JP2024065884A - Wiring harness design support method and wiring harness design support device - Google Patents

Abstract

To decrease kinds of component such as a base harness when a variety of wiring harnesses complying with specifications of a vehicle etc., are manufactured.SOLUTION: A wiring harness design support method has: a first procedure S11 for acquiring first component number management information in which a plurality of component numbers allocated to a wiring harness and a plurality of primary components as components thereof are made to correspond to shipment quantities; a second procedure S12 for selecting components whose shipment quantities are equal to or less than a predetermined threshold as component to be integrated out of the plurality of primary components; and third procedures S14, S15 for generating second component number management information by allocating component numbers to secondary components constituted by putting the plurality of selected components to be integrated together in one, wherein when the plurality of components to be integrated are put together by the third procedures, the secondary components are so constituted while permitted to be equipped with a surplus circuit to be thrown away. Influence of change in shipment quantity is a little.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a wire harness design support method and a wire harness design support device that can be used when designing and manufacturing wire harnesses that can be installed in automobiles, etc.

Wire harnesses that are generally installed in vehicles such as automobiles are an assembly of wires that are made up of many different types of wires bundled together into an integrated structure, and have a complex shape. These wire harnesses are used to connect a power source, such as an on-board battery, to various electrical devices on the vehicle, and to connect multiple electrical devices together. Wire harnesses also have many connectors to make it easy to attach and detach the wire connections.

For example, the parts manufacturing system, parts manufacturing method, and parts manufacturing program of Patent Document 1 disclose technology for reducing costs by preventing shortages and surplus parts when producing wire harnesses at overseas factories, while ensuring delivery to customers in a short period of time after the quantity is confirmed. Furthermore, the technology of Patent Document 1 assumes that the wire harness is composed of a combination of basic parts and optional parts.

JP 2022-31080 A

Parts manufacturers that manufacture various types of wire harnesses for each vehicle specification are required to reduce part costs, manufacturing costs, and management costs, improve the efficiency of the manufacturing process, reduce excess inventory, and manufacture and transport wire harnesses and their intermediate parts on an appropriate schedule to meet delivery dates. For this reason, technology such as that described in Patent Document 1 is important.

The configuration of the system installed on a vehicle changes depending on, for example, the model, grade, destination, the presence or absence of various options that the user can specify, and specification changes due to vehicle improvements. Therefore, the configuration of the wire harness installed in the vehicle must also be changed to match the system configuration on the vehicle side. For this reason, parts manufacturers must manufacture and prepare a large number of wire harnesses with different part numbers and types for each type of vehicle.

On the other hand, among the many circuits that make up a wire harness, main lines such as the power lines, signal lines, and communication lines of the on-board system can be common to all vehicles, regardless of differences in vehicle type, grade, etc. Therefore, an efficient manufacturing process can be achieved by preparing the common parts of the wire harness as a base harness and preparing the circuits other than the common parts as one or more types of optional harnesses, and combining one base harness with one or more optional harnesses to manufacture one wire harness.

However, to actually realize a variety of wire harnesses that correspond to the various differences in vehicle specifications, various types of base harnesses must be prepared individually. In other words, a large number of base harnesses, each managed with a different part number, must be manufactured according to the order status for each type of vehicle, making it difficult to improve efficiency and reduce costs through mass production of base harnesses. In addition, the order status for each type of vehicle may fluctuate.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a wire harness design support method and a wire harness design support device that can be used to reduce the number of types of parts such as base harnesses when manufacturing various wire harnesses corresponding to various specifications of vehicles, etc.

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following configuration:

a first step of acquiring first part number management information in which each of a plurality of part numbers assigned to the wire harness and each of a plurality of primary components that are components of the wire harness is associated with a shipping quantity;
a second step of selecting, from among the plurality of primary components, a part whose shipping quantity is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold as a part to be integrated;
a third step of allocating a part number to a secondary component part constituted by integrating the selected plurality of integration target parts into one, thereby generating second part number management information;
and when the plurality of integration target parts are grouped together in the third step, the configuration of the secondary component parts allows the wiring harness to be equipped with a throw-away surplus circuit that is not required in terms of specifications.
A method for supporting wire harness design.

