A2 (fr) 1982-10-13
EP0062413A3 EP0062413A3 (en) 1983-03-30
EP0062413B1 EP0062413B1 (fr) 1985-12-18

Family

ID=10520667

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19820301173 Expired EP0062413B1 (fr) 1981-03-25 1982-03-08 Appareil et méthode pour la production de faisceaux de câblage

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0062413B1 (fr)
JP (1) JPS57171536A (fr)
DE (1) DE3267972D1 (fr)
GB (1) GB2095135B (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0096485A2 (fr) * 1982-06-08 1983-12-21 Lansing Bagnall Limited Distributeur automatique pour disques flexibles
EP0300141A1 (fr) * 1987-07-20 1989-01-25 Komax Ag Dispositif pour une fabrication entièrement automatique de faisceaux de câbles

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB8304103D0 (en) * 1983-02-15 1983-03-16 British Aerospace Filament laying apparatus
JP2765354B2 (ja) * 1992-03-09 1998-06-11 住友電装株式会社 接続具における電線の敷線方法
AUPQ446699A0 (en) 1999-12-06 2000-01-06 Kocijan, Franz Switchable (variable) permanent magnet device
JP6526472B2 (ja) * 2015-04-24 2019-06-05 矢崎総業株式会社 ワイヤハーネス製造装置
JP6558936B2 (ja) * 2015-04-24 2019-08-14 矢崎総業株式会社 ワイヤハーネス製造装置及びワイヤハーネス製造方法

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1191338A (en) * 1967-08-01 1970-05-13 Thomas & Betts Corp Formerly T A Device for Forming Wire Harnesses
EP0007228A1 (fr) * 1978-07-17 1980-01-23 Lansing Bagnall Limited Appareil pour l'usage dans la production de harnais de câblage
EP0008155A1 (fr) * 1978-06-15 1980-02-20 British Aerospace Public Limited Company Procédé et appareil pour la production de harnais de câblage

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1191338A (en) * 1967-08-01 1970-05-13 Thomas & Betts Corp Formerly T A Device for Forming Wire Harnesses
EP0008155A1 (fr) * 1978-06-15 1980-02-20 British Aerospace Public Limited Company Procédé et appareil pour la production de harnais de câblage
EP0007228A1 (fr) * 1978-07-17 1980-01-23 Lansing Bagnall Limited Appareil pour l'usage dans la production de harnais de câblage

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0096485A2 (fr) * 1982-06-08 1983-12-21 Lansing Bagnall Limited Distributeur automatique pour disques flexibles
EP0096485A3 (fr) * 1982-06-08 1985-10-23 Lansing Bagnall Limited Distributeur automatique pour disques flexibles
EP0300141A1 (fr) * 1987-07-20 1989-01-25 Komax Ag Dispositif pour une fabrication entièrement automatique de faisceaux de câbles

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE3267972D1 (en) 1986-01-30
JPH0231448B2 (fr) 1990-07-13
GB2095135A (en) 1982-09-29
JPS57171536A (en) 1982-10-22
EP0062413A3 (en) 1983-03-30
GB2095135B (en) 1984-09-26
EP0062413B1 (fr) 1985-12-18

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