a storage unit that holds first part number management information that associates each of a plurality of part numbers assigned to the wire harness and each of a plurality of primary components that are components of the wire harness with a shipping quantity;
an information processing unit that supports design based on the first part number management information stored in the storage unit;
the information processing unit selects, from among the plurality of primary components, components whose shipping quantities are equal to or less than a predetermined threshold as integration target components, and generates second part number management information by assigning a part number to a secondary component formed by combining the selected plurality of integration target components into one, and when combining the plurality of integration target components, the configuration of the secondary component allows the installation of a throw-away surplus circuit that is not required by the specifications of the wire harness.
Wire harness design support device.

The wire harness design support method and wire harness design support device of the present invention can reduce the number of types of parts such as base harnesses when manufacturing various wire harnesses corresponding to various specifications of vehicles, etc.

The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the following description of the embodiment of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a plurality of components that configure one wire harness. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of one wire harness formed by combining the multiple components shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a table for managing information including product numbers of various types of wire harnesses and their components. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a table for managing information resulting from the reduction in the number of part numbers by integrating base harnesses with a plurality of part numbers. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the wire harness design support method. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wire harness design device.

Specific embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the drawings.

<Example of wire harness configuration>
An example of a plurality of components constituting one wire harness W/H is shown in Fig. 1. Also, an example of one wire harness W/H formed by combining the plurality of components shown in Fig. 1 is shown in Fig. 2.

When a parts manufacturer that manufactures wire harnesses W/H receives an order for a wire harness from a customer, the parts manufacturer receives information that represents the specifications of the wire harness, i.e., first manufacturing specification information D1. The parts manufacturer manufactures the wire harnesses W/H based on the first manufacturing specification information D1 and delivers the ordered quantity by the delivery date.

A wire harness W/H is basically a collection of electrical circuits that connects, for example, one terminal of an electrical component on a vehicle to one terminal of another electrical component, and is composed of a number of wires bundled together and arranged along a specified wiring path. Typically, a connection terminal is connected to the end of each wire, and the terminal of each wire is attached to a specified portion of a specified connector. In addition, a specified portion of the outside of the wire harness is covered with a protective exterior.

In simplified form, the wire harness W/H has a shape as shown in Figure 2. As mentioned above, many types of wire harness W/H, each managed by a different part number, are manufactured separately. Furthermore, the allowable time from when the production quantity of wire harness W/H for each part number is determined until the parts manufacturer delivers them is very short, about a few days.

Therefore, the parts manufacturer devises a manufacturing method for the wire harness W/H, designs second manufacturing specification information D2 that is optimized for efficient manufacturing based on the first manufacturing specification information D1, and manufactures the wire harness W/H for each part number according to this second manufacturing specification information D2.

As a specific example, the basic part B1, the additional part OB, and the additional part Pa shown in FIG. 1 are each manufactured in advance, and then these are combined, assembled, and integrated to produce the wire harness W/H shown in FIG. 2.

The basic part B1 is a component part of the entire wire harness W/H of the product, and refers to the base harness that is composed only of parts that are commonly included in wire harnesses with many part numbers, i.e., primary common parts.

The actual basic part B1 is manufactured as an independent sub-harness for each of the multiple groups of wiring parts on the vehicle. For example, the sub-harnesses of basic part B1 that are connected to the steering system, engine system, transmission system, brake system, etc. are designed and manufactured as independent intermediate parts.

The additional part OB is a sub-harness made up of multiple parts (optional parts) that make up the remainder of the entire wire harness W/H of each part number excluding the basic part B1, and is made up of optional parts that are commonly included in wire harnesses of multiple part numbers, i.e., secondary common parts. Furthermore, optional parts that are eligible for secondary common parts are limited to only those that satisfy certain conditions. As an example, from among the parts of wire harnesses of multiple part numbers with high predicted production numbers, those with a usage rate above a certain level are selected.

In practice, several types of sub-harnesses for additional parts OB are designed and manufactured as independent intermediate parts depending on the conditions of the vehicle system. Each additional part OB is an intermediate part that is composed of, for example, several to several tens of electric wires, terminals, connectors, etc.

Additional parts Pa are the remaining optional parts that are not adopted as secondary common parts for any of the additional parts OB. Each additional part Pa is a small-scale part consisting of, for example, one or a few electric wires, terminals, connectors, etc.

Therefore, by assembling the base harness (actually multiple) of the basic part B1, one or more sub-harnesses of the additional part OB selected according to the part number, and the remaining required additional parts Pa as shown in Figure 2, a wire harness W/H of any part number can be constructed.

What is important here is that the base harness of basic part B1 is made up only of primary common parts, and the sub-harness of additional part OB is made up only of secondary common parts. Therefore, even if the quantity of wire harnesses W/H for each part number required by the customer changes, there will be no surplus or deficiency in the base harness of basic part B1, as long as the total number of wire harnesses W/H unrelated to part numbers does not change. Therefore, problems are unlikely to arise even if production of the sub-harness of basic part B1 begins before the quantity of wire harnesses W/H for each part number required by the customer is determined.

In addition, the sub-harness with the additional part OB can be assembled to any of the wire harnesses W/H with multiple part numbers. Therefore, for example, when the required quantity of one of two wire harnesses W/H with two part numbers that can use the same sub-harness with the additional part OB increases and the required quantity of the other decreases, the required quantity of the additional part OB hardly changes, so there is little risk of a surplus or shortage in the production quantity. Therefore, problems are unlikely to arise even if production of the sub-harness with the additional part OB begins before the quantity of wire harnesses W/H for each part number required by the customer is determined.

<Examples of various wire harness part numbers and configurations>
FIG. 3 shows an example of a part number management table 10 for managing information including part numbers of various types of wire harnesses and their components before the configuration is optimized.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, data representing 26 types of wire harnesses, No. 01 to No. 26, is registered in the part number management table 10. This part number management table 10 holds information on the W/H part number item 11, shipment quantity item 12, base harness item 13, option harness item 14, additional parts item 15, and total number of parts item 16.

The contents of the W/H part number item 11 indicate part numbers assigned to each wire harness W/H. As can be seen from the contents of the W/H part number item 11 in Fig. 3, different part numbers are assigned to the 26 types of wire harnesses No. 01 to No. 26.
The content of the shipment quantity item 12 indicates the expected or confirmed value regarding the shipment quantity of each wire harness for each part number.

The contents of the base harness item 13 represent the part number classification of the base harness of the basic part B1 included in each wire harness for each part number. In the example of Figure 3, there are six types of B1 part numbers 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d, 13e, and 13f as the part numbers of the base harness, and the B1 part numbers represented by black circles represent the part numbers of the base harnesses included in the corresponding wire harness. As can be seen from the contents of the base harness item 13 shown in Figure 3, the wire harness W/H for each part number includes only a single base harness represented by any one of the six types of B1 part numbers 13a to 13f.

The content of the optional harness item 14 indicates the part number classification of the sub-harness (optional harness) of the additional part OB included in each wire harness for each part number. In the example shown in Fig. 3, as can be seen from the content of the optional harness item 14, six types of optional harnesses are prepared as the additional part OB, each of which is assigned a different OB part number (A to F).
The content of the added parts item 15 indicates the number of added parts Pa. The content of the total parts quantity item 16 indicates the total quantity NT of parts.

<Necessity of optimizing the configuration of wire harnesses>
In the example of the part number management table 10 shown in Fig. 3, there are six types of base harnesses with B1 part numbers 13a to 13f. Therefore, a parts manufacturer that manufactures wire harnesses manufactures the appropriate quantities of the six types of basic parts B1, i.e., the six types of base harnesses, according to the quantity of wire harnesses W/H for each part number to be shipped.

For example, it is necessary to produce and prepare a quantity of base harness B1 part number 13c that matches the total number of shipped wire harnesses with W/H part numbers "CE0," "CK5," and "CM4." Also, it is necessary to produce and prepare a quantity of base harness B1 part number 13d that matches the total number of shipped wire harnesses with W/H part numbers "CE8," "CK2," and "DD0."

On the other hand, if a parts manufacturer wants to produce wire harnesses or their intermediate parts with plenty of time to meet the delivery date specified by the customer, or if they want to produce using a remote location such as an overseas factory, it may be necessary to start production of the base harness before the shipping volume of each wire harness for each part number is determined.

However, the number of wire harnesses shipped for each part number fluctuates due to various factors. Therefore, if production of base harnesses begins before the number of units shipped is finalized, the number of wire harnesses for each part number that are actually shipped will not match the number of base harnesses for each B1 part number that are produced. As a result, some of the B1 part number base harnesses that are produced in advance in excess of the number of units shipped will become surplus inventory, resulting in increased costs.

Reducing the number of base harness types is an effective way to reduce excess inventory of base harnesses. For example, by integrating multiple types of base harnesses with different B1 part numbers into one base harness, the number of base harness types and B1 part numbers can be reduced.

However, when multiple types of base harnesses with different B1 part numbers are combined, the combined base harness will contain surplus circuits that are not used due to the specifications of each vehicle and are discarded. If there are too many surplus circuits, the number of parts in the base harness will increase, which will actually lead to higher costs.

Therefore, the types of multiple base harnesses to be integrated into one are appropriately selected, taking into consideration the number of wire harnesses shipped for each part number. For example, in order to reduce the total number of wire harnesses that contain surplus circuits that will be discarded, the selection criterion is to limit the types of multiple base harnesses to be integrated to those with a relatively small expected number of shipments. This makes it possible to reduce the total number of surplus inventory that occurs in manufactured wire harnesses and base harnesses while also reducing the total number of surplus circuits that will be discarded when the number of wire harnesses shipped for each part number fluctuates.

<Example of a wire harness with optimized configuration>
The contents of a table for managing information on the result of integrating multiple base harnesses into one to reduce the number of part numbers is shown in Fig. 4. That is, Fig. 4 shows the result of a design process improved to optimize the configuration of the multiple types of base harnesses shown in Fig. 3.

As shown in Figure 4, in the post-optimization configuration, there are no black circles in the columns for B1 part numbers 13c, 13d, 13e, and 13f, so it can be seen that there are no wire harnesses that use base harnesses with B1 part numbers 13c, 13d, 13e, and 13f.

In reality, the configuration of the base harnesses is optimized so that the base harnesses B1 part numbers 13c, 13d, 13e, and 13f are integrated into the new wire harness B1 part number 13b and are integrated together.

For example, in the configuration of FIG. 3 before optimization, wire harness No. 11 includes base harness B1 part number 13c, but in the configuration of FIG. 4 after optimization, it is changed to the new integrated base harness B1 part number 13b. Similarly, in the configuration of FIG. 3 before optimization, wire harness No. 16 includes base harness B1 part number 13d, but in the configuration of FIG. 4 after optimization, it is changed to the new integrated base harness B1 part number 13b. Therefore, after optimization, base harnesses B1 part numbers 13c, 13d, 13e, and 13f are excluded from production.

When changing the design from the state of FIG. 3 to the state of FIG. 4, the base harnesses of B1 part numbers 13b, 13c, 13d, 13e, and 13f to be integrated are selected based on the "shipment volume" of the shipment volume item 12. Specifically, only base harnesses of B1 part numbers whose "shipment volume" is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold are selected as the integration targets.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, wire harnesses No. 01, No. 04, No. 10, No. 12, No. 15, No. 19, No. 22, and No. 24, marked with black circles in the B1 part number 13a column, have relatively large "shipment numbers" of 1,980, 1,500, 1,300, 2,780, 1,500, 1,000, 980, and 1,890, respectively. Therefore, the base harness with B1 part number 13a will be excluded from the integration target.

In addition, in the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the "shipment volume" of each wire harness that uses a base harness other than B1 part number 13a is relatively small. Therefore, base harnesses with B1 part numbers 13b, 13c, 13d, 13e, and 13f are selected as the integration targets.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, B1 part number 13b is selected as the base harness to be integrated, and the remaining base harnesses B1 part numbers 13c, 13d, 13e, and 13f are integrated into the base harness B1 part number 13b.

Therefore, each of the 26 types of wire harnesses with product numbers No. 01 to No. 26 shown in Figure 4 is configured to be equipped with a base harness with one of two types of B1 product numbers, B1 product numbers 13a and 13b, indicated by black circles. In other words, in the configuration of Figure 3 before optimization, six types of base harnesses represented by six types of B1 product numbers 13a to 13f must be manufactured, but in the configuration of Figure 4 after optimization, only two types of base harnesses represented by two types of B1 product numbers 13a and 13b need to be manufactured, reducing the number of B1 product numbers. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of new surplus inventory of base harnesses, which is expected when the number of units shipped for each product number of wire harnesses changes.

For example, in a confirmed order for wire harnesses, if 190 units of wire harnesses with part number No. 18 are changed to wire harnesses with part number No. 13, the base harness in the configuration of FIG. 3 will be changed from B1 part number 13d to 13c, and the manufactured base harness with B1 part number 13d will become new surplus inventory.

However, in the configuration shown in Figure 4, wire harnesses No. 18 and No. 13 both use the same base harness with B1 part number 13b, so even if the part number of the ordered wire harness changes, the type and part number of the base harness are not affected and no excess inventory of new base harnesses is generated.

<Processing procedure for optimizing the configuration of wire harness>
The processing procedure of the wire harness design support method is shown in Fig. 5. For example, based on the contents of the part number management table 10 shown in Fig. 3, the design of the wire harness can be supported so as to optimize the configuration of the base harness and the number of B1 part numbers as shown in the part number management table 10A shown in Fig. 4.

The primary part number management table TB1 and secondary part number management table TB2 shown in FIG. 5 correspond to the part number management table 10 in FIG. 3 and the part number management table 10A in FIG. 4, respectively. The contents of the primary part number management table TB1 reflect the number of wire harnesses ordered for each part number that the vehicle manufacturer actually ordered from the parts manufacturer, and the order status of wire harnesses for each part number that the vehicle manufacturer or parts manufacturer predicted.

The processing procedure shown in Fig. 5 can be implemented by, for example, a computer of a design support device 20 described later. The processing procedure in Fig. 5 will be described below.
The computer of design support device 20 acquires necessary data from primary part number management table TB1 (S11).

The computer of the design support device 20 identifies the first base parts P10 based on the data acquired in S11, and extracts from the first base parts P10 those parts for which the expected shipment volume Nx for each part number is equal to or less than a threshold value as the integration target parts P11 (S12). Here, the first base parts P10 correspond to each of the six types of base harnesses with B1 part numbers 13a to 13f shown in FIG. 3. The threshold value is set to, for example, 800. As a result, each of the five types of base harnesses with B1 part numbers 13b to 13f shown in FIG. 3 are extracted as the integration target parts P11.

The computer of the design support device 20 determines in S13 whether there are multiple integration target parts P11 extracted in S12, and if this condition is met, executes the next step S14. In the example data shown in FIG. 3, five types of B1 part numbers 13b to 13f are extracted as integration target parts P11, so the process proceeds from S13 to S14.

The computer of the design support device 20 integrates the multiple integration target parts P11 extracted in S12 into one, and determines the configuration and part number of this second base part P12 (S14). In the example shown in FIG. 4, the base harness with B1 part number 13b corresponds to the second base part P12. The content of B1 part number 13b of the second base part P12 may be the same as the B1 part number 13b before integration, or a new part number may be assigned. In addition, the B1 part number 13b of the second base part P12 and the part number of the corresponding wire harness (contents of the W/H part number item 11) are linked to each other as shown by the black circle in FIG. 4.

The computer of the design support device 20 generates and stores a secondary part number management table TB2 whose contents reflect the processing results of S14 in the contents of the primary part number management table TB1 (S15). Note that before generating the secondary part number management table TB2 in S15, the contents may be displayed on the screen, and the secondary part number management table TB2 may be generated after receiving a decision input from the designer as to whether or not to execute the operation. In addition, the contents of the threshold values used in S12 may be changed by input from the designer.

When the parts manufacturer manufactures the wire harness, the second base parts P12 and each optional part for each B1 part number are manufactured based on the contents of the secondary part number management table TB2 and in accordance with the shipping volume (estimated figure or confirmed value) for each part number of the wire harness (S16).

By executing the processing procedure (S11 to S15) shown in Figure 5, for example, the design contents of the wire harness can be modified from the state in Figure 3 to the state in Figure 4, and the number of base harness types and B1 part numbers can be reduced. Here, a base harness that integrates multiple B1 part numbers will contain surplus circuits that have been discarded, but by extracting only base harnesses with a relatively small number of units shipped as the integration target parts P11 in S12, it is possible to avoid an increase in the total number of surplus circuits. In addition, by reducing the number of base harness types and B1 part numbers, it is possible to suppress the creation of new surplus inventory of base harnesses due to fluctuations in the number of units shipped for each part number.

<Configuration of Wire Harness Design Device>
FIG. 6 shows a configuration of a wire harness design device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 includes an information processing terminal 21 and a storage device 22. The information processing terminal 21 includes devices such as a central processing unit (CPU), a display, and an input device, like a typical personal computer, and can execute various programs as necessary.

The storage device 22 connected to the information processing terminal 21 holds data for a design support application 23, a primary part number management table TB1, and a secondary part number management table TB2. The design support application 23 is application software that realizes the functions of the design support process (S11 to S15) shown in FIG. 5. The contents of the storage device 22 may be placed on a specified server, or may be held inside the information processing terminal 21.

Therefore, a designer who designs the specifications of a wire harness can generate the contents of secondary part number management table TB2 based on the contents of primary part number management table TB1 by operating information processing terminal 21 shown in FIG. 6. That is, as in the examples shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the number of base harness types and B1 part numbers can be reduced, and excess inventory of base harnesses due to fluctuations in the number of units shipped for each wire harness part number can be suppressed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary as long as they can achieve the present invention, and are not limited.

For example, in the above embodiment, it is assumed that multiple base harnesses with B1 part numbers are integrated into one, but the same process can be performed for additional parts OB, i.e., optional harnesses. However, in the case of optional harnesses, it is necessary to select the parts to be integrated taking into consideration various constraints other than the "shipment volume" of the wire harness.

Characteristic features of the above-mentioned wire harness design support method and wire harness design support device will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [5].
[1] A first step (S11) of acquiring first part number management information (primary part number management table TB1) in which a plurality of part numbers assigned to each of the wire harness and a plurality of primary component parts (first base parts P10) that are components of the wire harness are associated with shipping quantities;
A second step (S12) of selecting, from among the plurality of primary components, a part whose shipping quantity is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold as a part to be integrated (P11);
a third step (S14) of assigning a part number to a secondary component part (second base part P12) formed by integrating the selected multiple integration target parts into one, thereby generating second part number management information (secondary part number management table TB2);
and when the plurality of integration target parts are grouped together in the third step, the configuration of the secondary component parts allows the wiring harness to be equipped with a throw-away surplus circuit that is not required in terms of specifications.
A method for supporting wire harness design.

According to the wire harness design support method configured as above in [1], multiple parts with different part numbers can be consolidated into one, so the number of secondary component part numbers can be reduced compared to the number of primary component part numbers. As a result, even if the number of wire harnesses shipped for each part number fluctuates, the impact is reduced, and the generation of new surplus inventory of wire harnesses and their parts can be suppressed. In addition, parts with shipment quantities below a predetermined threshold are selected as parts to be consolidated, so the total number of surplus circuits that are discarded can be prevented from increasing.

[2] The primary component and the secondary component are base parts (basic parts B1) that are equipped as basic components in each of a plurality of vehicles having different specifications.
The wire harness design support method according to the above [1].

According to the wire harness design support method configured as above in [2], the number of types and part numbers of base parts can be reduced, effectively improving the adverse effects associated with the generation of excess inventory. In other words, since base parts have a greater number of circuits than option parts, reducing excess inventory of base parts can effectively suppress unnecessary cost increases.

[3] The wire harness is composed of a base part (basic part B1) that is equipped as a basic component in each of a plurality of vehicles having different specifications, and an optional part (additional part OB) whose equipment is determined for each vehicle specification, and the optional part is excluded from the integrated parts.
The wire harness design support method according to the above [1].

According to the wire harness design support method of the configuration [3] above, the number of types and part numbers of base parts can be reduced, effectively improving the adverse effects associated with the generation of excess inventory. In other words, since base parts have a greater number of circuits than optional parts, reducing the excess inventory of base parts can effectively suppress unnecessary cost increases. In addition, excluding optional parts from the parts to be integrated makes it easier to optimize the configuration when multiple parts are integrated.

[4] A storage unit (storage device 22) that holds first part number management information that associates each of a plurality of part numbers assigned to the wire harness and each of a plurality of primary components that are components of the wire harness with a shipping quantity;
an information processing unit (information processing terminal 21) for supporting design based on the first product number management information stored in the storage unit;
the information processing unit selects, from among the plurality of primary components, components whose shipping quantities are equal to or less than a predetermined threshold as integration target components (S12), and generates second part number management information by assigning a part number to a secondary component formed by combining the selected plurality of integration target components into one (S14, S15), and when combining the plurality of integration target components, the configuration of the secondary component allows the installation of a throw-away surplus circuit that is not required by the specifications of the wire harness.
A wire harness design support device (design support device 20).

According to the wire harness design support device configured as in [4] above, multiple parts with different part numbers can be consolidated into one, so the number of secondary component part numbers can be reduced compared to the number of primary component part numbers. As a result, even if the number of wire harnesses shipped for each part number fluctuates, the device is less susceptible to this effect, and the generation of new surplus inventory of wire harnesses and their parts can be suppressed. In addition, parts with shipment quantities below a predetermined threshold are selected as parts to be consolidated, so the total number of surplus circuits that are discarded can be prevented from increasing.

[5] The primary component and the secondary component are base parts (basic parts B1) that are equipped as basic components in each of a plurality of vehicles having different specifications.
The wire harness design support device according to [4] above.

According to the wire harness design support device having the configuration of [5] above, the number of types and part numbers of base parts can be reduced, so that the adverse effects associated with the generation of excess inventory can be effectively alleviated. In other words, since base parts have a larger number of circuits than optional parts, reducing excess inventory of base parts can effectively suppress unnecessary cost increases.

10, 10A Part number management table 11 W/H part number item 12 Shipment quantity item 13 Base harness item 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d, 13e, 13f B1 part number 14 Option harness item 15 Added part item 16 Total part quantity item 20 Design support device 21 Information processing terminal 22 Storage device 23 Design support application B1 Basic part OB Added part Pa Added part NT Total part quantity W/H Wire harness TB1 Primary part number management table TB2 Secondary part number management table P10 First base part P11 Part to be integrated P12 Second base part

Claims (5)

a first step of acquiring first part number management information in which each of a plurality of part numbers assigned to the wire harness and each of a plurality of primary components that are components of the wire harness is associated with a shipping quantity;
a second step of selecting, from among the plurality of primary components, a part whose shipping quantity is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold as a part to be integrated;
a third step of generating second part number management information by assigning a part number to a secondary component part formed by integrating the selected plurality of integration target parts into one;
and when the plurality of integration target parts are grouped together in the third step, the configuration of the secondary component parts allows the wiring harness to be equipped with a throw-away surplus circuit that is not required in terms of specifications.
A method for supporting wire harness design. The primary component and the secondary component are base parts that are equipped as basic components in each of a plurality of vehicles having different specifications.
The wire harness design support method according to claim 1 . The wire harness is composed of one or more base parts that are equipped as basic components in each of a plurality of vehicles having different specifications, and optional parts whose installation status is determined for each vehicle specification, and the optional parts are excluded from the integration target parts.
The wire harness design support method according to claim 1 . a storage unit that holds first part number management information that associates each of a plurality of part numbers assigned to the wire harness and each of a plurality of primary components that are components of the wire harness with a shipping quantity;
an information processing unit that supports design based on the first part number management information stored in the storage unit;
the information processing unit selects, from among the plurality of primary components, components whose shipping quantities are equal to or less than a predetermined threshold as integration target components, and generates second part number management information by assigning a part number to a secondary component formed by combining the selected plurality of integration target components into one, and when combining the plurality of integration target components, the configuration of the secondary component allows the installation of a throw-away surplus circuit that is not required by the specifications of the wire harness.
Wire harness design support device. The primary component and the secondary component are base parts that are equipped as basic components in each of a plurality of vehicles having different specifications.
The wire harness design support device according to claim 4.

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